Flying in and out of Milan mid November. Spending three days in Florence. What else would you recommend? Have done Florence, Pisa and Cinque Terra, and Sienna in years past. Have never spent any time in Milan. Is it worth a couple of days or do we go to Genoa, Parma, Verona or anything else off the beaten path. Have never seen Lake Como-is it a waste in November?
Posted by
585 posts
What are you interested in? Food? I would think Bologna and or Parma (ham and cheese). Motor cars? Turin and other cities in the North that specialize in vehicle manufacture - Lamborghini. Ferrari etc., apparently they offer great car museums and tours of the plants. Verona sounds interesting with its mix of Roman and Renaissance sites. Lakes and mountains are probably not the best in November. Art and fashion - Milan.
Posted by
San Diego, California, USA
828 posts
What are you interested in? Milan is a big city but certainly has a day's worth of exploring and checking things out.
Second Bologna if you food is a focus. Verona is a beautiful and cultured feeling city with a few light sights - Roman arena etc - but quiet compared to Florence. September and October are filled with music events, but I don't know about November.
If you want to experience Italian life there's Lucca - 9,000 people in old town encased by the walls. Again, not a ton to see but sort of like Siena but flat (and surrounded by a modern city).
I also notice you didn't mention Venice. November may be cold on the water but Venice a unique city in the world and I will always recommend it.
Milan, Florence, Bologna, Verona are easy by high speed rail connecting all of them. I could make a case for any of these:
Florence 3 days, 2 days Bologna, 2 days Verona
Florence 3 days, 2 days Venice, 2 days Verona
Florence 3 days, 2 days Venice, 1 day Verona, 1 day Milan
If you need more advice post a little about your travel style and interests,
=Tod
Posted by
Land of La
8714 posts
Um, Venice. So unique.
Might also consider the Dolmites.
Posted by
Irving
2979 posts
Spend a minimum of five nights in Milan and buy tickets for The Last Supper before leaving home. You also want to tour the duomo. I liked walking around Milan that’s worth a minimum of two nights. Plan on settling in on your day of arrival and begin your sight-seeing the next day.
Take a day trip to Lake Como by direct train from Milano’s Centrale train station to Varenna (1h 15m). Walk around this quaint village before hopping on a ferry to Bellagio (15-minutes) and walk around there too. I would also find a good spot to eat lunch in Bellagio.
Lake Como does not freeze so the ferry operates all year and people live there. I was in Santorini in Jul and it reminded me of Bellagio only Lake Como is higher end which I liked better.
Vicenza is another good day trip option from Milan’s Central station (1h 45m) and so is Verona (2h).
Posted by
OP
Duvall, WA, USA
6 posts
Thanks so much for all the suggestions. So sorry I didn't include interests-probably because I find fascination in just about anything.We enjoy history, food and art the best-but since this isn't our first trip to Italy we'd love to find quaint off the beaten path to just enjoy and not be rushed.