We are ending our nine day mid October RS tour in Florence and plan to take an additional week before we fly out from Venice. Want to find some quaint towns...time with the locals. We plan to use public transportation, likely do some coordinated day tours. Suggestions? Will. End with a couple of days in Venice before we fly back to the United States.
OR, should we go north from Florence, see the lakes region, and fly out of Milan? Thanks! Doug
Depending on what interests you, you can arrange your itinerary to end in either Venice or Milan. Lately, flights out of Milan have been substantially cheaper, if you're looking for a tie-breaker. Remember that the train from Venice to Milan is under 3 hours, so you can easily head to Venice for the bulk of your sightseeing, then to Milan the day before your flight (be relatively near the airport the night before your flight home, to avoid stress that morning).
I have particularly enjoyed Ferrara and Padova, which are right on the Florence to Venice train line. and Ravenna, which is a very worthwhile detour from that direct line. Going towards Milan, I liked Parma, and I also liked Cremona, Varenna on Lake Como (north of Milan), and Bergamo (east of Milan towards Venice). I am one of the few who did not like Bologna (although it makes a good base for daytrips to Ferrara, Parma, Modena, and Ravenna) and did not like Bellagio on Lake Como.
I'm not sure I would describe these places as "quaint" - they're a bit too big for that. But one thing they all have in common (except Varenna and Bellagio) is that locals far outnumber tourists. By the way, that's also true of Milan itself; it's a huge city, but not at all dominated by tourism. On my first trip, I remember joking that after Venice and Florence, in Milan it was nice to meet Italians for a change. You need not restrict yourself to small villages to have a "time with the locals" experience.
You'll spend 9 days in Italy....you could take the train to Tirano and take the Bernina Express through the Swiss alps....round up to St. Moritz. Enjoy the cable cars and nice views. Visit Diavolezza...then go back through Chiavenna and take the train south to the lake region and spend some time there.
Then take the train back to Milan to fly out.
If I were in your shoes, I would be really tempted to go north to Verona and then make my way to Venice while stopping for a night or two in Padova to visit both Padova and Vicenza. Lake Garda is an easy side trip from Verona, especially if you get a car for the day (be sure to get an international driving permit in the states).
Or, you can get an apartment in Venice, which really REALLY cuts down on the lodging costs, and make Venice the day-trip center of the remainder of your trip. Verona, Vicenza, Padova and the mountains are all in easy reach from Venice by either public transport or guided tour.
Be advised, I hear the Dolomite tours have a reputation for being "re-routed" due to inclement weather beginning in mid to late October. Just something to think about, especially since you probably aren't packing winter trekking clothing.
Have a good trip. I'll be in Venice-Florence-Rome the first two weeks of October myself. I look forward to comparing trip reports.
I had 6 days between Florence and Milan on my last trip, and spent a night each in Ferrara, Padova, Vicenza, Verona, Mantua, Milan.
I would suggest ...
3 days in Bologna with day trips to Ferrara and Modena,
2 days in Verona with a day trip to Mantua,
2 days in Padova with a day trip to Vicenza.
Distances are not great between all these places (30-45 mins by frequent trains) and being off the well worn tourist path of Rome-Florence-Venice you get to experience authentic Italy without crowds.
Don't forget about Tuscany! Public transportation can take you to Volterra (wonderful), Siena (excellent), or to Montalcino (Brunello) or Montepulciano- plenty of fun things to do and see within a couple of hours from Firenze. There's also Cortona (Under the Tuscan sun) and Assisi within a couple of hours. Too much to see and do!
Tony
The 9 day Heart of Italy tour which I think Doug is booked on includes Volterra, Lucca, Cinque Terre and Florence.
