I am planning on visiting Italy in early August 2007 with my wife and 7 year old and 5 year old children. This is our first trip to Italy and our second trip to Europe. We are going in August as that is the only time I could use FF miles. We are flying into Milan and want to see Lake Country and Tuscany before heading to France. We have 7 nights to spend in Italy.

First, is this time of year just a terrible time to go, or can we make due. I've read a lot about it being very busy as everyone in Europe vacations in August.

Second, are these the two best spots to visit considering we are flying into northern Italy (Milan) and we only have 7 nights?

Thanks for any comments back.

A few years ago we had a delightful vacation on Lake Como. We stayed in the town of Varenna, which is one of the few towns in that area that can be reached directly by train from Milan -- about an hour away if I remember correctly. There is frequent ferry service across the lake between Varenna and the other various towns (Bellagio, Como, etc.).
I'm not familiar with the distance between Milan or Lake Como and Tuscany, but I'm sure someone else here is.

In terms of the "best" spots to visit, what kinds of things do you like to do with your children? A lot of the pleasures we indulged in in Lake Como, for example, were fairly slow and grown up -- i.e., drinks on a lakeside terrace, strolls through historic gardens -- but I can see how the ferry rides, for example, and just watching the boats might be appealing to children. There is also some hiking to be done in the hills outside of Varenna, one path going up to an old fort/castle, if that type of activity is of interest.

Hi tds,

Italy in August is better than no Italy at all.

With 2 kids, the Lakes would be very pleasant.

It would be a shame to miss Venice.

You can fly to Paris from both Venice (www.myair.com) or Milan (www.easyjet.com)

I suspect there are others who may recommend different lakes besides Como but it is certainly ONE of the most convenient if you are flying into Milan.

MoonGirl is correct about rail connections to the so-called "mid-lake" area (Varenna/Bellagio/Menaggio. The train trip actually takes about 1 hour and 20 minutes to Varenna and it is easy to get the ferry from varenna to the other two towns aforementioned.

You do not say how you plan to travel to France or to where in France. You can fly to Paris as Ira has mentioned and you could also take the train from Milan.

Yes, August can be a busy time as many Europeans take their vacations then but I would definitely make reservations as early as possible when you decide on a final itinerary.

Some of the hotels mid-lake close for the Winter season and don't re-open until March or April (and some don't answer e-mails during that timeframe, either).

I would have less hesitation about spending time at the lake in August than I would about spending time in a popular city.

tds,

First, don't worry about the August factor. We have been to Italy in August 3 or 4 times and we really enjoyed these trips!

Many Italians take their vacations in August which to me means that some really great restaurants, shops, etc. will be closed. But you can work around that because you weren't going to go to all of those.

And the cities may be hot and sticky so it might not be the best time to go to say Rome, but weather is unpredicable so you never know.

IMO the coast will probably be lovely (and if you go to the coast / lakes, you want it to be nice and sunny and hot if you want to go swimming).

I think with 7 nights and two children, I would probably spend 3/4 nights at one of the Lakes and the remaining nights in Lucca or the Cinque Terre. I haven't been to Lucca, but it is supposed to be truly lovely and it is in more northern part of Tuscany.

I say the CT because you will be flying in and out of Milan and August is fabulous for there - at least we thought it was. We are NYers and we didn't find it too crowded but maybe we were there on light weeks? Who knows. My trip report is on here if you look for it, I talk about the CT.

I of course agree with Ira that Venice would be wonderful, but I would probably focus on places near water given the time of year and the fact that you have kids.

Have a great trip and let us know what you decide!

Sally

Both of our trips to Italy were in August and we're planning our third for next August. Given that we live in Atlanta, the weather in Italy in August is almost a break for us. No where near as high humidity even during the heat wave of 2003. I can't compare crowds from one time to another but the only major city that seemed crowded was Florence and that was on the Ponte Vecchio. Venice had its moments but not so bad that we aren't going back next year. As for closures, the worst was is in Milan (mostly smaller shops and restaurants) but there was till plenty to do. One plus about August is that it's mid-season for most hotels, so you can saved considerably on the room rates.

If you are flying into Milano, I would think that going to Como would be your easy first stop for a couple of nights --either that or`Maggiore, quite convenient to Malpensa, which is probably where you are flying into. If you're also flying back through Malpensa, you might want to book over night near Maggiore on the last night for the sake of convenience.

Instead of driving down to Tuscany, which is going to cost you alot of time (it's about a five to six hour drive to Florence from Como in good traffic, and you are going at a very busy time of year), why not consider a few days in the country in Piedmont, which is as beautiful and is not as packed in with tourists in August. There are tons of agriturismi with pools for the children in the wine country -- and the views and wineries (not to mention the food) is spectacular. Do a search of Piedmont here, and at www.slowtrav.com as well as Trip Advisor to find out more information in general about the region. You will find that Piedmont is known to have the best cuisine and wine in Italy.

Another advantage about staying in Piedmont is is geographic proximity to France, which, considering your limited vacation time, would mean you would be spending much less time on the road.

While the coastline is certainly beautiful, the Cinque Terre is going to be extremely busy in August. Instead, if you want to hit the coast, you can do so on your way to France, choosing instead to visit the border area of France and Italy, such as San Remo, Menton, Bordighera, Dolce Acqua.

In Piemonte, I would suggest looking at locations in the triangle formed by Asti, Acqui Terme and Alba for accomodations.