# Italy trip, May 2016, any suggestions?



## BXCc (May 31, 2012)

Looking for some tips on Northern Italy. We will be staying in Venice for a few days then we will head north for some quiet time. Preliminary searching is pointing us towards Bormio. Some biking or skiing would be nice. Both would be great. Any suggestions or alternate locations that may be better? Looking for a smallish town in the mountains. 
Thanks


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## dfishdesign (Apr 15, 2015)

What kind of riding and what kind of skiing do you want to do? Alot will depend on weather, It's been super warm here in the alps and not much snow, but that can change fast of course. May is kind of shoulder season so you could get decent skiing up high on groomers but don't expect any fresh snow. Likewise it's a good chance the mtb trails up high will have snow in may...but it all depends on weather. You will have a car?


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## Bikefarmer (May 13, 2015)

check out lifts systems for may unless you intend to pedal up the hills, as many places close in this month for maintenance. Cervina near the Aosta valley has both glacier skiing (12 miles) and a bike park with a good mix of trails, not that many but enough for a couple of days.


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## BXCc (May 31, 2012)

Thanks for the replies. Skiing would be pretty much anything other than cliff drops and biking would be XC or flowy stuff without big drops or gaps. We did the Red Route at Ft William last year and that maxes out the Mrs. as far as DH stuff goes. We are still undecided on our trip at this point. Venice & northern Italy is one option, Park City, Utah is option 2. All depends on the funds at this point. 

If we go to Italy, I think we will have a car. Unless someone can convince us that the rail / public transit system will get us where we need to go. Neither of us has ever been to Venice and north so we aren't really sure where to start. 

Skiing is her sport and biking is mine. It's a rough life :thumbs:


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## Mountain Cycle Shawn (Jan 19, 2004)

We stayed at Lake Como for two weeks. It's the most beautiful place I've been to!


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## patski (Dec 12, 2005)

Mountain Cycle Shawn said:


> We stayed at Lake Como for two weeks. It's the most beautiful place I've been to!


Back in 91-93, Wife and I spent many weekends windsurfing and MTBing in the Lake Garda area, biking is great. Malcesine and Limone are superb starting spots. We also rode the passubio della galleria, crazy on an MTB but friggin' awesome


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## syl3 (Apr 23, 2008)

Sella Ronda


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## Ghost_HTX (Sep 19, 2014)

I wrote this on another thread about northern Italy...

Livigno! It's a bit of a schlep to get there (it's in a valley between Switzerland and Italy and also a tax free zone, so cheap food and drink) as it is waaaay in the north of Italy and you will need a car to get there (I'm talking about a days drive from Milan). It is effing awesome, however. Right up high (around 1800m IIRC) and the centre for trekking, skiing (alpine and XC), running, hiking and biking for the entire area. A lot of pro athletes (XC skiers mainly) go there to train at altitude so there is a sports shop on more or less every street. Plus September is off season so the hotel rates should be low too. Trails? Oh there are trails out the yin yang up there, of all sorts of difficulty. My personal favourite was the loop from the town centre to Lago di Livigno, round the mountain to Lago San Giacomo, round the other side of the mountain and back - 60 km +/- and almost all of it on dirt.

Check out Bolzano/Bolzen and some of the other places round about. The hiking and biking (and skiing - alpine and XC) in this area is killer & if you are up for it I would recommend the Passo Pordoi or Passo Sella (just Google "Passo Pordoi MTB") - It is only a little out of the way to the east, just past a nice little place called Canazei - we've stayed there twice (Hotel Croce Bianca) and it is fantastic!

I remember a nice little place called Madonna Di Campiglio we stayed at too (check out the "Giro dei cinque laghi" if you do go there - it is a day trip around 5 lakes; 



 )

Corvara is nice also.

I would recommend when driving from Venice to get across to the west as far south as you can (I would go across to Trento and join the A22 at it's start - the smaller roads can be a challenge in poor weather) then take the A22 north to Bolzano - from there pretty much everything I mentioned above is easily reachable with the exception of Livigno.

