Five years ago, my husband and I spent 14 days and visited Venice (4), Florence (3), Amalfi Coast (5) and Rome (2). We had done an earlier 3 days in Rome. We plan to return in September 2022 for another 14 or so days and want to dig a big deeper and/or see from a different perspective. Our last trips have focused on the sites and this time we want to focus on the food. With that in mind, I have thus far booked 4 nights outside San Gimignano at Agirurismo II Segreto di Pietraffita. It looks lovely and seems to have very nice reviews. It it within 5-7 minute drive or a 30 minute walk from San Gimignano. So on either side of those 4 days, we are thinking of spending time in Bologna (with side trips to Parma and Modena) for perhaps 4 days and returning to Venice for 3 days. I would love to either see Cinque Terre & perhaps visit the lake region for 3 days. At this point, we are totally flexible on airports and do not expect to fly in/out of the same airport. We found the high-speed train system to be marvelous. My questions are: How would you sequence the itinerary and would you change the allocation of days? Knowing we would book a train where appropriate, where would you rent a car and for how long? Can Cinque de Terre be done as a day trip from one of the locations? Honestly, the less car rental, the better. We are not opposed to day tours and love the high speed train system. Thoughts?
Posted by
Irving
3132 posts
Fly into Venice and out of Milan and I don’t recommend doing it in the opposite direction because planes departing Marco Polo airport (Venice) for the US have early departure times. You would have to spend the night before going home at an airport hotel.
To see the Cinque Terre, you need two nights. This is a terrific area and to see it all and take in the ambience and enjoy the cuisine, you need to slow down here. If you plan on hiking, make it three nights.
Posted by
Washington DC
27617 posts
So far you've allocated 4 nights to the agriturismo (car needed), 4 nights to Bologna, 4 nights to Venice (to have 3 days there), and a minimum of two nights to the Cinque Terre (MaryPat's right). You're already at 14 nights, so I think you're going to need to add a bit of time if you want to hit the lakes on this trip.
You don't need to a car for the Cinque Terre part of your trip or for Venice. Personally, I wouldn't want one in Bologna, either (beware the ZTLs in that city!). If you're interested in visiting producers of prosciutto, balsamic vinegar and the like, rather than just eating your way through the restaurants of Emilia-Romagna, you do need to research how to do that. There are tours from Bologna, I'm sure, which would be the easiest path. I assume it would also be possible to arrange visits on your own (which would mean a car), but it's not something I've ever researched. The idea of having to drive in and out of Bologna twice is concerning.
I've been to Lakes Garda, Como, Maggiore and Lugano but haven't made a lengthy visit to any of them. Between the lake boats, some buses and usually also some trains, the lakes seem manageable without a car, however, the convenience factor probably does vary from lake to lake. Therefore, your choice of lake may well be rather significant. From reading guidebooks (which I'm currently doing for a trip that may well not happen this year), I have the impression Lake Como may be easiest to visit without a car. I'm sure we have others who can comment on that.
Posted by
OP
3 posts
I thank you for your ideas! I had not thought about the logistics of leaving Venice paired with early departure times, so I truly appreciate the recommendation of flying into Venice and out of Milan. We had used a VRBO rental in Venice last time which took us away from the maddening crowds and found an evening tour of St. John's Bassilica, so it was a wonderful visit. Our favorite memories were wandering and getting lost. The only negative was that my luggage did not make it from Brussels until day 3. Venice is not the city to lose luggage! Thank goodness our VRBO rental had a washer. We certainly learned flexibility and patience on that trip!
I am planning to research side trips in Bologna as suggested. There is just too much information to take in without an expert guide and side trips certainly minimize challenges. So perhaps just having a car for the 4 nights in San Gimignano would be doable and allow us the opportunity get off the beaten path and visit some wineries and small towns.
I am concerned that we might be making too many stops with both the lake region and Cinque Terre given we may well have to spend a night in Milan before the flight. If you had to choose between Cinque Terre and the lake region, what are your thoughts? Thanks!
Posted by
4772 posts
Since the trip is food focused, you might think about that as you choose. I know nothing about the cuisine in the lakes region, but of course in Liguria you will have more seafood, pesto, etc. I like to read regional cookbooks when trip planning.
Cinque Terre is a dream for hikers, so that might come into consideration also. CT does take a long time to get to from Venice though. You could pick up the car in La Spezia for heading to the agriturismo.
There is just so much to see and do in Tuscany though--have you thought about concentrating on one region? That could result in more driving, but less time spent in transit overall.
Posted by
Irving
3132 posts
Since the Cinque Terre is a bit out of the way and if you fly out of Milan, consider sleeping in Milan (instead of the Cinque Terre) and take a direct train to Varenna on Lake Como (1h 15m) and take Rick Steves self-guided walking tour of Varenna. Afterwards, hop on the 15-minute ferry to Bellagio and explore there too and have a nice meal before going back to Milan.
There’s plenty to see in Milan i.e., the Duomo and the The Last Supper. Buy your tickets for Leonardo da Vinci’s most treasured piece of art before leaving home. I would also purchase Rick Steves IT guidebook that provides other sights that I truly enjoyed.