5 night to get from Lake Como to Rome and related queries
Replies: 7 - Last Post: Feb 8, 2013 8:10 AM Last Post By: neckervd
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5 night to get from Lake Como to Rome and related queries
Good evening,Mt future wife and I will be spending our honeymoon in Italy from 16 June to 3 July 2013. I have previously posted about this trip here: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=2285217&messageID=20620942#20620942 and am very grateful for the responses that I received - your collective advice was invaluable!
The trip presently looks like this:
- 1 July - 3 July - Spend in Rome. Fly home late on 3 July.
Obviously this leaves something of a gap between 26 June and 1 July, during which we need to make our way from Laglio to Rome, which is the reason for this post.
Question 1: I would be grateful for any suggestions of a mini itinerary about how we could spend this time. As I have mentioned on the earlier thread, we love good food and going at an easy pace; we are not so interested in racing about madly.
I had originally wanted to visit a couple of the towns comprising the Cinque Terre, although I fear that that might have to wait for another occasion, given the timing.
To my mind, this really leaves time for perhaps travelling to Florence for two or three days, and then maybe hiring a car and staying at two agriturismo in Tuscany.
Is anyone able to provide some insights about how they might otherwise spend this time? Perhaps you might have a favourite town (or towns) in the region that you think are well worth a visit?
Question 2: I have mentioned that we are spending 7 nights in Laglio. This seems like (and probably is) a long time to spend in the one place, but the idea is to have a truly relaxing, genuine 'honeymoon' aspect to the trip. This will hopefully be that time. We are staying at the Relais Villa Vittoria, which seems lovely, so we should have an enjoyable break.
In the event that things are a little too slow paced though - is anyone able to suggest one or two day trips/activities that might help to break up the reading, eating and general lounging about? Perhaps some particularly interesting towns along the Western Coast of the Lake that are reasonable accessible?
Question 3: This relates to accommodation in Rome at the end of the trip. As it is our final 2 nights, I was thinking of booking somewhere a bit special. I am tossing up between the Junior Suite at the Albergo del Senato (http://www.albergodelsenato.it/) or the King Deluxe Premium room at the Waldorf Rome Cavalieri (http://www.romecavalieri.com/).
They are similarly (expensively) priced, but I am just wondering if anyone has any experience with either of these venues, and whether they would recommend one over the other. Alternatively, is there anywhere else you might recommend that could point an 'exclamation point' at the end of our honeymoon?
Thank you in advance for your replies :)
1
Laglio is quite close to Tremezzo ad there you can visit the famous Villa Carlotta and its gardens. Other beautiful spots on the lake are Bellagio, Menaggio and Varenna, on the eastern coast - here's a site for boat services http://www.navlaghi.it/eng/c_illago.html but I think you won't find a summer timetable at the moment.It's a good idea to go from the lake to Florence and Tuscany on your way to Rome, in my mind. After Florence you could head south to Siena and the surrounding famous countryside.
2
What has the timing hot to do with not visiting Cinque Terre, you have enough time to visit June is busy but so are all months from May until October. From Milan it is easy to get to and likewise onto Rome. So if you did want to visit I do not see any problems.Likewise your other idea is a good one. If you are visiting Florence and then hiring a car for a couple of days I suggest dropping off somewhere near Rome or Rome itself( i personally do not see the problem with driving into Rome) On recommending an agritursimo there are 1000's so that would come down to area in which wish to stay. And also what you want from that stay.
Rome is abundant with luxury hotels my personal favourite (luckily stayed with work) Hotel de Rusie a superb place, not sure what the other hotels cost but this one is expensive!
3
Agree with richiavo...you have enough time (and the weather is fine) to go to CT if you want to....or to go to Florence and see some of the Tuscan countryside...or even to go to Northern Lazio or Umbria instead.You will find good food in all these places.
Depends on what your interests are really....after a week in Laglio,personally I'd want to do something city baased(art,culture,bars.restaurants.markets etc.) and so I'd go with Florence.....
4
Thanks very much for your replies.Just to clarify one point, which I didn't express too clearly previously - I don't think that the 5 day time frame would be sufficient to visit both Cinque Terre and Florence + parts of more rural Tuscany. I think it will be the case that we need to choose one or the other, rather than trying to cram both in.
(That said, I am happy to be advised otherwise!)
In the circumstances, I think a few nights in Florence, followed by a couple of nights in smaller towns, and then dropping a car off at a town near Rome, will be the go.
Mat.
7
ad1)There are tons of interesting towns between Lake Como and Rome:
Bergamo, Cremona, Mantova, Parma, Modena, Bologna, Ravenna, San Marino, Frasassi caves, Assisi, Perugia, Chiusi/Orvieto, Tarquinia, Siena .....
but I think Florence is a good choice
http://oldweb.enit.it/navgraficacomuni.asp?lang=UK&id=533
http://oldweb.enit.it/navgraficacomuni.asp?lang=UK&id=455
http://oldweb.enit.it/navgraficacomuni.asp?lang=UK&id=700
http://oldweb.enit.it/navgraficacomuni.asp?lang=UK&id=644
ad 2)
Laglio is close to Como (8 kms, more than 20 buses daily, 20 min). It's therefore easy to go by bus to Como and to continue from there by train to places like Milan, Laveno/Lake Maggiore, Lugano, Bellinzona, Monte Generoso, etc.
In the other direction, buses go to Villa Carlotta (30 min) - Menaggio (40 min) - Colico (1 3/4 hrs). Lake Como boats go to these places too.
From Menaggio, you can go by bus to Porlezza - Lake Lugano - Lugano, to some villages high above Lake Como or Lake Lugano (Plesio, Cavargna, etc.) or by ferry to Bellagio and Varenna.
From both, Varenna and Colico trains run every 2 hrs to the Valtellina Valley with connections at Tirano to the glaciers of Bernina and Ortles-Cevedale. From Bernina Pass you can continue by train to St. Moritz/Switzerland and go back by bus via Chiavenna to Colico - Lake Como.
There are tons of hiking trails in the area. If you don't like steep ascents, you may take a bus via Arcegno to Intelvi Valley and hike then on the crest between Lake Como and Lake Lugano (spendid panorama from the French up to the Austrian Alps) or in any other area around the lake.
If the weather is fine, there is stuff for several weeks.
