Northern Italy/ last minute trip/help appreciated!

A few years ago, we planned a trip to include some days in the Italian lake district. After researching attractions, we opted for Lake Maggiore, because we felt that there is more of interest there. In particular, you can take a short boat ride over to the Isola Madre and Isola Bella and visit the palace and gardens of the Borromeo family. From Stresa you can ride a cable car to the top of Monte Mottarone for great views. The Swiss town of Locarno, situated at the northern end of the lake, is also worth seeing. It is also easy to take a side trip to Lake Orta from Stresa. Orta San Giulio is super charming. Both lake have gorgeous scenery, but we found accommodations on Lake Maggiore to be more reasonable than on Como.

Have you tried the Hotel Olivedo in Varenna -- http://www.olivedo.it/eng/index.html? It is right across the street from the ferry dock. We stayed there, but on the 2nd (European) floor. There are rooms on the 1st (European) floor.

The annex and the other property, the Villa Torretta, might have some ground floor rooms based on some of the pictures I see in the photogallery. However, you might have to go up some steps to get to them. Not much is flat anywhere. Most rooms have amazing views and many have twin beds that may be shown together in the pictures but might be pulled apart if you want.

You will have to go up and down steps and on cobblestones to explore the town and to get on and off the ferry that goes to other towns around the lake. That is a must-do. Lake Como is more beautiful than you can possibly imagine and well worth 3-4 nights. Do a Google Images search and try not to get too distracted by the George Clooney pictures!

Thanks Rosalyn! Where did you stay in Lake Maggiore? How many nights do you recommend there?
Thanks Lo for the link to Hotel Olivedo! I contacted them yesterday & I'm awaiting their response.
Any other itinerary ideas?? I've been reading Rick Stevens' Italy 2014 guidebook & he doesn't recommend
going to Bologna. Please give me other ideas. I would like to visit some smaller cities in northern Italy. Torino anyone????
Any ideas are greatly appreciated, THANKS!!!!

"I've been reading Rick Stevens' Italy 2014 guidebook & he doesn't recommend going to Bologna."

This is a misinterpretation.

1) He doesn't put it on his list for a three week Italy trip, or consider it a place to be seen by Americans with limited time, over other Italian destinations. That's not the same as saying he doesn't want anyone going there because he thinks they shouldn't (unlike some places, like Geneva or Bordeaux, which he has explicitly stated he does not feel are worth visiting).

2) Just because a place is not in his book does not mean he doesn't like it. He likes Sicily, but it's not in the Italy book either.

3) Rick's views are just that, his opinions; they are not gospel.

Just so you know, I personally didn't like Bologna, and much preferred my daytrips from there to Ravenna, Parma, and Ferrara. But others here enjoy Bologna a lot. Particularly since you've been to Italy before, you should read more about it before writing it off your list.

Well, about Bologna, the RS Italy book says: "congested and relatively charmless". Seems pretty negative to me. I was there for only a couple of hours recently, and found it that way too, although the cuisine is famously excellent. I would also recommend Ravenna for at least a day trip if not more. The ancient mosaics in various sites around the small city are superb. I recommend visiting San Vitale especially with some type of tour or guide if possible, as the wonderful mosaics there are huge and complex, and a guide can help you appreciate and understand them much more. In Ravenna, I had a delicious and affordable lunch at the traditional and RS-recommended Ca' de Ven. The gnocchi with scallops and a piadina on the side was one of my outstanding dishes and meals in Italy. Ravenna is also a very flat town, easy to walk around, although a little spread out. A nice flat walk into the center of town from the train station, with parks and churches along the way. Also more bicyclists of all ages than I have ever seen outside of China, I imagine you can rent bikes if you like. A good and easy day trip from Verona is Sirmione near the southwest corner of Lake Garda, about an hour by bus from Verona. It is a beautiful, but very touristy, lakeside town with a large castle to tour. I also took a long walk through the town and out to a lakeside park with ancient ruins and 2000 year old grove of olive trees, so they said, overlooking the lake. Very nice. From Sirmone I took a ferry over to the nice little town of Bardolino, where I visited a winery with tasting and a small wine museum, then another bus back to Verona. There are many nice excursions and towns around Lake Garda to choose from, Roberto is an expert on those, but travel by either bus or ferry takes some time, and you need to pick a couple visits per day, unless you stay a few days on the lake or have a rental car.

Thanks Harold ! Yes, I understand that , "Rick's views are just that, his opinions; they are not gospel".
I will definitely read more about Bologna & perhaps just stay there & take day trips to Ravenna, Modena, etc..

Larry, thank you for all of your recommendations! Since we plan to stay in Verona for 4 nights, I'd thought about visiting Sirmione.
How long was the ferry ride to Bardolino?
By the way, who is Roberto? Is he a tour guide for Lake Garda? Do you have his contact info?
Have any of you been to Bresia, Cremona, Parma, or Mantova? I need all the help I can get, thank you!!!

If I were you, I'd skip Bologna and going straight to Turin instead.

It's a fairly large city (almost 1 million people, 2010 census) so I'm not sure it is small enough for you.