If you were to check out Livigno (which I massively recommend) you could take a day / night in Maddona di Campiglio - it is in a logical place to take a break on the journey).

Whatever you do - Northern Italy is a great place to visit! I'm sure you'll have a great time!


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## Miker J (Nov 4, 2003)

Tuned in


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## ciquta (Nov 26, 2015)

I am from northern Italy, I suggest you to move from Venice to Verona (which is close) and start from there all the way up to Brixen.
Plenty of proper bike paths in that area, you can turn all around lake Garda, from Peschiera to Riva Del Garda and see Limone. 
If you move north you should see Trento, Bolzano, Meran (beautiful spa there), Brixen and the Pustertal which leads to the stunning Braies lake.
There are very good bike paths there.
You will find plenty of cheap and cozy accomodations, esp in the area north of Trento (see redroster.it)

That's much better than Bormio, and much more bike-friendly. 
I believe May is too late for skiing, in that period it's much better to focus on mountain lakes and bike trips.

Hope it helps


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## 779334 (Oct 10, 2014)

Yes. Try their coffee and pizzas. They're the pros.


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## Mountain Cycle Shawn (Jan 19, 2004)

AshevilleMtBiker said:


> Yes. Try their coffee and pizzas. They're the pros.


Yeah, their pizza is the best! This is pizza from Cernobbio, Italy.


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## dfishdesign (Apr 15, 2015)

I see your pizza, and raise you a PIZZA








Anyways, since it's December, I would wait to see what the weather does this winter before making plans. Still no snow in Piedmont. May should be a pretty easy time to find hotels and airbnb

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## BXCc (May 31, 2012)

Thanks for the replies. I have been slacking on trip planning with the holidays going on. And we have been back and forth on where we are going. Still between Park City Utah in the US or over to Italy. Today it looks like Italy. Tomorrow, I not sure. Haha. It really depends on airfare which seems to be decent right now. Ciquta and Ghost_HTX, Thanks those are the recommendations I am looking for. We don't need anything hardcore but we would like to experience the trail systems. So if we go, it will be May 22nd to the 28th.


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## Mountain Cycle Shawn (Jan 19, 2004)

You can do Utah anytime. You will not regret going to Italy. If you're from the United States, Europe will have so much more to offer than another place in the United States. We had such a good time that I think about italy a lot. And we have decided that we have to go back to Lake Como in the next couple years.


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## Ghost_HTX (Sep 19, 2014)

I can't speak for Utah (never been there) but northern Italy is awesome. Heck, Italy is awesome - I've never been further south than Florence but in that I've experienced a ton of awesomeness.

Everything I mentioned should be very doable in May. Livigno will most likely still have some snow too, for XC skiing and alpine.

Italy. You know it makes sense.


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## Crankyone (Dec 8, 2014)

Chamonix (very close to Italy).


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## Crankyone (Dec 8, 2014)

*Chamonix, FR OCT 2015*


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## BXCc (May 31, 2012)

So as of today. Italy it is. We have been scanning airfare and are open for any airport between Florance, Milan, and Venice. All depending on price and logistics. 1 to 2 full days in Venice is a must. The rest of the time will be spent wandering around the countryside and checking out the Alps as much as possible. My wife as already been to Rome so no need to head south. So now my big question, do we drive or rely on public transit. I was in Switzerland a couple years back and the transit was phenomenal. Any thoughts? I've heard mixed things about driving there. We have both driven in Europe so we are okay with swapping sides of the road. Thanks again


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## ciquta (Nov 26, 2015)

2 days in Venice is not enough IMHO, you miss too much.

That said, how long you planned to spend in the Alps?
Driving a car in that area is fine (no different than european standards), but there are good and cheap trains which can save you the hassle.

It much depends on what kind of tour you want to do and how long you're going to stay... if you want to see as much as possible moving every day in a different place then you need a car. If you find a smallish place somewhere to use as a base for bike tour... then train could be fine.


