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Train or drive in Northern Italy?

Train or drive in Northern Italy?

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Old Aug 2nd 2007, 4:56 pm
  #1  
Urf
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Default Train or drive in Northern Italy?

Planning a trip for two couples in the fall. 10 days.

Milan - Lake Como area - Cinque Terra area - Lucca - Venice

Train or Auto ?

Suggestions on places to see?
 
Old Aug 2nd 2007, 5:23 pm
  #2  
Graham Harrison
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Default Re: Train or drive in Northern Italy?

"urf" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:O0osi.8408$oW3.7867@trndny08...
> Planning a trip for two couples in the fall. 10 days.
>
> Milan - Lake Como area - Cinque Terra area - Lucca - Venice
>
> Train or Auto ?
>
> Suggestions on places to see?
>
>
>

Well the car is of no use in Venice, of course! (sorry, couldn't resist).

We did Venice, Verona, Milan by train in April with a day trip by (regular,
not tour) bus from Verona to Lake Garda and it all worked really well.
Trains quick and frequent and cheap (by UK standards). Bus was fine.

Just one word of warning, watch your belongings in the area around the
stations, not just in the station but in the square etc outside. First
time ever that I've had a problem with theft.
 
Old Aug 3rd 2007, 10:06 am
  #3  
Sergio
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Default Re: Train or drive in Northern Italy?

On Aug 2, 7:23 pm, "Graham Harrison"
> > Milan - Lake Como area - Cinque Terra area - Lucca - Venice
> > Train or Auto ?
> > Suggestions on places to see?
> Well the car is of no use in Venice, of course! (sorry, couldn't resist).

Neither inside Milano.
Very tiring to use in the Como area, because of heavy taffic and
narrow roads: better move by ferry over there.
Maybe useful around Cinqueterre, provided you do not dislike mountain
driving.
Quite useful in the Lucca area, though not at all in town.
Certainly not needed to hop from one place to another.

Sergio
Pisa
 
Old Aug 3rd 2007, 11:39 am
  #4  
B Vaughan
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Default Re: Train or drive in Northern Italy?

On Thu, 02 Aug 2007 16:56:14 GMT, "urf" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Planning a trip for two couples in the fall. 10 days.
>
>Milan - Lake Como area - Cinque Terra area - Lucca - Venice

I don't know the Lake Como area; Milan is a big city, and a car
wouldn't be useful there, but it might be useful for Milan <-> Lake
Como segment. The Cinque Terre is mostly little towns without auto
traffic. Each town is reachable by train, and also by boat along the
coast. The auto parking is a bit far from the towns, I've been told.
We visited the area by boat.

I will give my usual warning that the Cinque Terre is a bit out of the
way, and that the tourists there outnumber the residents by about 10
to 1. There is plenty of pretty coastline in Italy, including some
other towns near the Cinque Terre that have many fewer tourists.

Lucca is very walkable and the train station is near the center of
town.

From the west coast of Italy to Venice is a long drive and a car would
be an absolute nuisance once you get to Venice.

The only places where a car might be advisable are in the area near
Lake Como or along the way from Milano, or to see some of the Tuscan
countryside while you're in Lucca. (The best Tuscan countryside,
though, is not near Lucca.)

>Train or Auto ?
>
>Suggestions on places to see?
>
>

--
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup
 
Old Aug 3rd 2007, 12:50 pm
  #5  
Bruce Stemplewski
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Default Re: Train or drive in Northern Italy?

urf wrote:
> Planning a trip for two couples in the fall. 10 days.
>
> Milan - Lake Como area - Cinque Terra area - Lucca - Venice
>
> Train or Auto ?
>
> Suggestions on places to see?
>
>
>

Train for sure. You will not be permitted to take a car into Cinque
Terra or Venice. Not sure about Lucca. Milan would be a nightmare for
driving.


As far as places to see, you pretty much have listed them. If you want
to go to Cinque Terra from Milan then you will pass through Pavia.
There is a huge castle there that you might want to stop by and see.
There are many places and towns to see in the area. A great place
because it's lack of tourists.

--
Bruce E. Stemplewski
 
Old Aug 3rd 2007, 1:00 pm
  #6  
-Rog
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Default Re: Train or drive in Northern Italy?

"sergio" <[email protected]> wrote:
>> Well the car is of no use in Venice, of course!

Back in the 30's, when writer Robert Benchley went to
Venice for the New Yorker magazine, upon arrival he
wired his editor: "Streets flooded. Please advise." :-)
 
Old Aug 3rd 2007, 4:33 pm
  #7  
Ken Blake
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Default Re: Train or drive in Northern Italy?

On Fri, 03 Aug 2007 13:39:49 +0200, B Vaughan<[email protected]> wrote:

> Lucca is very walkable


Yes, and pedestrian only in many parts.


> and the train station is near the center of
> town.


But that statement confuses me, If you mean the old walled city (the
only part of Lucca that interests me, and probably most tourists),
it's not near the center of it at all. It's actually just outside the
wall.

But the walled city is small enough that even just outside the wall
isn't terribly far from anything.

