• CONTACT US if you have any problems registering for the forums.

Decision's decision's!

BEERMAN

100+ Posts
So....we bagged the Ireland trip idea, no specific reason(s), it's just that Italy seems to always be on our mind and in our conversations. (Thank you for your info, Ireland will happen eventually). We have booked our flights Wash DC/Malpensa and we are excited to now plan our itinerary for the last 2 weeks of April.

Previous trips included stays in Tuscany (Gaiole) and Langhe regions (Guarene), they keep calling our names. We loved the few hours we spent in Pienza so it's "penciled in", and if you followed my last report Guarene is "inked" into the itinerary, even if it's just a drive by to have dinner at Mira Langhe and visit with the GOATS!

So many options, a friend told us that they loved Isola Elba. I don't think we'd swim in April, but a ferry ride to an island destination sounds pretty interesting. Mountains and lakes are always calling our names, have stayed on Maggiorre, Como and Garda, perhaps a smaller lake with nice hiking options if the weather allows?

Our plan is to pick 4 locations for base camps, pick a place...any place...sell it to me!
 
Given that you're flying in/out of Malpensa, I'd want to work around that and not head down as far as Pienza.

Thoughts:
- If happy to hire a car at Malpensa, aim for a round trip ending up at one of the lakes (Maggiore or Orta - did you enjoy your lake visit last holiday?) before returning to Malpensa. Plenty of options e.g. Ivrea / Gattinara / Novara, down to the Langhe (staying in different villages gives a different experience), across to Acqui Terme or back up to Pavia or Tortona before hitting the lakes.

- If wanting something a little more energetic, drive over to Aosta / Valle d'aosta for stunning alpine scenery, before heading down to the Langhe and back up nearer Malpensa to finish. Alternatively for a Lombardian version of Aosta's mountains, the Valtellina area is meant to be very nice as well.

- If wanting to avoid a car (at least to start with), there are direct buses from Malpensa to Torino (a wonderful city, with some good local brewers and Eataly has a superb range of national beers). From there perhaps to Genova by train, which offers the option of days trips to places like Camogli, San Remo / Bordighera / Hanbury Gardens, even Cinque Terre. From there to Pavia (or Tortona) to finish. All manageable (c. 2 hours or less) transfers, meaning more holiday time and less stress. A bit city focused for sure, but with good variety amongst them, and April a good time to hit cities.
 
In terms of selling places
- see the current thread on Torino, and my barely disguised enthusiasm for the city. ~ 12 separate stays in the city tells a story!
- Novara. Has genuine charm, but doesn't attract, (nor one suspects seeks) tourists. i.e. a bit of a hidden gem, as indeed we find this broader part of northern Piemonte. This area (and especially Vercelli) is the home of risotto rice, and they make some superb examples of it. Also look out for specialist Grissini bakers. Ivrea, Gattinara both super day trip options (or as a base).
- Genova is a slightly incongruous city, from some super fancy central shopping, through a slightly edgy old town down to the docks. A superb indoor market, albeit with a horse butcher whose smell can be offputting when near that stall.
- Acqui Terme is easy to park / walk around, and has some decent history / good open air market. We enjoyed staying in a very welcoming agriturismo in Bubbio (Tre Colline), going for the apartment, but not ignoring their banquet-style meals that were far too cheap. Some good untouristy walking around this area. Bubbio has little to it: an alimentari, pastificio and maybe 3-4 other shops, but felt relaxing. Most tourists would say "what's the appeal / where are its sights" and I'm not sure I could answer that. It's just a pleasingly quiet village in a rural area.
 
As you mention goats
I didn't mention Il Cavenago agriturismo in Ghemme, but we very much like it. http://www.ilcavenago.it/home.html I think the website is saying temporarily shut, but I'd expect it to re-open. It's superbly located for arrival/exit via Malpensa if you have a late arrival or early exit.

