Northern Italy - which city/routing is best?
May 9, 2022, 12:57 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: BOS
Programs: Marriott, AAdvantage, United, Club Carlson
Posts: 1,687
Northern Italy - which city/routing is best?
Hi all! Traveling to Italy this August with two young children in tow. I have paralysis by analysis of the thousands of options of where to go/visit and would sincerely appreciate help from this group! The trip motto is: keep it easy and dont over schedule it. We have 12-13 days, with the 4 days in the middle already decided. Where I need the most help is: where do we stay for best experience on the front-end and back-end of the trip?
Current schedule:
Current schedule:
- Day 1: Fly from BOS to TBD airport (thinking Milan, Venice, Verona, or Bologna, depending on where we are going)
- Day 2-6: help! Maybe northern Lake Garda or Venice or Cortina?
- Day 6-10: Sirmione on Lake Garda
- Day 10-12/13: help! Somewhere closer to our departure airport - so maybe enjoying a city like Verona, Bologna, or Venice?
May 9, 2022, 4:25 pm
#2
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: SEA
Posts: 3,972
I've gone to Italy a lot with a young child (who is now not a young child and is a great traveler). And we did it a bunch of times from BOS, too. I would heavily prioritize a nonstop if you have younger kids - that means Delta or ITA into FCO. From FCO, there's high speed rail directly from the airport that goes to Venice via Florence and Bologna. Again with kids, I'd suggest Florence, as the historic center is really compact and easily walkable. It's also one of my favorite cities to visit and is now very familiar to us, but it really can't get any easier in terms of layout and things to do, and arriving by train makes it pretty easy to get where you're going. Good mix of restaurants, museums, and outdoor things. It's probably the easiest city in Italy to get around with young kids.
I'd suggest you also fly home from FCO if it means you can go nonstop. On the way back, spending a few days in Rome might be nice. Rome is a little less shut down in August, and while more spread out, you can position yourself and walk to things but it's a large sprawling historic center. Otherwise, if you're up north and want to stay there and fly out, I don't think there's too much difference between the secondary cities - just pick something that has an airport that isn't a hassle to get to or navigate, and is 1 stop from home. My own preference is to avoid backtracking or connecting at LHR. I don't mind CDG but others do. But if you can fly Swiss and connect through ZRH, that's about the best european hub there is - super calm, easily navigable, clean, etc. This opinion is probably controversial, but unless you'll never be in Italy again, I'd avoid Venice in August. It's beautiful all year round and worth seeing, but August is super crowded and hard to enjoy until the day trippers leave around 6-7pm.
If you do decide to fly back from FCO, either finish your trip there for a few days, or at the very least if you're going to FCO just to fly home, get there the night before and stay at the FCO Hilton. If you're going to connect, do it in Europe, not on the US side. You'll be a lot happier if you're clearing customs and heading home, not clearing customs and then reclearing security and getting on another flight.
A couple of unsolicited things:
I'd suggest you also fly home from FCO if it means you can go nonstop. On the way back, spending a few days in Rome might be nice. Rome is a little less shut down in August, and while more spread out, you can position yourself and walk to things but it's a large sprawling historic center. Otherwise, if you're up north and want to stay there and fly out, I don't think there's too much difference between the secondary cities - just pick something that has an airport that isn't a hassle to get to or navigate, and is 1 stop from home. My own preference is to avoid backtracking or connecting at LHR. I don't mind CDG but others do. But if you can fly Swiss and connect through ZRH, that's about the best european hub there is - super calm, easily navigable, clean, etc. This opinion is probably controversial, but unless you'll never be in Italy again, I'd avoid Venice in August. It's beautiful all year round and worth seeing, but August is super crowded and hard to enjoy until the day trippers leave around 6-7pm.
If you do decide to fly back from FCO, either finish your trip there for a few days, or at the very least if you're going to FCO just to fly home, get there the night before and stay at the FCO Hilton. If you're going to connect, do it in Europe, not on the US side. You'll be a lot happier if you're clearing customs and heading home, not clearing customs and then reclearing security and getting on another flight.
