Hello everyone! I am happy to say that we just booked our flights from Virginia to Malpensa!! We found 2 weeks in September to escape and at the moment….we have no idea where we are going haha!! The plan will certainly come together at some point, but we’re just so happy to be returning to Italy. I’ll keep reading through all the posts here for inspiration, this site has been so informative and fun to us, thank you!
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Returning!
- Thread starter BEERMAN
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Ian Sutton
1000+ Posts
Excellent!
I'll throw in an early suggestion, as a potential stopover at start or end of your trip. Cascina Cavenago in Ghemme. It's just over 30 mins drive from Malpensa, going west into Piemonte.
We've stayed there twice. Ideally it's perfect for a stay on Saturday or Sunday, as those are the most likely days they'll serve the wonderful little banquets, of a selection of Antipasti, followed by a typically utterly brilliant risotto, then a hearty main course and finally desserts. The usually have sample menus on their website. Accommodation is in spacious olde-worlde high ceiling / stout wooden beamed rooms, but with modern bathrooms. On top of that there's a lovely inner courtyard, ideal for resting /relaxing, but also with the joy of bats flying around at dusk.
and not too far away in Biella, is Birra Menabrea, a historic brewery and one whose beers are lovely on tap.
I'll throw in an early suggestion, as a potential stopover at start or end of your trip. Cascina Cavenago in Ghemme. It's just over 30 mins drive from Malpensa, going west into Piemonte.
We've stayed there twice. Ideally it's perfect for a stay on Saturday or Sunday, as those are the most likely days they'll serve the wonderful little banquets, of a selection of Antipasti, followed by a typically utterly brilliant risotto, then a hearty main course and finally desserts. The usually have sample menus on their website. Accommodation is in spacious olde-worlde high ceiling / stout wooden beamed rooms, but with modern bathrooms. On top of that there's a lovely inner courtyard, ideal for resting /relaxing, but also with the joy of bats flying around at dusk.
and not too far away in Biella, is Birra Menabrea, a historic brewery and one whose beers are lovely on tap.
We have been very busy this year and finally finding the time to get away is really priceless! The limited itinerary conversations my wife and I have had has us considering staying to the north, but everywhere is up for debate. Ian I'll show my wife the early suggestion you provided, looks nice, thank you! Our last trip included my birthday celebration in Montalcino for lunch and Pienza for dinner ....we will be celebrating her birthday this trip and I want her to also have a memorable day!! She fell in love with Lake Como a couple years ago, so maybe a stop there? I said maybe Turin and Aosta Valley? then our daughter, who was just here today says maybe head back into Switzerland for a few days? ... and then my wife says "what...no coastal stops?? so... as you can see we will need time to figure this out! ;-)
Ian Sutton
1000+ Posts
Turin is a super city, certainly my favourite big city in Italy, and it feels pretty familiar after maybe a dozen separate stays there. Finishing there might make sense, as it's easy to get back to Milano, and IIRC there's an airport bus from Torino Stazione Porta Nova to Milano Malpensa.
Aosta Valley is interesting and September should be an ideal time to go. We just stayed in the city itself, and whilst enjoyable and pleasingly quirky, I'd probably go rural on a future visit. Coastal might see a Milano, Liguria, Piemonte triangle, but as you mentioned, the lakes can be a good proxy for the coast.
So many options, all of them good ones!
Aosta Valley is interesting and September should be an ideal time to go. We just stayed in the city itself, and whilst enjoyable and pleasingly quirky, I'd probably go rural on a future visit. Coastal might see a Milano, Liguria, Piemonte triangle, but as you mentioned, the lakes can be a good proxy for the coast.
So many options, all of them good ones!
Ian Sutton
1000+ Posts
Brilliant walking in the Langhe, but also some great walking around Castino (and elsewhere)
However if she put the Dolomites on the radar, your idea of Valle d'Aosta is a superb alternative, especially if you dodge Aosta itself for somewhere like Cogne. The national park may well be of strong appeal.
