# Other Places Around The World > Italy Travel Forum >  >   We are thinking about a quick trip to Italy mid-May, spend a few days in Piemonte and a few days around Garda or Emilia-Romagna.
 > 
 > Can anyone recommend any accommodation, the smaller and B&B-lik

## Petri

We are thinking about a quick trip to Italy mid-May, spend a few days in Piemonte and a few days around Garda or Emilia-Romagna.

Can anyone recommend any accommodation, the smaller and B&B-like the better, around Garda that would have a great, elevated view over the lake?

I remember we were planning to go there years ago and I found a very nice small hotel or something with such a view.  Last summer we did a quick tour around the Alps and stayed in Merano here, http://www.hotel-miramonti.com/ that had a view to die for: http://www.hotel-miramonti.com/image...x/index_02.jpg

The other option is a nice B&B or "castle" somewhere in or near Parma.  For Piemonte we'll probably look something similar around Alba.  (Any recommendations welcome)  Last June in Tuscany we found this place, http://www.castellodistarda.it/ and ended up eating there twice.  Unfortunately we didn't stay there but in a small town nearby.

----------


## Maureenm

Petra;

sorry if this is too late but I am just seeing this... We stayed in Lake Garda at a lovely spot called Locanda San Vigilio... it had only about 7 rooms or so.. just beautiful and it was literally in the lake... it might be a bit expensive but we have terrific memories of this place.. right after that we flew to Sicily and the cover of Alitalia magazine had an aerial view of it on their cover... I highly recommend it... Lake Garda was very charming.. we took the train to Venice from there for the day...

----------


## Petri

Thanks!  I was just thinking the other day that perhaps I should try to book the accomodations as the trip is just 4 weeks away..

I'll take a look.  Their web site looks familiar, I might even have it bookmarked from the earlier research.

Right now we have just the flights and Alfa Mito booked ;-)

----------


## Petri

We decided to skip the extra driving and stay a bit closer..

We start with a few nights on Lake Maggiore, in Stresa right by the lake.  It's the least touristic of the bigger lakes.

Then we move to Monforte d'Alba, a small village of 2000 people in the middle of the wine region.  8 minutes to Barolo, half an hour to Alba.  ViaMichelin.com shows 11 Michelin-starred restaurants within 10 km..  not that we frequently visit them but sounds like we won't be starving ;-)  And they look like they're more for the great food than stiff atmosphere.

----------


## lmj

We'll be in the same area in early June... we're going to Italy for 6 1/2 weeks.  Staying in both Stresa and Sirmione... found some beautiful boutique-type hotels but since we haven't stayed there yet I'd be reluctant to recommend them.  Let me know your dates, maybe we'll overlap somewhere.

----------


## Petri

We're doing just a long weekend, Wed-Mon 12.5.-17.5. as thursday is a holiday.

In Stresa we're staying at Hotel Residence La Luna nel Porto, just the first two nights.  In Monforte d'Alba we're staying at Villa Beccaris.  Both approved by folks in TripAdvisor and looked quite fine.

Italy can be such a challenging destination sometimes, both with the prices and how places are ranked and pictured.  It's also difficult to select the right city, for example last summer we were staying in Rapallo for a few nights when Santa Margherita Ligure would have been the better place just next door.

We did a tour around the Alps last July and the places in Italy we overnighted were pretty good.  Bellagio by Lake Como, Livigno was kind of interesting (it's a taxfree zone within Italy), and in Merano GranPanorama Hotel Miramonti had such a view!  (Our room was average but the rest of the hotel and the restaurant excellent)

We are still a bit in the mood to travel without the urge to shop, although our return to the western world is starting to spoil us ;-)  Still hate it when the first thing about "what to do in X?" is about shopping..

----------


## lmj

too funny... we're also staying at La Luna Nel Porto!  And a couple of years ago we were fortunate that a friend intervened when we were planning to stay in Portofino and she told us to stay in Santa Margherita Ligure... we were MOST happy that we did (we stayed at the Miramare and LOVED it).  We stayed in Bellagio that same trip and thought it was lovely but a bit boring, so we moved to Como and loved it there.  

I'm going to see if we can squeeze in Monforte d'Alba, it's not on our itinerary right now but it certainly can be, we've got time.

