Northern Italian Lakes & Countryside
From CAD $3825
Guarantee
Group Tour
Easy
Rating
(10 reviews)
From the grand boulevards of Turin to the fashion streets of Milan, this nine-day journey takes you through the lakes, countryside and traditions of northern Italy. Spend time in Verona and Modena, where you’ll visit an acetaia for a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience and taste aged balsamic vinegar made using centuries-old methods. Settle into the lakes to explore the winding shores of Lakes Garda, Maggiore and Como. Visit the Enzo Ferrari Museum and share a home-cooked meal with the Serenelli family on their farm, a site tied to the Battle of Solferino. Along the way, take in the scenic towns, local flavors and an easy going pace of life.
Highlights
Dining Summary
- 8 Breakfast (B)
- 4 Dinner (D)
Be My Guest
- Solferino: Walk the property with Anna Serenelli, meet the animals and hear how the farm played a part in Napoleon’s Battle of Solferino, an event that helped inspire the founding of the International Red Cross, before sitting down to a hearty Lombardy meal.
Dive into Culture
- Modena: Celebrate all things Ferrari, past, present and future, at the Enzo Ferrari Museum in Modena. This pit stop includes intriguing exhibitions and an immersive experience that you'll never forget.
Iconic Experience
- Turin: Explore Turin on a city tour by coach with a Local Specialist. Take in the city’s elegant streets and baroque buildings as you learn about its royal past and the influence of the House of Savoy from a local who knows it best.
- Visit Lake Orta, one of northern Italy’s lesser-known gems. You’ll have time to enjoy the peaceful lakeside setting, take in views of the island of San Giulio and maybe stop for a coffee in the town of Orta San Giulio, known for its quiet charm and narrow, cobbled streets.
- Como: Enjoy free time in Como to explore your way. Known for its Alpine backdrop and lakeside setting, Como offers cafe-lined squares, quiet lanes and waterfront views.
- Modena: Delve into the history and culture of Modena with a Local Specialist. Stroll through the Old Town streets and see the beautiful arcade of the Piazza Grande.
- Verona: Join a Local Specialist on a sightseeing walk along Verona's charming central streets. See the bronze statue of Juliet and the Roman arena.
- Milan: See Milan's central highlights.
MAKE TRAVEL MATTER®
- Modena: Enjoy a gourmet interlude at a historic, traditional acetaia with a tasting of some of the world’s finest balsamic vinegar. As pioneers in organic and biodynamic production, they place sustainable practices and soil care at the heart of their craft. This experience supports United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 12: Responsible Production and Consumption.
Must-see Highlights
- Explore Verona and Modena
- Visit Lake Orta, Lake Maggiore, Lake Como, Lake Garda and the Enzo Ferrari Museum in Modena
- View Bergamo’s Piazza del Duomo, Roman Arena in Verona, Modena Cathedral and Milan’s Duomo and La Scala Opera House
- Discover Bergamo and Milan
Trip Details
Product Code: 28232
Tour Type: Group Tour
Accommodation: Luxury
Transport: Private
Guide Language: English
Travel Styles:
Classic
Tour Operator:
Trafalgar (CA)
Supplier Code: 44.157B
Starts: Milan, Italy
Finishes: Milan, Italy
Duration: 9 days
Departures: Not Guaranteed
Physical Rating:
Easy
Includes
Whats Included
- An expert Travel Director and professional Driver
- Cherry-picked hotels, all tried and trusted
- All porterage and restaurant gratuities
- All hotel tips, charges and local taxes
- Breakfast daily and up to half of your evening meals
- Must-see sightseeing
- Audio headsets for flexible sightseeing
- Luxury air-conditioned coach with Wi-Fi in most countries or alternative transportation (such as rail journeys)
- Optional Experiences and free time
- On occasion, hotels of similar standard and location may be utilized
Price
Price per person: (Double Occupancy) CAD $3825 ($425 /day)
Itinerary
Welcome to Turin, the starting point for a journey through Italy’s northern countryside and lakes. Meet your Travel Director and fellow travelers and get to know one another over dinner, sharing your first taste of regional flavors.
