Northern Italy

On Tue, 05 May 2009 20:24:58 +0200, Piero
wrote:


Orio al Serio (Bergamo) is served almost only by Low Cost Airlines
(Ryanair in primis).
Linate is far better, if you want to drive to Tuscany and vice-versa
(Linate-Tuscany is less than 3 hours drive, Malpensa is 1-1,5 hours
more), and also regular (not Low Cost) flight are normally cheaper
from-to Linate.
I live in north Italy (Modena), and I confirm that August is a very bad
month for climate, here.
Both north Italy and Tuscany are very hot and very humid.
Is better if you will go to higher altitude (mountains of 'Valle
d'Aosta' and 'Trentino-Alto Adige' regions are very nice and with good
climate in August) or at sea: both Adriatic and Tirreno (I don't know
the English name...) sea are at less than 3 hours drive from Milan.
A strong advice: book your hotel/agriturismo, or so on, as soon as you
can, because in August all people in Italy will go on vacation
(unhappily, for this reason, prices will be higher a lot).

Thanks for your reply, it is very helpful.
I originally contemplated taking the second week in Tuscany but
travelling on the 15th (as I must) seems to dictate that I should stay
a little closer.
Bergamo seems very cheap to fly to; almost a third of the cost of
Malpensa.
Thanks for your suggestions.
I was concerned that the temperature might be a little cooler than we
wanted but it seems that won't be the case.
We have been to Italy many times albeit further south. Sometimes we
have been unlucky towards the end of August. The weather has broken
and we have wished it was a little warmer.
Will there be much breeze off the lake?




--

blackbat /\x/\

On 05 May 2009 20:27:23 GMT, JuanElorza
wrote:

There are many beaches along the Como lake shore, and many nautic
activities.
And there are many villages to visit (Mezzegra).

The Val d'Aosta is not far away (Gran Paradisio national Park, Rheme,
Breuil-Cervinia, Savarenche, etc.)


Thank you - noted for the future.
--

blackbat /\x/\

In article ,
Piero wrote:

Giovanni Drogo ha scritto:

I guess we'll be flying to Milan (Malpensa).

Alternatives are Bergamo Orio al Serio, and Milan Linate. If you are
driving, they are all equivalent.

Orio al Serio (Bergamo) is served almost only by Low Cost Airlines
(Ryanair in primis).
Linate is far better, if you want to drive to Tuscany and vice-versa
(Linate-Tuscany is less than 3 hours drive, Malpensa is 1-1,5 hours
more), and also regular (not Low Cost) flight are normally cheaper
from-to Linate.
I live in north Italy (Modena), and I confirm that August is a very bad
month for climate, here.
Both north Italy and Tuscany are very hot and very humid.
Is better if you will go to higher altitude (mountains of 'Valle
d'Aosta' and 'Trentino-Alto Adige' regions are very nice and with good
climate in August) or at sea: both Adriatic and Tirreno (I don't know
the English name...) sea are at less than 3 hours drive from Milan.
A strong advice: book your hotel/agriturismo, or so on, as soon as you
can, because in August all people in Italy will go on vacation
(unhappily, for this reason, prices will be higher a lot).

Ciao, Piero.

What about Cinque Terre and across the border to Switzerland?

Those would seem to be within 3-4 hour driving range?

On 6 Mag, 23:49, blackbat wrote:

Thanks for your reply, it is very helpful.
I originally contemplated taking the second week in Tuscany but
travelling on the 15th (as I must) seems to dictate that I should stay
a little closer.

Wrong.
Driving down on the 15th would be no problem. Within a three hour ride
you are entering Tuscany.

Sergio
Pisa

On Wed, 6 May 2009, Giovanni Drogo wrote:
On Wed, 6 May 2009, blackbat wrote:

The appartment for the first week is in Garzeno.

It is located just on the final stretch of the Via dei Monti Lariani,
which I mentioned.

As a supplement for the OP, actually Garzeno is the end of stretch 3 and
the start of stretch 4 of the Via dei Monti Lariani. If you google with
such wording you will find lot of links, unfortunately for you most in
italian or german, some with maps (good ones on www.menaggio.com).

From such maps the route of stretch 3 looks different from the one which
was written on a book I have (printed some 15 years ago when the paths
were opened).

I've checked the book at home, and can supply the following information.

Stretch 3 comes from Menaggio down from the S.Bernardo pass to a place
called Piazze (altitude 800 m). This is in front of Garzeno, and is the
place we reached from Dongo.

The current route is the short one, down from Piazze to Catasco (459)
and up to Garzeno (642). Easy but for the up and down. You could do it
the other way round.

