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Restaurant or Itinerary Recommendation for Northern Italy in January

Restaurant or Itinerary Recommendation for Northern Italy in January

Old Jan 5, 2015, 12:45 am
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Restaurant or Itinerary Recommendation for Northern Italy in January

Headed to Northern Italy in a few weeks for a 10 day trip. Flying in an out of Milan. Third trip to Italy. Second time to Milan. Second time to Florence, if we go to Florence.

It is my fiance's first time in Milan, so we will likely check out the Duomo and a little shopping on the first or last day. From there, we are open. We are going to have a rental car. I was thinking of driving to Venice, then doing a loop through Bologna down to Florence, back up through Modena, Parma, etc.

Would love any recommendations for restaurants, sights, or other towns to visit. We are pretty flexible.

Thanks in advance!
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Old Jan 5, 2015, 4:51 am
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Originally Posted by sscott77
Headed to Northern Italy in a few weeks for a 10 day trip. Flying in an out of Milan. Third trip to Italy. Second time to Milan. Second time to Florence, if we go to Florence.

It is my fiance's first time in Milan, so we will likely check out the Duomo and a little shopping on the first or last day. From there, we are open. We are going to have a rental car. I was thinking of driving to Venice, then doing a loop through Bologna down to Florence, back up through Modena, Parma, etc.

Would love any recommendations for restaurants, sights, or other towns to visit. We are pretty flexible.

Thanks in advance!
If you plan to go to Venice from Milan, I'd take the train. You can't drive, of course, in Venice. You have to park your car on the mainland which is expensive and highly inconvenient. You pay for a parked car that you cannot use, and take a ferry from the parking structure to Venice.

Over ten days, seeing Milan, Venice, Bologna, Florence, Modena, Parma, means that you won't see much of anything. It takes a couple of days to see any of those cities. If the first and last day are in Milan that leaves you eight days to see the other five cities, minus the not-so-scenic winter drive time. That's barely leaves a day for each city.

For all intents and purposes you cannot have a car in Florence either. It can be wicked cold up in the north at that time of the year. Have you considered just taking a train to Rome, where the weather will be cold, but definitely nicer, and more conducive to walking around? The advantage to a January trip is you will have the cities to yourselves, without many tourists. You can basically just walk into the Sistine Chapel and the Uffizi, and walk streets of Venice without waiting in lines or standing shoulder to shoulder with crowds of tourists.

It might be a good time to take advantage of seeing the more popular places during their non-touristy times, and save Modena, Parma, Bologna, and other less popular areas for high season when Rome, Venice and Florence are too crowded.
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Old Jan 6, 2015, 7:19 am
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I think you have too many places on your list for 10 days. If it were me, I'd take advantage of it being low tourist season and spending 3 days in Venice, 3 in Florence and 4 in Rome. High speed trains connect all 3, and I wouldn't consider any of them good cities for tourists to bring cars - Venice because you literally cannot have a car in the city itself, Florence because you will get a ZTL ticket (and the city is compact and easily walked), and Rome because it's more or less thunderdome.

We were in Italy last Feb and spent 8 days in Florence just kinda hanging out and not waiting in lines to see things. It was great, and very different from a crowded summer stay. I'm determined to do Venice that way too.

Weather's cool by my standards in those cities, but it's also 12 degrees right now where I'm sitting in Portland, Maine. So going somewhere that it's in the 40's and 50's in the winter is just fine by me.

Now, if you've seen all of those places and really just want to drive around in a car, I say go for it. In that case, my advice is to avoid the cities, since you can't bring your car anyway. Make it a tour of the winter countryside.
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Old Jan 6, 2015, 7:47 am
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just go to venice. plenty to see and do. weather is not bad, unless snow. all the "sites" are open and empty. most restaurants are open and empty.
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Old Jan 6, 2015, 9:33 am
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Originally Posted by slawecki
just go to venice. plenty to see and do. weather is not bad, unless snow. ...
I disagree completely! I've seen snow-covered Venice (in 1994), it's simply magical.
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Old Jan 6, 2015, 10:30 am
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Originally Posted by KLouis
I disagree completely! I've seen snow-covered Venice (in 1994), it's simply magical.
I agree with that! I'm going back in four days, and am hoping for snow as a consolation for the forecast that there will not be any aqua alta!
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Old Jan 6, 2015, 3:04 pm
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Thanks for the thoughts so far. Just wanted to clarify...I've been to Rome 3 times, Florence, and Milan in the past....was in each city for over a week when I was there. So, I'm pretty good at maneuvering through them and don't plan on going back to the major tourist attractions. Venice is the only new "city" and we may either take the train there, or fly in directly to avoid the car issue.

