Considering a vacation in northern Italy, and have already visited Bologna (best food in northern Italy), Florence, Pisa, Venice, etc.? My mom and I spent a week there in early May 2024 and have lots of tips and tricks to share! Unfortunately, Ted wasn't able to join and so... no pictures of him taking pictures ;).
- Day 1 – Arrival (Milan), Bergamo
- Day 2 – Lake Como (Varenna)
- Day 3 – Lake Como II
- Day 4 – Lake Maggiore (Isola Bella)
- Day 5 – Lake Maggiore (Pallanza, Stresa), Parma
- Day 6 – Parma
- Day 7 – Milan
- Day 8 - Departure (Milan)
Key travel considerations:
- Italian Trains: Having just been spoiled by the Swiss train system, the Italian train system is ... more challenging. Trains are routinely 5-30 minutes late, there is a bunch of track work going on (meaning trains are running much less often), and there are several different train services in Italy to check for tickets. That being said, traveling via train is entirely doable - it just takes a bit more planning! I used these two sites: https://www.trenord.it/ and https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html.
- Trains vs. driving: While the trains were doable, it would have been much better, and easier, to rent a car and drive around northern Italy, as many towns aren't train accessible. Unfortunately I can't drive stick and often car rental companies in Europe don't guarantee an automatic transmission. So we went with trains, just to be safe.
- Costs: Italy is actually quite affordable (especially compared with Switzerland - food is basically half price!).
- Languages: Ten years ago, folks were generally unhappy if you couldn't speak Italian. Now, many folks speak English (much better than my rusty college Italian).
- Weather/Timing: Make sure to check what the average weather is before you go -- though to somewhat beat the crowds and still have decent weather, I recommend traveling in either May or September.
- Luggage: Always travel light! We each had a large and a small carry-on bag.