Our Italy to-do list

We’re going on holiday to the north of Italy for a week. We’ve visited the region numerous times before, but there are still a number of activities on our Italy to-do list.

This time, we’re be staying a farm just south of Verona. It looks fantastic and has great reviews. Hopefully, it will live up to expectations.

Our Italy not-to-do list

Venice

As we know the area, there are some things that we want to see again, and some that we intend to miss this time. Venice is on the miss list this time. However, that not because we don’t like Venice or don’t think that Miss M would.

We last visited Venice a year ago and she loved all the boats and islands. We are not intending to go because we don’t think Venice or Miss M have changed that much. And we still have a lot of other things left to see.

Ferraris and Asiago

We are also not planning to go to Modena or up into the mountains around Asiago again.

My Dad is a mechanic and car aficionado. Last visit, as something a little special for him, we went to the Ferrari museum and he drove a Ferrari. While we had a great time, it is not an experience we need to repeat so quickly.

Last trip we also spent a day visiting Asiago, Bassano del Grappa and Soave. This trip was to see where the family of some good friends originally came from – and to try the cheese in Asiago. The views are spectacular, but we still have Grappa in our cupboard, so we don’t need to buy more so soon.

Our Italy maybe-do list

Sirmione

Sirmione sits on a peninsula on the southern shore of Lago di Garda. It is gorgeous, but often quite busy. While we have been there before, there are some parts of the city that we have not seen before, like the thermal baths. Whether we visit Sirmione this trip or not will depend on the weather and whether we want to brave the crowds. We know from experience that both can get quite oppressive.

Our Italy to-do list

Gardaland

Last time we went to Gardaland, Miss M could not keep the smile off of her face. We hope that this will be true again this visit.

There will be one major difference this time, however. Last time, my Dad was with us and he took Miss M on a number of rides while Peter and I rode the roller coasters. This time we will have to be creative.

Parco Natura Viva

Miss M had a ball at Parco Natura Viva last year, so it is also on our Italy to-do list again. The park is a zoo, with a safari (that you drive through) and a traditional zoo which includes…. drumroll please…. dinosaurs. Of course, our little dinosaur aficionado wants to visit again! We’ll see if we can fit it in – we have a number of amusement parks on offer.

The markets

We hope to hit a few markets, too. The antique and flea markets in Italy have always been fun and we have found a number of interesting things. We also love visiting the food markets and getting some fresh fruit, bread, cheese and salami and having a picnic somewhere special.

Aida in the Arena

It has become a tradition for us to see Guiseppe Verdi’s Aida performed in the Arena in Verona whenever we are in the area. This year, we intend to take Miss M.

It may be a bit early for her to really appreciate the opera and we may end up leaving during the first interval. Still, it will be an experience for all of us.

Euganean Hills

During our babymoon – which we also spent in Italy – we stayed in the Euganean Hills. We had a lovely time looking at some of the less touristy places. This time, we intend to spend a day exploring the area again. On our Italy to-do list are a visit the Garden of Valsanzibio and some wine tasting.

So that’s our Italy to-do list

The rest we will just adapt as we see fit, depending on what inspires us. We are looking forward to the break, but also to seeing some of our favourite places again. And to the food. Mmmmm… Perhaps we need to write an Italy food list as well…

What do you think? Do you have any suggestions or recommendations for our trip?