2010

My husband & I continue to work on an itinerary for September 2016. So far, we have: Venice > Bassano Del Grappa > Malcesine on Lake Garda.

Originally, we thought we would drop our car off at Verona, stay a few days and continue on to Milan by train. But after doing some research, Verona did not resonate with us. (Sorry Verona fans!) So, that sent us looking between Lake Garda & Milan in Lombardy, new territory for us.

After a cursory look, we are excited about the possibility of staying for 3 or 4 nights in a town/small city. We are looking for a place that is well-located to explore the surrounding area. We've checked out Cremona (if only to try mostarda di cremona & nougat and to see the town in which violins are crafted), Crema (is there a train station here?) and Mantua (UNESCO World Heritage Site).

Any feedback or insights about these places or suggestions of other towns/small cities to consider would be greatly appreciated! We received some fantastic ideas/suggestions on a question I posted about the Veneto recently. So, I am returning for some ideas about Lombardy!

Thanks!

sandralist

Maybe if you said a bit more why Verona didn't resonate with you (too big?) then it would be easier to help you decide if you want to go to Mantova -- one of the most curious places in italy, with exceptional food, or Crema or Cremona. You can look on Trenitalia to see if there is a train station (I am not sure), but why don't you keep your car? It would not be difficult to drive and park in any of the places you mentioned. And it would give you more options. If you need to finish your trip in Milan you can drop off the car at Linate airport or Malpensa if you are in northern Lombardy and take the bus into Milan, or a taxi. It is quite simple to do.

Also, you might want to say what time of year you are traveling and where else you have visited. No point in people describing Bergamo to you in detail if you've already been.

sandralist

Oh sorry -- I see you are traveling in September. You can go anywhere in Lombardia in September. The weather tends to be lovely.

2010

Hi Sandralist:

Verona didn't appeal to us mainly because of its size and for the same reason, we aren't considering Bergamo for this portion of our trip.

Yes, we plan to keep our car in Lombardy. Our intention is to drop off the car at the end of our stay & take a train into Milan. But as you suggest, depending where we stay, returning our car to one of two Milan airports & taking a cab into the city is a possibility.

Interesting that you say that Mantua is a 'curious place'. The fact that it has exceptional food is appealing!

(I have taken the place names from guidebooks. But it seems that you know of where I speak!)

sandralist

All three are very well located for seeing a number of places of interest. If you are starting out from Malcesine, consider stopping for lunch in Valeggio sul Mincio no matter which town you choose. If you stay in Mantova, consider Modena as a day trip for its beautiful covered market (mornings only) and have a lunch there. On your way back, stop by Sabbioneta, which is has a long rich history it shares with Mantova. You can stop by Cremona on your way to dropping off the car Milan (or you can probably drop off the car in Milan.

Or, if you stay in Cremona, then consider for your possible day trips Busseto, Fontenellato, Castell' Arquato (as well as a number of foodie destinations you could get a list of from Chowhound) and visit Pavia on your way to dropping off your car. (By the way, Mantova also has its own mostarda very much worth sampling.)

I've never been to Crema, but If you really like being off the beaten track, you could probably have a fascinating time in the vicinity, visiting Lodi and Pavia as substantial day trips, but also just wandering around on your own (be prepared to be stared at since this is a very untouristed part of Italy). Leaving Crema for Milan, I would stop by Capriate San Gervasio to see the Crespi d'Adda.

By the way, it used to be that Lodi was included in every standard guide to Italy, but fashions in tourism change. (People no longer want to go to flat places in Italy!) But it is quite close to Crema, so you could see all the same sites.

http://www.lifeinitaly.com/tourism/lombardy/lodi

Both Crema and Lodi get so little foreign tourism that it might be hard to find a fun place to stay inside the towns, but definitely check, and check AirBnb as well. I'd also be tempted to look for an agriturismo in between the towns that serves dinners. You can usually find a whole slew of leads by using Google to give you a map of Crema (or Lodi) and then doing a search for "agriturismo near Crema" or "agriturismo near Lodi". Google will pinpoint locations, but alas, they won't tell you which ones have both dinner and rooms. You have to pick through the dots. You can also look on booking.com.

But if you decide to go to Mantova, it is easier to just stay in the town itself, and Cremona too

2010

sandralist:

So, this is the kind of information that I could never find in a guidebook! Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to my question. You have given me a great start towards an interesting itinerary + a fabulous stay in Lombardy.

Will also make a note to try mostarda in Montova!

Thanks again!

sandralist

Sure. If you live near a good second hand bookstore, you might try looking at some of their old travel guides for Italy, especially the Baedeker guides, but even the older Michelin guides. They were often a lot more rich in information than today's "exploring and wandering in Tuscany" fluff. Also, the Cadogan guides are usually dense with information about small towns, province by province in Italian regions. They have one for "Lombardy and the Italian Lakes" which might come in useful for Lago di Garda as well.

http://www.amazon.com/Lombardy-Itali.../dp/1860114024

Finally, there is really excellent food all through Lombardia, with many different provincial specialties and dishes. If you do not possess a copy of Fred Plotkin's Italy for the Gourmet Traveler, it is THE indispensible guide to not-missing the most wonderful foods of Italy. It is not about expensive "gourmet" eating but is about the delicious traditional foods of Italy, which often change from town to town. For instance, Valeggio sul Mincio makes its own special little stuffed pasta nobody else makes, and Mantova has a whole slew of dishes made with local ingredients you will not find even a 10 minute drive outside of Mantova. But all of them are described in Fred Plotkin's book (which is beautifully written)

http://www.amazon.com/Italy-Gourmet-...urmet+traveler

As with all these older guidebooks, you need to double check about any recommended places to stay or eat. But they are absolutely worth going through if you are getting off the beaten track in Italy. When you finally decide which town you will stay in, doing google searches also turns up a lot of interesting information and pictures.

2010

sandralist:

I do tend to by-pass older editions of guidebooks that sit on the library shelf for more current versions. Perhaps I should spend time flipping through a few of those older books, too. You are correct that some guidebooks are more information rich than others. I'll be looking out for the ones you mentioned.

I will have my own copy of Fred Plotkin's book soon! I ordered it today! Thanks for steering me towards this amazing book!

You've been incredibly helpful! Thanks again!

tdk320n

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