Wedding in Laglio
 

Hi there!
My husband and I have a wedding to attend in Laglio Italy this August 2018, so why not extend the trip and plan a holiday I thought. Here are my initial ideas for the trip and some questions I have:
Fly to Milan and stay the arrival day and one extra - see The Last Supper and wander in the Brera and Navigli areas. Get over jet lag. Any 'must-sees or dos' ?
Does the train run from Milan to Verona? I was on Trenitalia but I'm not sure which station?
Verona - stay 3 days - wine tour(s) Any recommendations on wineries/private tour agents?
Back to Milan and pick up car and drive to Lake Como. I am unable to find any accommodation walking distance to the wedding venue so a car will be necessary.
Stay in Lake Como day before the wedding, day of and day after...maybe an extra day?
Drive back to Milan and fly home.
Thanks for any help you can offer!

Your plans may still be preliminary, but it would be helpful to know how many days in total you're considering. It sounds like 10 days minimum...

I would probably reverse the order. After landing at Malpensa, I'd rent a car and drive to Lake Como for the wedding days. The drive from the airport to the Laglio area would take about an hour. After the wedding you could return the car in the town of Como and train to Verona (or wherever) and spend your time in Milan at the end of your trip.

I think the Duomo in Milan is a must, but anything else would depend on your interests. You need to get reservations for the Last Supper as soon as they become available.

If you'd rather head to Verona before Lake Como, you'd be traveling from the Milano Centrale train station to the Verona Porta Nuova train station. (You need to use Italian spellings on the Trenitalia website.) Rather than return to Milan to rent the car, I'd pick up the car in Verona as you're leaving or train to Como S. Giovanni and rent there.

It's going to be hot and humid... My choice at that time of year would be mountains and altitude, but I do like Milan and Verona.

Thanks Jean!
I think you're right that it makes more sense to reverse the order and tack on the extra days after the wedding.
I am intrigued by your comment for mountains and altitude. Do you have some suggestions?
As to the number of days, unfortunately, 10-11 days would probably be maximum as we have to return to work :(

How many days do you want to spend near the wedding venue, and do you have any interest in seeing the sights on Lake Como? Do you have to fly out of Milan?

August is normally hot and humid. Mountains or coasts help

We loved our few days in the Dolomiti. On that trip, we flew to Venice, immediately took a train to Verona, and rented a car in Verona after two nights (we were there for the opera). Verona was hotter than the hinges of hell.

From Verona we drove to Riva del Garda for a couple of nights, then on to the Dolomites. From there we dropped the car in Venice.

I'm only telling you about our itinerary because it was so easy to get to the Dolomites from Verona. And Verona was so hot.

If you could fly out of Verona or Venice, the Dolomites would be fairly easy after Lake Como. However, if you want to explore Lake Como for a couple of days before and/or after the wedding, you might be a bit short of time for a good tour of the Dolomites. But, depending on how you like to travel, you could get a taste.

From Laglio, look at driving north to the end of Lake Como, then east on SS38 and go over the famous Stelvio Pass to Merano or Bolzano. That would take an entire day. In Bolzano, if you had time, I highly recommend the South Tyrol Archeology Museum and its exhibits on Otzi, the Ice Man. Next, I'd head to Ortisei for at least two nights (three would be better). You could stay in Ortisei, ride the lifts up the mountains for some short hikes, or take a driving excursion or two to some of the mountain passes like Gardena, Pordoi, Sella, San Pellegrino, Giau, Falzarego, etc. You'll have to be picky in your plans and plot a realistic driving route. Driving speeds aren't fast in this area. If you could go all the way to Cortina, you could then drive south to the Venice airport. Otherwise, go back to Bolzano and drive south to Verona. You'd likely want/need to spend the last night near the airport.

Jean: How many days to see the sights on Lake Como would you suggest? We do not have to fly out of Milan, but I would have to choose a city where there is a direct flight home. (Air Canada to Toronto)

tuscanlifeedit: Not at all familiar with the Dolomiti and haven't found much online other than ski type resorts. My husband would not be interested in hiking. "hotter than the hinges of hell" would that be equivalent to summer time in Florida? I am familiar with that heat. Love that saying by the way :)

Oh...also thinking of booking the Grand Imperiale Resort & Spa in Moltrasio. Has anyone stayed here? Trying to decide on which room category to book. The hotel website is confusing. I have emailed the hotel directly with some questions.

Sorry Jean but I just received your reply with the suggested drive in the Dolomites. I'll look into the suggestions.

Does anyone know about boating on Lake Como? My DH and I love boating and boat both on the Trent Severn Waterway in Canada and in the Gulf of Mexico in Florida. Maybe a food/wine/culinary tour by boat with a driver? that would be great!

If you stayed in Moltrasio, you'd have direct access to the ferry. The GH Imperiale looks lovely and it seems to be very popular, but you should read reviews to get the full picture.

How many days on the lake depends on what you want to see/do. Most of the sights that the average visitor wants to see are clustered near the center of the lake, but you should do some research to find what appeals to you. From Moltrasio, you would probably ferry to the mid-lake area and then use the separate mid-lake ferry to get around to sights. Here is a link to the ferry service. If you look at the timetables now, you'll see the 2017 summer schedule is still viewable/printable even though service has reverted to autumn timetables. In a few days, those summer schedules will drop from the website. Summer schedules from year to year don't change much.

http://www.navigazionelaghi.it/eng/c_illago.html

If you stay at the GH Imperiale, they should be able to advise about the boat tour options.