My husband and I are planning a trip to Italy in March 2017. We plan to spend 2 weeks in Italy--the first week we will be in Tuscany and the second week is still undecided. We will be flying in and out of Milan, so we were thinking of spending the second week in the Lake Como area and/or the Dolomites. We are also considering Cinque Terre but felt like we could work that into Week 1 while staying in Tuscany. What would our best option be for week 2, and also what is the weather like in mid-late March in the Dolomites?
We have been to Rome and Amalfi coast so thought we'd concentrate on the northern part of Italy this time.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16387 posts
Seen Venice and Verona yet? That would be a nice addition.
If you are flying in/out of MXP, Lake Maggiore (Stresa) is probably a better option than lake Como, since it's only 40 min drive from the airport. I would recommend 3 or 4 nights there, weather permitting.
The weather in March is not predictable as it is famously very changeable, generally cool and possibly rainy (2nd highest amount of precipitation after early Nov). It's a bit early for the Cinque Terre too, so limit the length of your visit there. March is still officially winter therefore the Dolomites will likely have snow. Do you ski?
Posted by
Honolulu, HI
180 posts
I second Venice/Verona/Padua. It's a perfect triangle for travel (Milan/Florence (Tuscany)/Venice.
Posted by
Abruzzo Mountains
1098 posts
What about Turin and Piedmont? If the weather's not great, Turin is a wonderful city for food and sightseeing; if it's nice, the Langhe wine region southeast of Turin has fabulous little wine villages and other beautiful sights. Maybe do a circle tour heading west from Tuscany, up through Neive/Barolo/La Morra, on up to Turin or on to Lake Orta and settle in for a few days.
Posted by
Brisbane, Australia
7175 posts
I would add 3 nights in Venice, as well as 3 nights in either Bologna or Vicenza.
From Bologna you have options to visit Parma, Modena, Ravenna, Ferrara.
From Vicenza you have options to visit Verona and Padova.
Spend your last night in Milan before your flight out.
You can expect March to still be quite cool, especially in mountain and lake areas.
Posted by
Tel Aviv
15806 posts
I would favor urban over rural destinations. If it's gray and drizzly, you are unlikely to get much joy out of the scenic outdoors and my mind conjures up muddy or slushy hikes (though I have no personal experience).
Posted by
Portland, Oregon, United States
907 posts
Verona, Venice, Bologna all good. Lake Como is beautiful but weather dependent.
Consider Asti/Alba for wine tasting. Find the very best barolo you can find. If you drive you can easily get from Milan to Venice and dump the car in Venice. There is a little berg called Sirmione on the south end of Lake Garda. Cute place with a great Roman villa to visit.