A couple of unsolicited things:
- August in Italy is tough as a tourist - Italians are taking their vacations, so a lot of what's left open will be tourist traps. Do some advance planning on where to eat and such and make reservations. It is worth double-checking by calling places to find out if/when they plan to be closed in August
- Depending on the ages of your kids, getting from place to place is the hardest thing - try to limit the number of times you'll pack up and change cities
- Global Entry is fantastic. Get it for your kids too, unlike Precheck they need their own enrollment
May 9, 2022, 5:46 pm
#3
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: PHL / NYC / PSA-BLQ
Programs: AA PPRO, Marriott/Hilton Gold, AMX-Plat, Global Entry
Posts: 3,145
I don't think there are any BOS-Northern Italy airport non-stops running this summer. If you're connecting in US (likely NYC/EWR), MXP & VCE are non-stop options, BLQ & VRN requires connecting in UK/EU.
There are a lot of options. Your trip motto is smart and on point.
Assuming Sirmione is the fixed 4 days? How old are the kids? What are their interests? What are yours? Paint a picture of what type of experience you'd want at either end and people can provide options without feeling like we're advocating/dictating.
There are a lot of options. Your trip motto is smart and on point.
Assuming Sirmione is the fixed 4 days? How old are the kids? What are their interests? What are yours? Paint a picture of what type of experience you'd want at either end and people can provide options without feeling like we're advocating/dictating.
May 9, 2022, 8:58 pm
#4
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,439
Each to their own, sure, but to my taste 4 days in Sirmione are about 2 too many. The lakes are nice to look at, but the experience of actually using them as a 'seaside resort' isn't great. Even the northern Adriatic is preferable, so if the OP were to be travelling out of VCE (which kind of makes sense for it's in the area) I'd go to Jesolo, or Cavallino, basically the beaches around Venezia.
As for what to do beforehand... Well, there's plenty of great mountain in the Dolomites! And I'd rather go to either Trento province or Bolzano/Bozen province. Cortina, don't get me wrong, isn't a bad place but to my tastes it's been a bit scarred by skiing and in the summer you see the damage done to the mountains for the sake of ski slopes. The area around the Tre Cime di Lavaredo is great.
As for what to do beforehand... Well, there's plenty of great mountain in the Dolomites! And I'd rather go to either Trento province or Bolzano/Bozen province. Cortina, don't get me wrong, isn't a bad place but to my tastes it's been a bit scarred by skiing and in the summer you see the damage done to the mountains for the sake of ski slopes. The area around the Tre Cime di Lavaredo is great.
May 9, 2022, 10:38 pm
#5
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: PHL / NYC / PSA-BLQ
Programs: AA PPRO, Marriott/Hilton Gold, AMX-Plat, Global Entry
Posts: 3,145
Couple of observations.
1) flying into/out of VCE makes a lot of sense, Given you have 6 days in front and 2-3 days after, If you want to see Venice, I'd think about flying out of VCE at the end of the trip. You could fly into VCE but 6 days would be too much for Venice
2) If you're going to spend 4 days in Sirmione, I'd avoid spending another segment on one of the lakes. In August, the Italians will be on the water (lake/Med) or in the mountains to avoid the heat. A lot in the cities will be closed (restaurants, etc).
3) If you like opera, the Arena in Verona is a great spot. Verona itself is a nice city for a day, maybe two, but I wouldn't spend a ton of time there.
4) are you planning on driving or training? - that will dictate a lot of the choices that you have
Keep in mind that Ferragosto is August 15th and it, and the days around it, are a pretty big holiday throughout Italy so, if they intersect your trip, make sure that things are open, etc.
Finally, I'll plug Medievalis in Pontremoli (where we have a house in Italy). It is a multi-day celebration of medieval times that happens every August (except for last two years due to Covid). In a normal year 25000 people descend on the town/medieval center and drink, eat, re-enact battles, parade, etc. It is August 18-21 this year (https://medievalis.org/). It's not everyone's cup of tea but it is an example of an interesting local event that can be a lot of fun. They even have a medieval children's program.
Personally, if I wasn't there all summer (I will be this year) and on a short trip. I wouldn't do Medievalis for 4 days but only 1. Close by are the Bay of Poets (Shelly, Byron, Sand) with Lerici, Portovenere and around the point Cinqueterre. Go the other direction and you can do the boardwalk at Viareggio, go to Lucca and walk a walled city and even duck down to Pisa to see the leaning tower (and not much more, truly). From Pisa and/or Lucca, Florence is 40 minutes.
Honestly, I'm not saying you should do the above. It's an example of an itinerary that one could do. There are plenty others. Many pick the big three (Venice/Rome/Florence) and that is understandable. Those cities hold great history and contemporary experiences. At the end of the day, my personal belief is that the best trip is the one that reflects your and your family's interests and energy. So anything you can tell us about that can help in offering some choices.
