Hi I have visited Lago Di Como, Lago Garda and Lago Maggiore . I love all three but hands down I love Lago Maggiore. I end every trip in Italy staying in Stresa . The Borromean Island are beautiful. I love Stresa and the passegiata along the lake. I love swimming in the Lake, day trips around villages in the lake. Day trip off to Milano and Lake Orta. Much more tranquil.
Thank you so much for this recommendation, Dr. Casey! How are the ferries to get around the islands? Are they as chaotic as they can be at times in Lake Como? I've added it to our bucket list of places to visit! -Judy
They TRULY were! And I don't buy much wine for myself, but when we lived in the US, I had a stash of Amarone (Kevin doesn't love it). Such a delicious wine! -Judy
Thank you so much for watching, Erin! We would love for you and Stan to experience it and hopefully love it as much as we do. It surprises us that even after visiting three times, it hasn't lost its luster. Our daughter loved it, too! Safe travels! -Judy
Thank you, Judy and Kevin. This is the one I’ve been waiting for! Lake Como and Verona looks so beautiful! This is where we plan to travel next summer, and your tips are invaluable, we really appreciate you both!
@greggiacona238 unfortunately not this year. We really would’ve loved to have gone there, but we just ran out of time. I think its affordability and fewer crowds make it pretty attractive. -Judy
Thank you so much for great video which brings sweet memories of Verona and Lake Como. As usual we were watching on Saturday morning with cup of coffee. 🤩 We are looking forward for more! Safe travels to you guys.
Thank you so much! Kevin says that's the best way to watch our videos! We have more coming, including another episode from our decluttering series on Tuesday. -Judy
Both Como and Garda are epic places but Como overall for me is better for views and vibe. Riva on northern Garda is super beautiful and reminds me of Como somewhat with more activities on the water.
Very interesting, Scott. Thanks so much for sharing your preferences! We are very curious to experience Garda ourselves to compare, but your perspective helps! Thanks for watching! -Judy
We love hearing this, BW! We were so happy that our daughter fell in love with Verona, too. And of course, what's not to love in Lake Como (except getting on the bus and navigating ferries?!). -Judy
Beautiful video! We did a day trip to Bellagio from Lugano. Took the train to Como & then waited several hours to get on a ferry. Fun day, but it was pretty crowded & chaotic. I think the way you did Bellagio was smarter. 😉We have not been to Verona…but it’s now on our list after your video! We appreciate all the excellent tips & descriptions. So glad you were able to share your trip with your daughter…the best!! Thank you so much! Marion & Jan 🇮🇹❤️😁👍🏼
Hi Marion and Jan, We've not been to Lugano yet. Fortunately, the wait for our ferries wasn't bad, but it was a madhouse with people pushing and shoving. The Italians don't do enough to prevent that from happening, unfortunately. I didn't love the car ride from Lake Como to Bellagio, however. The driver wasn't a professional; she was just helping out and drove way too fast, especially with it being rainy. We make our mistakes so you don't have to! We hope you get to Verona. It isn't the cheapest destination in Italy, but there is something about it that clutches our hearts and doesn't want to let go! Thank you so much for watching and for your lovely comments! -Judy
We are so happy to have you with us! We share what we paid, but we haven't discussed our budget specifically. We know people can travel more cheaply than we do. Although we have a budget, we don't consider us true budget travelers. But there's been some recent demand for more of our budget information, so we'll begin sharing that info soon. -Judy
Hi James and Charmaine, Thank you so much! Our 6 Cities in 12 Days episode touches on Verona, but we really wanted to share more about our love for this Italian city. Lake Como was a bonus for us to experience. We were thrilled that our daughter connected so easily to Verona as well. Thank you so much for watching! -Judy
Hi Armida, That can be hard to do when we're splitting a bottle of wine or appetizers, etc. Also, the cost for two people at times is not half, since even in a one-bedroom or studio apartment, the rental cost might be split, but the full cost technically would be borne by one if it was solo travel. We certainly could have and should have divided up the costs of the trains, but again, the cost of the taxi would have been the same for one versus three. We'll see how we can do this better. Thanks for watching. -Judy
Another great video. I would appreciate a “Europe train travel for dummies” video. I think you did a train video but I need an even dumber one. 😂 We’ll be in France/uk/italy in October and I bought a bunch of tix on train line website. Depending on who you ask that was a rookie move. I’m a little nervous but mostly excited and will try to emulate your practical realistic yet optimistic “take what comes and pivot” attitude. 😎😊
Hi Catherine, thank you so much for watching and for your comment. I've delayed responding because we wanted to see if this is something we can actually do. This is going to be more in Kevin's realm, so he needs time to think through what we can do since we're outside of Europe's train system right now. We use Trainline ourselves, so that's not a rookie move. It does charge an extra fee, so if you're trying to save money, meh, maybe that's not the best option. HOWEVER, the ability to have all your tickets in one place, being able to quickly schedule tickets for any train vendor all through one curated app is a great one-stop shop perk. We've used Rail Ninja occasionally (mostly outside of Europe) as well because it has the same benefits. There is nothing worse than not knowing which train line you booked and it can get dicey if you aren't fully on top of your bookings or organized. You did just fine! -Judy And always, there are people who will help you. We've met kind people everywhere who were willing to help us, and you will too!
