Northern Italy Adventure

I was only in Alba briefly but I recall the website for the region being a good one: https://www.visitlmr.it/en

From one planner to another I can't help much with what you're asking but I some info about Verona:

Verona is a great walking town - the center is nearly traffic free and buildings with faded murals and painted details lurk in unlikely corners. The city has two great piazzas Bra and Erbe connected by shopping streets. Bra is by the arena and fancier and Erbe is more of a people's mall but if you look past the sales tents I think it is one of the prettiest piazzas in Italy. There are cafes with outdoor seating everywhere in Verona whenever you decide to want to sit and/or spritz. From the train station take a bus or probably a cab to your place. Any place in the old town will probably be about 10e.

The Roman Theater - across the river in the Veronetta which is worth exploring - includes the Archeological Museum which is small but also gives you access to the rambling remains of old religious sites there. If you like modern art check out the small Palazzo Maffei Casa Museo which mixes ancient and modern art, a palazzo and rooftop tour all into one place overlooking piazza Erbe and is underadvertised. I think Piazza Erbe (looking past the market stands) is one of the prettiest piazzas in Italy. Verona has the 'elegant decay' feeling with faded murals on medieval buildings that the Veneto does so well.

Al Grottino - Osteria e Sbecoleria is a great hole in the wall place off Piazza Erbe for a drink and cicchetti. They have a limited wine selection but all the ones I tried were great. Cafe Monte Baldo nearby also has great cicchetti and more serious food if you want that. Right near the cafe there is Arcivio a super small, super hip cocktail bar. There is no lack of good restaurants in Verona but read the menu carefully at the older places because the cuisine can be very "traditional". Nearby Osteria del Bugiardo is a slightly more serous place about wine. If you want a wine store this is the one famously featured in RS video: Oreste Cantina Dal Zovo.

There is an "all churches" ticket if you want to explore the churches of Verona. None of them are block buster places but several are interesting - especially San Zeno which is in nice local neighborhood area.

The trains from Verona only service the very bottom of Lake Garda, but you can take a ferry from Peschiera del Garda which is 12 minutes from Verona by train or take buses from the Verona train station to cities further up the east coast of the lake. Garda and Bardolino are favorites.

Bologna train station is the only Italian train station where the tracks are not on the same level and the fast trains come in 3 levels down. If you come in from Verona you'll experience this but allow time for an airport like transfer to get from the street level to the fast trains. If you are heading to Bologna for a day I would advocate walking from the train station down via Indepenzia as the colonnaded walk is part of the experience. The core of Bologna is small and super walkable and the buses are largely useless as they skirt the old town. If you're further away from the train station than you want to walk at the end of the day get a cab - the AppTaxi app works well in Verona and Bologna.

Have a great trip,
=Tod

Thank you Tod,

Verona sounds simply beautiful and we are so excited to visit Lake Garda and Bologna as well. I will definitely take the time to stroll Via dell'Indipendenza...it is on our list.

Thank you for all the information you shared...I truly do appreciate it. Collecting information from those that have enjoyed the cities previously is always so helpful...I am so excited to see Bardolino...I hear the views are unbelievable on a clear day!

Thank you once again,

Sandy

Hi, we have visited Alba a few times and stayed at Albergo Alberto. Alberto made all of our winery reservations. The couple we really enjoy in La Morra are Negretti and Guiseppe Cortese. The town of Barolo and Barbaresco have enoteca's which are wine shops where you can taste and buy wines. You might want to ask your hotel or airbnb host for suggestions. There are many wineries in the region. Enjoy your time there. It is beautiful, it is one of our favorite wine regions.

Sounds amazing!! We were in Le Langhe last fall and had an amazing time. There are so many beautiful hill towns close together, it was easy to drive around and explore. We did a driving tour of the towns/wineries near Barolo: https://www.stradadelbarolo.it/en/territorio/itinerari/le-colline-occidentali-del-barolo/
All these towns were included: Dogliani, Monforte d'Alba, Novello, Cherasco, Verduno, La Morra, Roddi, plus TONS of wineries to choose from along the route (you can find them at that link). You can also walk or bike the route. We visited Abonne and Castello di Verduno for tasting. We also stayed at Tenuta Bussia, which has a lovely facility for tasting their wines.
The WinMu (wine museum) in Barolo is a super cool experience, and there's even a tiny little museum right next door about Cavetappi (wine openers)!
To get a bit beyond RS (who I LOVE with all my heart of course) you can try Francis Mayes' "See you in the Piazza" or any of the Blue Guides for Italy. It really helps you dig into these less common touristed areas.

hey hey sandyprice4
happy to hear you've planned & done research on trip. you are traveling during high season with places you have planned may or will be crowded, HOT HOT HOT for summer time.
your arrival in venice is from where & what time? what does 3 days mean, (1st day arrival, next day/night murano/burano, next day check out?) we count nights instead of days. check-in times 3-4pm, check-out times 10-11am, where is you hotel and transportation from airport to venice center and getting to hotel with directions. pushing/pulling luggage over cobblestones/uneven pavement, getting lost, we took private water taxl (motoscafi.it to drop at hotel or so close by), drop off bags to store until check in if early arrival, get a vaporetto 3 day pass (cheaper) or pay 10E per ride on boat, plus venice entry fee (cda.veneziaunica.it) or a big fine. ask host at hotel.
don't be cramming everything which much to do & see and decide they "hate" venice. when taking train, scan ticket at platform box before boarding, treviso is a small place to relax, home to tiramisu & radicchio.
who are you doing prosecco tour with? we did a private one from venice, she was fabulous, spoke great english, born/raised/still lives there, great communication. if you want info i'll send to you.
schezzini.it
email him, he does a chicetti bar crawl about small bites, wine & history of venice
luckyluca6@hotmail
famous 4th generation venetian gondolier. we emailed him about a ride through smaller canals crossing the grand canal, singing opera. we brought a bottle of prosseco with plastic from apartment to celebrate with 4 friends.
isoladiburano.it
we got off at mazzorbo, went to trattoria alla maddalena at boat stop, had wine & salami, roamed around small island to bridge to burano. i love burano. take notice of places closing at about 2 pm til 4, eat lunch then boat back to venice.
camacana.com
mask making for a souvenir to take home
roaming all around venice, st mark's square and rialto bridge will be busy with day tripper, walk down to castello and canareggio, family living neighborhoods
lakegardatravel.net
loved bardolino on the lake (hotel nettuno), went to their annual wine festival end of september several years ago. great views of lake & mountains, ferries available from dock, restaurants/shops. too bad, be nice to stay couple days to see other towns/villages especially if you keep your car. click the towns to see, ride the ferries, farmers markets make sure parking. sirmione is very crowded with many bus/private/van tours and touristy, go after daytrippers leave. driving a car can get busy/bumper to bumper during summer and weekends.taste the bardolino wines, madonna della corona church built on cliffside
monte baldo & cable car upper lake, best with a car
make sure all drivers get an IDP (aaa.com/IDP) before getting to italy, mandatory. read laws/rules/traffic & road signs/parking, ZTL zones. being prepared is the best. have a great time, enjoy. you'll love the area
aloha