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How about Lucca? It's a great small town: easy to wander and close to Pisa or Florence for day trips. The wall surrounding the city is like a park with grass, trees and a walking/ biking path so that you can walk all the way around Lucca on the wall!

In one month I will be exploring the area covered in last springs Travel and Leisure. I was so excited by the article that I started planning my stay at the Palazzo Salis in Chiavenna soon after. Check out their website. Not to be confused with the Palazzo Salis in Soglio. I will report back upon my return at the end of March.

In Castelrotto, try Cavallino d'Oro (4 stars, Karen Brown endorsed) or Al Lupo (Zum Wolf) (3 stars). That would be a great base for drives into the Dolomites (Val Gardena, Seiser Alm) and to Bolzano. It should be porcini season, reflected in the restaurant menus.

Enzian, are you familiar with these two hotels? Is the splurge on the Cavallino worth it? The Zum Wolf certainly looks nice enough...I am wondering exactly what the difference is between the two?

I have seen both, but I haven't personally stayed at either one---we like to be more up in the actual Dolomites. A close friend takes small groups (10 or 12 friends) to the Dolomites for cross-country skiing, and they stay at Cavallini d'Oro---perhaps she gets a deal there. My boss stayed at Zum Wolf last September and liked it very much. (He did mention that it's very close to the church bells, though.) I think 3 stars are plenty in the Sud Tirol region---no need to splurge on 4. Are you going in the fall too?

Thanks, Enzian...no we go in July. I am really looking forward to it. The price of Cavallino is 122/ day for 2, whereas Zum Wolf is 70/day for 2. We are planning on spending 3 days there, so that is a considerable difference. I am leaning toward the Zum wolf as we usually opt for nice meals rather than more expensive accomodations.

Wren---re food vs. lodging, I agree. Three days in July---that should be wonderful. I wish I could remember the name of the place where we had lunch a couple of times---great platter of grilled vegetables, nice flower-bedecked patio. But such places aren't hard to find there; I'm sure you'll discover some.

Are you going to do any hiking?

We will definitely do some hiking...got any suggestion?

Yes I do---several, but I'll have to dig out my maps first. Will you have a car, or be using the SAD bus system? That makes a difference in trailheads you can use. Also, what level of hike do you like---easy meadow ramble, moderate hike (2 to 4 hours, 1,000 feet or so of elevation gain and loss) or strenuous (longer and more difficult)?

We will have a car. I think we will probably go for "wimpy" class hikes. We are in fairly good shape, but I doubt we are going to take it seriously enough to go do anything like that for 2-4 hours...and we certainly won't do anything too strenuous. Easy meadow ramble sounds just our style!

Bolzano

Wren---the classic meadow ramble is up on Alpe di Siusi, a short drive from Castelrotto. It is a huge alpine meadow dominated at one end by the Schlern and at the other by the peaks of Sassolungo and Sassopiatto. In July it might still be full of wildflowers; we've only been there in late August so I'm not sure. The meadow is car-free in summer; just drive up and park at the large parking lot, get a map at the TI, and wander where you wish. It's all open country with great views of the peaks, and you can't get lost. Another day you could drive up the Val Gardena, just to the east of Castelrotto, to the pass and take any of the trails leading out from there for a bit. Or, for an amazing experience (but not a meadow ramble), turn right toward Sella Pass and look for a restaurant and parking area (I'm sorry, I don't remember the name, but it's obvious). A lift goes from there up to a hut (rifugio) in the notch between Sassolungo and Sassopiatto. The gondola cars are the size of a phone booth and hold two people, standing up. It's quite a ride, straight up what seems to be a vertical scree slope---except you will see people hiking below you. At the top, you are in a moonscape of rocks. Have lunch, walk around, and ride back down.

Great ideas, Enzian. I will copy this info into my notes...thanks!

i have been looking through old threads and thought this particular one has a LOT of good italy info that i am enjoying re-reading.

can´t wait to go back.
never made it as far as castelrotto but it cetaily is high on our "to do "list.

vicenza and abassano, etc. were great.

we also did enjoy the upper part of garda lake with its dramatic mountains that cut into the waters.

hope someone can use it, too.

Is Castelrotto near Lugano? I looked on Bahn.de and it looks to be, but I read on a website that it was close to Bolzano.

I don't know what I'm doing, but it's obviously wrong.

maybe there are two castelrottos?? could be.

.. the northern one is not far from bolzano, i believe, but we never got up that far.