Looking for a place to relax

If she wants to be on the water, Lake Como is much closer to Milan than Lake Garda. But March may not be the best time for the lakes. I would suggest Bergamo.

Bergamo is lovely

Why not a few days in Milan?
She will want to be in Milan nite before departure

Nice and relaxing town + near Venice (her last stop with friends), plus with its own airport or close to a city with an airport = Treviso, Verona, Ferrara, and either Modena or Parma. Check into departing from the Venice, Verona, and Bologna airports. Or stay in Venice but move to a much, much less touristed part of town like eastern Castello.

The lakes are definitely not welcoming in March. Verona would be a good choice. It's youthful and relaxed; lots of history and good walks available; and it's a straight shot on the train between Venice and Milan.

We had a very pleasant 3-day stay in Ferrara at the end of our trip this last March and flew home out of Bologna. Check out flight times, though, as many departing flights from Bologna seemed to leave very early morning to make ongoing connections. I think we boarded our airport hotel shuttle at about 4am in order to make our flight and then connect in AMS.

Varenna could be a lovely place to relax before catching a plane out of Milan especially if it’s toward the end of March.

And there is of course walled Lucca, every connoiseurs favourite and the secret destination of Italians in the know. Just the right size, just the right sense of calm, and just the right amount of small old-world palazzo museums. Ferrara, Padua and Parma are also worth considering.

Verona should be avoided, as Insight Guide Italy describes the city as a "citadel of consumerism" (page 199).

I'd strongly recommend considering Lugano. The lake is prettier than Como, there are far fewer tourists (with therefore much less crowded streets and trails), and lodging is generally cheaper (though everything else is much costlier, given, you know, Switzerland). But we found it a delightful and beautiful place to relax and enjoy the scenery. It's also an easy train ride to Milan.

Verona should be be disregarded based on a guide book entry. If you are looking for a relaxing, pretty and less sight heavy in northern Italy Verona is all those things. I think Piazza Erbe is objectively one of the prettiest piazzas in Italy. Yes, it has food a tourist stalls in the center but the statues, the faded medieval murals and the variety of the buildings in always charming. It has a cafe culture feel to it and the core of the old town is shopping - some high end - but so is Paris and Venice and Milan and...

Just saying,
=Tod

Thank you for all the suggestions. Bergamo is a good location for flying out of Milan. I don’t know anything about it though. I’m looking at all your suggestions. Between Verona and Varenna, which do you prefer?
Kathy

I think that being near water in March may be too chilly as someone mentioned.

For me Lake Como is about the views of and from the lake, plus the gardens and villas. I'm not sure what condition the gardens will be in, in March, and I think not all the villas are open at that time of year.

I'd choose Verona in March, a time of year when one must accept the risk of chilly, rainy weather. Verona has a lot of indoor sights if it's not pleasant being outdoors. The average low temperature in Como, at the south end of the lake, is 39F in March, and it rains on average one day out of three. According to Wikipedia, temperatures in Verona are similar, but there's likely to be only about half that much rain.