Would you choose the Lake District, Tuscany or both?Totally confused!!
 

After reading all the information posted I am now totally confused!
I have been to Florence several times as well as Venice, Rome and Milan. I have never been to the Lake District, CT, or Tuscany (accept Assisi). I have 10 days in late May to plan a trip with my husband. We are flying into Florence to see our daughter so:
Day 1-2 Florence
Lucca, Montecatini, SG, all sound great
as does CT
and the Lakes....we have 8 days ...can anyone help me plan this?
Can you do Tuscany and the Lakes? Do you drive or take a train? Do you need to stay in a small village in Tuscany or are day trips a better way to go? Please help my confusion....thanks in advance

Message: We did Tuscany,Umbria and the Lakes area last year. If I could do it over, I probably would have spent the entire time in Umbria and Tuscany. The travel time to and from Como "killed" one day.While I love the lakes,I would save them for when we are concentrating on northern Italy.

I think you can do Tuscany and the Lakes in one trip...I'm not sure where Jabez was traveling to Como from or the mode of travel that made the trip into such a trek. I'm not sure you need to do ALL the lakes, perhaps one would be enough. If that were the case I would recommend the mid-lake area (Varenna/Bellagio/Menaggio) of Lake Como as opposed to the town of Como itself. The place is wonderfully scenic and relaxing..do NOT go there if you expect a lot of high-powered nightlife or "I just don't have time to see everything" kind of days...it isn't jam-packed with stuff to do like Rome, etc....seems much more leisurely.

Hi EPC,

I shall solve your dilemma. :)

Do 3 days in Florence, then train to Naples for 2 days, then train to Sorrento for 3 days and see the Amalfi Coast.

Fly home from Naples.

Or do the trip in reverse.

In late May I would do 3 destinations in your time. Since Florence is a given, I would add a rural Tuscany location for 3 nites and the CT for 2 nites, and fly home from Florence. Save the Lakes for next year and include the Swiss Alps.

Thank you for all of your input. I am thinking of the 23 & 24th in Florence than 25th-28th ( 3 nites) in Tuscany ( I am not sure where??)
29th-2 The lake district (Bellagio,Varenna, Lugano) and try to change flights out of Milan
Does this sound crazy? and what is the best way to get to the lakes from Tuscany. CAr? or train into Milan? I think a car in Tuscany sounds like a good idea. I am not really so keen on driving even though I drive like a cabby in NY ! I like the idea of leisure and my own explorations though.
Thanks again for any input!

It's actually:
2 nites Florence
4 nites Tuscany (any suggestions where?)
4 nites The Lakes (Bellagio?)

while i enjoyed Lake COmo, I'd save that for a trip to Switzerland some day. From Florence you can easily train to the 5 Terre for a few days. Then train to Pisa, rent your car there and explore from Lucca S through San Gimig and Siena to Montalcino and Montepulciano. Tuscany is just amazing. Find a small farmhouse or inn near San gig/Lucca (NW area) and one for a few nights further S of Siena. Enjoy!

Just to clear up some possible confusion: Florence IS in the Tuscany region. Assisi is NOT. Assisi is in the Umbria region.

If you are trying to choose between Tuscany (and/or Umbria) and the lakes, I would DEFINITELY choose Tuscany and Umbria. The countryside and smaller cities and towns of Tuscany, or Tuscany and Umbria, would fit in so well with your visit to your daughter in Florence. You'd have scenic beauty, history, art, architecture, literary history, and you could choose to focus on relaxation and rustic activities or take a more academic learning-oriented approach, or, if you're like me, you could do a bit of both according to your mood.

The lakes are beautiful. (I've only been there once, to Lake Como and Lake Maggiore, but Orta sounds really appealing). However, to me, they are fine for a short break but I wouldn't make them a major destination. (I almost did on my last trip, but I;'m glad I changed my mind at the last minute.) I enjoyed staying in Varenna on Lake Como for my first two nights after a transatlantic flight, and found it just right for getting over jet lag, with plenty of lovely scenic places to see, but nothing that I felt I absolutely must not miss. I disliked Stresa on Lake Maggiore and would not recommend it, but that seems to be a minority opinion, so I won't elaborate unless someone has some real need for my explanation.

I forgot you asked whether it's necessary to drive int he lakes area. I NEVER drive on vacations. When I'm alone I'm careful to choose destinations that I'll be able to enjoy without driving. For a short trip you can get along fine without a car. It's very easy and pleasant to take boats from place to place on Lake Como.

In Tuscany, if you stay in a "small village" you would have to drive to get around. Even, if you stay in a city, like Siena or Lucca, or a larger town, like Cortona, Montepulciano, Montalcino, I think you might need first to take a train or bus back to to Florence if you wanted to get to another city or town by public transportation. There's pretty good public transportation between Florence and various major towns, but, in general, not BETWEEN towns. (In Umbria, it is possible to base yourself in a town and take day trips by public transportation. I did it.)

We drove from Greve (Chianti) and returned to Florence. It's a long ,not interesting drive. Lot's of truck traffic and many slow downs at the many tunnels.There is a great Autostrada at Bologna.
The drive from Como to Bellagio alone can take an hour and while scenic, it can be harrowing.
When you add the combined time to and fro,it makes more sense to save the lakes area for another trip. Although I would recommend a train,it really wouldn't save much time.Just MHO, but that's what EPC asked for.
We had more time than EPC did and stayed 3 nights in Bellagio. It's pretty, scenic and relaxing. I just would have saved it for a northern Italy trip. I would add Umbria or southern Tuscvany instead.

Thanks so much for all of your honest opinions. It sounds like Tuscany is the place to visit and maybe add CT if it isn't TOO Touristy at that time which I am sure it will be (right?)
Do you think it would be best to do day trips out of Florence (seems tiring to me) or situate myself with a car for a few days somewhere IN the middle of Tuscany. Any suggestions? Hotel? Short visit Villa? We probably would prefer a gorgeous hotel because it is just the two of us.Please forgive all of my questions, it just seems that so many of you have already done this area with great success and memories. Thanks again in advance for all of your time and consideration to my confusion!!!

I suggest:
2 nights Florence
2 or 3 nights Chianti
2 or 3 nights San Gimignano (plenty of hotels within the city walls and just outside - in addition to SG you will be able to see Voltera)
3 nights CT (in May it's not too packed yet - actually a good time to go)

This will give you a good taste of two parts of Tuscany and allow you to spend time hiking the towns of the CT.

EPC
We did Milan and the Lakes last summer, and in 2001 we did Rome and Tuscany. Lake Garda and the Dolomites is very nice but I would probably lean towards Tuscany.
If you stay in Montecatini I would strongly recommend the Grand Bellavista Hotel. San Gimignano is really nice but it is a little far form the train station if you are using train instead of rental car.

I am in the process of writing several reports on our 16 night trip to Italy last month. We flew to Rome, spent 3 nights in Umbria, 3 nights in Tuscany (had an apartment on a wine vineyard in Chianti area) then 2 nights for Cinque Terre (which we loved, then 2 nights on Lake Como (Varenna, Bellagio area, then on to Dolomites for two glorious nights finishing up with three nights in Venice from where we flew home. Follow my reports (they are in great detail) and they could be helpful. Helen

Hi there,

Does anyone know how long it would take to drive from Menaggio to lugano in the summer?

Does anyone know if this is a harrowing drive or pleasant?