--
Ken Blake
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Old Aug 3rd 2007, 6:15 pm
  #8  
Sergio
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Default Re: Train or drive in Northern Italy?

On 3 Ago, 18:33, Ken Blake

> But that statement confuses me, If you mean the old walled city (the
> only part of Lucca that interests me, and probably most tourists),
> it's not near the center of it at all. It's actually just outside the
> wall.

Quite wrong, in fact, what you are saying, Ken.

Sergio
Pisa
 
Old Aug 3rd 2007, 9:42 pm
  #9  
B Vaughan
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Default Re: Train or drive in Northern Italy?

On Fri, 03 Aug 2007 09:33:28 -0700, Ken Blake
<[email protected]> wrote:

>On Fri, 03 Aug 2007 13:39:49 +0200, B Vaughan<[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> and the train station is near the center of
>> town.
>
>
>But that statement confuses me, If you mean the old walled city (the
>only part of Lucca that interests me, and probably most tourists),
>it's not near the center of it at all. It's actually just outside the
>wall.
>
>But the walled city is small enough that even just outside the wall
>isn't terribly far from anything.

I just meant that the distance is not great. Many Italian cities are
on a hill, with the train station down in the valley.


--
Barbara Vaughan
My email address is my first initial followed by my surname at libero dot it
I answer travel questions only in the newsgroup
 
Old Aug 3rd 2007, 10:04 pm
  #10  
Ken Blake
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Default Re: Train or drive in Northern Italy?

On Fri, 03 Aug 2007 23:42:35 +0200, B Vaughan<[email protected]> wrote:

> On Fri, 03 Aug 2007 09:33:28 -0700, Ken Blake
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >On Fri, 03 Aug 2007 13:39:49 +0200, B Vaughan<[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> >> and the train station is near the center of
> >> town.
> >
> >
> >But that statement confuses me, If you mean the old walled city (the
> >only part of Lucca that interests me, and probably most tourists),
> >it's not near the center of it at all. It's actually just outside the
> >wall.
> >
> >But the walled city is small enough that even just outside the wall
> >isn't terribly far from anything.
>
> I just meant that the distance is not great.


OK, understood.


> Many Italian cities are
> on a hill, with the train station down in the valley.


Yep.


--
Ken Blake
Please Reply to the Newsgroup
 
Old Aug 3rd 2007, 10:23 pm
  #11  
Doesn't Frequently Mop
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Default Re: Train or drive in Northern Italy?

Make credence recognised that on Fri, 03 Aug 2007 11:15:29 -0700,
sergio <[email protected]> has scripted:

>On 3 Ago, 18:33, Ken Blake
>
>> But that statement confuses me, If you mean the old walled city (the
>> only part of Lucca that interests me, and probably most tourists),
>> it's not near the center of it at all. It's actually just outside the
>> wall.
>
>Quite wrong, in fact, what you are saying, Ken.

I think Ken is talking about something else. Lucca is definitely
inside the wall, no matter how you measure it.
--
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Old Aug 3rd 2007, 10:57 pm
  #12  
Ken Blake
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Default Re: Train or drive in Northern Italy?

On Sat, 04 Aug 2007 00:23:40 +0200, Doesn't Frequently Mop
<deepfreudmoors@eITmISaACTUALLYiREAL!l.nu> wrote:

> Make credence recognised that on Fri, 03 Aug 2007 11:15:29 -0700,
> sergio <[email protected]> has scripted:
>
> >On 3 Ago, 18:33, Ken Blake
> >
> >> But that statement confuses me, If you mean the old walled city (the
> >> only part of Lucca that interests me, and probably most tourists),
> >> it's not near the center of it at all. It's actually just outside the
> >> wall.
> >
> >Quite wrong, in fact, what you are saying, Ken.
>
> I think Ken is talking about something else. Lucca is definitely
> inside the wall, no matter how you measure it.


And the train station is definitely outside the wall. Across the
street from it, and therefore close, but definitely outside it.

--
Ken Blake
Please Reply to the Newsgroup
 
Old Aug 13th 2007, 9:02 am
  #13  
Giovanni Drogo
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Default Re: Train or drive in Northern Italy?

On Fri, 3 Aug 2007, B Vaughan wrote:
> On Thu, 02 Aug 2007 16:56:14 GMT, "urf" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >Planning a trip for two couples in the fall. 10 days.
> >Milan - Lake Como area - Cinque Terra area - Lucca - Venice

I am no car driver, so I can be biased for train, but all what you plan
is surely doable by public transport (not necessarily only train).

> I will give my usual warning that the Cinque Terre is a bit out of the
> way, and that the tourists there outnumber the residents by about 10
> to 1.

Given the proposed itinerary, I'd not say Cinque Terre are (since it
means "five lands" for me it is second nature to use the plural) out of
the way from Milan to Lucca. It might be Venice that is out of the way !

I cannot comment on tourist overcrowding in Cinque Terre, since I was
there several years ago, and they were probably much less popular than
now. Venice is likely to be tourist-crowded. But maybe you will be
travelling somehow off-peak.

Now concerning trains and public transport.

