MILLE MIGLIA / ITALIAN LAKES TOUR

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	9 days/9nights tour April 30th-May 9th 2010 5 days/5 nights tour May 4th-9th 2010
	COST PER PERSON 5 day tour 935€ fixed in euros =£850 (based on £1 =1.10€) 9 day tour 1,645€ fixed in euros =£1,495 (based on £1=1.10€)

 

DESCRIPTION a 9 days tour, with 9 nights accommodation, (or 5 days tour with 5 nights accommodation) to watch the 2010 Mille Miglia classic rally "re-run" starting and finishing in Italy's Brescia combined with a tour of seven of the Italian Lakes and visits to the Ferrari museum in Maranello and the Lamborghini factory and museum at nearby Sant Agata Bolognese.

The 5 days tour can join us on Lake Orta on the morning of Day 5 or on Lake Como on the evening of Day 5

Our 9 days tour to watch the 2010 Mille Miglia starts with a Dover-Dunkerque ferry crossing.From here we drive along the motorway for a couple of hours towards Liege where we cross the Belgium border into Luxembourg.We are now on country roads and stop for lunch in Durbuy a charming country village based in a picturesque valley.We then continue south through scenic countryside to Echternach where a warm welcome awaits us from the owners of our first night's hotel.

We then drive south to France's Alsace region.where we spend our second night in Riquewihr one of France's most beautiful villages surrounded by picturesque vineyards.Our coffee stop the next morning is another of France's most beautful villages after which we visit the world famous Sclumphf motor museum in Mulhouse which houses the French National Motor Museum.We then cross the river Rhine into Germany where we drive through the Black Forest and over mountain passes eventually crossing the border into Switzerland near Aarau.We then head south to Luzerne and continue a few miles to a small lake, Lake Sarner, where our hotel overlooks the lake.

The following day we drive to Lake Orta in Italy just west of Lake Maggiore.Our route takes us south to Interlaken where we drive into the mountains to Kandersteg where we take the 15 minute motor rail service through the mountains to Goppenstein..From here we drive over the Simplon Pass to Lake Orta where our hotel overlooks Orta St Giulio the charming medieval town which gives its name to the lake.

The following day we drive a few miles east to nearby Stresa on Lake Maggiore our morning coffee stop.We then drive clockwise around the lake to our lunch stop Cannobio still on the west shore and then around to Luino on the eastern shoreline where we leave Lake Maggiore and head east to Lake Lugano where once again we enter Switzerland passing through Lugano.We then drive clockwise around the lake before crossing back into Italy and up into the hills after which we drop down to Menaggio on Lake Como our next overnight stop where our hotel awaits us on the western shore of this pretty lake.

On Wednesday we catch the car ferry to Bellagio the "jewel of Lake Como" where we stop for morning coffee.We then take the 10 minute car ferry to Varenna on the eastern shore of the lake and up the eastern shore to Colico.We then leave Lake Como and drive east across the mountains through Sondrio to Edolo.From here we drive east amidst splendid scenery through the Vermiglio valley to Dimar where we then turn south driving through more scenic valleys eventually arriving on Lake Idro.From here we drive east to Gargnano on the western shore of Lake Garda from where we drive down Lake Garda to our hotel for the next four nights which is based just outside Desenzano at the bottom left hand corner of the lake

.On Thursday morning we take the train into nearby Brescia to spend the entire day watching the build up to the start of the 2010 Mille Miglia where the cars start to leave on the 1000 mile rally at 8.00pm and then return early evening to our hotel to watch the cars come through Desenzano which is the first check point on the Mille Miglia route.

On Friday we drive down to Maranello and visit the Ferrari Museum,(Galleria Ferrari) which is just around the corner from the Ferrari factory.We then visit the Lamborghini museum and factory at nearby Sant 'Agata Bolognese before driving back to Lake Garda and visiting Sirmione described as" the jewel" of Lake Garda.

The following day we enjoy a leisurely clockwise drive around Lake Garda the largest of the Italian lakes visiting the botanical gardens and splendid villa at Il Vittoriale on the south west lake shore west of Lake Garda then stopping for lunch in Riva del Garda at the north of the lake before arriving back in Desenzano late afternoon..Early evening we drive south to Cremona where there is a Mille Miglia checkpoint .We then return to Brescia to catch a final glimpse of the 2010 Mille Miglia cars at the end of the nostalgic and atmospheric rally before returning to our hotel.Sunday morning we say our farewells as this is the end of the tour.