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## BXCc (May 31, 2012)

ciquta said:


> 2 days in Venice is not enough IMHO, you miss too much.
> 
> That said, how long you planned to spend in the Alps?
> Driving a car in that area is fine (no different than european standards), but there are good and cheap trains which can save you the hassle.
> ...


Good to know about Venice. We will be arriving mid day Saturday and we will have to leave the following Saturday. We really do not have any itinerary planned yet. Venice is the main reason we are going. It is something my wife has always wanted to see.

Both my wife and I tend to get bored easily so we normally wander around. Having a base town is fine too. After Venice, I think we would like something with a slower pace and in the mountains. With the option to bike or alpine ski if the mood hits us. The biking or skiing do not have to be hardcore, just something fun that gives us a taste of what the local terrain is like. Normally group tours aren't our style but if it's a day long bike tour or guided bike ride, then that would work.

As you may be able to tell, we are in the preliminary stages of deciding what we are going to do while we are there. We are also open to quite a bit and would like to be non-touristy as much as possible.


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## ciquta (Nov 26, 2015)

mmmm you don't have much time

you also have to rely on the season: forget about skiing, May it's too warm for that. There are few places where you can sky in May but they are far away (and the snow tend to melt in the afternoon, it's nice only in early morning).

so my suggestion is:

Venice at least 2 nights (don't miss outher islets like Burano and Murano).
After that rent a car and go to Verona, see the city center, then find a place to stay somewhere in SE lake Garda (like Lazise). There you will find nice bike paths around the lake, so you bike west to Sirmione and north to Lazise-Bardolino-Garda-San Vigilio. You will love it. To relax in the evening you may have a look to Aquaria spa in Sirmione.
On a rest day drive clockwise to see Salò, Limone all the way up to Riva. Riva is a beautiful place between lake and mountains (pictures speak for themselves) and so there are a zillion of activities to do (surf, bike, hiking...), so you may spend there last two nights.

Another option could be to drive from Venice to the Pustertal, a beautiful valley between mountains with nice lakes (see Braies lake) and good bike paths. You can easily cycle from Toblah in Italy to Lienz in Austria and come back with train same day (it's the well-known Drava bike path).

I do love South Tyrol but according with the season I reccomend the first option.


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## Crankyone (Dec 8, 2014)

You will have to plan it pretty tight if you are there for 7 days and 2-3 are already committed to Venice. Ciquta sounds like he/she knows what they are talking about. Lake Garda is beautiful.


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## Mountain Cycle Shawn (Jan 19, 2004)

BXCc said:


> We have both driven in Europe so we are okay with swapping sides of the road. Thanks again


They don't switch sides in Italy and Switzerland. And, one day in Venice is more than enough on a short trip. After a few hours it all starts to look the same. Oh, bring some plastic boots with you. The one size fits all boots they sell there suck. If you go in late fall or winter, chances are it will rain everyday.


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## BXCc (May 31, 2012)

Thanks for all the help. It's all appreciated. The trip will be late May and the wife can only get one week off of work at a time. She did the the Friday before off so we will fly out on Friday, arrive Saturday, and fly out the following Saturday or Sunday. Monday is Memorial day and we have that day off to so we have a rest day regardless.


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## patski (Dec 12, 2005)

BXCc said:


> Thanks for all the help. It's all appreciated. The trip will be late May and the wife can only get one week off of work at a time. She did the the Friday before off so we will fly out on Friday, arrive Saturday, and fly out the following Saturday or Sunday. Monday is Memorial day and we have that day off to so we have a rest day regardless.


Bassano del Grappa is a very cool town and really off the map unless you're a Grappa drinker. Close to Venice...


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## Mountain Cycle Shawn (Jan 19, 2004)

May is a good time of year to go. I'll be in Kauai in May!


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## pemberton325 (May 13, 2009)

I live in Italy, about an hour north of Venice. The public transportation is great here, but it will depend on were you wanna go. The best places are the small mountain towns that trains don't go to. As far as Bormio, it is a beautiful place and has a Ski/Bike park. The only thing is I am not sure if you will get in much MTBing there because there will still be a lot of snow. If you stay in Bormio, you will have access to Gavia Pass, and Stelvio Pass. Both are less than 30 kilometers from the city of Bormio. However I think both passes will be closed at that time of the year. if you want some great trails, i would go to Lake Garda, it has some of the best trail systems in the world, however be prepared to climb!