Accommodation: AC Hotel by Marriott Torino
Meals: Dinner
Get your bearings on a city tour of Turin with a Local Specialist, taking in piazzas, wide boulevards and baroque architecture. The afternoon is yours to enjoy at your own pace. Stroll the arcaded streets, sip a rich bicerin at a cafe or join an Optional Experience to the UNESCO-listed La Venaria Reale, once a royal hunting lodge and today one of Italy’s most impressive palace complexes.
Accommodation: AC Hotel by Marriott Torino
Meals: Breakfast
Start your day lakeside at Lago d’Orta. There’s time to enjoy a coffee by the water and take in views of the island and the Alps beyond. Later, follow the shoreline of Lake Maggiore by road, enjoying scenes of pastel villas and wooded hills. In the town of Stresa, you can enjoy more time at leisure or join an Optional Experience to explore the Borromean Islands, a group of private isles once home to aristocratic families. You’ll end the day in Erba, a gateway to the Lombardy countryside.
Accommodation: Hotel Leonardo da Vinci
Meals: Breakfast
Spend the day in Como, with plenty of time to explore at your own pace. You might take the funicular up to Brunate for panoramic views, browse local boutiques or relax by the lake with a gelato. For a different perspective, you can join an Optional Experience cruise with a Local Specialist to learn about the history, culture and villas of Lake Como from the water.
Accommodation: Hotel Leonardo da Vinci
Meals: Breakfast
Explore the upper town of Bergamo, where medieval streets lead to Piazza Vecchia, once the heart of civic life. See the Contarini Fountain and Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica, built in the 12th century as a tribute to the Virgin Mary. Walk past Renaissance facades before traveling into the Lake Garda area. Enjoy a Be My Guest experience with the Serenelli family at their farm where you’ll dine on Lombardy favorites. Settle in for a three-night stay surrounded by the Italian countryside and tree-covered hills.
Accommodation: Poiano Resort
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Your day starts with an introduction to the gastronomic hub of Modena, home of sparkling Lambrusco, salty prosciutto and the aromas of parmigiano, for an exploration with a Local Specialist. Wander past pastel-hued facades in the heart of the city that was the birthplace of Ferrari, Pavarotti and tortellini. Modena's Old Town and the Piazza Grande with its 12th-century cathedral and Torre Civica, has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As the day continues, visit the Enzo Ferrari Museum where you'll Dive into Culture and explore the history of this Italian icon. Enjoy a gourmet interlude at a historic, traditional Acetaia on a MAKE TRAVEL MATTER® Experience to taste the delicious flavors of some of the world’s best organic and biodynamic balsamic vinegar. Settle in for a leisurely dinner with your traveling companions and Travel Director.
Accommodation: Poiano Resort
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Romance is in the air today as you journey to Verona, the home of Shakespeare's tragic star-crossed lovers. A walking tour with a Local Specialist will take you to Juliet's Balcony, as well as the Roman arena, still in use today. There is also plenty of time to explore the city at leisure - see the seven medieval towers of Castelvecchio, relax under the shady trees in Verona's Piazza Bra or clamber up Lamberti's Tower for city views.
Accommodation: Poiano Resort
Meals: Breakfast
In search of spires that reach the sky, leave the tranquil lakes behind for the chic northern capital of Milan. Admire the Gothic Duomo, La Scala Opera House and 19th-century Galleria with its glass and iron-domed roof. Enjoy the rest of the afternoon at leisure to jostle with the Milanese for your spot in the shopping district of Via Montenapoleone, Via della Spiga and Via Sant'Andrea. This evening, join your fellow travelers for dinner to celebrate the end of your holiday together.
Accommodation: Starhotels Business Palace
Meals: Breakfast, Dinner
Your jaunt through the lakes and countryside of northern Italy has come to an end. Say arrivederci to Italy and your newfound friends.
