We are seasoned travelers and have been to Italy many times. We are planning to go to northern Italy in mid-September for 3 weeks. We plan to visit places we have not been to before. We are interested in Lake Come/Lake Garda area, Bergamo, Brescia, possibly Bolzano, Then Parma, Bologna, and Modena region. We would like suggestions for places to go, the best places to stay, and any other suggestions.
Posted by
San Diego, California, USA
798 posts
Hello mgrdvm, and welcome to the forum,
The advice for both lakes is generally the same - stay midlake and use the ferry to explore other towns and areas around the lake itself. RS reccomends Varenna on Lake Como - small, charming and easily accessible by train from Milan.
For Lake Garda I find Malcesine interesting but there are several cities around the lake to examine. It also has a cable car you can take up the mountain for trail access. You will probably to take a bus from Verona train station to get to the upper reaches of Lake Garda. The lower section of the lake is well served by trains but because of this it is very touristy and built up.
Brescia has an interesting city center with several great piazzas strung together around the base of a hill with a castle on top. If you are at all interested in Roman ruins do not miss the tour of the old forum (small group, timed entrance only) and the excellent Santa Giulia Museum. The basement of the museum is in situ mosaics from a bath complex the museum is built on top of.
I noticed you didn't mention Verona which I think deserves a mention. Nestled in the loop of the river is the very walkable old town with a genteel and cafe culture feeling city. There is an intact Roman Arena (you can see an opera there during September) and Roman theater which now houses the archaeological al museum partly housed in an old church and monastery.
My contribution - I'm sure you'll get tons of advice. Have a great trip!
=Tod
Posted by
7 posts
Just came back from a 2-week trip to Italy. We only spent 2 days in Verona, one of which was spent driving to and from Spiazzi to visit the Sanctuary of Madonna della Corona. We were fortunate to have beautiful weather that day and the side trip was totally worth it. Verona is small and walkable. We stayed in an apartment by the river across from the old town but within a very short walk. It's cheaper and essential if you plan to drive as the old town is a restricted zone.