The old route on my book did a detour along the head of the valley.
From Piazze it reached Cremosino (810) then turned into val Marnotto.
This part looked steep (not going uphill ... was traversing the slope
orthogonally, uphill on the left and downhill on the right), and we
decided not to proceed any further. The book said there is a passage on
rocks, and a ford below a waterfall. Maybe this was too difficult and
has been eliminated from the main path.

After the ford it reached Mollen (775). A road should arrive there from
Garzeno ("strada della diga Regea" = Regea dam road). The route on the
book avoided the road and went mainly via paths crossing the road
sometimes. Carcimedo (820), Punt di Resigh (654 *), Puncim (775), Gioda
(800), Beltramett (810) and finally reaching Garzeno from above.

(*) Punt di Resigh means in local dialect "Bridge of the Saws". I
suppose there were watermills operating saws to cut timber.

You could possibly do part of the above along the road and come back via
the path or v.v.

The stretch 4 of via dei Monti Lariani should have no difficulties (at
least the first part I did ... the entire stretch is very long and
should be split in two days).

The section from Garzeno to Dosso del Liro is quoted 6 walking hours in
my book (but does a long detour along both sides of a valley, one can
surely cut it shorter), The entire first half from Garzeno to Livo is
quoted 8 hours (again from Dosso del Liro to Livo does a detour around
Sasso Pelo ... say three sides of a rectangle when the road does one.

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On 8 Mag, 21:09, blackbat wrote:
On Thu, 7 May 2009 00:10:04 -0700 (PDT), Sergio
wrote:
So how long would you estimate the drive from Garzeno (near Gravedona)
to Sienna for example would take? (On the 15th August)

I estimate four hours by way of Milano-Bologna-Firenze-Siena (one 'n'
only).
Absolutely, do not go through Genova; nor is it convenient for you to
cross the Appennines from Parma to La Spezia.

Sergio
Pisa

On Thu, 7 May 2009 00:10:04 -0700 (PDT), Sergio
wrote:


Wrong.
Driving down on the 15th would be no problem. Within a three hour ride
you are entering Tuscany.


So how long would you estimate the drive from Garzeno (near Gravedona)
to Sienna for example would take? (On the 15th August)
--

blackbat /\x/\

On Wed, 6 May 2009 11:46:53 +0200, Giovanni Drogo
wrote:

About reaching Garzeno. I am not a driver and use only public transport.
I doubt you would be taking the (unfrequent, check times) coach from
Malpensa to Como, then a boat or better hydrofoil to Dongo (pier in como
near bus station), then local bus to Garzeno (unfrequent, check times).

You have three or four alternatives.
Drive to Como, then panoramic superstrada to Argegno, then the old
coastal road (Strada Regina) to Dongo.

Drive to Como and continue with motorway into Switzerland, then try to
reach Porlezza and Menaggio (then shorter stretch on Strada Regina).

Drive to Lecco and take the tunnelled SS36 all the way to Colico, then
come back towards Dongo on the northern bit of the Regina.

Or drive to Lecco and take the tunnelled SS36, but leave it earlier in
order to reach the ferry pier in Varenna. Cross to Menaggio then
continue as #2.


I will be driving - my wife has been to Garzeno and has warned there
are some tricky hairpin bends in the road...
--

blackbat /\x/\

On Thu, 7 May 2009 10:37:48 +0200, Giovanni Drogo
wrote:

On Wed, 6 May 2009, Giovanni Drogo wrote:
On Wed, 6 May 2009, blackbat wrote:

The appartment for the first week is in Garzeno.

It is located just on the final stretch of the Via dei Monti Lariani,
which I mentioned.

As a supplement for the OP, actually Garzeno is the end of stretch 3 and
the start of stretch 4 of the Via dei Monti Lariani. If you google with
such wording you will find lot of links, unfortunately for you most in
italian or german, some with maps (good ones on www.menaggio.com).

Yes - very useful


From such maps the route of stretch 3 looks different from the one which
was written on a book I have (printed some 15 years ago when the paths
were opened).

I've checked the book at home, and can supply the following information.



The section from Garzeno to Dosso del Liro is quoted 6 walking hours in
my book (but does a long detour along both sides of a valley, one can
surely cut it shorter), The entire first half from Garzeno to Livo is
quoted 8 hours (again from Dosso del Liro to Livo does a detour around
Sasso Pelo ... say three sides of a rectangle when the road does one.


Sorry - maybe I was unclear; I am currently awaiting an operation and
am unable to walk too far.
Any excursions will need to be by hire car or train.
--

blackbat /\x/\