Lake Iseo

Hi Kim. A friend of mine pointed out to me your request. I'm new of this group, but I'm here to try to answer your question about Iseo Lake. As you probably know, Lake Iseo is probably the less famous and less known lake in northen Italy, especially if you compare it with Garda or Como lake. Nevertheless, it is something very special, and it would be a pity not to spend at least a small part of your trip to Italy without seeing it. It is "reasonably" reachable: if you travel by train, the best solution is to move to Brescia, and then to take a small train to Breno. It is a beautiful line, especially across the Franciacorta (which is a beautiful region full of vineyards) that brings you to Iseo, Sale Marasino or Sulzano, three town along the bank of the Lake. Of course it is a quite small lake, in respect to Garda, or Maggiore. But it is full of interesting places to visit (in particular, in Iseo, Pisogne and other town you can visit incredible parish churches). You are also very close to Franciacorte, as I told you, that you can visit by bike, if you'd love to. Sorry about my bad english and this very brief presentation. If you want other informations, do contact me!
A presto!

We will be traveling by car for this portion of our journey. I thought the logistics of train with 10 people/luggage 4 kids and a Mom that isn't particularly mobile a daunting task. None of my family has traveled before so they would be looking to me for everything. We like to drive and see countryside and we may take car ride to Dolomites and picnic or hike. One reason I thought Iseo might be fun is it is smaller?
Fabrizio, your English is better than my Italian! Thank you for your thoughts as you seem to know the area well. Kim

I haven't been to Lago d'Iseo (there are still lots of places in Italy I haven't been to, believe it or not), besides, since we have a new poster from Erbusco (which is only 8 miles from the lake) I'll defer to him any advice. I will simply post here the official tourism agencies' websites, both from the Region of Lombardy and local: http://www.agenzialagoiseofranciacorta.it/ http://www.turismo.regione.lombardia.it/it/le-destinazioni/iseo/
http://www.iseolake.info/ Regarding renting car, you should inquire whether renting 2 cars is cheaper (including gas and tolls) than renting one van for 10 people. Besides the cost of renting such a large van (very high), I think that the Italian Motor Vehicle Code requires a higher level of driver's license, as anything over 9 people might be considered a bus. I don't remember however if the cut off is 9 or 8 passengers. Also, negotiating Italy's narrow streets with a big van is not going to be fun.

Rose is in right when she says that Orta Lake is a jewel...but it is on the other side in respect of your direction. Iseo and Garda are the best solutions. Garda, of course, is more crowded (if you are looking for a quiet place to spend a couple of days). Option 1: Iseo Lovere is in the northen part of the Lake: a nice place, and it is nearer to the mountains. Iseo is better, according to me. It's the bigger town around the lake (not so big actually: 10.000 people on summer), it's nearer to Franciacorta (which is, believe me, amazing), there are also some beautiful paths and other amenities (that I will list you, if interested). It's also nearer to Brescia. Option 2: Garda
Garda Lake is one of the most famous in Italy, and in Europe. On summer, it is normally full of tourists from Germany and Netherlands ("the German sea", as they say). The best places to go could be the town in the southern part (the villages in the northen one are barely reachable): Salò, Desenzano, Moniga on the Brescian side; Peschiera, Lazise, Bardolino, Torri on the Veronese one. Everything depends on what you are looking for during these 2 days. If you want to visit something, and to go for a walk, Iseo could be better. If you want to spend some time at lake, on the beach, Garda offers you this possibility (Iseo lake has only very small beaches, and the water is normally not as blue as that of Garda).

