Hi Everyone,
I have been going through so many threads, including responses from previous posts of mine. We have narrowed down a few things. We want to go to Lake Como and Tuscany hill towns and maybe Florence, Rome or Venice. I've been to Rome with my husband, and he has been to Venice with his dad. We are taking our 24yr old daughter with us. We want to be active, some hiking, bike tours, walking around towns. We are flying in from Toronto, nothing is booked yet. I don't know where to fly into and home from. What I do know, is that R.S suggests starting in a quieter town/village and working towards the busier ones, which is why I like the idea of Lake Como or Tuscany to start off. I do get jet lag pretty bad and it takes me at least 3 days to feel good. I am open to your opinions. We usually prefer 3 bases of 4-5nights each to get the feel of each city/village. I love the idea of staying at an agritourism, but have also read that it's nice to be in a village at night to walk around, have dinner and walk back to the hotel. I hope I have given you enough information so you can offer your experience with me...
Thank you in advance,
Kelly
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
7270 posts
If you choose Lake Como, Tuscany/Florence and Rome
Fly in to Milan
Lake Como 3 nights
Florence 3 nights
Tuscany hill town ( you’d need a car) 4 nights
Rome 4 nights
Fly home from Rome
Posted by
San Diego, California
5713 posts
It's easier to fly into Venice ( or Milan) and out of Rome. Outgoing flights at Venice seem to be very early in the mornings, which are difficult for transport.
We will be going May, 2023, and will be flying into Venice, as that makes it easy getting to the hotel with jet lag.
We once wanted to fly into Milan and then go directly to Lake Como, but didn't have enough time to make the train connections before late evening.
So- fly into Venice, stay in this magical city a few days,
Travel to Lake Como for a few days, which is absolutely beautiful.
I don't know enough to advise for Florence and Tuscany,
And finally conclude in Rome, from which you can depart.
Safe travels!
Posted by
4 posts
Hi Keely- I agree Milan is most convenient airport to arrive and get to lake Como. We leave tomorrow for our 14 day trip that is very similar- Lake Garda, we added a 4th stop (3 nights each) along coast of Tuscany in Porto Santo Stefano), Montepulciano, and then Florence. Because round trip through Milan had better flight costs and options from East Coast US- we are departing from Milan as well (train back after driving this route until dropping car off for visiting Florence)
I see lots of suggestions for Rome- but we appreciate small towns much more than cities and what I have seen about Rome lately doesn’t encourage me to visit.
I share this to say your itinerary makes sense to me and gives you time to explore these areas with a reasonable pace and relax post flight but also have many outdoor options for active touring.
Posted by
119 posts
Hi! I'm following this thread...haven't nailed down our itinerary. I am curious...would you rent a car around Lake Como? Is it possible to see a lot without one?
Posted by
San Diego, California
5713 posts
Jill, I think it's much more relaxing to ferry around Varenna, Menaggio, Bellagio, etc. I've never had a car there, but was very happy on the ferries- it's beautiful.
Safe travels!
Posted by
Southwest Florida
905 posts
If you choose Milan, check prices and times for Linate. It is often less expensive and it is sooooooo much easier to get to Centrale than via MXP. And cheaper.
Posted by
OP
65 posts
Thanks for all of your replies. Christine, your itinerary makes great sense! We are looking at Varenna, mostly because it is most convenient by the sounds of it. What would be the downsides? I've read it is a lot quieter than Bellagio. We do want to be able to scroll the town in the evenings and have dinner each night, and during the day visit cafe's too.
Do you have any hotel recommendations on Lake Como? Sometimes if the hotel is great, that is a deciding factor. Also, some are on the water in Varenna, and some are in the hills. Is it more advantages to say on or near the water, than up on a hill without a car?
In Tuscany, is there a specific town you would recommend? Again, we don't want to be away from being able to walk at night, find some music perhaps, cafe's etc...
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
7270 posts
Kelly- We haven't visited Lake Como...yet, so I don't have any personal hotel recommendations but the Hotel Olivedo seems to be a favorite of many here. It is near the ferry and the train, which is where I would want to be if I stayed in Varenna.
For Tuscany hill towns our favorites are Siena, Montepulciano and Pienza. We have stayed in all three. It just depends on what area of Tuscany you want to drive around and sight see although almost any works as things are not that far apart.
Make sure your hotel has easy access parking. Siena is a bit more difficult to drive in/out of.
In Siena we stayed at Palazzo Ravizza (RS recommended I believe)- they have on site parking and it is just steps to the center- Campo. The views from their terrace are fabulous. Hotel Athena is just next door with same view. We did not drive in/out while there- just parked and spent our time in Siena.
https://palazzoravizza.it/en/
Montepulciano we stayed at Palazzo Carletti- a beautiful old palazzo right in center with parking just below the property.
http://www.palazzocarletti.it/en
Pienza- we stayed at Piccolo Hotel del Valle- a charming little rather inexpensive hotel just on edge of town and our room with balcony had a view to die for. Pienza is super easy to drive in/out of. On site easy parking and lovely helpful staff.
https://www.piccolohotellavalle.net/en/
We always rent our cars thru AutoEurope.com, a US consolidator with usually best rates and always excellent customer service. Be sure you do your homework regarding driving in Italy, ZTLs, parking, speeding, etc. Many will warn you about getting surprise tickets in your mailbox when you return home. We have rented in Italy 3 times and have never received a ticket. Just follow the rules and you'll be fine!