I like to travel at the week- ends.As I live in Zurich, I prefer to choose close places to Zurich in different countries...
So,I would be pleased if someone shares his experience about Italy's close places?( speacial places to see,special meat to taste....etc)
Thank you

How about Milan ? SBB has their Milan Super Savers too.

I did Zürich - Como - Bellagio in one day. Beautiful. But I would wait till spring.

Sorry I meant Zürich - Como - Bellaggio - Zürich in one day.

Tirol is very nice.

I second Como. I like it.

But I would suggest you spend a night there. (To and fro in one day is 6-7 hours of train travel ... too much for me)

There is a market on weekends and they have some nice restaurants where you can enjoy a lovely dinner for 'decent' prices.

I normally stay at the:
http://www.palacehotel.it/it/hotel-4-stelle-Como

All the area about Lake Como and Lugano is lovely, try to goto Stresa on lake Como if you can manage it, trains are great to get to Lugano from Zurich also its quite quick to drive.

I usually don't say anything and let everyone go to Como (which is a lovely city, but we have a bit of rivalry just like Zurich and Basel) but now, may I humbly recommend my hometown, Varese?

You can read about the "Garden City", how to get there, practical info, etc. here (in English): http://www.varesecittagiardino.it/en_lacitta.html

And also: http://www.vareselandoftourism.it/?l...101&PAG=nature

I attach some pictures. Of course, if you also need good restaurant recommendations, I will be happy to oblige

thanks for the great pictures federica. as an italian I had no idea varese was quite so beautiful. the idea we usually have is that it is a bustling, rich but a bit boring provincial town. looks like I had a very wrong impression.
besides - I'm sure you'll confirm that the shopping must be awesome
we will definitely make a detour there on our way to liguria sometime soon!

Absolutely, shopping recommendations also available upon request (I suggest shoes and leather goods in general - boots, jackets, etc.)

As far as Varese, thanks for the nice words - we are sort of a "well kept secret", hehehe!

not sure how loing you'll be able to keep your secret, though, once the weekend EF invasion starts

I think the only shopping I've ever done in Varese has been at the Iper outside of town, and Moro (motorcycle parts) in town!

Oh, and we did go there to buy a copy of "Il Cucchiaio d'Argento" one time in some bookstore.

Tom

I highly recommend Lugano. It is like a Little Italy in Switzerland
Beautiful sceneries, charming and vibrant, delicious fresh produce and if you avoid the tourists traps, a great meal in the local restaurant.

If you want to drive a bit further south, i highly recommend Liguria, lots of small villages next to the ocean, I stayed at Rapallo, got a room at a Hotel just across from the Castle (can't remember the name of the Hotel), and was upgraded for free to an ocean view room, due to availability.

Portofino and Santa Mergherita are very nice too. And the food there is one of the best I have tried in Italy. A must have are the Pesto alla Genovese and the Focaccia.

We had an amazing meal in Santa Margherita at Oca Bianca - a little restaurant near the tourist information centre. We ordered the 5 appetizer special. I expected a platter with 5 different appetizers but NO - it was 5 courses of appetizers!! One of the best ones was grilled white polenta with sausage. After that and a primi and a secondi we were too full for dessert so what did they do? With the bill they brought a platter of amaretti and a big bowl of cherries.

My colleague visited Milan last weekend. 4 hours from Luzern (not sure about Zurich) Anyway for two days it's a good trip! And with half-price travel card it's just about 100 CHF

Please!

Tom

As requested, here some Varese "culinary favorites" of mine, in the order listed.

#1: Al Mattarello, http://www.ristorantealmattarello.com/
Featuring typical specialties of Lombardy cuisine, such as bresaola della Valtellina (dried beef), trenette noci e zafferano (pasta with walnuts and saffron), pappardelle ai funghi porcini (egg noodles with porcini mushrooms) and of course in this time of year they feature all the special game meats, such as deer, duck, bore, etc. I highly recommend my family's all time favorite, stewed deer with polenta (cervo con polenta).

#2: Golden Egg, http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaur..._Lombardy.html
If you eat a sandwitch in Varese, you go here, no questions asked. It's open until 2am and their sandwitches are heavenly (especially for the "food break" between the pub and the club).

#3: Ristorante Colonne, http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaur..._Lombardy.html
This place, which is also a hotel, sits on top of the Sacro Monte ("Sacred Mountain") in the middle of the city. It's amazing all year round, but in winter it's the preferred spot for a Sunday afternoon romantic date, because they have a "hot chocolate menu" which is a booklet with tens of types of hot chocolates. Yummy.

#4: Ristorante Vecchia Riva, http://www.vecchiariva.com/ing/restaurant.htm
This is my family's favorite. It has three great things going for it: it's in a beautiful location in front of the lake; they have an antipasti buffet to die for; they prepare one of my favorite dishes in the world, risotto al nero di seppia (cuttlefish ink risotto).

Bon appetit!

To which I will add this (outside of Varese, but barely).

Tom

Hmmm, that is one of my specialties (really), though tonight it'll be with pumpkin from Brezzo di Bedero.

Think I'll get some seppie Saturday if we go to visit the cousins.

Tom