What a great video, love Verona! We took our day trip via train at the Varenna station to Lake Como while staying in Milano (under appreciated city btw). We took our day trips to Di Senzano del Garda from Verona. We enjoyed Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore (town of Intra) more than Bellagio...maybe because both of those lakes are like a cleaner and classier Jersey Shore, people enjoy the water more and there are a ton of restaurants, shops, cafes there to support the holiday lifestyle. Looking forward to following your next destination and your longer stays at each location!
It was on my wish list to go to Lake Garda, but our daughter was sold on Lake Como. We do plan to see Lake Garda at some point (and Lake Maggiore). Our next stop from Italy was Barcelona, just before the revolt against tourists happened. It also was a quick, last-minute trip. Barcelona was outside of our budget for a longer stay, but it was nice to see what the fuss was about. We spent the rest of the month in Madrid! We did enjoy being a little more settled, but we were pretty busy getting ready for our trip back to the US to spend time with family. We're here now in Tirana, Albania, where we actually have a little more breathing room, and it's been wonderful! Thank you so much for watching and for your sweet comments! We always enjoying seeing your name pop up! -Judy
One more to add to my list of where to visit. 😊 Verona. Amerone is what we served at our wedding in 2008, who knew we would get to have some in Florence on our honeymoon trip (our first visit to Europe). We still have Lake Como on our list, we just haven't been yet.
Hi Eliza, You made a wise, wise decision with the Amarone! During our first trip to Verona, I didn't care for the selection during our food tour, which included a stop at a wine store. However, when we stopped at Tosca Bistro, the Amarone they served just did me in with how delicious it was! Spending all (or even a part) of your honeymoon in Florence is amazing! Lake Como was really lovely. The ferries got crowded in the afternoon, but the views were spectacular. We actually enjoyed it a bit more than the Amalfi Coast! Thank you SO much for watching! (Do you prefer Liz or Eliza??) -Judy
Hi Anna, Oh wow. You are lucky! Ascona looks lovely! Thank you so much for referencing it for us. Everywhere in Switzerland is more expensive, but it looks like it would be worth it! -Judy
Thank you for sharing your travels and advice. Great show! I have suggestion about reporting the cost of your current trips. Instead of breaking down the cost of everything, have the total price of the trip, the cost of lodging, and the cost of everything else. You also are giving the cost in the local currency, which is fine, but how much does it cost in dollars for those of us in the USA? I would have a better understanding of the real costs and what I could afford.
Thanks for your suggestions, Stephen. We try to keep our costs in the local currency as much as possible because not everyone who watches is from the US. Some people prefer to know what an entire month of travel costs versus a specific trip, and truly we balance out the year versus per-month costs, but we understand that both a trip total and a monthly total (and yearly total) all are helpful. We hear what you're asking and we'll see what we can do. -Judy
Hi Conan, We probably will make it to Trieste at some point, but we haven't made it there yet. It's on our list of places to see. San Remo actually seems a little more interesting to us from a location standpoint, so we may actually get there sooner. But we're out of Schengen for the remainder of 2025 outside of a layover back in Madrid en route to Buenos Aires later this year.
