I am a middle aged woman who will spend 2 weeks solo in Florence in late June doing my first Italian course. This trip was postponed and shortened following a family medical problem. I have 6 days from the time my course finishes until I depart Italy from Milan. I would like suggestions for how best to fill in the 6 days. I would prefer to keep the travelling in one direction, and choose areas which are beautiful to experience and not too hard to travel in for a solo woman.

Thanks in advance.

Irene, one way would be to go through Emilia Romagna, visiting maybe Bologna and Parma or Bologna and Piacenza.

Another way would be to go through Liguria / Piemonte, visiting maybe Lerici and the Cinque Terre for a few days and then going somewhere in either the Monferrato or the Langhe for the other days.

It depends how you are traveling and what you like --- train or car, urban or country. BUt those would be two (of many) possibilities which could be expanded upon.

It depends what sort of experience you are looking for urban vs. rural or semi rural/peaceful. I would go up to the lakes area for the 6 days possibly spliting the time between Lake Orta and a larger lake. lake Orta is very quiet and peaceful and on a small scale. It's one of our favorite places in Italy.

I assume you are flying out of Malpensa? If so the lakes are about as close to the airport as the city of Milan. RR

My vote would be for Liguria, Piemonte or Emilia Romagna. I am not sure about the first two areas, but I can tell you that train travel in Emilia Romagna is very easy. All of the cities are well connected by train (with Bologna being a great city to base yourself in).

If you like the lakes, spending time up at Lake Como would be relaxing. We spent two days in Varenna and just loved it.

Cyn

Here's a map that may help to visualize some of your options. I'd definitely head to Bologna from Florence (Firenze on the map). From there some of your options within an easy radius of Milan are Modena, Parma, Piacenza, Mantova (Mantua), Verona, and Bergamo. You might want to read up on those cities to get an idea of which most appeal to you.

We've had wonderful visits to all of them except Piacenza and Mantua. If you click on the link under my name, you can see links to my trip reports and photo albums. In Fall 2006 we were in Bergamo (before going to the Cinque Terre), and in Fall 2005 we were in Emilia Romagna and the Veneto.

- Roz

I presonally would opt to be based for the whole 6 days in Parma. This is a lovely city that mixes medieval and XIX century architecture, besides, it's located on a major railway line connecting it to Bologna, Modena, Reggio Emilia, Piacenza, and Milano, all of them being within a 1 hours 30 minutes radius. A secondary line wil take you to mantova and busses will connect you to a number of smaller villages within the province, including the Felino castle and several other castles.

I would head straight up to Lake Como, may be with a couple of days in Parma. Although I agree that Bologna is worth stopping at, after two weeks in Florence you may want to relax by the lakeside and take a stroll along the shore rather than being full immersed in city life again. Experience something a bit different.

I think at the end of June it will be hot and maybe humid. I don't think Emilia Romagna in general is a great destination in the heat.

I would go somewhere easily accessible by rail that hopefully will not be as hot. You could go to the Ligurian Coast south of Genoa (Santa Margherita Ligure or Camogli) from which you can continue to Milan. Or go to Lake Como or Lake Maggiore. Como, Varenna, or Stresa are all easily accessible by train.

WOW! Thank you so much for all the great advice. I will spend the next couple of days digesting it and make a decision based on these helpful suggestions. Thanks for the clear map, Roz. I can actually see where everythig is at a glance.

If any of you have favourite acommodation recommendations ( location is more impt for me than luxury,as long as it is clean and good value)in any of the places mentioned, that woudl be most helpful too. I will be back once I have narrowed the options.

I just love this site and also the people on this site. Many thanks.

Irene

For Lerici, near the Cinque Terre, I would say the Doria Park. It is a great place to stay if you are traveling alone. It is owned and operated by a family, and you would feel very comfortable there. A few steps and a short walk away and you are at the water front, where the fishing boats come in. Their breakfast is great. It is a three star, not that luxurious but very clean and comfortable. Here
is my review of the Doria Park.

In Piedmont, in my area, there is a small, in-town B&B here in the spa town of Acqui Terme called Relais dell'Osso which is in the historic town center. We stayed there during our renovation. It is stylish and sweet, has great beds and the owner run the restaurant next door.

From Acqui you would take the train to Milan via Tortona or Alessandria and then the bus from the train station to Malpensa. It is better to do that the day before, and then stay either in Milano or at the airport (if you are training it that is).

I think that one thing to keep in mind when traveling alone is that a smaller town/city might give you more opportunity to interact with people. Of course it depends on how out-going you are! For me, I would choose a place like Parma, Ferrara, or Mantova and have a small-town experience where I can meet the same shopkeepers each day and pretend that I live there.

The lake region was a good suggestion, however, I don't think that I would want to do that trip alone. It's so darn romantic. And it doesn't have the density of "things to do" for a solo traveler. That would be more of a beautiful scenery trip, I think.

Wherever you pick, you will undoubtedly have an amazing adventure. I think basing yourself for 6 days somewhere with the option for day trips sounds great. And after your language course, you will be able to speak to everyone!