We will land in Milan in mid October and I really want to see the alps. We will have 3 days at the start of our week or so in Le Marche to rest and gaze at the mountains. Where is a good city/town to stay? Does anyone have any lodging advice? We will not have a car at this point of the trip and need to return to Milan to continue on our way. Thanks

Le Marche is on the opposite side of the country to Milan so I think you need to give us some idea of your time frame for travelling before we can help you.

How long do you have in Italy and exactly where do you want to go within that time?

And Le Marche is not very close to the Alps....

From Milan, you can go north and west to Piemonte and the Valle d'Aosta to see the Alps--only 2-3 hours from Milan.

Oh boy, I see what you mean about the distance involved. Are there any suggestions for a short stay prior to continuing on to Le Marche

You could go the Stresa / Baveno area on Lake Maggiore. The north end of the lake is surrounded by mountains and there is a cable car to the top of Mount Mottarone above Stresa. Isola Bella is worth visiting. Stresa is about 40 miles from Milan Malpensa. and is accessible by train. You could get a cab to the train station in Gallarate and go to Stresa from there, about a 30-45 minute train ride. We stayed at Hotel Villa Ruscello, a small family-run property, which I would recommend except that I think you would need a car or good familiarity with the local buses to stay there. Speaking some Italian would be a help also.

Bill

Fibonacci has given you a good suggestion. Stresa and Isola Bella are well worth the trip. On Isola Bella there is the Borromeo palace, which may end up to be a surprise highlight of your trip. Try the Ristorante Elvezia, next to the palace, it is wonderful. And you will be surrounded by mountains all the time. From the top of Mottorone, with the cable car as Fibonacci has suggested, one can see 7 lakes on a clear day, and the view of the Alps is spectacular. There is a fun, Alpine-feeling restaurant at the summit to enjoy while you're there. These are technically not the Alps, but they are beautiful. Another thought would be to go to Stresa and enjoy it, and take a day excursion from Stresa into the heart of the Alps. There are day bus excursions available to Zermatt and Macugnaga... true Alps...

Let me know if you'd like more information and I'll find the particulars for you.

You could just hop on a train and head north towards SONDRIO and get off somewhere on lake Como (about 1hour from Milano!) and this is what you could see:

As you are flying into Milan, look out the window of the plane. That, on the right is Monte Bianco and, on the left, Cervino (the Matterhorn). You've seen the Alps!

Good ideas above. Sondrio itself and the Valmalenco just out of it, particularly, have fantastic mountains too. Or, as Gios said, just stop at Como; you'll be surprised at the stunning views right there! The suggestions to visit Stressa is a good one. Stressa also would allow easy re-access to the autostrada to get back on the road to Marche.

Pedalaforte is right...

I don't know if you've flown into Milan before, but the view coming in over the Alps is unbelievable! I hope you have a nice clear sky that day.