Re shopping, I'm with you, we don't travel to acquire more "stuff".  We love to wander the streets, walk, walk, walk, talk to shop owners and servers in restaurants and just try to engage the locals as much as possible to get a true feel for the area.  This will be our 13th or 14th trip to Italy and our longest to date, so we're really looking forward to it.  We hope to move there part-time within the next 2-4 years, so this is as much a scouting expedition as anything.  

Anyway, sorry we won't hook up, it sounds like we have a lot in common.  Have a great trip!!!
Lynn

----------


## Dennis

Lynn,

Maybe you can be on TV???


Are You Buying a Home Outside the United States?
House Hunters International
MORE INFO >

----------


## Petri

Quite a coincidence!  I'll let you know how Stresa and Le Luna turns out!

I agree about Portofino vs. Santa Margherita Ligure, Portofino might be ok for an overnight but better for just visiting from the latter which is more real and lively town.  We stayed in Bellagio just for the overnight so it was ok, arrival in the afternoon and off the next morning.  Not much to do in such a small places really.

We planned to be somewhere in Piemonte and Monforte d'Alba wasn't planned in any way, Villa Beccaris (http://www.villabeccaris.it/) just looked like a nice place to stay and my idea of italian countryside is staying on a hill with a small town next to it ;-)   Il Panomara picture on their web site was very tempting.

PS. We do plan to shop a bit on this trip..  couple of outlets in that region.  But we won't be going to Milan downtown.

----------


## lmj

Petri, a few years ago we went to a great Armani outlet just south of Como, absolutely amazing.  Highly recommended.  I'm checking out Villa Beccaris now... and definitely let me know how you like La Luna, if it's disappointing I'll look for something else in Stresa.

Dennis, I am ADDICTED to that show!  But I am probably the last person in America who would hate to be on TV so I'm not a candidate.

----------


## Petri

I know the Armani outlet, we were there last June   :Big Grin:  

One of the best we've been in Italy was the Prada outlet in Montevarchi.  It's in a industrial zone and called Space, don't expect to see Prada signs anywhere.  The Mall in Reggello is quite fine, too.  Both are on the way when driving the A1 Autostrada del Sole south from Firenze.

Now we're planning to pass by The Place (Zegna's brands in Sandigliano) and the bigger outlets in Serravale, Vicolungo and perhaps Fidenza.  It's nice that they are real outlets, often run by the company itself, and not just malls with the names changed to outlets.

----------


## lmj

We've been to Prada, in fact we stayed in a villa outside Montevarchi and sat next to Patrizio Bertelli at dinner...

Please PM me or post a review of your trip, I really am anxious to get some additional info so we can prepare for our trip.
thanks!
Lynn

----------


## Petri

Here is the breakfast view from Villa Beccaris in Monforte d'Alba:

 

There are the snow topped Alps in the background but for this morning they weren't as visible as earlier.  Novello village in the middle, Barolo village further right.

Stresa and panorama from the Botanical garden, half way on the funicular:

 

 

We had a bit bad luck with the weather; it was raining and cold in Italy, luckily for our day in Stresa the clouds were mostly behind the mountains to every direction.  In Piemonte it had been snowing the previous night and there was still some snow left -- meanwhile back at home in Finland they were enjoying the perfect sunshine and temperatures over +25C, with newspaper headlines "The weird world - heat in Finland, cold in Italy".  Our luck.

Shopping; Vicoloungo outlet was pretty basic, Serravalle outlet was pretty big and had some high-end brands as well.  Both had mostly -10..-20% off the list, some good finds.  The Place was more of a real outlet, small, built like a real stores, owned by Ermenegildo Zegna and as Zegna makes products for Gucci as well, Gucci was there too.  Up to 80% discounts on some items, including a pair of Gucci shoes I had to buy..  If one fits in the italian sizes and needs a suit, a must.

----------


## lmj

Thanks so much for the report, Petri!  As you know, by coincidence we'll be staying in the exact same hotels when we're in that area in a few weeks, looking forward to those beautiful views!

----------


## bto

and I'll be anticipating your reports and PICS, Lynn!!  This is a trip we want to make one day.

----------