Jimmy


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## BXCc (May 31, 2012)

Mountain Cycle Shawn said:


> May is a good time of year to go. I'll be in Kauai in May!


Kauai would be fun. How long will you be there for? May is a great time of year to go. I lived on Maui for 2.5 years. That was 14 years ago though and I haven't been back since.


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## BXCc (May 31, 2012)

pemberton325 said:


> I live in Italy, about an hour north of Venice. The public transportation is great here, but it will depend on were you wanna go. The best places are the small mountain towns that trains don't go to. As far as Bormio, it is a beautiful place and has a Ski/Bike park. The only thing is I am not sure if you will get in much MTBing there because there will still be a lot of snow. If you stay in Bormio, you will have access to Gavia Pass, and Stelvio Pass. Both are less than 30 kilometers from the city of Bormio. However I think both passes will be closed at that time of the year. if you want some great trails, i would go to Lake Garda, it has some of the best trail systems in the world, however be prepared to climb!
> 
> Jimmy


Thank you very much. Any small mountain towns you would suggest?


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## BXCc (May 31, 2012)

So the trip is booked. Well the first part is. Arrive mid day Saturday, stay in Venice until Tuesday morning, then we are open. Thinking that we will be in the Lake Garda area for the remainder of the trip. Now to research biking in the Lake Garda area. 
Thanks again for all the tips


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## patski (Dec 12, 2005)

When I lived in Stuttgart, '90-'94, Gardasee was a pretty big destination for MTB, Dirtbikes & Windsurfing. Massive trail variety and well documented by German Guide books. Trails were a bit rocky for my Cannondale "Beast of the East" with pepperoni aluminum rigid fork, but I was younger.

Mountain Bike Trails, Routes and Maps on Lake Garda, Italy



BXCc said:


> So the trip is booked.Thinking that we will be in the Lake Garda area for the remainder of the trip. Now to research biking in the Lake Garda area. Thanks again for all the tips


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## Internal14 (Jan 21, 2004)

In Italy right now. Based near Montichiari the next few days. Have Saturday clear. Anything a short drive? Where to grab a bike? 
Probably a pipe dream, but figured I'd toss it out. If all the planets align maybe I get a chance to rip some Italian dirt!


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## patski (Dec 12, 2005)

Looks like Torbole is just over an hour away, https://goo.gl/Sy7cEm

Rental - Torbole Bike Shop bike rent, mountain bike, e-bike

Should be everything you need there.

I recommend driving on the coastal roads, about the same time and much nicer.

Limone and Malcesine are both great towns.



Internal14 said:


> In Italy right now. Based near Montichiari the next few days. Have Saturday clear. Anything a short drive? Where to grab a bike?
> Probably a pipe dream, but figured I'd toss it out. If all the planets align maybe I get a chance to rip some Italian dirt!


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## Internal14 (Jan 21, 2004)

We were just through there four days ago. Weather was overcast and some snow fell overnight on the hills around Trento. I was worried that the snow would shut down the trails. 


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## ciquta (Nov 26, 2015)

Internal14 said:


> In Italy right now. Based near Montichiari the next few days. Have Saturday clear. Anything a short drive? Where to grab a bike?


go to Sirmione, you may grab a bike somewhere in Desenzano then cycle your on the lakeside up to Bardolino and Garda

you'll love it


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## Mountain Cycle Shawn (Jan 19, 2004)

Ironic that this post came up again. I was looking at a map this morning. I really want to go back to Lake Como, I really miss it there. Or maybe stay on the other side of the lake in Lecco. Last time we stayed in Como, or actually in Chernobbio. I was noticing that Monza is only about 20 miles away. I could kill three birds with one stone. Hit up lake Como, mountain bike riding and the Italian Grand Prix. Time to start planning!