The city is fairly flat; all major attractions are within walking distance if you stay in the city centre.

Otherwise, I'd spend more days in Milan considering Parma and Turin as day trips. Parma is easily reachable by train from Milan. Same for Turin (2 hours by regional train, 45 minutes via high-speed).

My favourite spot in Turin is Basilica di Superga, a majestic baroque church built on top of a hill overlooking the city. Take streetcar 15 from city center all the way to Sassi, end of the line. From there, take the so called cog streetcar all the way to the top of the hill.

Consider staying in Como itself, it's fairly flat, and you can tske the ferry to other towns along the lake.

I love Bologna. It's a great hub for daytrips to Mantova, Parma, Ferrara, Ravenna and other cities.

We spent a week in Bologna last year using it as a base to explore the region. Loved it. We were in Florence this summer and the whole time I kept thinking about how much I preferred Bologna. I suggest you give it a try and consider Modena, Ferrara (a gem) and the surrounding countryside as excellent day trip options.

In Bologna, we stayed at the Porta San Mamolo, which was one of the best hotel experiences we have ever had.

http://www.hotel-portasanmamolo.it/en/index.html

Macy,
In Verona, Hotel Torcolo is about as central a location as one could want. It is just a short taxi ride that is that expensive. I think a bus is also available. Google them to get the email address and contact them directly. Verona is small enough that you can walk everywhere. The old Roman Theater is really neat as is people watching at Piazza Erbe. Hope this helps. TC

"Who is Roberto?", you ask. Clearly you are new to this forum! I suppose there are other Robertos in the world, even in Italy, and maybe even on this forum once in a while. But to us, Roberto is one of our most well-informed, savvy, witty and helpful participants, raised in Florence, now living in Northern California, but traveling back to Italy regularly. He seems to have more detailed information and guidance about most places in Italy than any guide book. His guidance helped with my own day trip to Lake Garda in May. You asked how long the ferry ride from Sirmione to Bardolino was, and as I remember it was maybe 20 minutes, but that was after waiting quite a while for the boat, behind schedule. Lake Garda is large and there are various beautiful and interesting towns and sites to visit on both the north and south ends. Getting around the lake by either ferry or bus is time consuming, and ferries somewhat more expensive, so on a day trip from Verona or elsewhere, you pretty much have to choose northern part of the lake, or southern, it would be difficult to enjoy both in one day. Many visitors stay at Lake Garda for a week or more, even year after year. Also, with your own car you could move faster and not depend on bus or ferry schedules. Concerning Roberto, keep checking this forum, and I imagine he will show his face, so to speak, sometime soon.

We stayed in an apartment owned by Hotel Rigoli, in Baveno. I believe the hotel has expanded their aparment-type accommodations. We had a car. If you aren't going to have one, I think Stresa is probably a better location.

Thank you David, Zoe, Emily, TC, Larry & Rosalyn!!!
Yes, I confess, I am a "Newbie" to this forum. Now I have more questions. Roberto, where are you when I need your advice?!?

David, if we decide to go to Turin to visit, 'Basilica di Superga', once we get there, is it flat or a hilly area? My mom does not like to walk on hilly areas. Now I'm wondering about visiting Varenna because it looks like there are stairs everywhere!

Zoe, where did you stay in Como & Bologna? Since you say Como is flat, this may be a better choice for us. I have emailed hotels in Varenna & they are all booked or haven't responded yet.

Emily, I will check the hotel you recommended , however it looks expensive... but nice!

TC, I will check Hotel Torcolo, thanks!
Larry, I think I found Roberto, but I wonder if he will reply to me if I send him a private message?
Rosalyn, Bavedo sounds great but we will not have a car only public transportation. Thanks!

I am so tired planning this trip already. My mom asks me; why are you so stressed? "Let's just go & I'm sure we will find a place to stay!" she says... That's exactly what we did on our last trip to Greece & Italy 6 yrs ago! Well we had reservations for 1st 2 nights because my husband insisted, but then we found a hotel a few steps from where we were staying that charged half what we were paying!!!

Thanks again all you savvy travelers!!! Any other ideas will be appreciated :)

The Superga basilica sits on top of a hill, and therefore the route of the cog streetcar is quite steep. That's not a concern, cause you sit back, relax and enjoy the short ride up to the top. The trip itself is quite a treat, for the newest cars date back to 1934. That doesn't mean they're falling apart; they had been carefully restored. You might be lucky enough to find the oldest ones in service, dating back to the 1890s!

The Basilica's area is flat. There are steps (not so many) from the streetcar passenger depot to the Basilica.

Alternative, there is a 200 meters long (according to Google map) pedestrian road. It's uphill from the depot to the Basilica, but not so steep.

You might also considering taking a taxi straight to the Basilica's entrance.

About stairs: most towns and villages along the shores of Lake Como are squeezed between lake and mountains. You'll find stairs aplenty.

Como and Lecco, the two major towns in the area, are fairly flat. If I were you I's stay in Como (which is worth a visit) and tour the lake by boat. Frequent departures from the main imbarcadero right in the middle of the lakeshore boardwalk.