Just signed up for Village Italy, 2017!

Wheee!!

Since you're still in the planning phase, I would add at least 1 night to Padua so you've got most of a full day there. We stayed in Venice extra nights then took the train to Padua the morning the tour started and wished we had done differently. So much to see there!

You finally did it!! I hope you have as much fun as Wayne and I. We flew into Venice and took the bus to Padua. I agree with Pam, go a day earlier. It is a very interesting and lively city.

Yes, Debra, we finally quit shuffling around and decided that this one was the one we wanted. Listening to you and Wayne rave about the tour helped tip us over the edge.

And Pam, we are definitely planning at least one extra night in Padua. I'm tossing schedules around in my head already - places we've been before but would like to spend more time at - Florence; places we haven't been to but we know we want to spend more time at - Padua and Ravenna. I'm going to have to stare at maps and bus and train schedules for a while before we set our itinerary. After all, we have plenty of time...

If you do go for more than one night in Padua, I would probably add another visit to the Scrovegni Chapel. This is something you WILL do on your walking tour of Padua but the Scrovegni drastically controls visits in the chapel and you are limited to something like 15 or 20 minutes after you have sat in their air controlled waiting room for 15 minutes. This is not enough time to take in these frescoes...and I am not even that big on frescoes, lol!!

Also consider your exit strategy. If you are leaving from Malpensa, the cab transfer from Orta San Giulio is easy. Leaving by train or bus from Orta, not so much. I wound up sharing a cab in to Milan with others on the tour which was reasonable then got a cab from the hotel to Linate airport the next morning. An extra full night in Orta was roo much. Would have been better to spend the AM in Orta then catch a cab in the afternoon into Milan.

Thanks, Pam. I was wondering about that. We're thinking a couple of nights in Milan at the end of the tour, if we have the time. DH is a Leonardo junkie, so we of course want to see the Last Supper. And I go absolutely gaga over frescoes, so the Scrovegni Chapel is high on my list of things to do.

yeah Jane!! - what month? - I know what you mean about leaving for months yet!! Mine is June and wish it was here today. We talked to one of our customers and they are in Italy right now on holiday.

I also getting a replacement on my suitcase... Love Rick Steves group of people!!

Kim, great news on the bag. RS is going to replace it? Wow!

We're signed up for June, as well. I would have signed up for later in the summer - August even, but they don't have Village Italy tours in July or August. I figure it's because the Cinque Terre is packed with Europeans then. And the heat could be a factor as well, but that wouldn't bother us.

We just got back from our VI tour and LOVED it! Our tour guide, David Tordi, was the absolute best and we had a great group of 22 travelers.

We spent two nights before the tour in Venice, then took the train to Padua. We had some free time to wander around and explore Padua after our morning tour. At the end of the tour, David arranged for shared taxis to either the Milan airport or train station. We took the train to Lake Como and spent two nights at Varenna (loved it) and then came back and spent one night in Milan. Got a chance to see the Last Supper.

You will do a lot of eating on the tour, but it is balanced by all the walking. And even though there were scheduled activities every day, we had plenty of down time to shop and explore. I know it's not a lot of time, but we did have a couple of hours free in Ravenna.

We have signed up for this tour and after are headed for Geneva. Would it be better to take the train from Lake Orta or Milan?

I would agree with Pam that spending an extra night in Orta SAN Giuliani isn't a good idea. While charming, its small and connections are poor. Sharing a taxi back to Milan is MUCH cheaper than doing it on your own one day later.

Yes, we've pretty much decided to leave Orta the last day of the tour, and spend some time in Milan. It looks like we could easily fill three or four days there, or perhaps take a day trip somewhere else in the vicinity. I would love to spend a few days in Florence, but I don't think we'll have the time. I'm still trying to squeeze in Ravenna for at least an overnight. If we skip Milan... Nope, gotta see some of those museums. And the Last Supper, of course.

Congrats, Jane! We're taking the Venice, Florence and Rome tour in May, but I've definitely got my eye on Village Italy for a return trip someday.

We took the VFR tour in the Fall of 2015. It is the first tour that I would recommend to anyone that wants to go to Europe. I loved Florence.

Great to hear. My wife and I plus 2 other couples are on the May 22 Villages tour. This will our first Rick Steve's tour. We are flying to Venice but taking the train to Padua 3 days early. We are staying at the same hotel the tour will be using, so I don't have to change hotels for 5 nights! We plan to travel from Lake Orto back to Venice for a 3 pay post visit. I am hoping we can find other folks on our tour to share a Taxi with back to Milan. One of our couples will be flying out right after the tour the other couple is going on to Venice. Looking forward to great trip this spring.

Mark G, in my experience with the Village Italy tour the guide worked really hard to match up people/departure times/departure destinations for taxi sharing. I would not even worry about that but if you are concerned you can speak to the guide once you're several days in to the trip and see what how they usually work things.