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Lots of flexibility - 90 Days in Northern Italy and Tuscany - Need Itinerary

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Hi Fellow Travelers,

My family (myself, husband and our toddler) will be spending almost the full 90 days allowed in the EU in Northern Italy. We have booked an airbnb in Florence for a month for all June. We did this because of it's access to convenient transportation, the Tuscan Hills, Sienna, and small day trips. But we are hung up on how to see the rest of the northern part of the country and how.

Here is our itinteary thus far:

June - Florence (day trips to Sienna, Pisa, Lucca, Tuscan Hills, Arezzo?)
1st week of July - La Spezia - We are considering booking a week here because it's right downtown and easy access to Cinq. We really want to see at least 3 of the cliffside villages.

We need a central location for another month (Airbnb gives great monthly discounts sometimes) and we would like to visit Lake Como, Verona, Milan, Venice, Bologna, Modena maybe, etc. We are having a hard time figuring out the best transportation options and itinerary after Florence considering all the places we want to see. Milan is the least important on our list and we don't want to stay the month there - too busy and industrial for our trip.

Thanks in advance!!!

Posted by
27230 posts

I feel like a week in La Spezia for the Cinque Terre is quite a long time, especially in the very crowded month of July. I'd think 3 nights would be plenty. The towns are very small and only minutes apart by train. If you were planning a week of heavy-duty hiking I could understand such a long stay, but with a toddler I doubt that you'll be doing that much walking up in the hills.

Verona-Vicenza-Padua-Venice are quite close to each other and you could pick a base from which to visit the other three, plus some other attractive towns. Lake Como would really be too far away for a day trip. I guess Milan would be OK. Really, though, a month is a very long time to be in one smallish city without some special thing to occupy you (cooking classes, language classes, etc.). Are you sure you are going to save enough money by booking 1-month blocks to offset the cost of all those round-trip bus/rail fares? I do like to settle in and take day-trips myself, but I like to do them from a variety of base cities.

Bologna is also a fabulous base. It's a relatively large city with an expansive historic district and great food. It's a rail hub that brings a lot of wonderful destinations within easy reach, first among them being Ravenna.

For you initial investigation of transportation links, try Rome2Rio.com. I find its travel times and costs not terribly accurate, but it can generally be relied upon about the existence of train or bus service. You can usually drill down to find a link to the appropriate bus company's website to check on the schedule. If not, just Google "Bus X to Y" and you'll probably get results.

If you're considering car rental (or lease, which would probably be cheaper for 21 days or longer), ViaMichelin will provide guidance on routes, tolls, and estimated fuel costs.

For trains, use the TrenItalia website.

Posted by
304 posts

La Spezia is well connected by train and will be much more tourist free in July than the Cinque Terre. However it's more of a workaday industrial town, but with a nice waterfront area. The Cinque Terre is jam packed with tourists during the summer. Daytrippers mainly. If you can put up with the crowds during the day the towns settle down nicely in the evening. We have always loved Riomaggiore. Renting an apartment there, that overlooks the sea with a terrace, can really make your stay memorable.

You could base yourself for an entire month at one of the Lake Como villages (Bellagio, Varenna, Como). It would make for a peaceful stay. You can travel by boat and explore the many villages. The scenery is gorgeous.
Staying an entire month in Venice is not something I would recommend. After a week you might get tired of the crowds, the lack of good restaurants and just the whole tourist bit. That being said, Venice must be visited. Not just for an afternoon, but for at least a couple of nights. St. Marks Square in the evening is a must.

Another city you might consider is Bologna. It's a college town with lots of young people and a lively night life. It is the BEST city in Italy for food (not just my opinion). This area is the bread-basket of Italy. Pick the worst restaurant in the city and you'll still have a good meal. It is well connected on the train line (Florence-Bologna-Modena-Parma-Piacenza-Milan). And it's not far from Venice, & Verona.

Lots of decisions. This is part of the fun. Buon viaggo!

Posted by
16894 posts

Bologna and Milano are examples of big-city rail hubs with train lines heading in several directions. Verona is a smaller-city hub, a convergence point for east-west and north-south rail lines. Some services departing Verona are as short as one hour to Venice, Milan, or Bologna and 1.5 hours north to Bolzano.

Posted by
396 posts

I agree with the comments on Bologna. Love this city. Great food and sights. Towers to climb, San Petrino church, Neptunes fountain......I also love Verona. Smaller than Bologna but a wonderful location, Adige River runs through it, two great piazzas..Bra with the coliseum and Erbe with shopping stalls and market. Couldn't go wrong with either place.

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