ITALIAN LAKES VISITED ON THIS TOUR INCLUDE: Lake Orta, Lake Maggiore, Lake Lugano,Lake Como,Lake Lecco,Lake Idro,Lake Iseo and Lake Garda

TO SEE OVER 1,000 PHOTOS TAKEN DURING OUR 2008 and 2009 MILLE MIGLIA TOURS see our web photo album by clicking on the line/link below or click on the words "photo gallery " on the menu bar at the top of this page:

http://picasaweb.google.com/classiccartoursinternational/MILLEMIGLIAITALIANLAKESTOUR2008

http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/classiccartoursinternational/MILLEMIGLIAITALIANLAKESTOUR2009II#

For more information about the 2010 Mille Miglia Rally click on the lines below starting "The origins etc" or "Draft Programme" or "Mille Miglia Info"

• The origins, history etc of the Mille Miglia
• Draft Programme for the Public: Mille Miglia 2010
• and much more on our Mille Miglia Info page

Itinerary,(the 5 day tour can join us on Lake Orta on the morning of Day 5 or on Lake Como on the evening of Day 5 )

Day 1 - Friday. April 30th, Dunkerque- Echternach Luxembourg, (285 miles including 160 on motorway)

Our tour starts with an 8.00am ferry crossing from Dover to Dunkerque.Our route takes us on the motorway for 2-3 hours south towards Liege where we leave the motorway and join a country road into the charming countryside north of Luxembourg where our lunchstop is a pretty village nestling in a river valley.In the afternoon we continue south to Echternach where a warm welcome awaits us from the owners of our four star hotel in the country side just north of Echternach.( 260 miles including approx 190 mileson motorways)

Day 2 - Saturday, May 1stEchternach- Riquiwhr, Alsace, ( 195 miles)

Our route takes us further south skirting around Luxembourg city south passing to the west of Strasbourg eventually into France's Alsace region where our next hotel is based in one of France's most beautiful villages, Riquiwhr, famous for its wine and its charming olde- worlde houses.Our dinner tonight is in a one star Michelin restaurant in this picturesque village surrounded by vineyards.( 190 miles including first 50 on motorways)

Day 3 - Sunday,May 2nd, Riquewihr- Wilen,Lake Sarner,Switzerland,(190 miles)

Leaving Riquewihr we drive 10 miles south to another of France's most beautiful villages where we stroll around the pretty streets.We then drive 20 miles south to our lunch stop the world famous Sclumpf motor museum at Mulhouse, the French National Automobile Museum, which houses a fantastic collection of classic cars including the world's largest collection of Bugattis. We then cross the river Rhine into Germany stopping for lunch at a mountain hotel and drive through the Black Forest eventually crossing the border into Switzerland.We then head south to Luzerne where our hotel is based a few miles further south at Sarnen on the charming Lake Sarner.( 200 miles)

Day 4 - Monday, May 3rd,Wilen, Lake Sarner-Orta San Giulio,Lake Orta, Italy, (150 miles)

Leaving Lake Sarner, we head for Lake Orta in Italy just west of Lake Maggiore.Our route takes us across mountain passes south west to Interlaken where we drive around the south shore of the lake before climbing into the mountains to Kandersteg..From here we use the 15 minute motor rail service to Goppenstein through a mountain tunnel.We the drive south east over the Simplon Pass to Domodossola where we follow the road towards Lake Maggiore.At Gravellona we turn south to Omegna at the northern tip of Lake Orta.We then drive down the eastern shore of the first of our Italian lakes to Orta San Giulio where our hotel overlooks Lake Orta.The medieval town of Orta St Giulio is absolutely captivating with its cobbled streets and historic buildings with frescoes and its charming square on the lakeside overlooks a mysterious island where an order of nuns still live in a medieval convent.There is an opportunity to visit the island via a five minute boatride.

Day 5 - Tuesday,May 4th,Lake Orta -Lake Como, Italy,(130 miles), The 5 day tour joins the main tour today

We leave the captivating Lake Orta then drive 20 miles east to Lake Maggiore where our morning coffee stop is the stylish Stresa overlooking the Borromee islands.We then drive clockwise around the lake up the western lake shore road to Cannobio our lunch stop before crossing into Switzerland through Brissago and Ascona to Locarno at the top of Lake Maggiore.Continuing around the lake we head down the eastern shoreline back into Italy to Luino on the north eastern shoreline.From here we head east to Ponte Tresa and drive around the southern shore of Lake Lugano on a charming, picturesque minor road to Carona just 4 miles south of Lugano town..We then drive through Lugano clockwise up the western shore of Lake Lugano leaving Switzerland.At the top of Lake Lugano at Porlezza we leave the lake and drive over the mountains passing a tiny lake to Lake Como and our hotel at Menaggio on the west lake shore only 100 yards from the village square.This evening there will be a drinks reception prior to dinner in the hotel's restaurant.

