Pandora II
Ideal_Rock
- Joined
- Aug 3, 2006
- Messages
- 9,613
Hi Lauren,
I was staying near Biella which is in the Turin area. It has great food and wine - but it's not very picturesque!
I lived in Como for 2 years - and had a bf who was from Venice, so I know Northern Italy very well. I then lived in Arezzo in Tuscany for 6 years.
I would really recommend going to Lake Como - it's really beautiful at this time of year. You can pop over to Switzerland for cheap chocolate - 20 minutes drive...
You can get a train to Milan in 30 minutes - and you are about 3 hours from Venice. Another gorgeous place between the two is a little town called Sirmione which is on Lake Guarda. You
I would recommend flying into Venice and spending a few days there. Then take the train to Sirmione and stay a night there. Then go onto Como and base yourselves there. You can spend some time in Milan, go on a trip round the lake - Cernobbio and Bellagio are beautiful (although I find Bellagio a bit over-rated and touristy). You can take the Funicular railway up to Brunate where there are great views and easy "mountain walks" with lots of little bars en-route that serve wild-boar stew and similar. You are also not that far from Bergamo which is worth a day-trip.
Tuscany is better later in the year. I loathe Florence personally (as do a lot of Italians), but places like Siena and Montepulciano are gorgeous - but better in May - September.
If you want any other ideas or recommendations on places to stay/eat - let me know. I found an amazing hotel in Como called In Riva Al Lago - which is literally 20 metres from the lake - basic but very nice and clean rooms - for 55 euro a night: www.inrivaallago.com
I took FI to loads of places in Italy, including everywhere I have lived over a few holidays, and of everywhere we went Como was his favourite.
Here's a pic of the town:
I was staying near Biella which is in the Turin area. It has great food and wine - but it's not very picturesque!
I lived in Como for 2 years - and had a bf who was from Venice, so I know Northern Italy very well. I then lived in Arezzo in Tuscany for 6 years.
I would really recommend going to Lake Como - it's really beautiful at this time of year. You can pop over to Switzerland for cheap chocolate - 20 minutes drive...
You can get a train to Milan in 30 minutes - and you are about 3 hours from Venice. Another gorgeous place between the two is a little town called Sirmione which is on Lake Guarda. You
I would recommend flying into Venice and spending a few days there. Then take the train to Sirmione and stay a night there. Then go onto Como and base yourselves there. You can spend some time in Milan, go on a trip round the lake - Cernobbio and Bellagio are beautiful (although I find Bellagio a bit over-rated and touristy). You can take the Funicular railway up to Brunate where there are great views and easy "mountain walks" with lots of little bars en-route that serve wild-boar stew and similar. You are also not that far from Bergamo which is worth a day-trip.
Tuscany is better later in the year. I loathe Florence personally (as do a lot of Italians), but places like Siena and Montepulciano are gorgeous - but better in May - September.
If you want any other ideas or recommendations on places to stay/eat - let me know. I found an amazing hotel in Como called In Riva Al Lago - which is literally 20 metres from the lake - basic but very nice and clean rooms - for 55 euro a night: www.inrivaallago.com
I took FI to loads of places in Italy, including everywhere I have lived over a few holidays, and of everywhere we went Como was his favourite.
Here's a pic of the town: