Please sign in to post.

Single Man 6 days in N. Italy?

Going to Italy at the end of September to see where my Grandfather and Great-Grandfather are from. I will be traveling with family for the first week and will be staying in some smaller towns outside Milan and Torino. I end the first week of my family time in Bellagio on Lake Como. The second week I will be on my own to do what I please. My flights are in and out of Linate Airport in Milan.
My first thoughts are to leave Bellagio and head into the Dolomites, then move to Venice and spend a night or two. I would then head to Florence, move onto Genoa and finally end in the Cinco Terre before heading back to Milan for my flight out. Sound reasonable to do in six days?
I am:
-Single
-Not worried too much about lodging, but would rather avoid the Hostels.
-Flexible on how much time I spend in any one spot
-A bit of a photog geared towards the outdoors
-Ready for physical activity (walking, hiking)
-Curious about the everyday life people are leading
Really looking for suggestions on what to do or see while I'm in these cities.

As a side note: My Grandfather was from a small town called Oleggio west of Milan. He died when my Mother was 9 so I never got to meet him and my Mom has few precious memories of a trip to Italy shortly before he died. I'd like to research as much as possible before we go to get as much information as I can. How does one go about finding information on deceased relatives that would have left the country before the FIRST World War? He was quite a bit older that my Grandmother when they married and had already established himself in America.
Thanks in advance for any responses or help!
Jeff

Posted by
14812 posts

In six days? No. You will spend most of the time traveling from place to place and see nothing.

Will you have a car or use public transit?

Posted by
25 posts

Traveling by train. The first week is done by car. Not planning on staying many places for more than a night. Looking at it, I would say The Dolomites, Venice, Florence and the Cinco Terre.

Posted by
2281 posts

hey jmatto
no way, are you kidding? if you're not worried about lodging where you staying, how many bags do you have and where will you keep? have you done research on public transportation (bus and train), point A to point B, september can be a busy month. are you trying to mark off places on your bucket list? italy is a big country and if curious about everyday life of residents stay put, you will see italy whiz right by you with no enjoyment you can explore some of lake garda or verona. this is your trip and i'm just giving you my 3 cents.
aloha

Posted by
11056 posts

Since you have to return to Milan, forget the Dolomites and Venice for this trip. You may be able to visit Genoa, Santa Margherita Ligure or Camogli and the Cinque Terre to hike. This would be a wonderful week.
Can you contact the Catholic Church in Oleggio to see if they have any records for your grandfather? These records can be quite helpful.

Posted by
25 posts

So I've narrowed it to 2 nights in Florence and 2 in Venice. Hiking will take a backseat this trip. Makes a good excuse to go back!
That leaves 2 nights. One will be in Milan the night before my flight back. The other? Was thinking Bologna for a night. I could put it between Florence and Venice. Any other suggestions or should I add the extra night to the other cities? I picked Bologna because it's in the middle, plus I didn't see a lot about it other than food is supposed to be good.
Other questions:
-Anyone had experience with photography tours? Specifically, heading out with a professional to get advice and improve my hobby as well as getting insights from a local and maybe some shots others won't.
-Is there anything that happens in Northern Italy in the first weeks of October? (festivals or holidays people regularly observe) I'd be willing to travel to see a unique event during the week of October 6th to October 12th.

Thanks for the input from all. I appreciate the help.
J.

Posted by
32173 posts

Jeff,

It's good to see that you've reduced the number of stops, as your first Itinerary was unrealistic. When planning the number of stops, it's a good idea to assume that each change-of-location will take about four hours (in some cases that will be longer).

Regarding the extra night, I'd suggest adding a night to Florence and using the extra time for day trips to Siena, Lucca or perhaps even the Cinque Terre (that is possible, although it will be a somewhat longer day if you want to have a look at all five towns). If yo decide to do that, post another note and the group can offer some suggestions.

If you haven't travelled in Italy before, there are some potentially expensive caveats to be aware of both with rental cars and when using trains or other public transit. If you need more information, post another note.

Do you speak any Italian. If not you may want to brush-up on a few of the common greetings, etc.

