Northern Italy Travel Advice

[EZEtoGRU]

I'll be embarking on a cruise from Venice in October. I'm flying into Milan and then will have 5 days/nights to spend in Northern Italy prior to starting the cruise from Venice. Other than three nights in Torino, I've not been in Northern Italy. I'm trying to piece together an itinerary and am looking for advice from folks familiar with Northern Italy. I plan to get around by train. How many days should I spend in Milan? How many days in Venice? What about Bergamo? Brescia? Bologna? All comments welcome!!

[+ glennnn]

Milano is wonderful and deserves 2 to 3 days. Other than that, head up to Lake Como, an Alpine lake a couple of hours by train north of Milan. This is in the top 5 most beautiful places I have been. Stay in Bellagio and soak up a real Italian vacation city. It will be chilly, but empty and gorgeous in October. Take the ferries that crisscross the lake to other quaint, quiet, uber charming little towns. Crystal clear, dark blue waters surrounded by magnificent snowcapped Italian Alps. I also recommend the Glacier Express, a narrow gauge train that goes from Bellagio, over the Alps, to St. Moritz, Switzerland. Spectacular! Lake Maggiore is equally magnificent. Lake Garda? Not so much. Have a great trip! If you haven't already done so, learn some basic Italian. They really appreciate it.

[Epigonos]

Greetings AZEtoGRU

 

For me this would be a no brainer but the key issue will be what interests you. Milan is the major industrial hub of northern Italy with only a few “don’t miss” sights. The Cathedral (Duomo) is one of the largest Gothic churches in the world and definitely worth a visit. If you are at all interested in opera you will want to take a tour of the Teatro alla Scala one of the world’s leading opera venues. If you are a Renaissance art fan you will likely want to visit the refectory of Santa Maria delle Grazie to see Leonardo de Vinci’s Last Supper. If you decide to visit Santa Maria delle Grazie to see the Last Supper you will need to make prior reservations which can be done on the internet. Two days should be sufficient for Milan. Then take the EuroStar train to Venice.

 

Spend the rest of your time prior to the cruise here in Venice. I absolutely adore Venice, Florence and Sienna. Over the years I have spent more than six weeks in Venice alone. I realize to many people Venice is a cliché but to me it is pure magic. Venice is particularly wonderful in the early morning, late afternoon and evening when the day visiting tourist have gone. To come under the spell of this seductive city simply wander the streets and get lost. You can’t get terribly lost because you will always run into the lagoon and can orient yourself from there. Here are the don’t miss sights 1.) Piazza San Marco, 2.) Basilica de San Marco, 3.) Palazzo Ducale (arrive here at least 15 minutes before it opens and you might be lucky enough to see it almost by yourself), 4.) The Accademia Art Gallery, 5.) Scuola Grande di San Rocco (this Scuola is to the art of Tintoretto what the Sistine Chapel is to the art of Michelangelo. There are also frequent wonderful concerts here in the evening), 6.) Take a water taxi to the Island of Torcello and see what Venice was once like). These are just a few of the almost endless number of sights awaiting you in Venice.

 

Buy a copy of the Eyewitness Travel Guide Venice – it is outstanding. There is a charming little hotel half way between the Rialto Bridge and The Piazza San Marco by the name of the Serrenisima (www.hotelserenissima.it). The rooms are small, there is no elevator and the stairs are steep BUT the location is near perfect and the price is right.

 

Have a wonderful trip and if I can be of anymore assistance please feel free to PM me.

[gallahadesquire]

Thanks for all the info!

[+ dutchmuch]

The Dolomites (Italian: Dolomiti [doloˈmiːti]; Ladin: Dolomites; German: Dolomiten [doːloːˈmɪtn̩]; Venetian: Dołomiti[doɰoˈmiti]: Friulian: Dolomitis) are a mountain range located in northeastern Italy. They form a part of the Southern Limestone Alps and extend from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Valley (Pieve di Cadore) in the east. The northern and southern borders are defined by the Puster Valley and the Sugana Valley (Italian: Valsugana). The Dolomites are nearly equally shared between the provinces of Belluno, South Tyrol and Trentino.

 

http://www.nationalgeographicexpeditions.com/assets/images/2070/itinerary-header.jpg

[gallahadesquire]

I thought a Dolomite was some sort of sexual offender ...

[EZEtoGRU]

Thanks to Glennn and Epigonos for the valuable input. I'm starting to think that, realistically, I may only be able to do Milan and Venice during the five days. Fitting in another location is probably not realistic. The Lake Como area sounds wonderful. However, I think I would need more time for that. I think I'll end up doing two nights in Milan than then three in Venice. Thanks again for the valuable input!!

[Epigonos]

Good decision EZEtoGRU. Italy is a country that requires multiple trips in order to experience and savor it completely.

[+ g56whiz]

But you will HAVE to go back. Not only to experience the Lake District but also the Savoy and then there's the Tuscan cusine around Florence to say nothing of Florence itself. Did I mention the Ligourian coast?