1) flying into/out of VCE makes a lot of sense, Given you have 6 days in front and 2-3 days after, If you want to see Venice, I'd think about flying out of VCE at the end of the trip. You could fly into VCE but 6 days would be too much for Venice
2) If you're going to spend 4 days in Sirmione, I'd avoid spending another segment on one of the lakes. In August, the Italians will be on the water (lake/Med) or in the mountains to avoid the heat. A lot in the cities will be closed (restaurants, etc).
3) If you like opera, the Arena in Verona is a great spot. Verona itself is a nice city for a day, maybe two, but I wouldn't spend a ton of time there.
4) are you planning on driving or training? - that will dictate a lot of the choices that you have
Keep in mind that Ferragosto is August 15th and it, and the days around it, are a pretty big holiday throughout Italy so, if they intersect your trip, make sure that things are open, etc.
Finally, I'll plug Medievalis in Pontremoli (where we have a house in Italy). It is a multi-day celebration of medieval times that happens every August (except for last two years due to Covid). In a normal year 25000 people descend on the town/medieval center and drink, eat, re-enact battles, parade, etc. It is August 18-21 this year (https://medievalis.org/). It's not everyone's cup of tea but it is an example of an interesting local event that can be a lot of fun. They even have a medieval children's program.
Personally, if I wasn't there all summer (I will be this year) and on a short trip. I wouldn't do Medievalis for 4 days but only 1. Close by are the Bay of Poets (Shelly, Byron, Sand) with Lerici, Portovenere and around the point Cinqueterre. Go the other direction and you can do the boardwalk at Viareggio, go to Lucca and walk a walled city and even duck down to Pisa to see the leaning tower (and not much more, truly). From Pisa and/or Lucca, Florence is 40 minutes.
Honestly, I'm not saying you should do the above. It's an example of an itinerary that one could do. There are plenty others. Many pick the big three (Venice/Rome/Florence) and that is understandable. Those cities hold great history and contemporary experiences. At the end of the day, my personal belief is that the best trip is the one that reflects your and your family's interests and energy. So anything you can tell us about that can help in offering some choices.
May 9, 2022, 11:02 pm
#6
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: SEA
Posts: 3,972
Finally, I'll plug Medievalis in Pontremoli (where we have a house in Italy). It is a multi-day celebration of medieval times that happens every August (except for last two years due to Covid). In a normal year 25000 people descend on the town/medieval center and drink, eat, re-enact battles, parade, etc. It is August 18-21 this year (https://medievalis.org/). It's not everyone's cup of tea but it is an example of an interesting local event that can be a lot of fun. They even have a medieval children's program.
May 10, 2022, 6:58 am
#7
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: BOS
Programs: Marriott, AAdvantage, United, Club Carlson
Posts: 1,687
Each to their own, sure, but to my taste 4 days in Sirmione are about 2 too many. The lakes are nice to look at, but the experience of actually using them as a 'seaside resort' isn't great. Even the northern Adriatic is preferable, so if the OP were to be travelling out of VCE (which kind of makes sense for it's in the area) I'd go to Jesolo, or Cavallino, basically the beaches around Venezia.
As for what to do beforehand... Well, there's plenty of great mountain in the Dolomites! And I'd rather go to either Trento province or Bolzano/Bozen province. Cortina, don't get me wrong, isn't a bad place but to my tastes it's been a bit scarred by skiing and in the summer you see the damage done to the mountains for the sake of ski slopes. The area around the Tre Cime di Lavaredo is great.
As for what to do beforehand... Well, there's plenty of great mountain in the Dolomites! And I'd rather go to either Trento province or Bolzano/Bozen province. Cortina, don't get me wrong, isn't a bad place but to my tastes it's been a bit scarred by skiing and in the summer you see the damage done to the mountains for the sake of ski slopes. The area around the Tre Cime di Lavaredo is great.
May 10, 2022, 7:00 am
#8
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: BOS
Programs: Marriott, AAdvantage, United, Club Carlson
Posts: 1,687
I've gone to Italy a lot with a young child (who is now not a young child and is a great traveler). And we did it a bunch of times from BOS, too. I would heavily prioritize a nonstop if you have younger kids - that means Delta or ITA into FCO. From FCO, there's high speed rail directly from the airport that goes to Venice via Florence and Bologna. Again with kids, I'd suggest Florence, as the historic center is really compact and easily walkable. It's also one of my favorite cities to visit and is now very familiar to us, but it really can't get any easier in terms of layout and things to do, and arriving by train makes it pretty easy to get where you're going. Good mix of restaurants, museums, and outdoor things. It's probably the easiest city in Italy to get around with young kids.
