stop off ideas please?

Hi, We will look out for Kathy Bates and/or Jack Nicholson Ram !! (Thanks for the warning !) Re more detail............ alan h.............it's a 'special occasion' !!! We are leaving (early morning start - 8 am-ish) on the 5th Dec from the Macerata area to arrive in Starnberg for the night of the 6th December (Google map here). Christmas and New Year around that area (already booked) and we will be doing the return journey on the day (early morning start) of the 7th Jan. (therefore stopover somewhere on the night of the 7th). So, ideally............ we would like to stop off at sort of early afternoon/daylight (2/3pm ish?) and would like somewhere not too far off the beaten track for the night of the 5th Dec and similar for the night of the 7th Jan. Obviously the weather could well play a big part ! grazie, S

Hi Sibillini, (I love your mountains by the way !) Yes I think Garda would bea good halfway option (weather permitting !). I'll check out your suggestions and it sounds like a sensible way to go. We have 'done' Garda and (all of the lakes) quite a lot but not in the Dec/Jan timeframe so you have provoked a few thoughts. I suppose I was also thinking of maybe entering Austria for the stop on the way there ? Possibly what I was looking for was something off the beaten track that may be a 'hidden' gem (yes ram............maybe Kathy Bates/Jack Nicholson comes to mind)...... In terms of timings, I was thinking of getting to within a two/three hour drive to Starnberg, and maybe something similar on the way back; sort of breaking the back of the journey, resting somewhere 'nice' and then a little 2/3 hr trip to destination. Thanks again, enjoy the heat (!) S