Towns in Northern Italy

Aosta and val'deAosta. Lots to see and do.

Move a little south to Umbria and check out Perugia, Orvieto, Assisi and more.

Perdenone? Palmanova?

Check out Bergamo and their "La Citta Alta." Personally, I would skip le Cinque Terre unless you like crowds and crowds of tourists.

Buon viaggio,

Not as far as Milan, but along the same line - Piacenza.
Did you visit Vicenza when you visited Padua?
Ferrara looks to be interesting and historical. I am even thinking of moving my home base from Bologna to Ferrara for my visit there.
Lake Lugano, Lake Garda.
Bassano del Grappa.
Treviso
As far north as Bolzano for something more alpine?

These are some cities/towns in Northern Italy that I have visited and enjoyed and that you have not yet visited: Ferrara, Trento, Sirmione, Vittorio Veneto, Aquilea. Ferrara and Trento are smaller cities but very appealing, each with a castle and beautiful main piazza/ cathedral area. Sirmione, on Lake Garda, is very picturesque. Vittorio Veneto's historical old town is charming and Aquilea is famous for its Roman ruins.

These are places I have not yet visited and you have not mentioned, but are on my Northern Italy radar and wish list for future consideration: Mantova, Trieste, Chioggia, Bergamo, Brescia, Camogli, Tremosine sul Garda, Bassano del Grappa and Vipiteno. A friend of mine who lives in northern Italy also recommended the small towns of Monselice and Cittadella, one north and one south of Padova.

It would be very easy to add Ferrara and/or Mantova if you are in the Bologna/Parma/Modena area. I liked Ferrara very much. It was easy to walk to all of the key sites and it was not full of throngs of tourists. Same can be said of Trento, plus you have the beautiful mountain scenery surrounding you.

After having made several trips to northern and central Italy, my next priority is to explore the south.

Another vote for Vicenza!

Hi Frank, did you do the Langhe wine region like Alba, Neive, Barbaresco, etc? (I only see Barolo on your list). If you like the mountains, then the Aosta Valley. Parma and Bologna sound like a great start, and then you could get into the mountains either towards Aosta or the Dolomites. There also the towns on the lesser-traveled side of the coast like Savonna, Finale Ligure etc.

I planned a northern Italy trip in May starting with Cinque Terre, then Portofino pensinsula basing in Camogli , then Langhe wine region basing in Alba (with a day in Torino) and lastly the Aosta Valley staying at Bellevue Hotel in Cogne.

I would also love any feedback you have on SML, Portovenere and Torino. If you want to message me we can swap notes/ideas.

Vicenza is certainly worth visiting.

I'd also suggest you reconsider Milan. We spent three nights there and enjoyed it - it's an interesting contrast to, say, Naples. There are a couple of big sights, plenty of more minor ones, and the evening aperitivo (sp?), was well good (quality varied, perhaps, but we're not poncey food-guide writers), and especially around the "canal area". Admittedly, unlike Venice or Rome, I doubt we'll return but a few days was brilliant (I preferred it to Florence, philistine that I am). There's some interesting more recent history associated with Milan too, of course.

But if you can't be persuaded, I'd go for Bologna. It has some interesting sights - nothing "wow" perhaps like Rome - plus great food, good transport links to the other places you mention, plus Ravenna and Ferrara. And the city has a nice gritty feel. We (as tourists, hypocritically), felt we were in a "normal city", rather than another tourist hub.

Bergamo is quite charming. We ran into very few English-speaking tourists and no other Americans.

The cities in Reggio Emilia including Bologna, Parma and Modena all are worth visiting and well connected by train. Each has a great historical center and wonderful food. We have enjoyed them in the late Spring snd early Fall especially, when you can sit outsideto enjoy an appertivo and great people watching. I envy you choice!!