Hi all, we have visited Venice, Florence and Rome and are returning to Venice in October then will fly home from Milan. We have 17 nights and would like to add another stop on our way to Milan (or beyond?)
Questions:
Where would you suggest as another place to visit?
In all three places would you think a VRBO type place or a hotel?
We love to walk around and see “real” communities, and dine in small local areas, rather than doing the touristy things. Small shops, galleries, and a few “must see” things thrown in.
We would love any suggestions of places, where to stay, restaurants, favorite spots, etc. that were memorable for you. Thank you for any guidance!
Posted by
Gettysburg PA
9542 posts
Padua, Vicenza, Verona, Bologna, Lake Garda etc are all on the train line easy to get to
Brescia and Bergamo worthwhile
Stresa on Lake Maggiore beyond Milan is lovely, less crowded than Lake Como with easy direct bus to MXP so you can spend night before departure there
Assuming you are planning to stay in Milan the night before your flight?
Posted by
New England
12160 posts
Driving from outside of Venice to Milan will give you the chance to visit some of the Dolomites. Visitbcharming Ortisei and explore that stunning area. It is one of our favorite travel memories!
Stay at Hotel Grones and enjoy their wonderful restaurant too.
Posted by
Portland, OR
522 posts
We spent an extra day in Padua before our RS tour. On a previous visit, highly recommend Stressa or Arona on Lago Maggiore.
We spent three days meeting up with our friends and it was great. The islands were amazing and still some of my best memories .
Posted by
Indiana
1242 posts
Ortisei in the Dolomites was a highlight of our trip. We took the train from Venice to Ponte Gardena Laion/waidbruck Lajen. Once there, we had a driver waiting, and he took us to Ortisei. Highly recommend that you consider a stay at Casa al Sole. They have mastered the art of hospitality.
Posted by
San Diego, California, USA
2128 posts
Given your criteria and your route I would second a vote for Brescia. It is on the fast train route, completely off the tourist radar and has some wonderful sights. It has some amazing Roman ruins, a UNESCO corridor down to the museum set in modern and medieval buildings with in situ Roman mosaics in the basement. It has a series of great piazzas strung together and a castle on top of the hill to top everything off. Now Brescia is a large city not an intimate town experience but there is lots to see and do and nary a tourist.
An alternative larger city is Verona which feels much smaller in the old town section then it's population would suggest. Verona is very much on the discovered tourist track (although a lot of that tourism is German) but it has intact and still in use Roman arena, theater, a number of interesting churches and a very chic, cafe culture. It has tons of upscale shopping in it's core but the Veronetta neighborhood across the river is very much a neighborhood experience. It has many great small restaurants, odd galleries at random and at least one amazing leather store (owned by friends of a friend) and is worth exploring. The San Zeno neighborhood is similar but is newer and feels less "old world" than Veronetta.
If you want smaller city alternatives there is Treviso which friends from Venice called "beautiful" which is high praise when you live in Venice. It is off the main train line being 40 minutes north of Venice but is not too much way out of the way.
Another possibility is Mantua/Mantova which is about 45 minutes south of Verona on the train. It is an interesting, UNESCO renaissance city that is out of the way enough that it doesn't get nearly as much tourist traffic as you'd expect.
Modena is a great little city. It is now a large population center surrounded by fast sports car production (and the Ferrari museum among others) but the old town feels small and manageable. It is in the center of balsamic vinegar production, as well as cheese and meat production being near Parma. It is an interesting mix of small town feel but surrounded by serious money so it is not fading or too archaic. Modena will a bit of trek to get to - probably Venice > Bologna change to Modena but is a direct 1:30 to Milan from there.
That's probably enough suggestions for one post - hope it helps.
Have a great trip,
=Tod
Posted by
OP
29 posts
Thank you all for the replies! Yes, we are staying in Milan before our flight.
I hadn’t considered the Dolomites, but Ortisei sounds intriguing. Will late October, early November be too cold? I was thinking about Modena or Bologna, but wondered if they were more of a day trip, or good for several nights? I would love to do a vinegar tour, as well as a food tour or class. We will not have a car, but love train travel, and wanted somewhere to stay a few days. Verona, Stresa and Brescia all sound like great places to check out as well. Thank you!!