languish meet in Italy : 7 - 11 May

[Richard Hakluyt]

It's a long skinny country with lots of mountains, so it will vary quite a bit. Most of my visits took place in july and august when, although hot, it never got as bad as in Spain or Greece. For most of Italy I expect may will be ideal 

[Tamas]

I was going up and down on a couple of steep mountainsides in Slovenia, checking out trench remains. It was awesome, so I am very much looking forward for this.

All we need to finalize is room distribution. The photo of the 2 bed room seem to show two single beds, altough not clear. I have inquired in e-mail, no reply yet.

[Barrister]

We've booked our car yesterday, but not hotels yet.  We need to move on it ASAP.

As I'm asking Pedrito questions here - from Cortina we're going to spend a couple days at or near Venice.  We have a car so we're obviously not staying right in Venice, but can you recommend either a specific place or type of place to stay with relatively easy access to Venice?

[Pedrito]

We've booked our car yesterday, but not hotels yet.  We need to move on it ASAP.

As I'm asking Pedrito questions here - from Cortina we're going to spend a couple days at or near Venice.  We have a car so we're obviously not staying right in Venice, but can you recommend either a specific place or type of place to stay with relatively easy access to Venice?

If you want to book an hotel in Venice, you can leave the car in one of the parking lots at Piazzale Roma, in the immediate outskirts of the city, in the middle of the lagoon; but you'll have to sell a kidney to pay the bill of two days of parking.
Other options: I advice NOT to sleep in a hotel in Mestre: although the city's the nearest to Venice, it's really ugly and there's nothing to do there.
You can book a hotel in Padua, my home town: it's 35 kms west from Venice, you can very easily reach the Serenissima by train (half an hour), and Padua itself is a nice city with lots of things to do and see.
Or you can go and sleep in Treviso, about 35 kms north of Venice, but it's way smaller than Padua and there's very little to do there.
The best and most romantic way to sleep around Venice is try and book a room in one of the hotels along the Brenta river Riviera, where some fantastic 1700 Palladian villas have been transformed in "charm hotels". I'll check what I can find about them and report in a couple of days.

L.

[Pedrito]

About the weather:
May is probably the best time of the year to trip through Italy; the weather is usually warm, with daytime temperatures in the 20° to 30° C degrees interval and sunny days and evening light until 7.30 p.m.
Rain shouldn't be heavy, march and april are usually the rainiest months.

In Cortina, though, things are a bit different: usually spring and fall are very rainy and windy, and night temperatures can fall down to about 4-5° C; during the day, if the weather is sunny, temperatures of 20 to 25° C can be reached, but a single cloud over the sun is enough to make them drop by 5° degrees

I strongly suggest: weatherproof garments, at least some wool sweaters, a waterproof jacket and a pair of solid shoes or boots.

Consider that the past winter was the most snow-heavy of the last 50 years, with more than 8 meters of fallen snow during the entire season; there's still a lot of snow on the mountains and in town, so in May there will be heavy thawing (is this correct?) and probably part of the trekking itineraries will be closed.
My sister will go skiing there for the Easter holidays, I'll ask her to bring me some information about opening times of cabins and cableways.

In case of heavy rain, I'll bring my Settlers of Catan and maybe even Risk! 

L.

[Richard Hakluyt]

If the worst comes to the worst we'll have to pile into the cars and drive somewhere of cultural significance 

Or have a really long lunch...........stagger........

[Richard Hakluyt]

I shall bring my umbrella btw, that way I will be provided for all eventualities 

[Barrister]

In Cortina, though, things are a bit different: usually spring and fall are very rainy and windy, and night temperatures can fall down to about 4-5° C; during the day, if the weather is sunny, temperatures of 20 to 25° C can be reached, but a single cloud over the sun is enough to make them drop by 5° degrees

I strongly suggest: weatherproof garments, at least some wool sweaters, a waterproof jacket and a pair of solid shoes or boots.

You're talking to a Yukoner.  If it's hitting 20-25C I'm breaking out my shorts and sandals.

[katmai]

In Cortina, though, things are a bit different: usually spring and fall are very rainy and windy, and night temperatures can fall down to about 4-5° C; during the day, if the weather is sunny, temperatures of 20 to 25° C can be reached, but a single cloud over the sun is enough to make them drop by 5° degrees

I strongly suggest: weatherproof garments, at least some wool sweaters, a waterproof jacket and a pair of solid shoes or boots.

You're talking to a Yukoner.  If it's hitting 20-25C I'm breaking out my shorts and sandals.

Pussy you should be wearing shorts and sandals at 4-5c

[Pedrito]

You're talking to a Yukoner.  If it's hitting 20-25C I'm breaking out my shorts and sandals.

No visible toes allowed over 1000 meters a.s.l.! 

L.

[Barrister]

You're talking to a Yukoner.  If it's hitting 20-25C I'm breaking out my shorts and sandals.

No visible toes allowed over 100 meters over a.s.l.! 

L.

I live well over 100m elevation, and I have visible toes from time to time...

I think Pedrito now knows what kind of northern hicks are going to be invading Cortina.

[katmai]

You're talking to a Yukoner.  If it's hitting 20-25C I'm breaking out my shorts and sandals.

No visible toes allowed over 1000 meters a.s.l.! 

L.

He can wear black socks with sandals if that makes you feel better?

[Pedrito]

You're talking to a Yukoner.  If it's hitting 20-25C I'm breaking out my shorts and sandals.

No visible toes allowed over 1000 meters a.s.l.! 

L.

He can wear black socks with sandals if that makes you feel better?

L.

[Barrister]

Okay, white socks then.   

[Richard Hakluyt]

heh-heh 

I was wandering around the Gran Sasso d'Italia once, in my usual slovenly middle-class Englishman going to a pub gear, when I arrived at the Rifugio Duca d'Abruzzi, a kind of cafe-restaurant at 2,388 metres; it had an excellent view of the precipitous Corno Grande (which would be a real climb instead of a walk).

There were some immaculately attired Italian alpinistes at the refuge, from some mountaineering club in Rome, who were absolutely horrified 

I think that they were worried that we (my wife was with me) were going to attempt the Corno Grande without any proper gear or preparation. The alpinistes gathered round us and long conversations about the strong wind and other dangers ensued. We assured them that the refuge was the highest point for our day's walk and that our next destination was the Campo Imperatore (there is a hotel there where Mussolini was freed from back in WW2, the Skorzeny thing), but I think they still thought we were raving eccentrics of the first calibre