I am more interested in the small towns and countryside and any great spots people have been to there. Weather doesn't bother me. I've lived in the midwest, Denver, and Seattle, so I am used to cold, snow, gray and rain.
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Old Jan 6, 2015, 8:16 pm
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My 2 cents:

Venice late January and February can be magical. Remember a crisp, cold Feb AM and stepping out on the terrace @ 6AM to see people getting on & off the vaporetto on the Grand Canal. Big snowflakes lightly falling in the afternoon. Venice is quiet when you get away from the tourist areas but with a light snow a hush surrounds you. Dress right and it is great. Have a great meal at Al Covo.

Personally, that time of year, I'd prefer Sicily or Puglia or even Amalfi but if you are in the north and want to see smaller towns, Tuscany could be good to drive around - Siena, San Gimignano, Lucca... Personally, off the beaten track, I kind of like Marche a lot but Tuscany that time would feel more off the beaten track than at other times of the year. In Toscana, I would find a comfortable cozy hotel or agriturismo and make it a base rather than constantly pack and move. I'd train from Venice and, if you want, spend some time in Florence before getting a car and going to the countryside.

If you want to do the cities (Florence, Modena, Bologna...) skip the car and take trains.
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Old Jan 6, 2015, 8:18 pm
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Originally Posted by sscott77
Thanks for the thoughts so far. Just wanted to clarify...I've been to Rome 3 times, Florence, and Milan in the past....was in each city for over a week when I was there. So, I'm pretty good at maneuvering through them and don't plan on going back to the major tourist attractions. Venice is the only new "city" and we may either take the train there, or fly in directly to avoid the car issue.

I am more interested in the small towns and countryside and any great spots people have been to there. Weather doesn't bother me. I've lived in the midwest, Denver, and Seattle, so I am used to cold, snow, gray and rain.
I lived in Seattle for 12 years. Because of the dampness, 45 degrees in Seattle felt colder than 15 degrees in Boston. Venice is similar. In January or February you are cold, no matter what. That said, if you haven't been to Venice, consider just going there and renting an apartment. You can actually live like a Venetian at that time of the year. It may be the prettiest city in the world. it also climbs over almost all of the competition as the most romantic winter city in the world.

There is no better way to experience Italy after you've buzzed through the tourism hot spots than to go there, rent an apartment, and live like a local. There is no better place to do that than Venice in January because the tourist-free window that allows you to see the city in all of its splendor is very short.

You can rent a nice apartment there in the Castello district. Get up, have coffee, go to the market, take an Italian-language/cooking/wine-tasting/rowing class, or just walk around.

Since you've been there and done a lot of the tourist places, another option to consider is to just go way down south, where the weather is still nice. Southern Italy has the best food, beaches, ruins, scenery, and everything else that is good about Italy. Italy just hasn't invested in it, so tourists don't routinely go there.

With ten days to spend unless you are really fixed on staying in the North, you could go to Naples, or even to Sicily. You can take a train from Genoa/Rome/Naples all the way to Palermo, Sicily. It's an overnighter, a train with a sleeper bed and a private bathroom, like in the movies. It costs less than a hotel. The train drives right onto a ferry and crosses the sea to Sicily. You can stay on the train all the way to Palermo, where you won't even need a coat, just a light sweater at night. From Palermo if you rent a car or take a train or bus there is almost no end of Greek and Roman ruins, and small towns that you can see. Arrive in Milan in the morning, be in Sicily the next morning, no driving, and you'll never eat better.

When you are done you can take a ferry boat from Palermo all the way to Genoa. It's a nice boat with private sleeper cabins and no train, that is also very cheap compared to a hotel. From Genoa back to Milan is a short, 90 minute train ride.

You have a lot of options. Winter being what it is, I don't think that hitting a bunch of towns would be very fulfilling. Maybe stay in Venice and get to know the place, with a day trip to Trieste, Verona, or even Bolzano, which for all intents and purposes, is Austria, except for a WW 2-related moving of the border that didn't affect the culture, language, or food. The Alto-Adige region is more German than Italian. Basing yourself in Venice during the winter without the tourists, you can do both, as if visiting two countries. The people in Alto-Adige won't even call it that. They insist on calling it Sud-Tirol, or the southern part of the Tyrollean mountains, as if they are still in Germany. Go pick up a nice bottle of white wine from there and you'll see what I mean: it will say Alto-Adige, Sud-Tirol. You can do that during a ten day trip to Venice. You can ski, or even bobsled in the Sud-Tirol if you want.