Hello - would this area be good for last two Christmas weeks in December? Trying to see where I can go in Europe that I haven't been in that time frame without it being snowy rainy freezing but not sure if there are any areas then that are a mild winter except South of France, Spain or Sicliy perhaps? Can you point to any recommendations then - Verona area seems delightful if it wouldn't be too bad walking around! Dont have to do Christmas market thing but want to explore more of Europe then
Hi Esther, We visited Verona in 2019 in late November over Thanksgiving (hence the Christmas photos). It was cold and we had heavy jackets, but it also was beautiful. The Alps will be snow covered and beautiful, but yes, Lake Como will be cold, but prices will be lower. You shouldn't have to worry too much about rain.I'll admit that even in mid December even Sicily was pretty chilly and we had heaters on inside our Airbnb. The warmest places would be Canary Islands, Andalusia-Seville, Malaga, Almeria (Spain), Madeira (Portugal), Malta (Italy), Cyprus, Crete (Greece). We originally were headed to Malta in November, but our viewers mentioned that it would be better to see it in spring, so we are headed to South America for warmer weather this winter! -Judy
Hi I have visited Lago Di Como, Lago Garda and Lago Maggiore . I love all three but hands down I love Lago Maggiore. I end every trip in Italy staying in Stresa . The Borromean Island are beautiful. I love Stresa and the passegiata along the lake. I love swimming in the Lake, day trips around villages in the lake. Day trip off to Milano and Lake Orta. Much more tranquil.
Thank you so much for this recommendation, Dr. Casey! How are the ferries to get around the islands? Are they as chaotic as they can be at times in Lake Como? I've added it to our bucket list of places to visit! -Judy
“Little nibbles of heaven!” I LOVE that description!
They TRULY were! And I don't buy much wine for myself, but when we lived in the US, I had a stash of Amarone (Kevin doesn't love it). Such a delicious wine! -Judy
Apperttmanzzoo MAVRA Vedr anka a Ante Setto KUKLJICA, Isslanddo UGLJAN. CRROATT EII❤.@@FindingGinaMarie
Another great video! Thank you for sharing. I’m going to Verona after watching this video!
Thank you so much for watching, Erin! We would love for you and Stan to experience it and hopefully love it as much as we do. It surprises us that even after visiting three times, it hasn't lost its luster. Our daughter loved it, too! Safe travels! -Judy
Thank you, Judy and Kevin. This is the one I’ve been waiting for! Lake Como and Verona looks so beautiful! This is where we plan to travel next summer, and your tips are invaluable, we really appreciate you both!
We hope you have an absolutely amazing time, Greg! I hope you enjoy these places as much as we did! Let us know how it went after you return. -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie thank you! Any chance you’ll be doing a Lake Garda travel video in the future?
@greggiacona238 unfortunately not this year. We really would’ve loved to have gone there, but we just ran out of time. I think its affordability and fewer crowds make it pretty attractive. -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie ok good to know-we’ll be following you on YT!
@@greggiacona238 We appreciate it so much! -Judy
Loved it. Thanks for posting.
Thank you so much for watching, Taran! We appreciate you! -Judy
Thank you so much for great video which brings sweet memories of Verona and Lake Como.
As usual we were watching on Saturday morning with cup of coffee. 🤩
We are looking forward for more! Safe travels to you guys.
Thank you so much! Kevin says that's the best way to watch our videos! We have more coming, including another episode from our decluttering series on Tuesday. -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie oh we are in the process of downsizing. It definitely will help. Thank you! 🤗
@Anthrofun882 Fabulous! -Judy
Both Como and Garda are epic places but Como overall for me is better for views and vibe. Riva on northern Garda is super beautiful and reminds me of Como somewhat with more activities on the water.
