From Lugano Switzerland and Leaving from Venice Airport.
My idea is to base in 2 or 3 smaller cities in a rental Apartment and rent a car to explore?
Probably spending time in Venice.
So any ideas for me to start a plan from. I have been to Venice before and love the city not the crowds.
So would hope to avoid large tourist crowds.
Never explored Northern Italy but have heard a lot of good things.
Thanks
Greg
What time of the year?
Planning first half of May.
I enjoyed both Padua and Vicenza. Padua is larger and has more sights, so I made that my base. You could also visit Ferrara and Venice from Padua. For those places, the train works really well. I'd say not to commit to a car until you know which places you want to visit.
We spent 21 days in northern Italy several years ago and really liked not having a car. We rented an apartment in Venice for a week then spent several 2-4 night stays in other well connected towns; Merano, Varenna, Lucca, La Spezia, Verona, etc. Next time I'd put Bergamo, Ravenna and Bologna in the mix too. All of these northern Italian cities are connected easily by train. I wouldn't want a car unless you were going to explore more specific remote areas. Having a car in most of these cities is a bit of a headache and expense IMO.
Love Northern Italy...especially around Lake Maggiorie. Also love Verona, Bologna, and Lucca. When you decide what towns to see, pm me if you need hotel/restaurant recommendations. I loved basing out of Cannobio or Stresa on Lake maggiorie. Lots to see and do....boat ride around the lake, cable cars, train rides, etc.