However if she put the Dolomites on the radar, your idea of Valle d'Aosta is a superb alternative, especially if you dodge Aosta itself for somewhere like Cogne. The national park may well be of strong appeal.
Pauline
Forums Admin
We spent a week hiking in the Dolomites a few years ago, based in Castelrotto. I used Terry’s trip report to help me plan.
www.sloweurope.com
I loved the place we stayed near Castelrotto and we talk about returning. The hikes were very nice. Here is my trip report.
www.sloweurope.com
The place we stayed:
www.aura-chalets.com
Northern Italy - Munich and the Dolomites
By teaberry from USA, Summer 2013 Four days in Munich, Germany and a week in Castelrotto, Italy, in the Dolomites, in July, hiking and enjoying the local ambiance. Heaven. This trip report was originally posted on SlowTrav. The Trip that Almost Didn't Happen This is the trip that almost...
www.sloweurope.com
I loved the place we stayed near Castelrotto and we talk about returning. The hikes were very nice. Here is my trip report.
Northern Italy - Hiking in the Dolomites, Italy in 2020
Hello! We just finished 3 weeks hiking in a small mountain town, Lenk, in the Berner Oberland region of Switzerland. We drove there from the UK where we live. We love Switzerland and travel there every year usually at this time. Read my trip report here. We live in the UK and they have...
www.sloweurope.com
The place we stayed:
Aura Chalets
Aura Chalets in Südtirol - Ihr Hideaway in Kastelruth - St. Michael ✓Bett mit Sky-Glasdach ✓Freistehende Panoramabadewanne ✓Privatgarten ➨ Jetzt anfragen!
www.aura-chalets.com
Hello! That’s so exciting, congratulations on booking your flights to Malpensa! Two weeks in Italy sounds amazing, and I’m sure you’ll have an incredible time.
Don’t worry too much about the planning; sometimes the best trips come together last minute. There’s so much to see and do in Italy, from the lakes near Milan to the beautiful countryside in Tuscany.
Keep exploring the posts here for ideas, and feel free to ask if you need any suggestions. Have a fantastic trip!
Don’t worry too much about the planning; sometimes the best trips come together last minute. There’s so much to see and do in Italy, from the lakes near Milan to the beautiful countryside in Tuscany.
Keep exploring the posts here for ideas, and feel free to ask if you need any suggestions. Have a fantastic trip!
Thanks for replying! please read my previous trip reports, we are no strangers to last minute haha!! We are often last minute planners and adjust on the fly, seems to work well wherever we travel, cheers!
Hey Colo! When we started talking about this travel we were considering other countries, but we can't get enough of Italy right now! What attracts us still is the sheer amount of jaw dropping options within a relatively short travel distance. When friends ask about our Italy trips some seem apprehensive about transportation logistics. We compare our home area near Dulles to Milan, we tell them in two weeks we are basically driving to Philidelphia, to the Chesapeake Bay, to Richmond and back home. Heck it would take me twice as long to drive to your neck of the woods than it does Milan to Como ;-)Have not been online in awhile. I am glad to see another Beerman adventure is in the planning phase , but how am I ever going to convince your lovely wife and daughter to consider Spain?
Spain, it will happen! My wife plans to retire in less than 2 years and she wants an extended trip abroad, once there we can bounce to many of the amazing destinations we've only dreamt of.
Alpinista
100+ Posts
We flew out of Malpensa to the Canary Islands last month. It was a cruel reminder of how ^%$^ far from Milan that the airport is. You mentioned Dulles (which is our airport of choice). Our drive to Dulles from DC is a half an hour shorter than the drive from Milan to Malpensa ;-)
We have a trip coming up for Sicily this fall (we make side trips from Lucca while in Italy). I had booked flights from Malpensa for that too when I made the discovery that if you enter "Economy" into the search engine rather than "Business", that you get more options. So.....will eat the EasyJet tickets previously purchased and fly to/from Sicily from Pisa on RyanAir. The drive from Lucca to Malpensa is 4 hours, so my wife is thrilled to be making the drive to Pisa instead.