Very interesting, Scott. Thanks so much for sharing your preferences! We are very curious to experience Garda ourselves to compare, but your perspective helps! Thanks for watching! -Judy
One of my favorite cities too! Great video💕
We love hearing this, BW! We were so happy that our daughter fell in love with Verona, too. And of course, what's not to love in Lake Como (except getting on the bus and navigating ferries?!). -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie After waiting 3 hours my ferry was cancelled.🤨
@@bw5911 That is the WORST. How frustrating! -Judy
ADORE VERONA! ♥
Isn't it one of the BEST?! It never gets old for us. It has some magical hold over our hearts! ♥️-Judy
Beautiful video! We did a day trip to Bellagio from Lugano. Took the train to Como & then waited several hours to get on a ferry. Fun day, but it was pretty crowded & chaotic. I think the way you did Bellagio was smarter. 😉We have not been to Verona…but it’s now on our list after your video!
We appreciate all the excellent tips & descriptions. So glad you were able to share your trip with your daughter…the best!!
Thank you so much!
Marion & Jan 🇮🇹❤️😁👍🏼
Hi Marion and Jan, We've not been to Lugano yet. Fortunately, the wait for our ferries wasn't bad, but it was a madhouse with people pushing and shoving. The Italians don't do enough to prevent that from happening, unfortunately. I didn't love the car ride from Lake Como to Bellagio, however. The driver wasn't a professional; she was just helping out and drove way too fast, especially with it being rainy. We make our mistakes so you don't have to! We hope you get to Verona. It isn't the cheapest destination in Italy, but there is something about it that clutches our hearts and doesn't want to let go! Thank you so much for watching and for your lovely comments! -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarie Awww!! We love you guys!! ❤️😁👍🏼
Just found the channel and love all the information! Do you ever discuss your monthly/annual budget?
We are so happy to have you with us! We share what we paid, but we haven't discussed our budget specifically. We know people can travel more cheaply than we do. Although we have a budget, we don't consider us true budget travelers. But there's been some recent demand for more of our budget information, so we'll begin sharing that info soon. -Judy
Great video you two!!
Hi James and Charmaine, Thank you so much! Our 6 Cities in 12 Days episode touches on Verona, but we really wanted to share more about our love for this Italian city. Lake Como was a bonus for us to experience. We were thrilled that our daughter connected so easily to Verona as well. Thank you so much for watching! -Judy
I like that you include costs, but adding a total per person and number of nights/days would be more informative!
Hi Armida, That can be hard to do when we're splitting a bottle of wine or appetizers, etc. Also, the cost for two people at times is not half, since even in a one-bedroom or studio apartment, the rental cost might be split, but the full cost technically would be borne by one if it was solo travel. We certainly could have and should have divided up the costs of the trains, but again, the cost of the taxi would have been the same for one versus three. We'll see how we can do this better. Thanks for watching. -Judy
@@FindingGinaMarieyou’re so kind in your responses Judy.
Another great video.
I would appreciate a “Europe train travel for dummies” video.
I think you did a train video but I need an even dumber one. 😂
We’ll be in France/uk/italy in October and I bought a bunch of tix on train line website. Depending on who you ask that was a rookie move.
I’m a little nervous but mostly excited and will try to emulate your practical realistic yet optimistic “take what comes and pivot” attitude. 😎😊
Hi Catherine, thank you so much for watching and for your comment. I've delayed responding because we wanted to see if this is something we can actually do. This is going to be more in Kevin's realm, so he needs time to think through what we can do since we're outside of Europe's train system right now. We use Trainline ourselves, so that's not a rookie move. It does charge an extra fee, so if you're trying to save money, meh, maybe that's not the best option. HOWEVER, the ability to have all your tickets in one place, being able to quickly schedule tickets for any train vendor all through one curated app is a great one-stop shop perk. We've used Rail Ninja occasionally (mostly outside of Europe) as well because it has the same benefits. There is nothing worse than not knowing which train line you booked and it can get dicey if you aren't fully on top of your bookings or organized. You did just fine! -Judy
And always, there are people who will help you. We've met kind people everywhere who were willing to help us, and you will too!
What a great video, love Verona! We took our day trip via train at the Varenna station to Lake Como while staying in Milano (under appreciated city btw). We took our day trips to Di Senzano del Garda from Verona. We enjoyed Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore (town of Intra) more than Bellagio...maybe because both of those lakes are like a cleaner and classier Jersey Shore, people enjoy the water more and there are a ton of restaurants, shops, cafes there to support the holiday lifestyle. Looking forward to following your next destination and your longer stays at each location!
