My husband and I are planning a trip to Italy in April and I have planned a tentative itinerary.<BR>1 night in Bergamo (fly into Milan)<BR>3 nights in Verona<BR>1 night in Bassano d.g. or Asolo<BR>3 nights in Ferrara<BR>Last night outside of Venice<BR><BR>I would appreciate any comments on the above as well as suggestions of towns to visit, restaurants, hotels and whether there may be better towns to stay in. <BR>Thanks for any help

An unusual itinerary to say the least. One vital background question: Is this your first trip to Italy? If not, where else have you been?<BR>Ferrara restaurant recommendation: Il Bagattino, Via Correggiari 6 (telephone: 0532-206387

Thanks for the restaurant tip, Howard. I'm wondering why you consider this an unusual itinerary. Do you know something I should know? I've been to Rome several times, to the Amalfi coast, Tuscany, Umbria, Italian Riviera, Florence and once to Venice a very long time ago. (It was dirty and there were rats along the canals, but I'm certainly willing to give it another chance considering all the positive feedback in this forum. Thanks again, and I'd like to hear some more comments.

Barb, Will you be driving? If so, I have some ideas. But, why Ferrara?

Bob, I've read favorable reports on Ferrara in this forum and in guidebooks. I am certainly open to other suggestions and would welcome your thoughts and comments. Thanks a lot. Barb

Bob - Yes, we will be driving.

I don't really know this area, but your trip LOOKS potentially interesting to me. I haven't been to Ferrara, but from what I've heard, it sounds like a very good choice. (A friend of mine who grew up in Milan and lives in Bologna says it's his favorite city, by the way. Based on what I've heard from him, it sounds like a good choice.) I'm sure you can easily visit Bologna from Ferrara. Will you also squeeze in a visit to Ravenna? Bergamo is only an hour away from Milan by train and I think a much more pleasant place to walk around when you're jet lagged and to sleep your fist night. If I were doing this, I'd probably want to stay IN Venice rather than on the outskirts of Venice. I don't know anything about Bassano.<BR><BR>

Last summer we did a long drive from Bari (where we took the ferry back from Dubrovnik) to Trieste. We broke the trip up with a night in Ferrara. We arrived about 3 in the afternoon and left the next morning. We had an interesting walk seeing some of the very interesting architecture, but frankly we were certainly ready to leave in the morning. In all honesty, it was August and much of the city was &quot;closed&quot; for vacation, but there certainly wasn't a lot there as far as I'm concerned. We did a lunch stop in Bergamo later on, and I'd prefer staying there for three days before Ferrara. For other towns what about Padua or Bologna?

Barb, I hope you don't think I was being critical. It just seemed to me that either you chose an unusual intinerary for a first trip or were a veteran traveler to Italy.<BR>Ferrara is a delightful city, with a &quot;real&quot; castle (moat and all) in the center of its center. It's about 30 miles (or is it 30 kilometers?) from Bologna, where there is a lot to see! Bologna is a great place for just walking around. Its Museo Civico has an excellent Etruscan collection.<BR>PS: Give Venice another try! It is truly a magical city.

Hi Barb,<BR> I second consideration of Padua.

Good morning, Barb<BR>Would suggest dropping one night each<BR>for Ferrara and Verona and select Bologna for those two night. Have used the HOTEL ROMA there on our two visits<BR>and ristorante LA MELA, and trattoria<BR>DA ADOLFO, both nearby and all next to<BR>the Pza Maggiore.<BR>As far as your last night, please stay<BR>within Venice, especially if only for<BR>one night, will allow you more time to<BR>really get the feel of Venice, we have<BR>used the hotels ALA and DOPOZZI, a number of times along with others and<BR>ristorantes, LA CARAVELLA, POSTE VECIE,<BR>AL TEATRO AND DA RAFFAELE. CHAT DI QUI,<BR>if you want a more detailed list drop<BR>me a line and will send same.<BR>Richard of LaGrange Park, Il..

Barb, It is a matter of taste. I find places like Bergamo, Ferrara, Padua to be worth about 4 hours to see the highlights, but not 3 days. If I had 9 nites, and a car, I would pick 3 destinations to stay. One would be on a Lake, the next would be in the heart of Veneto, and the last Venice. Why not drive to Varenna on Como for 2 nites, see Citta Alta in Bergamo enroute to Veneto, and then stay in Bassano del Grappa as your Veneto base. We stayed there in 1999 for 4 nites and did lots of good day trips.<BR>And, you must give Venice another chance. I would spend 3 nites there. The other option is to spend time in the Dolomites--we love Castelrotto. Hope this helps. Good luck !

Thanks for all the great advice. I am going to rethink this trip. I have spent time in Bellagio (just beautiful) and driving through the Dolomites. Our goal is to fly into Milan and home from Venice, seeing as many charming and interesting places as time will allow. We would like to stay in nice hotels ($100 to 200)and eat well. We enjoy buying pottery and artwork.(We have been to Deruta a few times and love the pottery) Has anyone been to Faenza? What does their pottery typically look like? I welcome all comments.

Barb, my husband and I spent 2 nights in Verona and 2 nights in Ferrara and we enjoyed both towns tremendously.<BR><BR>We enjoyed Ferrara because:<BR>1) It was not touristy, even though it had some interesting sights. People were genuinely friendly and did not seem jaded by the hordes of tourists.<BR>2) The food was excellent. Heartily recommend the Trattoria Mandolina.<BR>3) From Ferrara we did an easy day-trip to Ravenna, which we thought was a great place for a day-trip (but a day-trip is enough).<BR>4) For accomodations, the Locanda Borgonuovo was great - only 4 rooms - not luxurious, more like staying in someone's house. Great breakfast and great host.<BR>5) We borrowed some bikes (from our hotel) and biked on top of the medieval walls. It was fun!<BR><BR>Regarding Verona:<BR>We liked Verona so much that we had originally planned on doing a day-trip to Sirmione on the second day, but decided to stay the second day to do some shopping and soak some more atmosphere. I can recommend the Due Torri Hotel Baglioni. Watch for deals on booking websites.<BR><BR>I think its a good itinerary. Just have some day-trips planned because Verona deserves about 2 days at a leisurely pace and Ferrara deserves one. But they are both well-situated for trips. I also like the Dolomites, which may be incorporated into your itinerary.<BR><BR>

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