We have a trip coming up for Sicily this fall (we make side trips from Lucca while in Italy). I had booked flights from Malpensa for that too when I made the discovery that if you enter "Economy" into the search engine rather than "Business", that you get more options. So.....will eat the EasyJet tickets previously purchased and fly to/from Sicily from Pisa on RyanAir. The drive from Lucca to Malpensa is 4 hours, so my wife is thrilled to be making the drive to Pisa instead.
for those who have morning flights back to the US from Milapensa and don't want to tackle a long drive in the morning, we found a great B&B situation near the airport: B&B Guelin. reasonably priced, nice suites and shuttle to/from the airport. comfy beds, nespresso machine for morning coffee, yogurt and milk in the fridge. we stayed there this past October after an evening flight from Bari, and it set us up for a more relaxing flight home from MXP.
I cannot remember the name of the place, but it was a small hotel with a family restaurant next door that was just a short distance away from the airport. Both were wonderful!
I am firm beleiver in PUSHing the EASY Button on the entrance and exit of any travel experience.
Frustration on Vacation should be against the law.
I am firm beleiver in PUSHing the EASY Button on the entrance and exit of any travel experience.
Frustration on Vacation should be against the law.
Life has distracted us the last two months, unfortunately keeping us from focusing on our upcoming trip. But with one week to go... Italy is ALL we care to think about now! Last minute details getting checked off such as international driver's license and Euros from AAA! A handful of Euros makes me happy!
Question for you...we are renting a car out of Verona and need it to start on a Sunday. We know some agencies are closed on Sundays, but the airport locations appear to be open for pickup? Any experience/advice on renting on a Sunday? we could simply get it on Saturday and keep it parked if we have to.
Thanks for the help and looking forward to posting along the way!
Question for you...we are renting a car out of Verona and need it to start on a Sunday. We know some agencies are closed on Sundays, but the airport locations appear to be open for pickup? Any experience/advice on renting on a Sunday? we could simply get it on Saturday and keep it parked if we have to.
Thanks for the help and looking forward to posting along the way!
Ian Sutton
1000+ Posts
A short taxi ride from airport to the city, so that sounds a sensible plan. A quick googlemaps search suggests Sixt and Enterprise are open on Sundays, with some others shut then.
Once you have the car, Sunday absolutely ideal, as the traffic will be lighter as you get used to the car, road layout / signs and local driving style. I might even compromise on car / agency for the benefit of such a more chilled start.
Once you have the car, Sunday absolutely ideal, as the traffic will be lighter as you get used to the car, road layout / signs and local driving style. I might even compromise on car / agency for the benefit of such a more chilled start.
georgemiller
10+ Posts
Wow, Italy in September! That's gonna be awesome, @BEERMAN! Don't sweat the lack of plans - some of my best trips came together last minute. You'll have a blast no matter what.
I'm keeping an eye on this thread 'cause we're thinking about Venice and Florence next year. Might kick things off in Florence - it's smaller and super walkable. Been looking at tours, maybe through https://gowithguide.com/Italy/Florence/guides since this will be our first time. We'll probably rent a car later in Venice.
Can't wait to hear all about your adventures! Have an amazing time!
I'm keeping an eye on this thread 'cause we're thinking about Venice and Florence next year. Might kick things off in Florence - it's smaller and super walkable. Been looking at tours, maybe through https://gowithguide.com/Italy/Florence/guides since this will be our first time. We'll probably rent a car later in Venice.
Can't wait to hear all about your adventures! Have an amazing time!
I'll be putting together reports with photos soon, but we did pull out the shorts in Desenzano/Sirmione last weekend