A boat to Palermo with nice, warm weather and side trips to visit more ancient Greek and Roman ruins than you can find, or Venice, Verona, and Alto Adige-wow! Since you are going in January you have a lot of options that tourists normally don't have.

Last edited by Perche; Jan 6, 2015 at 8:24 pm
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Old Jan 8, 2015, 12:17 am
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Since you've already been to Rome and Florence perhaps it's time to explore the back roads of one or possibly two regions, in lieu of all those cities you've listed. Last thing you want is to spend all your trip in the car. The Veneto is terrific!! Cities like Vicenza, Padova, Verona and Bassano del Grappa are interesting locations. Great food! I think Venice is a must for all visitors and as its been pointed out already, I would advise taking advantage of the off-season to visit Venice....and after two nights, that's sufficient I think to take in Venice....and then continue through the Veneto region.

It's very cold and damp in January/February, so unless you plan to travel to the far south (Catania, Calabria or Sicily) I would stay clear of the water.

Emilia-Romagna has some of the best food in all of Italia. Bologna would make a great home base with excursions to outliying cities....Modena, Parma, Ferrara, Ravenna. You will be hard pressed to find a bad meal in Emilia Romagna. The smaller towns like Bertinoro and Brisighella are known for great food and wine....and Brisighella makes some amazing olive oil!

The Marche region is also fantastic to explore. It's not very well known and there are some great wines from there....and interesting Medieval towns like Urbino, Pesaro and Ascoli Piceno to explore.

Tuscany is played out. It's changed and I believe has lost its quaint edge, since it's been overhyped.

Last edited by upgradeluvr; Jan 8, 2015 at 12:33 pm
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Old Jan 8, 2015, 6:44 am
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Originally Posted by upgradeluvr
I would advise taking advantage of the off-season to visit Venice....and after two nights, that's sufficient I think to take in Venice....and then continue through the Veneto region.
Great advice, but I would really disagree that you can see Venice in two nights. A person can't go from one place to another in Venice without constantly being lost even after living there for two months. Two nights allows you to see Piazza San Marco and the Rialto Bridge, two tourist hot spots. And that's about it.

A week enables you to start exploring, but it won't get someone close to saying that they've seen or experienced Venice. It's unfortunate that most travelers don't do anything more than day-trip, see Rialto and San Marco, and then head off.

The OP is in a very favorable situation, traveling to Italy in the off-season. If he spends all of his ten days in Venice at the time of departure he'll be thinking, "Wow, I'm just starting to know it."

It's like Rome, New York City, San Francisco, Berlin. You can't do it in two nights. All you can do that way is check off a few tourist sites.

Going to Venice to see Rialto and San Marco, which is all you can do in two days, is like going to Paris, seeing the Eiffel Tower and saying, "OK, I've taken in Paris."

Last edited by Perche; Jan 8, 2015 at 9:38 am
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Old Jan 8, 2015, 9:21 am
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I'm personally in favor of picking a city and staying there for a week, but that's my travel style. I wouldn't be good at giving any advice on how to do a road trip in Italy - I've personally never done it. Our first trip there we did Rome, Florence, Venice in 12 days and I personally found that pace to be a little too high - we saw the major tourist sites, but that's it. Now we pick a city, get an apartment or a hotel some light services, and make that home base for a week or two.
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Old Jan 8, 2015, 12:57 pm
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Originally Posted by Perche
It's like Rome, New York City, San Francisco, Berlin. You can't do it in two nights. All you can do that way is check off a few tourist sites.

Going to Venice to see Rialto and San Marco, which is all you can do in two days, is like going to Paris, seeing the Eiffel Tower and saying, "OK, I've taken in Paris."
I cannot disagree more. Venice simply doesn't equal Rome, NYC, SF or Berlin in it's size or tourist offerings. It's much smaller and far more manageable to walk across in a matter of 30 minutes....and while yes, it's a lovely place to visit, there remains far less to see than the large cities you've mentioned. Piazza San Marco & Basilica, Rialto Bridge, Doge's palace...Accademia bridge, gondola ride or lagoon boat ride. These attractions simply don't require days and days to see, especially during the off-season. You can get a very good sense of Venice in two nights/three days. The OP never once indicated his plan to remain in one city.