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## BXCc (May 31, 2012)

And since it came back up, here is a basic update. The second half of our trip is booked and we are staying in Malcesine. Looks to be a cool town that we can just use our feet in. No need to drive. Hopefully we will do some sort of biking on Mt Baldo.


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## patski (Dec 12, 2005)

You can bring your bike on the Mt Baldo Cable Car.... at least you could in 1992....



BXCc said:


> And since it came back up, here is a basic update. The second half of our trip is booked and we are staying in Malcesine. Looks to be a cool town that we can just use our feet in. No need to drive. Hopefully we will do some sort of biking on Mt Baldo.


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## BXCc (May 31, 2012)

patski said:


> You can bring your bike on the Mt Baldo Cable Car.... at least you could in 1992....


It looks like you still can. There is a shop right near the base of the cable car.


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## patski (Dec 12, 2005)

Do You Windsurf? Can be a great spot and back then most of the peeps in town were windsurfers.


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## Swissam (Apr 8, 2008)

H


Ghost_HTX said:


> I wrote this on another thread about northern Italy...
> 
> Livigno! It's a bit of a schlep to get there (it's in a valley between Switzerland and Italy and also a tax free zone, so cheap food and drink) as it is waaaay in the north of Italy and you will need a car to get there (I'm talking about a days drive from Milan). It is effing awesome, however. Right up high (around 1800m IIRC) and the centre for trekking, skiing (alpine and XC), running, hiking and biking for the entire area. A lot of pro athletes (XC skiers mainly) go there to train at altitude so there is a sports shop on more or less every street. Plus September is off season so the hotel rates should be low too. Trails? Oh there are trails out the yin yang up there, of all sorts of difficulty. My personal favourite was the loop from the town centre to Lago di Livigno, round the mountain to Lago San Giacomo, round the other side of the mountain and back - 60 km +/- and almost all of it on dirt.
> 
> ...


This, that whole area is unreal and they are really pushing to make it a top MTB destination and it is. Wonderful trails. Gardasee has also been mentioned a few times for good reason.


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## eggdog (Nov 17, 2010)

Perfect timing for this thread. We are heading to Italy in early May. Flying into Milan, then heading up to Bellagio to ride Madonna del ghisallo. Then heading to Orta San Giulo lake region to explore the riding. Still working on finding some trails around that area, but looking for any options that anyone could suggest.


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## Mountain Cycle Shawn (Jan 19, 2004)

You're gong to have a lot of fun. It's the most beautiful place I've ever been, and I can't wait to go back.

Here's a picture coming into Bellagio by boat and another looking out into Lake Como.


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## KRob (Jan 13, 2004)

Subscribing: my wife and I have been planning to spend a month (or two?) in Italy sometime in the next few years and this sort of discussion is super helpful for planning.


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## Ghost_HTX (Sep 19, 2014)

Mountain Cycle Shawn said:


> You're gong to have a lot of fun. It's the most beautiful place I've ever been, and I can't wait to go back.
> 
> Here's a picture coming into Bellagio by boat and another looking out into Lake Como.


Bellagio! My wife and I stayed at the Hotel Belvedere (sp?) a few years back - a very, very charming place!

Good times


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## BXCc (May 31, 2012)

patski said:


> Do You Windsurf? Can be a great spot and back then most of the peeps in town were windsurfers.


Nope not a windsurfer but it does look fun.

We have a month left to plan and we are still working out some details. I have emailed Bikextreme which is the shop in Malcesine but they haven't responded yet. We hope to do some Mt Baldo runs.

Another important detail we can't decide on is driving. We are fine with walking a public transport for Venice and once we are in Malcesine, but getting to Malcesine is the issue. The concensus seems to be to avoid driving if possible. But that may not work for us. I will update this thread before and after the trip.


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## Ghost_HTX (Sep 19, 2014)

Driving in Italy isn't a problem - especially for those who are used to driving on the right / sitting in the left seat.
Italians are not the speed obsessed / death wish nurturing crazy drivers that the common stereotype makes them out to be... Honest...

