Villages of Italy Stay in Orta or go to Milan?

We did the VI tour last year. Most folks on the tour zoomed on to Milan after breakfast on the last day since they had planes to catch. We thought the village of Orta was quite charming and could have easily spent more time there. However, we had 5 more days in Italy and had decided ahead of time to spend them in Florence, so we left with the crowd towards Milan. Milan is a big city and Orta is a village. Where would you rather spend your time after VI? What do you most want to see before you fly out? When is your plane home? Answers to those questions will help you choose. Remember you're just choosing some icing on the big cake you'll have with VI. Whatever you choose you'll have an amazing time. Enjoy.

Took the Village Italy tour several years ago and we spent our night after the tour in Stresa on Lago Maggiore. Loved it there and was easier to get to Malpensa to fly home than going into Milan first and then back to Malpensa. There is direct bus service to Malpensa from Stresa.

We did VI in 2014 and stayed an extra night in Orta. It was mid-Oct and very rainy but we thought that was too much. A half a day, leaving after lunch to go to Milan would have been fine. We walked the Sacro Monte then there was not much else. We did the island as a group the day before.

I wish we had spent 2 nights in Milan for 1 full day of sightseeing. We traveled from Orta via taxi in the AM so got there in time for lunch. On our 1 afternoon the Last Supper was closed so we missed that. We got a good look at the Duomo (where the grandfather of my mother went to mass before he emigrated) but that was it.

Your guide will help you organize your exit transportation so don't worry about that. Five of us shared a cab in to Milan she set up for us.

This is a fun, fun tour!!

My sister and I are going on this tour in June. We booked a roundtrip ticket out of Venice. We are going to Venice a couple of days early and will fly out a couple of days after the tour ends. We have decided to go to Verona on our way back from Orta to Venice. I have booked a room for two nights. Any thoughts?

I went on this fantastic tour in 2012. I had to fly back the day the tour ended so I didn't get a chance to extend. Orta is a very nice, but small, village. I wasn't feeling like I needed more time there. If I did it again, I might spend a few nights in one of the other towns in the Lake District. The Verona option seems like a nice one as well.

My daughter and I will be on the Village Italy trip starting Sept 5 (monday). Maybe see you? We are staying a extra night at the end
to enjoy the lake Orta (already have our room with view of the lake). Will head to the Milan airport on monday then for 1:30 flight back to SFO. This is our 5th RS trip and we find too many people hurry off on that last day. We want to soak it all in!!
Lets chat, Janet