My memories are marked by my senses: the creamy taste of gelato on my tongue, the smell of sea salt in the wind, the feel of sunshine on my arms as I stroked the coat of the horse on which I sat. Northern Italy is home to countless wonders of the world, from the peaks of the Dolomites to delicious pasta and gelato. A month ago, I was able to see this splendor on my first-ever trip to Italy, and I was excited to experience all of it.
Now, I’m here to report back on the best parts of traveling to Italy in the off-season when European skiing is winding down but summer’s floods of tourists haven’t yet arrived.
First off, I was surprised by the palm trees.
Yes, much of the Italian coast is along the Mediterranean Sea, but I pictured more Tuscan countryside than palm trees and cacti when imagining what Italy would be like. The snowy mountain backdrop of this time of year provided an incredible juxtaposition to the tropical trees at lower elevations.
Anyway, back to the task at hand.
You might think I left a few places off of the list below – Milan, for example, or Bologna. Venice has a tiny section given how important of a city it is to Italian tourism. Two weeks, admittedly, is not enough time to get to know northern Italy by heart. We also spent several days skiing in the Alps in France in the middle of our trip, which cut down on our actual time spent in Italy.
But that just means we have to go back someday, right? To Venice, at least – I’m not as interested in Milan, and we did actually stop in Bologna. (Just to pick up some gelato, which you should absolutely get here.)
In terms of the packing list, feel free to adjust according to your own travel habits and trip-specific needs. For example, I didn’t include ski boots or skis because we rented those, but if you’re planning on bringing your own gear, be sure to include them on your list.
Without further ado, here are the highlights of our off-peak trip to northern Italy:
The Dolomites
The Dolomites are a subsection of the Italian Alps, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and some of the most beautiful mountains I’ve ever seen thanks to their interesting shapes and pale rock composition.
Bolzano
Travel Notes: Bolzano was the incredible town that served as our jumping-off point for the Dolomites section of our trip. This far north in Italy, you’re closer to Austria than Rome. Everyone here speaks German and Italian – typically in that order.
Definitely explore the cute old town, which has shops and great food, but don’t stay in Bolzano for too long – the Dolomites are calling.
I don’t have any pictures from the Therme Merano because phones are off-limits at these thermal baths, but they’re definitely worth a visit. The charming town of Merano is about a half hour drive from Bolzano, and the pools allow you to soak indoors or (my preference) outdoors with a view of the mountains and surrounding palm trees.
Where to Eat: Fink Gasthaus for giant, delicious pizzas; Star Burger for burgers we never got to eat but read great things about; Green Bistro for quick breakfast (sit and drink your espresso, though, or the Italians will always judge you).
Kastelruth (Castelrotto)
The entire province of South Tyrol is a dream come true, but the village of Castelrotto (Kastelruth in German) is the big charmer at the heart of the Dolomites.
Be sure to check websites + social media before going anywhere in this region in late fall or early spring. Depending on the level of snow the region has gotten, the weather may be more optimal for either skiing or hiking. We stopped by a farm to see if horseback riding was an option, but they weren’t yet open for the season.
Another example is Lago di Braies (Prager Wildsee in German), which is known to be a gorgeous alpine lake. I looked it up on Instagram before our trip and saw that recent posts showed that the lake was frozen over – still beautiful, but we decided to prioritize other things.
If you have time, make a stop at Dolfi Land to pick up some woodcarvings, which is what South Tyrol is known for – you’ll notice how wooded the region is as you drive around, including several logging operations.
Alpe di Siusi
Travel Notes: When you head north from Bolzano, you’re already in the mountains, but you haven’t seen the best of this region yet. Alpe di Siusi (Sieser Alm), an alpine meadow area and ski resort in the winter, was the highlight of our drive around the Dolomites. The largest high-altitude alpine meadow in Europe, Alpe di Siusi is surrounded by the gorgeous mountains the region is known for.