I'm from Erbusco, which is close to the Lake (about 10 km). I agree with Roberto: maybe it's better to rent 2 cars. The streets aren't as narrow as in Amalfi, for example, and in particular Iseo and the southern part of the Lake is easy to go through by car. If I were in your shoes, I would divide the stay into 2 parts (how long are you planning to stay? A couple of day?). A part dedicated to visit towns, countryside, etc. The second part dedicated to hike (from Iseo, you should go northward: the Lake is surrounded by mountains, and there are a lot of beautiful paths). The websites Roberto suggested you are riliable. Anyway, remember that in Italy, and especially in the "less-touristic", or "less-crowded" areas, information points (or that sort of things) aren't many. From Lucca to Brescia, you can follow this way (https://maps.google.it/maps?q=valcamonica&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=it&sa=N&tab=wl). For what regards Franciacorta, you can give a first look here (http://www.franciacorta.net/it/home/), or try to searh images of some towns in the area (Erbusco, Bornato, Provaglio, Monticelli Brusati etc). Of course, for further questions, I'm here!
All best Fabrizio

Fabrizio, I am planning on renting 2 cars as I have driven van before in Italy and know it is not easy.i thank you for your information. I found one hotel in Lovere, how is that area? We only have 2 nights and I thought the north end would be better, but maybe you have a better idea for where to stay? I will keep looking for other places. It is harder to find information on Iseo as it doesn't seem as many tourists go there as Como and Garda. I am hoping this is a good choice. Grazie for your help. Kim

Kim, if your heart's not entirely set on Lago d'Iseo, you might want to have a look at Lago di Orta, another small lake within striking distance of Milano. It has a lovely village, a small island (Isola San Giulio) in the middle of the lake that you can take a boat over to where there's a small basilica and an exceptionally pleasant circular walk around the island. The village of Orta San Giulio has many delights. There are good hotels, restaurants and shops. And above the village is Sacro Monte di San Francesco, containing 20 chapels dedicated to the life of St. Francis. Lago di Orta is a jewel, almost entirely overlooked. Give it a Google.

Rose, thank you I will check that out sounds lovely!

I had an amazing experience while in Orta San Giulio. My hotel room had a balcony overlooking the lake. I was awakened in the middle of the night by a fierce thunder and lightning storm directly over the lake. I got up and went toward the balcony just in time to see a huge lightning bolt strike the island out in the lake. It was the 2nd to last night of my stay in Italy that time, and I took that fantastic sight, sound, smell (of ozone), and feeling home with me. It stayed in my memory for a long time. Your thread just reawakened it. Thank you for that! Have a great trip.

I wouldn't bother with the Lago D'Orta. That's way too far from where you will be. From the post above, I understand that you are going to Verona and Venice and flying back from Venice, both cities are in the Veneto region and you have limited time. Why would you want to go all the way to Omegna? You should stick with the North-East and visit either Garda or Iseo. Much closer to Veneto (actually Lake Garda is in Veneto, at least half of it, the Eastern shore).

I am so excited Iseo it is. I have never heard of Franciacorta, where have I been. I researched it sounds amazing. Any info you have I would greatly appreciate .
Kim

http://www.franciacorta.net/en/home/ They are famous for the bubbly type, like Champagne. Buy a bottle. You should be able to find it in Sac. I find it here near my office in the Bay Area for about $30/bottle: http://www.klwines.com/
They only have 2 stores in NorCal (both in the SF bay area) but they ship too.

Since you have decided on Iseo, I'll suggest a really unusual sight in that area. To the north and east of the lake is the Valle Camonica. It is filled with thousands of rock engravings, some dating back to 10,000 years ago. The little town of Capo di Ponte has a TI office with good information about the nearby national park, regional park, and the small local museums.
If you do venture toward the Dolomites, Bolzano has an archaeological museum with the 5,000 year old corpse of the man found a few years ago, preserved in mountain ice. The kids in your group might find that exhibit really interesting. We old folks certainly did.

Thank you that sounds great! That is exactly the kind of off the beaten path thing I was looking for. The kids will love that kind of Adventure. Nice after such a sight filled trip to get out in nature and see something else. I was actually looking at staying on the north end so that sounds perfect.
Grazie, Kim