Out of the dust
 

Hello,

I am planning on meeting my lady in Malpensa. I am coming from Iraq and she from the states. I know we will both be alittle fatigued and I was thinking of booking a hotel and then traveling by train to our destination in Turin. Our exchange daughter was offering to drive down from Turin and pick us up but since I have been away for nine months, I would like to add a little romance to each leg of the trip. I was looking at the downtown Hotels close to the trains.I have no idea about what is feaseable or pragmatic. I would appreciate your suggestions

Milan is in the opposite direction from Malpensa, so the offer to pick you up would save a lot of time.

By the time you arrive in downtown Milan, you could be at a romantic hotel in Torino. (Or are you staying with the exchange daughter and want to spend the first night on your own?) The train from Milan to Torino the following day will take about 2 hours not counting the time to get to the station and buy your tickets.

I understand the need for romance, but IMO you'd find more of that in Torino than Milan. And I'm one who likes Milan.

But if it's to be Milan, then what's your budget? There are several hotels that could be called romantic, but some of them are fairly expensive. FWIW, the area around the central train station isn't the nicest, so you'd train or bus to the city center and then taxi or take the metro to your hotel. Or taxi from the airport directly to the hotel.

There are also plenty of hotels around Malpensa. If you can arrange your pickup for the next day, that would work, too.

Jean, Charnees
Thanks for your reply. The ultimate destination is hopefully as romantic as could be. A bed and Breakfast in San Damiano, D'Asti. So if Milan is the opposite direction then staying close to the airport would be practical. Now , would getting to San Damiano or Torino be possible by train, or bus from Malpensa? I hate to have her make the trip to pick us up if we can make it there without too much trouble. Again every bit of information is helpful since I have never visited Italy. While my sweet heart will visit for 8 days, I have 15 more days to explore. I was considering a motorcycle tour of the Adriatic coast or perhaps you have some suggestions? Thanks again

Were you not planning to rent a car for your time in the Asti area? The nearest train stations are miles away, and bus service would limit your sightseeing options.

To reach San Damiano from Malpensa by train requires heading to the center of Milan first and then taking one or two trains. It would take about 4 hours. You'd have to ask your B&B how you would get from the San Damiano d'Asti train station to the B&B.

I would rent a car at Malpensa and drive to San Damiano. It would take about 2 hours. If you wanted to do something more romantic than a night at Malpensa, consider driving about an hour to Lake Maggiore and then heading to San Damiano the next day.