Mille Miglia & the Italian Lakes Itinerary
We have planned overnight stays at excellent hotels in Champagne and Burgundy before a night overlooking Lake Geneva. Having crossed the Alps into Italy we will have two nights relaxing by charming Lake Iseo before witnessing the colourful start of the Mille Miglia. We will see the cars parked at close quarters following their scrutineering in Brescia, as well as seeing the field passing at speed at other viewing points along the route. After leaving the Italian lakes we head to glorious Tuscany and then back over the Apennines into the Emilia Romagna region to enjoy the gastronomy and history of that region together with excellent motoring-related visits around the fine city of Modena, also the supercar capital of the world. The three night return trip includes some of the great driving routes through the Dolomites and into Switzerland again, before a gastronomic night in the wine capital of Burgundy en route for Calais.
Saturday 1 May
Join the group at Dover for a late morning ferry for an arrival time in to Calais just after lunchtime. From here we travel into Champagne for a visit to the Former GP circuit at Reims for a chance to retrace the circuit and capture that all-important photo opportunity in front of the old pit buildings. From here we will drive through the Champagne vineyards to our chateau hotel. Dinner this evening is included in the adjoining restaurant.
Sunday 2 May
After breakfast today we take a pleasant D-road route into Burgundy including a lunch stop at a wine Chateau which also houses an extraordinary collection of aircraft and rare Abarth cars. It is a very short distance to our chateau hotel where you can relax by the pool, play tennis or perhaps visit a local wine producer to pick up a bargain. We will have another wine tasting arranged by the hotel’s sommelier this evening (in Burgundy, wouldn’t it be rude to refuse!) before dinner at the hotel.
Monday 3 May
Today we experience a fantastic drive across the Vosges mountains and into Switzerland where our road book will guide you along our suggested routes to our hotel high above Lake Leman. Our grand old hotel offers panoramic views over the lake from the landscaped gardens and has an outdoor pool and fitness facilities. Dinner this evening is at the hotel.
Tuesday 4 May
After breakfast we continue on mountain roads, crossing the Simplon Pass before dropping down into Italy to Lake Maggiore. The route continues south of Lake Como and past Milan, with an optional visit to the wonderful Alfa Romeo museum, before arriving at Lake Iseo. We will stay for the next three nights in a wonderful four star hotel with dramatic views overlooking the lake. Dinner on this first evening will be in the hotel restaurant.
Wednesday 5 May
A car-free respite day! After breakfast at the hotel a coach will take us down to the shore for a tour by private boat and across to the car-free Monte Isola, the largest island in the Italian lakes, for an idyllic lunch by the lakeside. Our boat will return us to the mainland and the coach will take us back to the hotel. This evening we will have a tasting of local Franciacorta wines with antipasti on the hotel terrace.
Thursday 6 May
Today having left our hotel we will follow the Mille Miglia route past Mantova and Bologna to Florence. We will stay amidst the unique Tuscan landscape at a rural olive oil mill dating back to the 13th century, where we will have a traditional dinner at the hotel this evening.
Saturday 8 May
Today we leave Tuscany, ahead of the Mille Miglia, on the great drive taken by the competitors over the Futa and Raticosa passes. We will make stops and have lunch whilst watching them come through on the road section. We then carry on past Bologna to Modena to a hotel that has looked after our guests for many years and where we always get a special welcome. There should be a final opportunity to see the Mille Miglia passing on its way through Modena. Dinner this evening will be taken in the hotel’s excellent restaurant.
Sunday 9 May
From Modena we take the autostrada north to the mediaeval city of Verona for an optional lunch stop and a chance to explore. We will continue into the South Tyrol and stay in Merano at a favourite health spa hotel. We will have dinner in the hotel’s restaurant this evening.
Monday 10 May
Today will involve some of the most spectacular driving roads of the tour through the Dolomites and, if the road is open, we will drive over the Stelvio pass onour way back into Switzerland. We will be staying overlooking Lake Luzerne at a stunning four star hotel, where we will also have dinner this evening..
Tuesday 11 May
Leaving Lake Luzerne we will continue across Switzerland into eastern France and thence back into Burgundy where we are staying at a delightful and historic auberge in the centre of Beaune.We will have the opportunity here to enjoy some of the best gastronomy of France at our finale dinner in this famous wine capital.
Wednesday 12 May
Today there is an autoroute or cross-country drive to Calais to check in for your reserved sailing to Dover.
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