<p>H’s Italian cousin is getting married in Milan in June. We thought we would take the opportunity to have a weeks family vacation in the area. Thinking of renting a house for 6 adults. Any recommendations?</p>
<p>No recommendations (beyond “check VRBO”) for lodging or particular places. However, DH and I loved Bellagio. The roads were narrow, really narrow, and we could barely get the Fiat 500 (“cinquecento”) through some of the alleys. You may think you want a car that holds all six of you, but you don’t.</p>
<p>Ask the cousin what s/he recommends; as far as I can tell, everyone in Italy knows everyone else.</p>
<p>Can’t help you with a house rental. Is George Clooney’s house available? 
We stayed at the Hotel Regina Olga, rode hotel bicycles to town, took the regular boat to Bellagio. Got the unplanned 4am wakeup shake from the earthquake in May. Wish I had stayed an extra week to catch the Concourse D’Elegance at Villa d’Este which was nearby. We had a wonderful time even tho the weather was slightly less than perfect - we had some clouds and occasional drizzle.</p>
<p>In the area, meaning around Milan … I recommend visiting Bergamo because it’s beautiful, particularly the upper part of town, and spending some time in Verona. Putting aside the faked tomb of Juliet - with the rose left inside each day - it’s a great place with a roman theatre in the middle and beautiful squares, markets, shopping and things to see. Good food too. If you go further toward Venice, Vicenza is worth some time as well. </p>
<p>Milano itself is more a working than tourist city. (Other opinions may differ.) I found it hard to drive in because many of the streets change name each block. But otherwise driving in Italy merely requires a bit of nerve and the ability to follow the one way signs to the center of whatever town you’re in. My favorite part of Milan is the working part of the fashion area, near the Brera (which I call the Dreara because so many pictures need cleaning). </p>
<p>To be blunt, it isn’t far to reach all the way to Venice.</p>
<p>We stayed across the lake from Bellagio, in Tremezzo. Another lovely town is Varenna, north of Bellagio on the eastern shore. It’s a gorgeous area, and the ferries get you across or down the lake at regular intervals. That would be something to check: how close to a ferry stop your rental house is, since parking along the lake is very tight. There’s a high-speed boat (servizio rapido) that gets you to Como itself more quickly than the regular ferry: [Using</a> the ferries on Lake Como](<a href=“http://www.lakecomopages.com/travel/getting-around/ferries.html]Using”>http://www.lakecomopages.com/travel/getting-around/ferries.html)</p>
<p>I second Lergnom’s recommendation of Bergamo and dmd’s advice to rent a small car: it will make navigating the local roads <em>much</em> easier.</p>
<p>I highly recommend the Rick Steves book on Italy. Practical advice that is very useful. We were able to do everything by train or bus. It is quite easy to get to many places on Lake Como from Milan that way. We didn’t find it necessary to rent a car, too much of a hassle, and the train system is great. What a gorgeous place.</p>
<p>This one looks nice!!</p>
<p>[Moltrasio</a> Villa Rental: Villa Candida - Be The Neighbour Of George Clooney! | HomeAway](<a href=“http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p498167]Moltrasio”>Venice Vacation Rentals, Los Angeles: house rentals & more | Vrbo)</p>
<p>I would probably sneak into George Clooney’s house & hope he was there! ;)</p>
<p>me too! Thanks for the link njres- that is amazing and would be big enough for the Italian relatives to join us for a night or 2.</p>
<p>keep the ideas coming! </p>
<p>Getting excited- booked flights yesterday. Thank goodness for air miles!</p>
<p>Bellissimo!</p>