Drive from Bolzano to Bellagio

Howard,

for your itinerary Google Maps is showing a mere 3h45 minutes driving time. In my humble opinion it sound quite optimistic, considering it involves driving on A21 and A4 autostradas, two of the country's busiest thoroughfares. Freight traffic is heavy monday to friday, while sunday evening is back-from-weekend Milan-bound rush hour. Anyway, the fastest itinerary would be A21 autostrada to Verona, A4 autostrada to Milan, Strada Statale 36 to Lecco and then lake shore drive to Bellagio. Two to four lanes roads all the way from Bolzano to Lecco. Piece of cake.

If I were you, I'd take a more scenic byway through the Alps. More than one routes are available, but this is my favourite:
1) from Bolzano, go west on Strada Statale 38.
2) stop over at Merano, nice town worth a visit.
3) keep on driving west along SS38 through the magnificent Valle Venosta. November is the best month to visit this valley, while foliage turns gold.
4) following SS38 leave valley floor and start climbing the mountains all the way to Stelvio Pass, Italy's paved highest at some 9100 feet. Due to heavy snowfall, this road is closed October to May. Stelvio Pass marks the border between the two regions of Trentino-Alto Adige and Lombardia.
5) Down the pass, take a break in the medieval town of Bormio which is definitively worth a visit.
6) Keep on following SS38 westbound all the way to Colico, where it joins Strada Statale 36. Colico is the northernmost tip of Lake Como.
7) Follow SS36 southbound, then take the exit named "Bellano".
8) Drive along the lake shore southbound till you reach Varenna. You can sleep there or take a short car ferry ride to Bellagio. The two towns face each other.

It takes the whole day to complete the whole itinerary, but it's a rewarding one.

An alternative might be the following:

1) From Bolzano, take Strada Statale 42 westbound to Passo del Tonale, very popular sky resort at el. 6200 ft.
SS42 drives you through the apple orchards of Val di Non.
2) Down the pass drive through the towns of Ponte di Legno and Edolo.
3 At Edolo, take Strada Statale 39 westbound till you reach Strada Statale 38 and then follow point 6) of the plan above.

Cheers

David

In Bolzano I had a nice stay at Stadt Hotel Città, right in the earth of the city center.

Not a cheap one, but breakfast was outstanding. I left the car overnight at the underground parking nearby, which is directly connected to the hotel via the basement.

While in Bolzano make sure to visit the Oberbozen plateau overlooking the city. You can easily reach it via the ropeway some 500 meters north of central railroad station. Once on the plateau, get on the narrow gauge railroad.

What is the fastest and shortest route to drive from Bellagio to Cortina in April. We thought of stopping overnight in Venice, but not sure what to do with our car. Are the mountainous highways pretty safe to drive and open this time if year? Thanks for all tips!