With a couple weeks to spare, we have booked our homebase accommodations! First night Milan, following day train to Santa Margharita for 3 nights, then rental car to Guarene near Alba for 3 nights and the finale will be 3 nights on Lake Como in the town of Nesso. Family is excited to be traveling again and any pointers in these areas would be greatly appreciated!

Beerman--Unfortunately I've never been to Italy, so can't help you. I really hope you can get some help, but regardless, really looking forward to hearing all about it!!

Life is good!

I think your plan will be amazing!
We are in the final throws of our Spain trip. I think everything will be nailed down by the end of the week.

Love Como. Made several trips over the years but none recently so haven't got any particular recommendations. Always stay in a horrible looking resort on the east coast between Como and Bellagio. We look straight across the lake at George Clooney's place and he gets to look at our concrete resort. So we get a better view than George at a tiny fraction of the price.

Mike, we really like the lakes we've been to there, Maggiore, Garda, Lugano...but very excited to see Como! At first, we looked at places in some of the popular towns for convenient train travel but decided to keep the car after Piedmont. This opened up our choices, only must have is a parking space and preferably access to a ferry. We found a great place in Nesso, probably relatively close to where you stay.

Tom, you are going to your happy place, so Life Is Good!!

Have done the boat trip from Como to Bellagio, is a very nice ride. They have a fast boat + slow boat, beware it sells out very quickly (took the fast boat and assumed we could get tickets for the return fast boat but it was sold out!).
https://www.navigazionelaghi.it/
Also the underground parking lot was crazy expensive in Como, lots of nice cars tho.

erb923, thanks! we are staying in Nesso and have a free parking space. Nesso offers a ferry, it takes 1hr 28min to get to Bellagio making several stops in between, could be interesting to see the lake and small towns that way for only $5pp. Knowing us, we probably won't decide on Lake Como itinerary until we actually set foot there. We are interested in spending 1/2 days hopping between Bellagio, Varenna and Menaggio, probably take the $3 bus or $30 taxi to Bellagio from Nesso? A boat tour on a classic mahogany boat is on the wish list!

Rick, making a day trip to Positano? We took a bus one way, and local ferry the other. Great day!

JP, we are staying in the north, a future southern trip should include Positano! Unless there's another Positano??

Sorry my bad! Portofino
If you are going to Santa Margherita Ligure, south of Milano, I was thinking of Portofino!
Advice stands, town corrected.

Portofino port photo is a classical Med shot. We’ve been there twice on big boat cruises. Second time, took the local bus to Santa Margherita and then a local ferry back.

My wife loves the Pinot Grigio wine by the same name, but it’s not made there.

We plan to hike to Portofino! Did you do any hiking in that area?

Rick, No, haven’t been in northern Italy since late double oughts, and no hikes..We did do lots of walking on the islands of the Tyrrhenian Sea last year, but that was while looking for restaurants, bars, groceries, and following the ladies who were lost while shopping!🤪. And our land based hikes in Tuscany were limited to following a truffle hunting dog.

Enjoy your Italy trip.

We too are doing the north of Italy next month rescheduled from 2020.

We decided to just train it so landing in Milan and going to Verona, Bologna and Ending on the Cinque in Manarola.

I am excited to do the food part of the trip, Bologna, Parma and Modena.

Lots to see and you can’t go wrong with the direction you pick.

Enjoy!
Ellen

Ellen, YES the food!!!! We’ve been to Verona and they have great food. We stayed at the Romeo Julietta hotel and tried to get a table at a Michelin rated restaurant next door, couldn’t get in, but the chef followed us to the street and said his former chef just opened a nice restaurant 2 blocks off the main area, it was a great dinner! I have their card somewhere if you’d like the name, it’s in a trip report somewhere also. In Manarola we had a great dinner after hiking from Monterosso…name escapes me right now. We’ll be around the Cinque Sept 5-8…..ENJOY!!!!!

Thanks
I’ll dig around in the trip reports. It will get me more excited to read those anyway!

Have a great trip!

On my cell I don’t know how to copy the link, but found Verona in Bella Vita - Das gute Leben part 10. I forgot we walked in without reservations ha! Turned out to be a great stop! If you haven’t been and want a day trip from Verona we highly recommend Sirmione

Great! Thanks.

Lake Como was our favorite place during our 2019 Italy trip! We rented an Airbnb apartment in Varenna for 3 nights and took the ferry to visit some of the other towns surrounding the lake (including Bellagio). Great gelato everywhere. Wonderful food. Friendly people. I’m sure you’re there already, but do enjoy your trip. We loved Italy and can’t wait to go back.

We will be in Nesso on Lake Como next weekend for 3 nights. Trying to figure out a nice hike above the lake, right now I'm thinking Monte san Primo loop. looks like an awesome view at 5500 feet. If you know of a mountain hike or anyone else, please let me know! Ciao!

Didn’t do it, but did hear good things about the Monte san Primo loop. We did a ton of walking, but no actual hiking (bad back). Post pics if you do it. Have fun!

We just returned, exhausted, either it's jet lag or too much wine, will need more wine or rest... not sure yet! EllenS if you're still there I'm jealous!!

OK, very interested in seeing that trip report!!!!!

We leave 9-27 and are very excited! And yes also looking forward to the trip report!

Carol I’m at our cabin in WV, I’ll try to start reports at the end of the week.

OK.

Based on the season, are the leaves turning?? After 16 years in Florida, i do miss the leaves turning.

The dog woods are showing some color change now, early to mid October should be the show!