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Italy for 3 weeks: 3 or 4 bases

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This will be my wife and I's third trip to Italy. This time we will have company in the form of a 10-month old baby, so not moving around a lot is a priority.

To give some perspective, our first trip to Italy was Venice, Chianti/Val d’Orcia, Rome. Our second trip was Florence, Chianti, Val d’Orcia, Umbria, Abruzzo.

For this trip, we have narrowed our focus to the following:

  1. The Val d’Orcia
  2. Lucca & the Garfagnana
  3. Emilia-Romagna
  4. Lake Garda & Verona

We have 23 nights in Italy.

I am debating to choose between 3 or 4 of these “regions.”

Option A (1 base in each region):

  1. The Val d’Orcia – 6 nights
  2. Lucca & the Garfagnana – 5 nights
  3. Emilia-Romagna – 6 nights
  4. Lake Garda & Verona – 6 nights

Option B (split regions up):

  1. The Val d’Orcia – 7 nights (all nights in either Montepulciano or Pienza)
  2. Emilia-Romagna – 8 nights (3 nights Bologna, 5 nights Modena/Parma)
  3. Lake Garda & Verona – 8 nights (5 nights Lake Garda, 3 nights Verona)

Open to any thoughts or suggestions? Which option would you choose? Is it silly to drop Lucca area?

Thank you.

Posted by
907 posts

In Option B you are giving up the mountains for the wine country that you have seen before. Personal choice there. Lucca and Garfagnana are different than Val d'Orcia for sure. Spectacular in their own right. If you are figuring on coming back to Italy you might want to favor Option A. That will give you more information for your next visit.

We really enjoyed the town of Sirmione on Lake Garda's south end, on the peninsula. You might check that out.

While in Bologna consider going up to Ravenna and to San Marino (a different country). These look like foodie stops to me and that is good!!!! There is another pretty cool hilltop town in San Leo.

Posted by
7175 posts

I would go with a version of Option A, but adding the Dolomites, giving a fifth location. . Keep a single base in Bologna and on Lake Garda, rather than splitting.

Val d'Orcia - 5 nights
Lucca - 4 nights
Bologna - 5 nights
Lake Garda - 5 nights
Dolomiti - 4 nights

Posted by
20 posts

hi djp_syd, thanks for the great option. Do you think the weather the last week of May would be conducive? The plan you outline sounds great, just worried about the weather in the mountains.

Posted by
16378 posts

I wouldn't stay more than 4 nights anywhere. Maybe 5 at some locations. What are you gonna do for a week in Val d'Orcia your second time around? Pienza hasn't changed much in the 40+ years I've being going there every so often.
If you have a car, moving every 4 nights won't be too hard. Your baby will be asleep and won't be able to tell the difference from one agriturismo to the next. If you don't plan to rent a car, some of those locations aren't good bases, as public transportation may be limited.

Posted by
20 posts

We will have a rental car the entire time. And to answer your question about the Val d'Orcia for a week: drink wine, eat pasta, walk around, and relax. But I understand the 4-5 night max stay. I'm leaning towards that. and adding a 5th base. Not sure where. Needs to be "between" rome and venice to avoid backtracking as open jaw flights booked, in rome, out venice.

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