I'd suggest you also fly home from FCO if it means you can go nonstop. On the way back, spending a few days in Rome might be nice. Rome is a little less shut down in August, and while more spread out, you can position yourself and walk to things but it's a large sprawling historic center. Otherwise, if you're up north and want to stay there and fly out, I don't think there's too much difference between the secondary cities - just pick something that has an airport that isn't a hassle to get to or navigate, and is 1 stop from home. My own preference is to avoid backtracking or connecting at LHR. I don't mind CDG but others do. But if you can fly Swiss and connect through ZRH, that's about the best european hub there is - super calm, easily navigable, clean, etc. This opinion is probably controversial, but unless you'll never be in Italy again, I'd avoid Venice in August. It's beautiful all year round and worth seeing, but August is super crowded and hard to enjoy until the day trippers leave around 6-7pm.
If you do decide to fly back from FCO, either finish your trip there for a few days, or at the very least if you're going to FCO just to fly home, get there the night before and stay at the FCO Hilton. If you're going to connect, do it in Europe, not on the US side. You'll be a lot happier if you're clearing customs and heading home, not clearing customs and then reclearing security and getting on another flight.
A couple of unsolicited things:
I'd suggest you also fly home from FCO if it means you can go nonstop. On the way back, spending a few days in Rome might be nice. Rome is a little less shut down in August, and while more spread out, you can position yourself and walk to things but it's a large sprawling historic center. Otherwise, if you're up north and want to stay there and fly out, I don't think there's too much difference between the secondary cities - just pick something that has an airport that isn't a hassle to get to or navigate, and is 1 stop from home. My own preference is to avoid backtracking or connecting at LHR. I don't mind CDG but others do. But if you can fly Swiss and connect through ZRH, that's about the best european hub there is - super calm, easily navigable, clean, etc. This opinion is probably controversial, but unless you'll never be in Italy again, I'd avoid Venice in August. It's beautiful all year round and worth seeing, but August is super crowded and hard to enjoy until the day trippers leave around 6-7pm.
If you do decide to fly back from FCO, either finish your trip there for a few days, or at the very least if you're going to FCO just to fly home, get there the night before and stay at the FCO Hilton. If you're going to connect, do it in Europe, not on the US side. You'll be a lot happier if you're clearing customs and heading home, not clearing customs and then reclearing security and getting on another flight.
A couple of unsolicited things:
- August in Italy is tough as a tourist - Italians are taking their vacations, so a lot of what's left open will be tourist traps. Do some advance planning on where to eat and such and make reservations. It is worth double-checking by calling places to find out if/when they plan to be closed in August
- Depending on the ages of your kids, getting from place to place is the hardest thing - try to limit the number of times you'll pack up and change cities
- Global Entry is fantastic. Get it for your kids too, unlike Precheck they need their own enrollment
May 10, 2022, 7:02 am
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: BOS
Programs: Marriott, AAdvantage, United, Club Carlson
Posts: 1,687
Couple of observations.
1) flying into/out of VCE makes a lot of sense, Given you have 6 days in front and 2-3 days after, If you want to see Venice, I'd think about flying out of VCE at the end of the trip. You could fly into VCE but 6 days would be too much for Venice
2) If you're going to spend 4 days in Sirmione, I'd avoid spending another segment on one of the lakes. In August, the Italians will be on the water (lake/Med) or in the mountains to avoid the heat. A lot in the cities will be closed (restaurants, etc).
3) If you like opera, the Arena in Verona is a great spot. Verona itself is a nice city for a day, maybe two, but I wouldn't spend a ton of time there.
4) are you planning on driving or training? - that will dictate a lot of the choices that you have
Keep in mind that Ferragosto is August 15th and it, and the days around it, are a pretty big holiday throughout Italy so, if they intersect your trip, make sure that things are open, etc.
Finally, I'll plug Medievalis in Pontremoli (where we have a house in Italy). It is a multi-day celebration of medieval times that happens every August (except for last two years due to Covid). In a normal year 25000 people descend on the town/medieval center and drink, eat, re-enact battles, parade, etc. It is August 18-21 this year (https://medievalis.org/). It's not everyone's cup of tea but it is an example of an interesting local event that can be a lot of fun. They even have a medieval children's program.