We saw plenty of cross-country skiers, which looked super fun, but we also enjoyed just driving through the mountain passes. If the snow has melted enough, exploring the vie ferrate and long distance trails known as alte vie (high paths) are also popular options.
The Lake District
Lake Garda
Travel Notes: Of all the lakes we visited in Italy, Lake Garda was our favorite. Olive trees abound in the towns surrounding the lake, and the town of Riva del Garda is worth a stroll. We didn’t pay the 6€ entrance fee to see Cascate del Varone, a waterfall in a cave, but it’s a good option for a low-key, high-reward activity (prepare for the possibility of getting wet.)
If you’re feeling like a more high-key activity, I’d definitely recommend riding horses at Scuderia Castello (scuderia means stable in Italian) on the west side of the lake. Our guide didn’t speak any English, but he spoke French, so I got the gist of what he was explaining to me before we set off (mostly that my horse was going to try to stop and eat everything, which turned out to be true).
Lake Maggiore
Travel Notes: If you’re deciding which side of Lake Maggiore to drive up or down, either option is great. On the west side, Orrido di Sant’Anna is a beautiful gorge (gorge-ous, if you will) accompanied by a picturesque church and two bridges. We chose the east side and were rewarded with a visit to the monastery Santa Caterina del Sasso, which was founded in the 12th century and is seemingly part of the cliffside.
The monastery is 240 steps down from the parking area, and you can take an elevator down for 1€. Thankfully, we arrived at the same time as a massive tour group – probably the only time I’ve ever written those words – and the front desk manager opened the gate to the long, winding stairs for them, so we were allowed to follow suit.
Finally, stop by the town of Stresa for narrow, charming streets and incredibly ornate lakeside hotels.
Lake Como
Travel Notes: Sadly, we didn’t see the Clooneys while driving past their villa on Lago di Como, but we did keep an eye out. The town of Como is cool and boasts many of the charming Italian pedestrian alleyways we’d come to love, but make sure you leave enough time to drive the narrow roads along the gorgeous lake.
Turin
Travel Notes: We only had time for a quick morning in this city surrounded by mountains, but it was one of our favorites of the trip. Parking near the city center is impossible, even in the off-season, so plan on walking a bit to get to the historic city square, Piazza Castello. The Egyptian Museum is highly rated, as is the chocolate shop Pepino, which we couldn’t actually go in because a film set was set up just outside the shop on the day we were there. (We joined a large crowd of Italians watching the action, but we didn’t recognize any of the actors.)
Cinque Terre
Travel Notes: Cinque Terre is one of those places that’s as beautiful as it’s been advertised through the thousands of pictures you can see of it online. That being said, I was happy to be there in the off-season, because in the summer the towns and the water apparently get very crowded.
Cinque Terre literally translates to “Five Lands”, so named for the five seaside villages that comprise this scenic coastal area. The best methods of visiting are 1) by taking the train in from La Spezia and between the towns or 2) trekking between towns on the hiking trails. It may be worth your while to get the Cinque Terre Card for either option, depending on your plans, but we just bought individual train tickets. Note that many trails between the towns are still closed due to the damaging floods and mudslides the region experienced in 2011.
In order coming from La Spezia, the villages are Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza, and Monterosso al Mare. We stayed in Manarola, which was my favorite town of the three we visited by train: Manarola, Riomaggiore, and Vernazza. All three had the picture-perfect colorful buildings that Cinque Terre is known for, but I loved Manarola’s winding trails through the vineyards that give you a beautiful view of those buildings on the water. If you’re feeling like getting a leg workout, check out the Chiesa di San Lorenzo church up the hill in Manarola.
Where to Eat: The bigger question is what to eat, as any of the restaurants down by the water in Manarola have delicious pasta and seafood dishes. Cinque Terre is covered in lemon trees, and its terraced vineyards are famous for white wine, especially the sweet dessert wine Sciacchetrà. Basically, limoncello and a glass of wine would be good to try here. You can also find a “Catch of the Day” cone full of mixed seafood bites – think fried anchovies and calamari – in Riomaggiore’s Il Pescato Cucinato.
