Suggestion to fill 3-day gap in northern Italy - September

You could take a train from Milano Centrale train station to Bergamo.
or very short train to Monza from Milano Centrale. I have heard the Formula 1 fans love Monza.
Torino is another nearby city worth visiting.

Hi Susan,

Monza might be an option - thanks!
I already have Torino & Bergamo on the itinerary.

We liked Novara, only spent part of a day but could have stayed longer:
https://slowtravelitalyspain.blogspot.com/2023/07/novara.html
So maybe your arrival night and another night in Novara to give you one full day
Then Vercelli (fast transfer by train) one night. I haven't been to Vercelli yet but when I was looking at Novara Vercelli seemed even better, only I was heading up to Val d'aosta and Novara was actually on route
Then directly to Pavia
All seems doable by train/bus

Thank you, Tinac! I looked at your link, and scrolling down, there was your blog about Trani. Oh, I loved that city!

“I just feel good in Trani. It's a place I go to in my mind when I need cheering up.” - well said!

How about Padua? We are visiting for two nights next month after Venice. So haven’t been there yet.

I really enjoyed Brescia as a day trip - many interconnected grand piazzas, amazing Roman ruins, and castle on top of the hill. Completely off the tourist radar at this point but worth exploring. (If you go say "Hi" to the hovering rhino for me.)

Have a great trip,
=Tod

Yes, I think it's my favourite place!

BethFL, you will like Padua/Padova! Be sure to reserve the Scrovegni Chapel ahead of time. It’s become very popular now. There’s very nice piazzas in the city & a lot of options for things to do. We stayed there several years ago for five nights - taking one day to go over to the Venice Regatta. We did end that trip with several days in Venice - our favorite!

”Completely off the tourist radar at this point but worth exploring.”

Hiredman, that’s a great combo!

Forget race cars, Monza cathedral has a treasure not to be missed. The ancient Iron Crown of Lombardy is kept in the special Chapel of Theodolinda (a/k/a the Barbarian Queen). The Chapel itself has wonderful walls painted in the 1400's telling the story of the Queen and her court, and the Crown itself is almost a thousand years older than the chapel. You have to reserve.
https://www.museoduomomonza.it/en/iron-crown/

Hi, Jean, I'm with the Monza gang. Spent a semester there with our daughter a few years back and just loved it. We walked in the Royal and surrounding civic park every day. We had an apartment on one end of the park, the Formula 1 racetrack was on the other end, and the only time we heard it even a little bit was early Sunday mornings. The park is fantastic, just explore and explore. There's a great conservatory/rose garden to one side of the Savoy palace. The approach to the palace is grand, the park out the back is fabulous, the palace itself (built for a minor Savoy prince) is forgettable. The inner town is beautiful and has a fantastic weekly market. Lots of good restaurants. It's a fairly large town, so the modern parts are not as great, but it's well worth a night or two stop. I also really enjoyed Brescia.

West of Malpensa you ask...well, I've always had a soft spot for Orta San Giulio. Not everyone here agrees with me, but I've been 3 times and will go back. It does have frequent rail service (Orta-Miasino) but it's a spur line that always requires changes at Novara. There's a wonderful agriturismo, Il Cucchiaio di Legno just a 5-minute walk from the train station, with rooms and a restaurant that draws diners from Milan. There's a pretty pedestrian path under the tracks that leads to the center of town. Orta San Giulio has a very nice Sacro Monte (a series of chapels with paper mâché figures telling Bible stories), a pretty centro storico, a very cool island in the lake. And you can easily walk up in the hills around the lake to surrounding towns. A bit touristy like all the lakes in the summer, should be ok by September.

When you get to Torino, do try to get out to Avigliana to see the pilgrimage abbey San Michele, as we discussed. I think you'd love a night at Certosa1515. I'll never forget the peace and serenity I found there. And very good food.