The rooms are classy with solid wood everywhere, the restaurant typically open Fri / Sat evening and sunday lunch, but on other days if they get a group booking in the main part. The food is very good indeed, in multiple courses and their basil risotto is the only food I can recall giving me an incredulous but beaming grin, of just how magical it was. It's lovely to sit in the enclosed courtyard, especially as the light fades and the bats swoop around it. Some good walks straight out the door, plus bikes free to use (whose gears have long since settled on a low setting, but otherwise are mechanically sound). They grow their own food, much of which is destined for the restaurant, with their grapes going into the single vineyard bottling by the lovely people at Miru. In addition they rear geese, mainly for xmas consumption, and also have a couple of donkeys and I think there was a goat or two. Apparently it's disrespectful to eat braised donkey for lunch, and then walk back to the farm and pat the resident donkey ;) (or so my partner reckoned)

edit: a quick check and it's 2 ponies they have to keep the donkey company, not goats
 
You mention Pienza. Southern Tuscany is a great place to visit and I've been several times. Great towns - Montepulciano, Pienza, Montalcino to name a few. Sodoma Frescoes and chanting monks at Monte Oliveto north of Pienza. Chanting monks and an incredible church at Sant Antimo, south of Montalcino.

Orvieto further south. Pitigliano and its Etruscan Pathways in the very southern part of Tuscany.

We have reviews in the Italy Vacation Rental Reviews forum for places in southern Tuscany. There are good rentals in Montepulciano. Sant'Antonio is a lovely estate with houses and apartments just outside Montepulciano.
 
Maybe our paths will cross at IAD.
We head out to Sicily 20 April return 5 May.

I will be curious what your final itinerary will look like!
 
Spent this morning looking at your recommendations, much appreciated. Jan, my wife had that Orta Airbnb bookmarked already . I am very interested in Valle d’ Aosta, we have hiked above Zermatt, Lauterbrunnen and Chamonix and always wondered what the view was like on the opposite side .
 
Maybe our paths will cross at IAD.
We head out to Sicily 20 April return 5 May.

I will be curious what your final itinerary will look like!
Colo we leave the week before you guys. Sicily sounds awesome, we considered southern Italy for warmer weather, but you told me Piemonte would draw us in
 
Piemonte is a very special place... but I need to get the Beermans to Spain! ;)
 
I am very interested in Valle d’ Aosta, we have hiked above Zermatt, Lauterbrunnen and Chamonix and always wondered what the view was like on the opposite side .
End of April might be a bit early for this area. Aosta may be good but the mountain towns may still have snow. We spent a week in Cogne a few years back and I like this area but we were there in September.
 
End of April might be a bit early for this area. Aosta may be good but the mountain towns may still have snow. We spent a week in Cogne a few years back and I like this area but we were there in September.
Our visit was 1st week in May (2012) and the snow was certainly gone in Aosta itself, and we didn't pass any on the roads either when venturing out and about. We weren't sure on likely risk of snow at that time of year, hence that Aosta base, rather than somewhere like Cogne.
 
End of April might be a bit early for this area. Aosta may be good but the mountain towns may still have snow. We spent a week in Cogne a few years back and I like this area but we were there in September.
We haven’t had any measurable snow in Virginia this winter so I would love to see some. Looking at April averages around Aosta valley looks like 40-60f depending on altitude. Hoping some of the higher trails will be clear enough to hike, but we’ll adapt. I did find a short YouTube filmed in April and they had warm weather with a little snow near the trail, hard to predict what Mother Nature wants to do! Cogne is certainly on our list
 
We took the Schilthorn cable car in Lauderbrunnen and really enjoyed it, looking at the Skyway Monte Bianco, are there other similar cable cars throughout the area?
 
There were no mountain rides in the Cogne area. Instead you had to hike up (and up and up). I love Switzerland because of all those mountain rides.
Love hiking in Switzerland. We went to Chamonix once but the fog/rain kept us from going up on Monte Blanc. Skyway will be cool but would also like to get close to the Matterhorn again. Currently watching a couple running the tour du Monte Blanc on YouTube, beautiful scenery
 

How to Find Information

Search using the search button in the upper right. Search all forums or current forum by keyword or member. Advanced search gives you more options.

Filter forum threads using the filter pulldown above the threads. Filter by prefix, member, date. Or click on a thread title prefix to see all threads with that prefix.

Sponsors

Booking.com Hotels in Europe
AutoEurope.com Car Rentals

Recommended Guides, Apps and Books

52 Things to See and Do in Basilicata by Valerie Fortney
Italian Food & Life Rules by Ann Reavis
Italian Food Decoder App by Dana Facaros, Michael Pauls
French Food Decoder App by Dana Facaros, Michael Pauls
She Left No Note, Lake Iseo Italy Mystery 1 by J L Crellina

Share this page

Back
Top