Personally, if I wasn't there all summer (I will be this year) and on a short trip. I wouldn't do Medievalis for 4 days but only 1. Close by are the Bay of Poets (Shelly, Byron, Sand) with Lerici, Portovenere and around the point Cinqueterre. Go the other direction and you can do the boardwalk at Viareggio, go to Lucca and walk a walled city and even duck down to Pisa to see the leaning tower (and not much more, truly). From Pisa and/or Lucca, Florence is 40 minutes.
Honestly, I'm not saying you should do the above. It's an example of an itinerary that one could do. There are plenty others. Many pick the big three (Venice/Rome/Florence) and that is understandable. Those cities hold great history and contemporary experiences. At the end of the day, my personal belief is that the best trip is the one that reflects your and your family's interests and energy. So anything you can tell us about that can help in offering some choices.
1) flying into/out of VCE makes a lot of sense, Given you have 6 days in front and 2-3 days after, If you want to see Venice, I'd think about flying out of VCE at the end of the trip. You could fly into VCE but 6 days would be too much for Venice
2) If you're going to spend 4 days in Sirmione, I'd avoid spending another segment on one of the lakes. In August, the Italians will be on the water (lake/Med) or in the mountains to avoid the heat. A lot in the cities will be closed (restaurants, etc).
3) If you like opera, the Arena in Verona is a great spot. Verona itself is a nice city for a day, maybe two, but I wouldn't spend a ton of time there.
4) are you planning on driving or training? - that will dictate a lot of the choices that you have
Keep in mind that Ferragosto is August 15th and it, and the days around it, are a pretty big holiday throughout Italy so, if they intersect your trip, make sure that things are open, etc.
Finally, I'll plug Medievalis in Pontremoli (where we have a house in Italy). It is a multi-day celebration of medieval times that happens every August (except for last two years due to Covid). In a normal year 25000 people descend on the town/medieval center and drink, eat, re-enact battles, parade, etc. It is August 18-21 this year (https://medievalis.org/). It's not everyone's cup of tea but it is an example of an interesting local event that can be a lot of fun. They even have a medieval children's program.
Personally, if I wasn't there all summer (I will be this year) and on a short trip. I wouldn't do Medievalis for 4 days but only 1. Close by are the Bay of Poets (Shelly, Byron, Sand) with Lerici, Portovenere and around the point Cinqueterre. Go the other direction and you can do the boardwalk at Viareggio, go to Lucca and walk a walled city and even duck down to Pisa to see the leaning tower (and not much more, truly). From Pisa and/or Lucca, Florence is 40 minutes.
Honestly, I'm not saying you should do the above. It's an example of an itinerary that one could do. There are plenty others. Many pick the big three (Venice/Rome/Florence) and that is understandable. Those cities hold great history and contemporary experiences. At the end of the day, my personal belief is that the best trip is the one that reflects your and your family's interests and energy. So anything you can tell us about that can help in offering some choices.
We are planning on renting a car at whatever airport we land at, so driving to any location. I really need tips on the best location for 3-4 nights at the end of July...water or mountains (keep it cool).
May 10, 2022, 7:25 am
#10
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: PHL / NYC / PSA-BLQ
Programs: AA PPRO, Marriott/Hilton Gold, AMX-Plat, Global Entry
Posts: 3,145
I will say the feel of Medievalis is more participatory than observational - one does feel pretty immersed in the experience.
May 10, 2022, 7:40 am
#11
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 7,439
Interesting! Do you feel Trento or Bolzano are overall better in terms of hiking, restaurants, crowds, and hotels as well vs. Cortina? I'm not as bothered by the ski slopes, but care more about amenities and ease of access. And if so, any strong preference towards Trento or Bolanzo?
some food for thought: Hiking and trekking in Trentino - Dolomites (visittrentino.info) Mountains and Hiking - South Tyrol - Alto Adige - Bolzano (suedtirolerland.it)
May 10, 2022, 8:21 am
#12
Join Date: Dec 2009
Location: PHL / NYC / PSA-BLQ
Programs: AA PPRO, Marriott/Hilton Gold, AMX-Plat, Global Entry
Posts: 3,145
As for timing, we are looking July 28 - August 1 for that up front part, so right before August hits. In terms of what we WANT...well, a nice, full service hotel, easy walking/hiking/activities for two kids <5, and some good food/wine. Not too much more than that!
We are planning on renting a car at whatever airport we land at, so driving to any location. I really need tips on the best location for 3-4 nights at the end of July...water or mountains (keep it cool).
We are planning on renting a car at whatever airport we land at, so driving to any location. I really need tips on the best location for 3-4 nights at the end of July...water or mountains (keep it cool).