Lucca & Pisa
Travel Notes: OK, you should visit Pisa once, just to see the tower in person, which is actually pretty cool. What’s not cool is the zillions of tourists and peddlers milling around the area surrounding the Leaning Tower, even in the off-peak season. The other two buildings next to the tower are severely underappreciated, in my opinion – feel free to snap some pictures of them, too. The old town of Pisa is supposedly nice, but we were overwhelmed by the tower area and decided to hit the road afterward.
When you’ve had your fill of taking classic tourist pictures, decompress with a bike ride in the nearby walled city of Lucca. We rented bikes in town, then rode them through the cobblestone streets and up onto the pedestrian path on the wall surrounding the city.
(Note: this activity is best capped off with a stop by a gelato shop. Plan accordingly.)
Florence
Travel Notes: If you’ve been to Florence, you’ll know why it was our favorite city in Northern Italy. Firenze, as the Italians know it, has stunning architecture, and the above-ground tram was clean and made it easy for us to get around.
Though the main attractions we visited were a bit crowded even for the off-season, the beauty of this place is well worth the lines. We committed to standing line for an hour to get into the Duomo, which was unbelievably ornate and worth the wait. Bring a jacket for the off-season, as the giant building casts a shadow that means you have a good chance of waiting in the shade for awhile.
Where to Eat: This is worth its own post by someone who’s spent more time in Florence than we have, but I will say that we enjoyed splitting a pork sandwich from the walk-up shop Antica Porchetteria Granieri 1916, which has a full roasted pig for you to stare at while you wait for your food. Fittingly, it’s located near the fountain that Italians call Il Porcellino; rub the bronze boar statue’s snout to ensure that you’ll return to Florence someday.
Venice
Travel Notes: To be honest, we didn’t have much time to spend in Venice as we wound down our trip. We stayed in Chioggia, a cute town on the other side of the Venice Lagoon from actual Venice that was more low-key but still had pretty waterways and architecture. I will divulge the saga of how we got from Chioggia to Venice, however, since we made the fatal decision not to drive (read: we didn’t think of it).
First, we took a ferry from Chioggia to the barrier island of Santa Maria del Mare in the Lagoon. This alone was worth the trip, because the sunset over the water was incredible.
Next, we got on a bus that took us the length of the island, followed by the bus getting on a ferry that took us to the next island. Finally, the bus got off the ferry (with us still on it, thankfully) and drove to the town of Lido, where we got on one last ferry that took us to Venice.
The entire trip took about an hour and a half each way. I would recommend driving.
If you’re interested in actually exploring more of Venice, which I hope to go back and do someday, check out this great article on how to visit Venice as a responsible traveler (not just a tourist).
Verona
Travel Notes: Our final destination in northern Italy was Verona. We stopped on our drive from Chioggia to Milan, where we were flying out the next day, to meet up with my cousin, who’s in the U.S. Air Force and stationed in Italy.
We walked around the cute town for several hours, first visiting the Arena that was built in 1 A.D. It was under construction when we visited but is still in use today, famously for large-scale opera performances.
Next, we swung by the balcony that inspired Juliet’s balcony for Shakespeare. It was, as you might have guessed, quite touristy, but worth a visit (probably not worth the entrance fee to actually go up on the balcony, though).
We rounded out the day with a walk along the Adige River, which gave us a view of the Museo Archeologico Teatro Romano (Roman Theater). A beautiful end to a beautiful trip.
Where to Eat: Lunch at Hostaria Vecchia Fontanina was delicious – try a horse dish if you’re feeling adventurous. Gelateria Ponte Pietra had decent gelato and is located right by the river.
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From the mountains to the seaside, Northern Italy is worth an in-depth visit. I’m looking forward to making my way to the southern part of the country someday, but in the meantime, I’m happy to reminisce on the views and the gelato this trip provided. (Way too much gelato, honestly. And Haribo gummy candy. Don’t make yourself sick like me.)