Itinerary for Piedmont - advice wanted

Venezia is never a bad idea.

Wife wants art = Firenze. You can get great wine there, too. Be happy.

Spend all your time in Italy.

Venezia in August is going to be HOT HOT HOT and crowded too! Ditto Firenze. If you go in August, go to the mountains for spectacular scenery and photographic opps. Don't skip Piemonte but add in the Dolomites where you will encounter the great food of Italy alongside classic Tyrolean cuisine served with local wines such as Lagrein. And cool temps. Our favorite place is the Val Gardena, especially Ortisei. Search the Forum for info as there have been many postings lately. Or go to Switzerland for a few nights, but it will cost more and the food is not as good.

Having last been in non-Istanbul Europe in Austria and Bavaria, while I enjoy the Bavarian/Tyrolian culture and cuisine, I'd like something different which is why I'm avoiding the Dolomites this trip.

I haven't been to Piedmont, so can't comment on that part of your plan, but for you first three days, what about somewhere in the Veneto that isn't Venice proper? Padua, maybe? Or Emilia-Romagna, maybe Parma? Both places have some lovely art, interesting churches, and great food and wine. From Padua you could make some surgical strikes into Venice if you wanted to hit some museums there - the train trip is only thirty minutes long. Or what about a farm stay somewhere? The agriturismos in Tuscany are most well known, but they are available all over the country.

Padua to Venice for insane day trip has appeal. Can you beat the cruise ship hoards with train from Padua? Turkish tour guide messed with our Topkapi visit with the blah blah blah while the cruise ship masses docked, spit out their hoards and swamped the whole palace grounds.

Max, what did you have in mind by an "insane" day trip? To answer your question, yes, you can beat the hordes from Padua. Trains start running very early in the morning. However, my understanding is that the hordes come and stay all day - there's lots to do in Venice - so even if you beat them to the first thing on your list of things to see, you're part of the crowd for everything else. If "insane" means all day marathon, I think I would just bite the bullet and stay in Venice for a night or two. That way you'll be able to go out at night and in the early morning when the city is at its best, and you'll have a cool, quiet room to retreat to if the heat and the crowds get to be too much for you.

Rick said it perfectly about Venice: "While 80 percent of Venice, is, in fact, not touristy, 80 percent of the tourists never notice" and "A 10-minute walk from the madness puts you in an idyllic Venice that few tourists see."

That was certainly my experience. Away from Piazza San Marco, Rialto, and the direct paths connecting them, I actually had a fair amount of solitude. I found Dorsoduro quite quiet, particularly away from the Accademia and the Peggy Guggenheim.

So, even in the middle of the day, it's quite possible to avoid the worst of the hordes, who are concentrated in a few areas - leaving the rest of the city alone.

I would definitely recommend October over August. Italians are all on vacation in August. We are actually planning a Piedmont trip this October also.

We love Bellagio on lake Como. Varenna is fine, but I like more options for dinner, shopping, etc.

I think that everyone should do Venice at least once. That being said, I do prefer the food, wine and art in Florence.

On first trip to Italy, we got plenty lost in back street Venice, walking through Castello to Cannareggio. What we missed was:
The Basilica, the palace, the bell tower (elevator was being repaired, IIRC), the Frari, the Academia, the Scuola San Rocco, San Polo, the Correr. Basically the stuff the 80% go to see. We got to San Giorgio Maggiore and beat feet all over the back streets.

I want to do some of that again, probabaly in Dorsoduro, but I kinda really want to see the big sights.

Then relax the hell out of the rest of the vacation. Get the wine and country side on, ride up a mountain or two and just unwind.

After 2 days in Cinque Terra, we will be in Piedmont at the end of Sept and staying in Sinio as a base for 3 days. Then heading to a Turin, Verona and ending in Milan. We would like our 3 days to include a cooking class and wine tours. We are thinking of hitting Alba, Barolo....are we on the right track with this sketchy plan? Any suggestions for cooking classes?

I suggest you go in October, not only for the cooler weather and fewer crowds, but if you are in Alba on a weekend in October (and November too if I'm not mistaken) you can go to the White Truffle Market and, for a nominal fee, taste wines, cheeses, candies, etc. of the region. It is not to be missed! Check out their website.

As an art historian and artist, my vote goes to spending some time in Florence...so long as it's October. I would also vote for visit(s) to Padua for the Giotto frescoes. But....I'm also a "Gardner's".