julies

Right now we are in an apartment in the far NE corner of Tuscany, using this as a base, and we'll be here for 4-5 more days. We've already spent a week in Venice and a day in Ravenna. When we leave here we have either 5 or 6 nights before flying home out of Malpensa. The weather has been crummy and cool for most of our trip, and recently it has been running 15 to 20 degrees below normal and is raining. Long range forecasts are a little better (though still definitely cool with rain now and then) for the rest of our trip.

We have a car and no agenda or reservations for the rest of our time. We'd thought about the Cinque Terre for a change of pace and some hiking, but most of the non-expert trails are closed for a couple more months. We don't want to just relax at the lakes, but we could do a bit of sightseeing in the area. We're maybe thinking of Mantua for a few days of exploration and biking.

Does anyone have any other Ideas we haven't thought of for places somewhat between here and the general airport area for conditions where the weather isn't exactly prime? We're pretty low key, enjoy all sorts of different activities (including outdoorsy), and don't want the hassle of a big city since we have a car to deal with. We don't need major tourist sights or locales and don't need to be on the go all of the time. Any interesting areas for a time when Italy is not the sunny and warm locale we'd expected it to be? Thanks much for your thoughts.

isabel

Sorry about your weather. I guess it's the same in France - and interestingly it's also the same in a lot of the northern US (I'm in Massachusetts and it's supposed to be in the 40s and rain all weekend.) But at least I'm not on vacation. Poor you.

Anyway, many towns in the Veneto and Emile Romagina are really nice and don't absolutely require great weather - my favorites are Verona, Padua, Mantua, Ferrara, and Bologna. They all have interesting city centers with some inside stuff to do. Also Vicenza and Modena. Bologna and Padua are know for their many arcaded streets which make walking around in the rain less awful than other places. And since you are flying out of Milan consider Bergamo, I knew very little about it before I went there last year and absolutely loved it. If the weather improves it's near Lake Como (and Verona is near Lake Garda).

Here's my photos of those areas -
http://www.pbase.com/annforcier/italy__the_veneto
http://www.pbase.com/annforcier/italy_emilia_romagna
http://www.pbase.com/annforcier/milan_bergamo_mantova

flygirl

With that much extra time, why not go fairly far south - Rome? Assuming the weather is decent that is.

Or, the Piedmont wine region? I doubt it will be warm if you are experiencing cold weather where you are, but it would be pretty and not as far from Malpensa.

tarquin

Have you thought of Sicily? You could fly into Catania and stay in lovely Siracusa (Ortigia.)

stevewith

Italian weather forecasting is totally unreliable one week in advance. If you'd like to see the Italian Riviera, wait until you are just about ready to leave before deciding where to go. With a car, I would choose Lerici over any of the le Cinque Terre towns. Or the area around Camogli, Santa Margherita Ligure and Rapallo.

Where are you now precisely? Have you been to Arezzo? Into Umbria?

Mantova is a fine place, with interesting indoor sights of history and art, but if you want to go biking there, you need nice weather, which again means waiting to see a weather forecast. Other places of interest in the area are Cremona and Bergamo.

Do you have a guidebook for all of Italy with you? If not, take the train into Florence and buy one.

bobthenavigator

I like the Lerici or Camogli suggestion---how is the wetaher on the coast?

julies

We've been in Sansepolcro (NE corner of Tuscany) now for a couple days and haven't ventured outside of the town. We had been planning to visit Arezzo for the day today, but it is 48 degrees (average high this time of year here is 77) and raining. After a brief walk here in town between rainstorms, we actually sat and watched a movie in our apartment this afternoon. Perugia is is reach from here as is Cortona for day trips while we have this apartment.

It is after our rental is up here that I am wondering about. We want some place we can visit with our rental car after we leave here (too much hassle trying to rearrange the car booking and trying for a flight in southern Italy). Camogli does sound interesting as does other parts of Liguria, but I suspect they are weather dependent too. Bob, apparently all of Italy except the very far south is stuck in this same weather system--52 in Genoa right now.

Bergamo sounds interesting too, or is that also a nice, sunny weather destination?

I really appreciate the advice. We never, ever thought this would be a trip where we'd encounter weather this far from normal. We also experienced acqua alta in Venice, something that is normally a winter weather phenomenon. All of the Italians we've spoken with are totally mystified and upset at the abysmal weather.

Now I think we may get out the map and a guidebook (got one on my e-reader) and see where we could end up if we just get in the car and take the autostrada somewhere 3 or 4 hours more southerly.

I know weather forecasts aren't great a week out anywhere, but the forecasters have been pretty right on here so far.

Thanks again.

stevewith

Bergamo is near Milan, and it is likely to be one of the colder spots in Italy if it is cold.

Here is my favorite weather website for Italy. You can use the little drop down menus to see 15 days worth of weather forecasts from region to region. You can see that the Italian Riviera is due to warm up next week, and be quite sunny

http://www.ilmeteo.it/meteo/Camogli

Temps are about same south of Rome

http://www.ilmeteo.it/meteo/provincia-LT

But you can also see that immediate forecast is for most of Italy to turn sunny by tomorrow EXCEPT for areas southeast of you. So be careful where you choose. And keep following the weather forecasts over the next few days.

http://www.ilmeteo.it/

Acqua alta goes from November to May in Venice, so no surprises there for me. People just don't want to believe Venice is sinking, or that there is climate change. Not particular to Italians, alas.

I'm surprised you've been deterred by rain in Arezzo. There is plenty to do indoors, and plenty of warming food to eat. Try to get there before Monday, when most things will close.

Chiusi is also a good destination with lots to do indoors and underground. Perugia of course has one of the most marvelous and enjoyable museums of painting in all of Italy, and lots of hot chocolate. But you need a good plan for driving into the city and finding parking.

stevewith

Here is a video of last year's acqua alta in May in Venice

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gPg4uWGwHI

julies

steve--Thanks for all of the suggestions and the links (I especially like the Italian weather link). We're sifting through our options so when it comes time to decide, and we'll have a little firmer handle on the weather, we'll be informed about what our actual choices are.