It was on my wish list to go to Lake Garda, but our daughter was sold on Lake Como. We do plan to see Lake Garda at some point (and Lake Maggiore). Our next stop from Italy was Barcelona, just before the revolt against tourists happened. It also was a quick, last-minute trip. Barcelona was outside of our budget for a longer stay, but it was nice to see what the fuss was about. We spent the rest of the month in Madrid! We did enjoy being a little more settled, but we were pretty busy getting ready for our trip back to the US to spend time with family. We're here now in Tirana, Albania, where we actually have a little more breathing room, and it's been wonderful! Thank you so much for watching and for your sweet comments! We always enjoying seeing your name pop up! -Judy
One more to add to my list of where to visit. 😊 Verona. Amerone is what we served at our wedding in 2008, who knew we would get to have some in Florence on our honeymoon trip (our first visit to Europe). We still have Lake Como on our list, we just haven't been yet.
Hi Eliza, You made a wise, wise decision with the Amarone! During our first trip to Verona, I didn't care for the selection during our food tour, which included a stop at a wine store. However, when we stopped at Tosca Bistro, the Amarone they served just did me in with how delicious it was! Spending all (or even a part) of your honeymoon in Florence is amazing! Lake Como was really lovely. The ferries got crowded in the afternoon, but the views were spectacular. We actually enjoyed it a bit more than the Amalfi Coast! Thank you SO much for watching! (Do you prefer Liz or Eliza??) -Judy
You guys are close to my home country. We used to go to como lake (Ascona) a lot on weekend. Very pretty.
Hi Anna, Oh wow. You are lucky! Ascona looks lovely! Thank you so much for referencing it for us. Everywhere in Switzerland is more expensive, but it looks like it would be worth it! -Judy
Thank you for sharing your travels and advice. Great show! I have suggestion about reporting the cost of your current trips. Instead of breaking down the cost of everything, have the total price of the trip, the cost of lodging, and the cost of everything else. You also are giving the cost in the local currency, which is fine, but how much does it cost in dollars for those of us in the USA? I would have a better understanding of the real costs and what I could afford.
Thanks for your suggestions, Stephen. We try to keep our costs in the local currency as much as possible because not everyone who watches is from the US. Some people prefer to know what an entire month of travel costs versus a specific trip, and truly we balance out the year versus per-month costs, but we understand that both a trip total and a monthly total (and yearly total) all are helpful. We hear what you're asking and we'll see what we can do. -Judy
Oh man that train ride was crazy. I get anxiety from overcrowding. I couldn’t do it. Any plans to Trieste or San Remo?
Hi Conan, We probably will make it to Trieste at some point, but we haven't made it there yet. It's on our list of places to see. San Remo actually seems a little more interesting to us from a location standpoint, so we may actually get there sooner. But we're out of Schengen for the remainder of 2025 outside of a layover back in Madrid en route to Buenos Aires later this year.
Hello - would this area be good for last two Christmas weeks in December? Trying to see where I can go in Europe that I haven't been in that time frame without it being snowy rainy freezing but not sure if there are any areas then that are a mild winter except South of France, Spain or Sicliy perhaps? Can you point to any recommendations then - Verona area seems delightful if it wouldn't be too bad walking around! Dont have to do Christmas market thing but want to explore more of Europe then
Hi Esther, We visited Verona in 2019 in late November over Thanksgiving (hence the Christmas photos). It was cold and we had heavy jackets, but it also was beautiful. The Alps will be snow covered and beautiful, but yes, Lake Como will be cold, but prices will be lower. You shouldn't have to worry too much about rain.I'll admit that even in mid December even Sicily was pretty chilly and we had heaters on inside our Airbnb.
The warmest places would be Canary Islands, Andalusia-Seville, Malaga, Almeria (Spain), Madeira (Portugal), Malta (Italy), Cyprus, Crete (Greece).
We originally were headed to Malta in November, but our viewers mentioned that it would be better to see it in spring, so we are headed to South America for warmer weather this winter! -Judy