Northern Italy

[smarty156]

We're going to Austria in the summer for a week's activity holiday (driving my own car, wife and two kids 11 & 14) and we're then going into northern Italy for 4 nights with trips to the Ferrari museum at Maranello and the Alfa Romeo museum on the to do list. Probably Monza as well.
We're thinking of staying in Verona for 3 nights so we can go to Garda and the Ferrari museum as well as Verona itself (also a fairly short drive from Lienz in Austria where we're staying). My wife wants to stay in Verona for the 4th night but I think it would be more sensible to go to the Alfa museum/Monza on the last full day and then stay 1 night somewhere not too far from there so that the trip back (through France) is shorter. Also saves driving from Verona to Monza and back one day and then essentially doing the same again on the way home.
Firstly, opinions gratefully accepted on all the above.
Secondly, if we stay nearish the Alfa museum, where to stay as its not exactly the best of areas I seem to remember from a previous visit.
Also, any recommendations for places to stay in or very near to Verona?
Many thanks.

[Norfolk B-roads]

If you're heading for Monza, Milan would be the obvious choice, no?

[psi310398]

If the Alfa museum is on your last day, heading home through Switzerland (Gotthard and up to Basel) makes a lot more sense IMO than dragging down to near Turin and up to Aosta and then schlepping round past Lake Geneva. The Swiss vignette will also cost less than the cost of the Mont Blanc tunnel and the cost of motorway tolls in France to make equivalent progress within France to coming into Alsace. The motorway up to Rheims is easy IMO and much more pleasant scenery than the long drag through Burgundy on the Autoroute du Soleil.

But you are right - the area around the Alfa museum is not tourist central and you might a decent business hotel but not much else besides. Just up the road, there are plenty of nice hotels in pleasant settings on Lake Como or near Varese that would set you up for an easy getaway in Switzerland the next day.

[RizzoTheRat]

My experience of Northern Italy was that the main roads in the valleys are all chockablock with traffic and mostly urban. We decided to take the road down the side of Lake Garda thinking we'd get a nice twisty road with beautiful views of the lake, but what we actually got was an endless stream of 30-40 mph traffic and a view of the backs of all the houses that had the lovely views of the lake.

To get out of traffic we took a random turning up hill and found a completely different world of lovely winding roads with little traffic and lovely scenery.

So my advice would be stay off the main valley roads and head for the hills. The route from Lake Garda past Lake Valvestino and then cross country to Stelvio was one the highlights of that trip.

[smarty156]

psi310398 said:

If the Alfa museum is on your last day, heading home through Switzerland (Gotthard and up to Basel) makes a lot more sense IMO than dragging down to near Turin and up to Aosta and then schlepping round past Lake Geneva. The Swiss vignette will also cost less than the cost of the Mont Blanc tunnel and the cost of motorway tolls in France to make equivalent progress within France to coming into Alsace. The motorway up to Rheims is easy IMO and much more pleasant scenery than the long drag through Burgundy on the Autoroute du Soleil.

But you are right - the area around the Alfa museum is not tourist central and you might a decent business hotel but not much else besides. Just up the road, there are plenty of nice hotels in pleasant settings on Lake Como or near Varese that would set you up for an easy getaway in Switzerland the next day.

Looking at the map I think going via Gotthard is a good call. If we have time and the weather is nice then assume the Gotthard Pass rather than tunnel?

[psi310398]

smarty156 said:

Looking at the map I think going via Gotthard is a good call. If we have time and the weather is nice then assume the Gotthard Pass rather than tunnel?

Depending how much time you have, yes, that is an option.

Or, if you want a bit more of an adventure for your children, go over to Lake Maggiore on the motorway from Arese (signs to Gravellona Toce) and go over the Simplon Pass (route SS33 on the Italian side), then find Goppenstein near Raron (down the road from Visp and Brig) and take the train ferry through the mountain ( https://www.bls.ch/de/fahren/unterwegs-mit/autover... ). There is a pleasant drive down the valley until you join the 6 motorway from Interlaken to Bern and up to Basel that way.

Alternatively keep on the E62 until it tuns into the 9 motorway and you can head into France past the East shore of Lake Geneva near Pontarlier and over to Besançon and Dole cross-country.

[Deesee]

With Verona look at staying on the east of Garda lake, the kids will love it there’s also a big theme park there if you want to break things up. Just get the train in.

There’s loads of camping style accomodation as well as hotels.

For monza and the Alfa look at a hotel in Sarronno you can get a family suite for about 80e

https://www.starhotels.com/en/our-hotels/grand-mil...

https://www.google.co.uk/travel/hotels/Saronno/ent...

And you’ll be pointing towards Gottard or Simplon.

I’d suggest looking at European bank holiday dates, every man and is dog seems to tow a large boat to and from the lakes on these dates, as to when to transverse the alps, and this makes the motorways very busy...

Simplon is a great easy drive with an option of a great stop off in brig, there’s a large thermal spa/pools with a really really long alpine water slide.

Personally we prefer to head up through Germany, and stop off in the Black Forest before heading back & you can plot your route back via Luxembourg for cheap fuel, and no tolls on the way back.

Allow plenty of time for Switzerland we’ve spent many hours queuing to enter the tunnels.

[smarty156]

Thanks for the info.
We're stuck with dates as there's only a 2 week window that my wife can take off.
We've booked somewhere between Sirmione and Verona now (similar area to your suggestion). Just need to book the one nearish Alfa now. Will take a look.

[Pericoloso]

You can get a cheaper combined ticket if you also visit the Cassa Enzo Ferrari museum in Modena.

If you are really dedicated ,you need to go to Lamborghini in Sant Agata too and the Ferruccio Lamborghini

museum in Funo.

So many museums ,too little time.

Mille Miglia museum in Brescia , Nicolis museum near Verona.

[VTECMatt]

RizzoTheRat said:

My experience of Northern Italy was that the main roads in the valleys are all chockablock with traffic and mostly urban. We decided to take the road down the side of Lake Garda thinking we'd get a nice twisty road with beautiful views of the lake, but what we actually got was an endless stream of 30-40 mph traffic and a view of the backs of all the houses that had the lovely views of the lake.

To get out of traffic we took a random turning up hill and found a completely different world of lovely winding roads with little traffic and lovely scenery.

So my advice would be stay off the main valley roads and head for the hills. The route from Lake Garda past Lake Valvestino and then cross country to Stelvio was one the highlights of that trip.

I'd agree with this we did something similar in 2006 and agree with the road to Stelvio.

[Pericoloso]

I went up Stelvio from the north in September ,no problem with the route from Austria and the pass itself was very quiet.

I only did the run up and down because it's the name pass everyone wants to do.

[smarty156]

We did the Stelvio Pass 3 years ago. It was amazing for the scenery, not so much for actual driving.

[psi310398]

I'm afraid that, at least in the summer, the Stelvio Pass itself usually clogged with groups of MAMILs on bikes and German geriatrics in campervans (who are obviously as entitled to be there etc before we start a flame war) and as a result is precious little fun to drive unless you can time the drive for stupid o'clock in the morning.

[smarty156]

We were there at the end of July 2017, got there about midday and there was hardly any traffic at all. Not even cyclists. Must have been very lucky.
The drive up from Austria was too tight and twisty to enjoy. The drop down the other side was much better.