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Recommendation for Family Countryside Getaway

Hello everyone!

I am looking for recommendations preferably in the Alps region or Lake Region of Northern Italy. Other areas can be considered, but nothing farther south than Rome please. I also prefer mountains, but will also consider coasts if you have had great experiences!

My family will be joining another family in Italy sometime late April (possibly during the Easter weekend). I would like to book something soon since reservations fill fast at this time. Together we will be two couples with two 1 year olds and one 5 year old. I am envisioning staying in a cottage in the country where we can hang out, do some hiking, cooking in the kitchen, but also get a really great sense of Italian culture and life. Perhaps find someone to give a cooking lesson or observe other traditions special to the town/region. I also love the idea of connecting with local families that also have the same aged children.

Our stay would be around for 3-5 days there. We plan on renting a car so public transport not an issue. Please post any of your great experiences you have had similar to this or any other pertinent information that would help us in planning. What towns sound like a good place for this? Did you stay at a fantastic rental or have amazing local hosts?

Thank you so much for helping us with our first trip to Europe as a family of three!!
All the best,
Kim

Posted by
8360 posts

If you're wanting the mountain lakes, there are many choices. The popular Lake Como area is incredibly beautiful and maybe 45 minutes north of Milan--on the Swiss border. There are also other lakes close by that are popular. Another popular place is Lake Garda northwest of Verona--and northeast of Bologna. Booking.com and Airbnb would be good places to look. You could also Google Italian villas or agriturismos to find great accommodations all over Italy. You might want to look at a good online map of these areas.
I've always wanting to have travel partners that are easy to get along with and had the $ to rent a villa. We'd especially like to have it come with a good Italian cook to blow us away with great food and wine.

Posted by
46 posts

We just got home visiting Italy and one of our favorite stops was the Italian alps! We were in Courmayeur, and stayed at a charming hotel called Auberge de la Maison. Google it. It was fairy tale beauty like I've never seen before. Our room was at the base of Mont Blanc. The staff was so nice and the food was so good too. It was so pretty that my pictures look like post cards....check it out!