This will be our second time in Italy with the kids. In summer of 2024 we visited the towns on the Amalfi coast and the region of Calabria.

But that was more *south.* This time we are focusing on the northern part of Italy: Venice, the Dolomites, Garda lake, Bologna, and the Adriatic coast. This trip has two cities, mountains, a lake, and some beach time. It seems like a lot but each base has three to five days in it so it should be okay.

I won’t give specific dates here on the blog but my husband will spend ten days there with us, then go back to the US, while I will stay longer with the kids for about two more weeks.

Our itinerary

1. Flying into Venice, sleep in an AirBnB for 3 nights in Venice. Must-dos and must-sees: roam the streets and squares of Venice, eat, drink, and have gelato. Use water taxis. Deal with jet lag. Visit one museum (leaning toward the Doge Palace). Use mornings or evenings to visit San Marco square and see the cathedral (?). Enjoy the Venetian arquitecture, day and night. Possibly take a workshop to create our own Venetian carnival masks.

Why Venice? My bucket list city. I want to see what the big deal is: is the city a moldy mess or is it a beautiful old city? Or, is it both? Also, I realize that Venice will probably be packed with tourists but, because we are actually staying in an apartment in a relatively “private” area of San Marco, we could take advantage of early mornings/evenings to avoid some of the crowds. We will stay right about where the blue blob is:

2. From Venice Santa Lucia station, take a train to Bolzano, then a bus and a cable car to Alpe di Suisi/Seiser Alm – a giant Alpine meadow/plateau in the Dolomites. This is our hiking and cable cars section of the trip. South Tyrol has some amazing mountain hikes so those are my must-dos. As well as eat South Tyrolean food, drink, and ride cable cars. A total of 6 nights in Alpe di Suisi.

An important side note: we cancelled our rental car opting for train instead. Once you are ON the actual plateau, private cars are very restricted so that car becomes a dead weight. Instead, visitors are encouraged to hike, take alpine buses, or ride cable cars. Some folks stay outside of Alpe di Suisi then drive and take a cable car to reach it. BUT. Because this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime kind of place, I changed our plans and booked our lodging right on the plateau. This way no commute is required: wake up, open the door and go hike. To stay on the meadow seemed a bit more expensive but one saves on transportation, energy, and time.

After Alpe di Suisi my husband goes back to the US. But the kids and I continue with our adventure.

3. From Alpe di Suisi we go to Lake Garda and the lake is our base for 5 nights. Mode of transportation: bus to Bolzano, train to Verona, bus to the lake side town of Bardolino. Must-dos and must-sees for this section of the trip: get to know the Garda lake. Take the boat (official mode of transportation on this lake) to neighboring towns, eat, drink, and swim in the lake. There is an amusement park nearby called “Gardaland”. One of the neighboring towns has a castle right on the water. There are also trails around the lake.

4. From lake Garda we are going to Bologna where we are spending another 5 nights. Bologna intrigues me since it’s a city but seems walkable and manageable. Must-dos and must-sees for this section is explore the city of Bologna: its porticoes, arquitecture, maybe a museum. From Bologna it is easy to use trains to visit these two towns: Modena (vinegar) and Parma (prosciutto). Lastly, Bologna seems to be the “food” city so looking forward to eating there as well.

To get from the Garda lake to Bologna is a bus from Bardolino to Pescheira (lake Garda transportation hub), then a train from Pescheira to Bologna (direct!).

5. From Bologna we are heading over to the Adriatic coast – which is our last leg of this trip! From Bologna we take a train to Ravenna and a bus to Milano Marittimo – a small beach village on the Adriatic sea. We are there for 5 nights as well. Must-see and must-dos: swim in the sea and rest! This is the “relaxation” part of this trip. The hotel has a pool and a private beach so we will be mostly bumming around and resting. If/when we get bored, there is a water park nearby.

6. Lastly! From the Adriatic coast it’s a two hour train back to Venice! We stay in a hotel in Venice for only one night, then take an airport shuttle the next morning for our afternoon flight back to the US.

Packing

I am NOT bringing a lot of clothes…For many reasons: 1. I do not want to check in luggage; 2. we are taking public transportation, 3. each place we are staying has a washer and 4. I do not mind wearing same things over and over again. In fact, I find it kind of freeing?..

Thankfully, the heat wave in Europe seems to be subsiding so weather-wise we are looking at high 70s/80s and – the only outlier, the Dolomites, – 60s.

1 dress (Venice, Bologna, Garda lake) + 1 summer scarf (plane+cover up for cathedrals+on the beach)

4 shorts (Venice, Bologna, Garda lake)

4 t-shirts (Venice, Bologna, Garda lake, Dolomites)

4 thin strap undershirts (pajamas, or undershirts)

2 long-sleeve button down breezy tops (good for cooler nights and as a cover up on the beach)

One hiking outfit (the Dolomites, 60+ degree weather): light-weight hiking pants, one long sleeve top, a thin sweater, and a rain jacket. I am wearing the long pants and the long sleeve top on the plane. I am questioning whether I even need that sweater.

2 swimsuits (Dolomites’ hotel has a pool and the Adriatic coast) – I am debating whether I should only bring ONE.

1 bra and we will see if I will wear it. Judging from my previous trips to France, Spain and Italy in the summers past, bras seem pretty obsolete in Europe…

Shoes: strapped sandals (pack) + sneakers (wear on the plane).

For the kids, it’s the same. One hiking outfit each, plus shorts and t-shirts.

In total, for the three of us (my husband packs himself a duffel bag) is one carry-on (for the kids, mainly) and one personal item that I place under the seat (for me). I also have a small backpack, and the kids use their school backpacks.

I have to remember that I always, ALWAYS can purchase stuff in the country, if need be (or not). The skincare and makeup I bought in France last year: I used up some of it but the rest is still going strong.

Please expect a lot of updates! I mainly write them for myself so absolutely no pressure to comment! But of course I would love if you’d come along 🙂