Meals: Breakfast
Similar Tours
Tour Operator
Trafalgar (CA)
Family owned and run since 1920, The Travel Corporation (TTC) is the world leader in immersive travel experiences across an extensive range of travel categories. Each year TTC's 40 award winning hospitality and travel brands connect over 1 million happy travellers to the world. We give you access to the 12 DMC’s behind these brands, so you can build your business by capitalizing on the extensive experience, local expertise, and financial assurance of TTC. LOCAL EXPERTISE The world leaders in travel for over 100 years, we offer unparalleled local expertise with a global footprint. Our 12 DMCs, led by experienced in-destination teams, deliver experience rich travel solutions in more than 80 countries. Additionally, our market based teams are on hand to support across our 40 offices worldwide
In Business Since 1931
Reviews
Trusted Customer - Traveled, November 2024
Solo Italian lake tour! Was good service. Everything was on time. The tour was good but I wouldn’t rate it as 5 star. would give it 3 star Yes Italy is beautiful and most of the food we had was beautiful. The food at the first hotel we stayed in was only average. I think for the price we paid for the tour some of those extra could have been included in the tour . When you add it all up at the end it works out away too expensive for the experience especially when you travel solo
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 11/27/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, September 2024
Trafalgar's service was excellent. The tour director was attentive to every need. The itinerary was excellent and the tour director and driver were excellent. The food at the dinners was not so good-it was average at best. The trip to the farm was a joke- everyone has seen horses and chickens and there was little interaction with the hosts.. It was not worth the drive out there. The choice of hotels left us stranded at dinner time. We were in the middle of nowhere and had to walk on a road with no sidewalks to get to the restaurants. The seat rotation on the bus was terrible. Those who started toward the back never made it to the front even though there were two empty seats, toward the middle and people still had to sit on the back row. Even with these annoying factors we enjoyed the trip and would go again.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/15/2024
Maria Taeschler - Traveled, September 2024
Excellent service, very attentive, and therefore you if anything went wrong. Carl was very compassionate to those who were having issues with anything. It was very well organized, and covered very special spots that I would not have seen on my own. Also, what really made my tour was my tour guide, Carl. He he showed up every morning with such positive energy and excitement for the day, you would’ve never known that it was his job and that he wasn’t just traveling with us. He made us laugh, he took the time to talk to us individually. He was actually the best tour guy I’ve ever ever had.!!
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/15/2024
David Taeschler - Traveled, August 2024
Italian lakes review! Carl Taylor our tour director was great. Energetic and informed he was entertaining and knowledgeable. Great location and excellent tour director. Hotels were great and food was terrific.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 09/22/2024
Dale Roberson, Evin Roberson - Traveled, September 2024
Pleasant Trip to Sicily. Trafalgar's detailed attention to service made the trip more enjoyable. The tour guide and driver were experts. The tour guide was constantly doing things to make the tour more enjoyable. The tour guide was not only a guide but a wealth of information about southern Italy and Sicily. This was our 3rd Trafalgar trip, and the most enjoyable.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 10/21/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, July 2024
Some of the optional excursions should be included as regular excursions and include them in your price. For the most part based on where you have positioned the hotels there would be nothing to do as they are not close to anything so you have no option but to take the optional excursions. Maybe rethink some of your hotels especially the one at lake Garda as although close to the lake it wasn’t close to anything. And it was also sub standard. Travel guide (***********) was superb.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 07/26/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, June 2024
Optional tours are necessary for full enjoyment. The documents were quite clear about what we needed to do to prepare for the trip. If you do not take the optional tours, you be will left on your own in towns like Baveno which is very small. Also the drives to each location were quite long, and you did not stay very long in any one place.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 07/22/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, June 2024
Loved the Lakes area! Drivers and TD did a good job getting us to our destinations. TD shared a lot of history. Beautiful area! Even though the itinerary looks relaxed, it really isn’t. Moving/touring every day, but there is a lot of bus time. They changed the 5 day hotel and it was not an improvement! Disappointed with Trafalgar for that reason.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 07/23/2024
Trusted Customer - Traveled, June 2024
Our tour guide was the best part of Trafalgar's service. There should have had the optional tours as part of the included tour. There could have been more time spent in Verona and Milan. The Riva del Sole Hotel was not in a central location to do anything from there. There was not much to do at this hotel especially if the weather was not good to swim. A hotel in Verona or the first hotel - Grand Hotel Dino Vaneno would have been better.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 07/21/2024
Paulette Staley - Traveled, June 2024
Awesome! Tour guide and bus driver does everything to make our travel stress free and fun. We saw places we would of never seen Stress-free and met some great people on our trip.
Source: Tour operator Submitted: 07/13/2024
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