Hi!
My husband and I are spending 4 days in Venice and 7 days in Lecco, off of Lake Como. We have an extra day in between those two areas. We'd like to stay in a small country town somewhere in between these destinations. Any recommendations?
Thanks!
Cherl
Bologna - Padua - Verona -
I would recommend any of these.
None of Frances' suggestions are small country towns. They are all cities. Actually Bologna is one of the largest cities in Italy with a metro population of over 1 million people.
A small town along Lake Garda or Lake Iseo or in the Valpolicella wine region probably would better fit your requirements.
If you've had enough lake time, you could detour north to the Dolomite mountains, for instance train to Bolzano (3.5 hours from Milano Centrale, with a connection at Verona; see Ice Man museum). If that's not small enough, you can bus to Castelrotto, one more hour. Verona itself is a worthwhile destination if you'd rather reduce travel time and stay on the main train line.
Bergamo is charming and the upper historic part of this mid-sized city feels like a small country town. Here are some photos I took there last year, in case you're interested: Bergamo May 2013
We stayed at Casa Mario Lupo which I highly recommend.
