Northern Italy Destinations

Vicenza and Padua are both nice towns close to Venice. Vicenza has great architecture and Padua has great art, particularly the Capella degli Scrovegni. Trento is a nice mountain town, and I understand Bolzano is also very nice. Both of these are close to Austria. I did not hike at Trento, but I imagine that you can. I do know there is a cable car into the mountains there. Padua is also fun because it is a student town. I get the impression Trento might be as well, or at least there seemed to a lot of young people there when I visited.

Thanks for your input :)

Only parts of Venice are crowded, even in peak season. The secret to enjoying Venice is to get away from them. Here are some photos I've taken in the past that show what I mean: Uncrowded Venice. Other places to consider in northern Italy are Verona, Padova, and Bergamo (on our itinerary for next year).

That time of year I would head to the Dolomites for fantastic hiking, great food and wine, and fun. Take the train from Innsbruck south to Bolzano, and bus from there to one of the villages in Val Gardena.

I lived it a little city on the Italy/Slovenian border named Gorizia. I would recommend that area over going to Venice any day. Having said that, I prefer the country and smaller towns over "touristy places" And there a lot of really amazing places to see. I suggest a loop from (in their Italian names, because I don't know the English ones:)) Gorizia, Trieste, Grado, Aquileia. I made this Google Map to show you what I mean. http://g.co/maps/umyda I will put some pictures together of this area if you want. Great place!

Hey my fellow Portlander! Depending on what area of northern italy you are looking at, I would recommend Asolo or Cormons. We stayed in each town for 3 nights and did day trips to neighboring towns/wineries and really loved it. It you want to stay REALLY north, I would highly recommend Cormons. We stayed at Russiz Superiore, which has lovely rooms at a very good price. There is lots of well-marked trails in the area for walking/hiking. The scenery is stunning, the people SUPER friendly, very few tourists and the food and wine were fantastic. Definitely off the beaten path. I would return in a heartbeat (and will someday)! Don't get me wrong, we loved our stay in Asolo too, but Cormons was really a unique experience!

A few Pictures that I found of the area spoken about above by me http://www.flickr.com/photos/sean_newbold/sets/72157629856330035/ Google map of them too http://g.co/maps/umyda

Bolzano Stay up above, though, in Soprabolzano. Lots of hiking and you get to ride in the tram every day. This is where Urzi the Iceman's museum is located, plus one of the better preserved castles in the region. Visit the Fischbänke on Dr.-Streiter-Gasse while there. Besides the best bruschetta you will find anywhere, the owner, Rino Zullo, who goes by "Cobo" is too memorable to miss. He is somewhat famous as a local cartoonist.

We rented a car and drove from Venice to lago de garda, rented a hotel room at hotel nettuno in bardolino. attended their annual wine festival and drank a lot of bardolino wine. Drove north around part of lake, wish we had more time. it was very pretty Whatever you do have fun and enjoy.