Your best bet might be hiring a car one way from Venice then driving it to Malcesine and having it collected (you pay a slight premium for this, but it is possible).


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## BXCc (May 31, 2012)

Ghost_HTX said:


> Driving in Italy isn't a problem - especially for those who are used to driving on the right / sitting in the left seat.
> Italians are not the speed obsessed / death wish nurturing crazy drivers that the common stereotype makes them out to be... Honest...
> 
> Your best bet might be hiring a car one way from Venice then driving it to Malcesine and having it collected (you pay a slight premium for this, but it is possible).


Thank you
We will probably end up driving as we are both used to city driving (not big fans of it though) from the left seat. And we would really like to make a detour and check out Madonna della Corona on the way to Malcesine.


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## dfishdesign (Apr 15, 2015)

Ghost_HTX said:


> Driving in Italy isn't a problem - especially for those who are used to driving on the right / sitting in the left seat.
> Italians are not the speed obsessed / death wish nurturing crazy drivers that the common stereotype makes them out to be... Honest...
> 
> Your best bet might be hiring a car one way from Venice then driving it to Malcesine and having it collected (you pay a slight premium for this, but it is possible).


Awww come on! I've lived and driven in crazy places like India and Spain, driving in Italy is terrible. Of course it depends where and when, but in a city at rush hour is like a battleground.(I commute in Torino) avoid rush hour driving, you should be fine on the autostrada and countryside

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## BXCc (May 31, 2012)

dfishdesign said:


> Awww come on! I've lived and driven in crazy places like India and Spain, driving in Italy is terrible. Of course it depends where and when, but in a city at rush hour is like a battleground.(I commute in Torino) avoid rush hour driving, you should be fine on the autostrada and countryside
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk


Very good to know. Venice airport to Malcesine and back is about it for us. Maybe some small detours away from the cities if time allows.


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## masm71 (Dec 24, 2010)

I'm going to be in Abruzzo end of May, and then on July again.
Any good trails between Chieti and Sulmona?

I know there is a race on May 29, in Bocca di Valle.


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## masm71 (Dec 24, 2010)

About riding in Italy:
It’s not worse than other places in the word.
But I always have full insurance where ever in the word I rent a car.... just to avoid too much stress when driving.

BUT the streets signs is another topic😉


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## ciquta (Nov 26, 2015)

masm71 said:


> About riding in Italy:
> It's not worse than other places in the word.
> But I always have full insurance where ever in the word I rent a car.... just to avoid too much stress when driving.
> 
> BUT the streets signs is another topic?


It depends where you go.
Driving in center and north is fine, you may find it hard in south italy or in big cities like Firenze, Rome, Milano.

Avoid southern cities by car even if you feel skilled. I myself drive 40k miles every year through Italy, but drive in Palermo or Naples is very hard for me aswell.

Mind the traffic light: red means you cannot move at all, it's not like in the US where you may turn right anyway...


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## eggdog (Nov 17, 2010)

Just got back last night from a 10 day trip to Italy's northern lake region. Flew into Milan and drove up to Verenna. Driving the Autostrada is no big deal, but the feel to the narrow city roads will take some getting used to! My biggest stress was getting lost in Como. Even the GPS could not keep up with trying to navigate the route. Crazy narrow winding roads with bus, trucks all trying to work their ways thru the town. Just get the smallest car you can and go for it and
hang on.. 

From there we drove to Bellagio and did some awesome road rides all around the region. Madonna del Ghisallo is a must do road ride. Then we did a few great MTB through out the region. I HIGHLY recommend Hotel Il Perlo in Belaggio. It is a biking hotel and is 100% recommended. Great quality bike rentals, great trail advice and maps and super friendly staff.

From there we drove to Orta San Guilo which is a hidden gem in the Northern lake region. Unfortunatly the rains came and cut short a bit of our riding. Overall a great trip and highly recommend the Northern Lake region of Italy!


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## Mountain Cycle Shawn (Jan 19, 2004)

Wow, very cool. I've spent some time there. I think to myself almost every day, that I can't wait to go back. I could easily live there.


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