Day 6- Wednesday,May 5th,Lake Como-Lake Garda, Italy, (245 miles)

Upon leaving Menaggio we catch the nearby car ferry to Bellagio our coffee stop this morning.Bellagio is described as the "jewel" in Lake Como's crown by many and the poet Shelley as "the prettiest town on the Italian lakes if not the world".Here we can enjoy a morning coffee and a walk around this charming town.We then catch the 15 minute car ferry to Varenna on the eastern shoreline of Lake Como and then drive north through Bellano to Colico.We then leave Lake Como and head east into the hills to Sondrio and Edolo where we can enjoy lunch.We then continue north east along a very scenic and relatively quiet road to Ponte di Legno and continue through the Vermiglio valley to Dimaro.Here we turn south through breathtaking scenery to Tione di Trento where we continue south west to Lake Idro.At Lavenone at the south of the lake we turn left passing through the small town of Idro and drive east passing Lake Valvestino continuing east across the mountains to Lake Garda, set in an idyllic landscape of mountains and rugged hillsides. Lake Garda, the largest and easternmost of the Italian Lakes borders the regions of Trenito in the north, Lombardy to the west and south and the Venito to the south and east. Arriving on the western shore in Gargnano we drive down the lake to Desenzano.Our base for the next four nights is a hotel with lake frontage at the southern end of Lake Garda on the outskirts of Desenzano near Rivotella and overlooking the peninsula of Sirmione.

Day 7- Thursday,May 6th, Lake Garda-Brescia-Lake Garda, Italy, ( no driving today)

Today is the start of the 2010 Mille Miglia so we travel early morning to nearby Brescia taking the train from Desenzano, a journey of 15 minutes. The atmosphere is amazing and we spend the day absorbing the ambiance in this historic city with its rich artistic heritage including Roman temples and triumphalist architecture. In the afternoon we can visit the Mille Miglia Museum which is based in the Sant' Eufemia monastery in Brescia. In the early evening we return to our hotel.Dinner tonight is a stylish restaurant in Desenzano and the 2010 Mille Miglia cars come through Desenzano where there is a checkpoint so we can watch the Mille Miglia cars drive past from 8.30pm to 11.00pm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 8- Friday, May 7th, Lake Garda-Maranello-Sant Agata Bolognese-Lake Garda, Italy, ( 235 miles).

On Friday we take the motorway and drive a hundred miles south east down to Maranello and visit the Ferrari Museum,(Galleria Ferrari) which is just around the corner from the Ferrari factory.We then drive 20 mileseast to Sant' Agata Bolognese near Bologna to visit the Lamborghini museum the factory too.After this we then head back to Lake Garda and visit the beautiful Parco Giardino Sigurta, considered by many as one of the five most extraordinary gardens in the world where visitors can enjoy enchanting views, stunning colours and picturesque corners. A spectacular oasis of green at the edge of the glacial hills just eight kilometres south of Peschiera del Garda, Sigurta is a fitting complement to the beauty of Lake Garda.To help you unwind after a busy day and enjoy the beauty of Lake Garda, our final afternoon coffee stop is Sirmione, a charming and atmospheric medieval town on a peninsula at the south of the lake less than 10 miles from Desenzano. The town can only be accessed on foot by crossing the moat of a 16th-century castle at the town's entrance.We then return to our hotel for dinner.

Day 9- Saturday, May 8th,Tour of Lake Garda then Cremona-Brescia-Lake Garda, Italy, ( 85 miles)

In the morning , we enjoy a clockwise drive around Lake Garda enjoying the contrasts between the low-lying countryside around the southern stretches to the increasingly dramatic scenery further north ending in impressive rocky cliffs, sometimes swathed in pines which hug the shoreline of the northern tip. Our morning coffee stop is at Gardone Riviera just north of Salo where we visit the fascinating Il Vittoriale villa and beautiful botanical gardens.Our route then takes us clockwise up the western shore of Lake Garda stopping to admire Limone Sul Garda before arriving at Riva del Garda our lunchstop at the top of the lake and Lake Garda's most famous holiday resort.In the afternoon we drive down the east shoreline of Lake Garda to our coffee stop Malcesine which after Sirmione is arguably the prettiest village on the lake.After this we continue back around the lake to Desenzano with another opportunity to savour the delights of Sirmione before arriving back at our hotel..Late afternoon we then drive to Cremona to watch the return of the 2010 Mille Miglia rally with the option of following the cars into Brescia to see the cars cross the finishing line in the evening.We then return to our hotel for the final night of the tour.

 

 

Day 10, Sunday, May 9th

Participants are free to make their own way home at their own pace, although we will be happy to suggest routes depending on how much time they have for the return trip.

[+] Lake Como

[+] Lake Como

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