Presumably you'll be driving, and FWIW I find Italian drivers very skilful, but also with a shared belief that everyone is in a hurry and no-one should be held up. That includes the seemingly mad manoeuvre on a (wide) normal road with a single lane in either direction. They'll overtake in the middle of the road, and drivers are expected to move over to the respective sides of the road to facilitate this. Once you get used to it, it makes sense. Do expect slightly faster driving around Modena/Parma, which seems linked to the motorbike / sportscar industries locally. One little tip on the autostrade, that when coming off the junction, the signs suggest slowing down a lot (to ~30 kph IIRC). Trust them, as they often then have you doing a very sharp bend to the left and it's all too easy to carry too much speed.
I've not been to Iseo/Garda, but have spent time in Valpolicella/Soave/Amarone region about 20-30 mins drive from Verona. Local producers that really impressed were Roccolo Grassi (for everything, though they themselves rather grumbled about not having the best land for Soave. Their Valpolicella was the best we tasted, but the Amarone was no slouch); Marco Mosconi (especially their Recioto della Valpolicella which was stunning); Gini, but they are Soave specialists.
Parma and Modena have just been half day trips for me, but both were enjoyable and you will eat well here. A trip to a balsamic vinegar producer can be quite an experience... and make a good dent in the wallet. It's a long process from grape to vinegar and the best (~25 years) are quite something. We've spent more time in and around Bologna, which again is a great place, easy to day trip from Parma/Modena, but I like your plan of picking those two smaller locations. If buying wine in the region, and looking for some of the rarer wines (at not unreasonable prices) we thought this place on the outskirts of Reggio nell'Emilia was very good https
://enoteca-bigliardi.it/ which was lucky as we used to pass it walking into the city from our apartment.
Ligurian Coast - we've just been to Genova and Cinque Terre (staying in Riomaggiore), but not visited Camogli, nor the fancy places like Portofino. A couple of really offbeat suggestions now: Recco and La Spezia. On their own, there's not much of appeal, but both have great examples of the Italian early evening Passeggiata, where everyone is wandering around, saying hi to friends / rellies, catching up on news / gossip and enjoying a walk as part of this. One place that surprised us (in a good way) was Portovenere, including one of those classic Italian enotecas serving very tasty small plates of food, with good and fairly prices wine by the glass. Not somewhere to spend too long in, but nonetheless enjoyable.
Barolo villages - We've stayed in Serralunga, Monforte, between La Morra and Barolo and also the other side of the main road from Verduno. That latter one is worth a recommendation as it had a nice pool in a very pleasant garden, with modern but stylish / spacious apartments - ideal for a summer stay. https
://www.agriturismo.it/en/farmhouse/pied ... index.html (we rather enjoy agriturismo places / apartments rather than hotels). Santa Vittoria is the village. For smaller apartments, but ones built to remain cool, the ones attached to Boasso / Gabutti winery were decent, and indeed I'd recommend the wines there as well, especially the Barbera, which is arguably the Barbera we've liked the most, yet it's modestly priced. Aside from that, the villages are pretty close together, so staying in one doesn't preclude you driving (or *walking) to another. That said, consider having at least one day (or perhaps 2 afternoons) where the designated driver can leave the keys behind whilst you walk to / between wineries. We try to leave 1.5 to 2 hours between winery visits, so tend to do 2 in the morning, then 1 or 2 in the afternoon, but it's possible to fit more in if that appeals. A few years ago the excellent Langheroero.it tourist office started a booking service, which saves having to send individual emails out (which I personally enjoy doing in Italian, but that's just me!). Plenty of info on their site, including accommodation listings, events, activities etc.
Best wineries? Such a tough thing as it's a personal preference thing.
- Fabio at GB Burlotto is a great host, though probably inundated since Galloni took a liking to his Monvigliero. If you do go, marvel at how someone could navigate past the sign for the winery three times, before having to stop to ask someone for directions when about 20 paces away from it
- We were very impressed with Schiavenza in Serralunga d'Alba. A youngish couple with young children, yet who both seemed very focused and driven by their work (him in the winery, her running a very fairly priced restaurant). Ideally book a late morning tasting here, then decamp to the restaurant which sits above the winery.
- Cascina Ballarin on the main road that sits between Annunziata (La Morra) and Barolo, whose Barolo wines are good, some with a surprising hint of white truffle, but standout for value is their langhe nebbiolo which definitely shows the resemblance to Barolo in a slightly lighter form.
* I always chime on about how wonderful the walking is, straight through the middle of the vineyards, with good landmarks to help navigate (including the rather enjoyable option of navigating merely by vineyard names!). There are also a couple of nice woodland walks, including one out of Barolo itself on the way to (IIRC) Monforte. The walking is a great option if you feel yourself falling into the habit of two large meals a day, used as either a replacement for lunch (with some alimentari / gastronomia goodies replacing it in picnic form) or to walk off a heavy lunch before returning to the car.
Maggiore. I've not been here either, but will put in a good word for Gattinara as a day trip option. It's got an appealing centre, plus of course some good wineries. Our favourite remains Antoniolo (on the long straight road towards the bridge over the Sesia at Romagnano Sesia), but Travaglini have always appealed as well. There is a Gattinara enoteca, where you can sit and taste a selection of the wine, though we oddly didn't find it a place we enjoyed tasting at. When we're in the area we tend to stay in Ghemme, and if you can wangle day tripping to Gattinara/Ghemme on a Sunday, see if you can get a table at the place we stay at http
://www.ilcavenago.it/ The meals aren't every day of the week and usually only in the evenings, but they switch it around on Sundays making lunch a definite. There is (as so often with agriturismi) plenty of food, enough that you need to pace yourself and beware of generous offers of 'seconds'. Their risotto was consistently special, most memorably the basil risotto that had me grinning like an idiot, so vibrant was its flavour. Also a mention in passing that Novara is a rather charming city, mostly bypassed by tourists. Although I've not been, a local chef we got chatting to at the Ghemme wine festival (a piss-up, which isn't such a common thing in Italy) recommended heading further north up the val sesia (Varallo and beyond). We never made it, but might when we return.
In terms of language, all the places you mentioned should mean you'll get by easily in English, though even a small effort is generally appreciated.
Lots to mull over here, but give me a shout if there is something specific you're looking for, or looking for more info on anything I mentioned.... and happy planning (a part of the holiday I actually enjoy, usually plotting out restaurants, bars, food shops, wineries, events etc. all getting me more interested, but also meaning I feel less lost when we arrive).
Regards
Ian