You could travel to places on lake Como as day trips from Milan,
assuming you are wanting to see the monuments and museums in Milan
(which is better on this respect than many people here think).
Otherwise, if you are landing in Malpensa, you can proceed directly to
Como. Check the airport website http://www.sea-aeroportimilano.it/en/
for connections.

There are probably direct coach connections to Como, but may not be so
frequent. You can get to Como from Malpensa by train with one stop,
taking the Malpensa Express towards Milan, stopping in Saronno, and
changing to a FNM train to Como Lago, with hourly frequency or less.

Otherwise the connections from Milan to lake Como are as follows :

- Milan to Como via FNM trains (depart from Milan Cadorna and end in
Como Lago, hourly suburban trains)

- Milan to Como San Giovanni via FS (Trenitalia) trains. You may take
local trains (check departure station may be Porta Garibaldi or
Centrale) or international trains continuing into Switzerland (depart
Centrale station)

- there is no further train service on the lake from Como, but there
is navigation (ships and hydrofoil) and local buses (station near
Como Lago FNM station).

- Milan to Lecco and Colico : this is the main line along the eastern
coast of the lake. Check departure station (Porta Garibaldi or
Centrale). Train more scenic than driving along the new road, which
is entirely in tunnel ... but you can use the old coastal road.

Navigation on the Lecco branch (the SE branch of the reversed Y which
is lake Como) should have been severely curtailed by budget law cuts,
and also the northern branch should have few boats off season, but I'm
not sure when season ends. Check the Navigazione Laghi web site or
http://www.trasporti.regione.lombardia.it/trl_index.htm

The ferry service at centre lake (Varenna-Bellagio-Menaggio) should
always be operating.

- Milan to Lecco via Oggiono : is a secondary line (departs Porta
Garibaldi, limited service on Sundays), but goes across the hilly
region of Brianza. If you stop in Civate and climb to the abbey of
San Pietro al Monte (only by foot). Then continue to Lecco and
change to the other line to continue along the lake.

- as detour, you might consider Milan to Bergamo via Carnate (this
stretch common to Milan-Lecco via main line, but again check
departure station). This crosses the old iron bridge between
Paderno and Calusco, some 90 m high over the canyon of river Adda.
You can then visit the High City in Bergamo (definitely worth while)
and take a direct train back to Lecco.

- to go from lake Como area to Cinque Terre you have to go back to
Milano Centrale station anyhow. There is probably a direct train every
2 hours, interleaved on the other hour with a train with change in
Genova. A stopover in Genova may be worth.

- from Cinque Terre to Lucca via La Spezia should be easy

- then you should do Lucca-Firenze (Florence) and then go to Venice
via Bologna.

Use http://home.arcor.de/e.lauterbach/au...fplanx-en.html as rail
planner (more flexible than the Trenitalia site, which however you
should use if you want fare information).

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Old Aug 13th 2007, 9:09 am
  #14  
Giovanni Drogo
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Default Re: Train or drive in Northern Italy?

On Fri, 3 Aug 2007, Bruce Stemplewski wrote:

> to Cinque Terra from Milan then you will pass through Pavia. There is
> a huge castle there that you might want to stop by and see.

Sincerely I would recommend a stop in Genova, not in Pavia. And if one
wants to see Pavia, the Castle (Castello Visconteo) is surely not the
most interesting sight (the romanesque churches of S.Michele and
S.Teodoro are much more interesting).

Actually only the castle front remains, and very little of the back
walls. The typology is very similar to the Castello Sforzesco in Milan
(however largely reconstructed after 1860), or the Castle in Vigevano
(Vigevano is worth visiting also for its square, some 30 min from Milan
by train, departing hourly from Porta Genova station ; might also have a
cioccolata da passeggio ("walking chocolate" ; take away hot chocolate
with cream from a shop somewhere behind the main square).

Another interesting sight near Pavia (local trains from Milan may stop
there) is the Certosa (chartreuse), but I won't recommend going there
this year. The best part of it is the front, and in May it was fully
covered by scaffolding for restoration works.

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Old Aug 13th 2007, 5:58 pm
  #15  
Doesn't Frequently Mop
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Default Re: Train or drive in Northern Italy?

Make credence recognised that on Mon, 13 Aug 2007 11:02:00 +0200,
Giovanni Drogo <[email protected]> has scripted:

>On Fri, 3 Aug 2007, B Vaughan wrote:
>> On Thu, 02 Aug 2007 16:56:14 GMT, "urf" <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> >Planning a trip for two couples in the fall. 10 days.
>> >Milan - Lake Como area - Cinque Terra area - Lucca - Venice
>
>I am no car driver, so I can be biased for train, but all what you plan
>is surely doable by public transport (not necessarily only train).
>
>> I will give my usual warning that the Cinque Terre is a bit out of the
>> way, and that the tourists there outnumber the residents by about 10
>> to 1.
>
>Given the proposed itinerary, I'd not say Cinque Terre are (since it
>means "five lands" for me it is second nature to use the plural) out of
>the way from Milan to Lucca.

Now there's a grammatical pandora's box. I would probably have said
'is' too!
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