Each traveler has their own pace. Everyone's taste and pace preference is subjective. As the OP has indicated, he prefers to rent a car, staying relatively mobile, driving from location to location. Good luck parking in Venice, as it's a city on the water. Parking is out of the "city center" at a premium and it's hardly convenient leaving your car at Tronchetto, taking a vaporetto every day back to the parking structure....and the cheaper option is to leave your car on the mainland, which is far more inconvenient to get to.

Working as a travel consultant, I've had many clients who have gotten bored after two days in Venice...and for the younger crowd, I've received feedback stating they would much rather have spent one night in Venice. I've also had people wish they stayed longer...but that's only occasionally.

I'm retuning to Milano in February. I plan on extending my work trip by two days, and I want to minimize my transport times, given the limited amount of time. I will more than likely stay in Bologna by train and remain there, since I'm flying out from there.
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Old Jan 8, 2015, 1:19 pm
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Originally Posted by upgradeluvr
I cannot disagree more. Venice simply doesn't equal Rome, NYC, SF or Berlin in it's size or tourist offerings. It's much smaller and far more manageable to walk across in a matter of 30 minutes....and while yes, it's a lovely place to visit, there remains far less to see than the large cities you've mentioned. Piazza San Marco & Basilica, Rialto Bridge, Doge's palace...Accademia bridge, gondola ride or lagoon boat ride. These attractions simply don't require days and days to see, especially during the off-season. You can get a very good sense of Venice in two nights/three days. The OP never once indicated his plan to remain in one city.

Each traveler has their own pace. Everyone's taste and pace preference is subjective. As the OP has indicated, he prefers to rent a car, staying relatively mobile, driving from location to location. Good luck parking in Venice, as it's a city on the water. Parking is out of the "city center" at a premium and it's hardly convenient leaving your car at Tronchetto, taking a vaporetto every day back to the parking structure....and the cheaper option is to leave your car on the mainland, which is far more inconvenient to get to.

Working as a travel consultant, I've had many clients who have gotten bored after two days in Venice...and for the younger crowd, I've received feedback stating they would much rather have spent one night in Venice. I've also had people wish they stayed longer...but that's only occasionally.

I'm retuning to Milano in February. I plan on extending my work trip by two days, and I want to minimize my transport times, given the limited amount of time. I will more than likely stay in Bologna by train and remain there, since I'm flying out from there.
Venice is not the size of Rome or San Francisco, but anyone who thinks they've seen it by getting a gondola ride and going to San Marco and Academia, etc., is like someone coming to San Francisco and going to Fisherman's Wharf, or like going to New York and seeing Times Square and saying they took in NYC and SF. If your clients are bored after one day in Venice, they need a better itinerary.

You cannot get a sense of Venice in two nights, unless your idea of getting a sense of a place is very superficial. There is a difference between being a sightseer and doing a gondola ride, and experiencing Venice. You can't even do a good job visiting the ghetto in one day, much less getting to know the city.

You can't even get a decent sample of the unique venetian food in two nights.

Last edited by Perche; Jan 8, 2015 at 1:50 pm
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Old Jan 8, 2015, 2:33 pm
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Originally Posted by Perche
Venice is not the size of Rome or San Francisco, but anyone who thinks they've seen it by getting a gondola ride and going to San Marco and Academia, etc., is like someone coming to San Francisco and going to Fisherman's Wharf, or like going to New York and seeing Times Square and saying they took in NYC and SF. If your clients are bored after one day in Venice, they need a better itinerary.

You cannot get a sense of Venice in two nights, unless your idea of getting a sense of a place is very superficial. There is a difference between being a sightseer and doing a gondola ride, and experiencing Venice. You can't even do a good job visiting the ghetto in one day, much less getting to know the city.

You can't even get a decent sample of the unique venetian food in two nights.
A lot of peoples' travel preference is to move as quickly as possible and check boxes of things they saw off a list. To each his own, but I can't be of much help to folks insisting on that. Well, I guess I could, I know how the trains operate and where the big stuff is located

Sure you can see the "things" in Venice in a day. But you'll have no idea who built those things or why, and how any of those traditions do (or don't) carry on to the present day. Same with Florence and Rome (although maybe you can't check all the boxes in Rome in a day unless you hustle).

Honestly, next to none of my memories of Italy have anything to do with the major tourist sites. Oddly enough, what I remember are mostly the meals and the random exploration I did going from place to place. I can't recommend slow travel enough, but I acknowledge some just won't want to do that.
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