Posted by
14812 posts

With only one night, sticking to the route between Milan and Venice is wise.

Your two big choices are Bologna and Verona.

If you wanted to add a night to either Florence or Venice, you could add day trips to Sienna or Padua (Padova), respectively.

Posted by
649 posts

My suggestion would be to take the train from Bellagio to Florence 3 nights. train early morning to Venice 2 nights, train to Verona (lovely walkable city) 1 night and then your last night in Milan. You will only get approx. 2.5 days in Florence due to travel 1.5 days in Venice. I suggest the extra day in Venice if Verona is too much.

Posted by
1231 posts

You don't mention your age, but not only is Bologna a great food town, it is also a university town. So if you are younger, you might prefer it to Verona.

Posted by
616 posts

If you are near Turin, like the countryside, go in the Langhe region South of Turin, where they make Barolo wine and try White truffle from Alba as well as porcini.
You would need a car or need to hike really a lot.

Posted by
8261 posts

I smile every time I see the title of this thread. The first time I had to check to see which forum it was under since it could have been "travel partners." :}

I hope you have a wonderful trip. I think you were quite wise to get input from the travelers on the forum.

Posted by
25 posts

Thanks for all the replies and suggestions!
Reading the OP makes me realize how cheeky my original itinerary sounded. If only there was more time.
Looking like that extra night may just go to Florence and become a day trip to a surrounding spot. I'd love to add in the Cinco Terre, but I think I'll hold that for another trip and give it more than a day trip.
As far as Milan goes, should I worry about staying near Linate Airport? Is traffic bad enough in the morning to warrant an "airport hotel"? Or can I stay more central? Flight departs 11:25 and I assume be there 2hrs. before.
Thanks again to all who replied
J

Posted by
225 posts

I have stayed at a hotel by the Duomo a number of times and the ride to Linate is easy and not far.

Posted by
110 posts

I'm just going to add that I looove Verona. It's one of the prettiest towns I've been to in Italy. Just throwing that out there.

Posted by
355 posts

Linate is a short taxi trip from central Milan. We stayed near the Duomo area and taxi was about 15 minutes and 15 euros ( last year). Hotel arranged it for us and traffic was light and we went mid-week in the morning.

Stay in Milan the last night and enjoy! Have a great trip! And you can always go back.

Posted by
32173 posts

Jeff,

As I mentioned earlier, the Cinque Terre is an easy day trip from Florence. Depending on which trains you choose, there could be 1 - 2 changes and the shortest travel time is about 2H:34M each way (using Riomaggiore as the destination).

Posted by
151 posts

If you think of Lake Como as an upside down Y, Bellagio is where all of the lines meet and difficult to access anywhere else by car unless you plan on taking a ferry to Varenna to the east side or Menaggio to the west side. It is absolutly stunning there...just saying! Varenna is the only place on the lake that has train service! When you are at the Lake be sure to go to Cantina Follie in Tremezzo. It is a wine bar that is just amazing! The quintessential wine bar! Tell Joost that Linda from Florida said Hi! You won't regret it and order the antipasto... all organic and from the Valtellina valley, north of the Lake. You will need to take the ferry if you are staying in Bellagio. You can find many hikes and trails with stunning views...for your photography! They have pamphlets that tell you the intensity and duration of the hike in the tourist place in Menaggio Piazza.

I would use Google maps to note travel time between some of the places since you are on a time budget....particularly the Cinque Terre to Milan piece. Not so sure that Genoa would be a big destination unless you have other reasons to visit there. I think I would go from Florence to somewhere in Tuscany (Montepulechiano or San Gimignano both small medieval towns) or Cinque Terre depending on your time. If you go to Tuscany, you could take a wine bike tour...it's a very photogenic area and quite a day to talk with a guide who will tell you about life there as you bike, rest, and enjoy a good meal after the ride. It cost us about $150 per person two years ago. Just another thought!

As far as finding information about relatives, check out the local church. They have all kinds of records, however, they are not always open every day. Buon viaggi in your journey!