I am visiting Brescia this weekend, and want to try to "tick off" the Pile Dwellings (once and for all). Unfortunately, the sites with little museums attached (such as Molina di Ledro) will be closed because it is winter.

From the reviews on this site, I gather that "something" is visible at:
- Fiave (this isn't the museum at Fiave, is it? that's closed for the winter)
- Lake Frassino near Pescheria del Garda (what's the exact location?)

Can anyone (Hubert?) confirm if these are viewable without having to pass a kind of entry gate, which will be closed in this time of the year.

P.S.: found out that the museum in Fiavé seems to be open in the afternoon on Sat & Sun during the winter day, http://www.visitacomano.it/eco_museum_of_judicaria/the_fiave_pile_dwelling_museum

I looked into this trip myself a few months back. Fiave was the one that I picked out as most viable/ interesting. There are quite a lot of sites at the southern end of Lake Garda, but I don't think there is anything to see (reminds me must write up part 2 of my German Pile Dwellings visit).

Not sure if you knew but if you are heading to Fiave then there is an outlying inscribed section of the Dolomites 15km up the road. The road itself doesn't head into the inscribed section but the mountains above Dorsino are part of it. I doubt December would be the best time for a hike but thought you would like to know.

I guess you are heading to Valcamonica as well as there is a (windy) road linking with Fiave.

Crespi d'Adda as well? If so Bergamo is on the tentative list (though I have no idea if it will ever be up for inscription)

Adding in the Longoboards site at Brescia, there is quite a glut of WHS in the area, as well as an airport favoured by budget airlines.

There was no gate at the site in Fiavé when I visited in 2011. It is a small wetland about 1 km before you reach Fiavé (if you come from Lake Garda), there is a dirt road on the left side of the main road and a small parking lot next to the site. The coordinates are N 45 59 26 E 10 49 59, Google Earth provides a good impression of the surrounding. But I do not know whether the piles are visible in Winter or whether they are covered by ice and snow. The museum is in Fiave, it was under construction when I was there.

I've not been to Lake Frassino, so I cannot say if there is anything visible from the lakeside.

Got 3 days, and plan to visit:
Day 1: Castelseprio-Torba and Brescia, 2 additional locations of the Longobard WHS that I already visited
Day 2: Valcamonica and Pile Dwellings, 2 new WHS I hope
Day 3: Crespi d'Adda (3rd new WHS) and the TWHS of Certosa di Pavia

Sounds promising, don't you think? Had looked into Dolomites too, maybe will have another look with the site you suggested.

The weather is pretty good at the moment, dry, Sunny. There's no snow I believe at these locations.

Thanks. Google Earth, combined with Google Street View, gives a very clear impression of the area.

Interesting plan, although I suspect day 2 will be quite packed since both sites are a series of scattered sites without clear signposts. Good luck though, weather conditions should be on your side so I'd say go for it!
I look forward to your reviews and or trip report as I might be emulating your day 2 but most probably I'll be allowing a week because I want to explore the Dolomites well. Enjoy!

Yeah I think it sounds like a good little trip. Italy has never disappointed me on a trip.

I probably would switch out Castelseprio for an afternoon in Bergamo. Sometime strolling around a small European city would trump a drive to small ecclesiastical site for me.

But it does sound fun, a long weekend of great ham and espressi would certainly be very appealing.

I don't know if I have time left to eat at all...

Ah the sacrifices we make to visit WHS! Perhaps you can grab something quick for lunch at an Autogrill and then make up for it at dinner time ;)

Yes, sounds like a very nice trip. I like these small cities in Northern Italy, almost each of them has its own special charm. Bergamo is nice, the medieval city centre is located on a hill, completely surrounded by defensive walls and connected with the lower city by a funicular. And the Certosa di Pavia is worth a visit, with its impressive renaissance facade and the two cloisters. There are already a lot of monasteries on the list and thus a nomination probably has little chance, but 10 or 15 years ago Pavia certainly would have got an inscription.

Valcamonica:
I visited the four sites near Capo di Ponte. The main site is the Parco Nazionale delle Incisioni Rupestri Naquane with about 100 engraved rocks. It is signposted from Capo di Ponte. Here you can find a useful map of the park, the numbering of the rocks is a bit confusing:

http://www.parcoincisioni.capodiponte.beniculturali.it/index.php?it/137/luogo-e-sede

The park Ceto/Cimbergo/Paspardo is a few kilometres south of Capo di Ponte (also signposted). You have to park the car at the archaeological museum in Nadro, and then walk about 15 minutes uphill (if I remember correctly). There are a lower number of rocks than in Narquane and they are spread over a wider area, but I enjoyed to hike through the forest and climb on the rocks. However, it was in summer, in december it might be less enjoyable. Masso di Cemmo is in Capo di Ponte opposite to a small museum, but there are only two large rocks. A few hundred metres uphill is the Parco Communale Seradina-Bardolina, the engravings are very similar to those in Naquane.
If you are not a big fan of rock art and your time is limited, Naquane would be sufficient to get an impression of this WHS.

And if you find a little time for diner: the region around Bergamo and Brescia is well known for Polenta.

Just a quick report: I have just finished the itinerary mentioned above for day 2!
I started at 7.45 a.m. from my hotel in Brescia, and returned at 6.25 p.m.

So a very full day, and no time for lunch. I grabbed something from the gas station, and mostly drove all day. But it was rewarding, seeing 3 new WHS including the stumps of the Pile Dwellings in Fiavé. It gets dark quite early in the mountains in winter, so I had to finish sightseeing around 4.30 p.m.

Most of the roads were fine, but I had to make a large detour once. I had planned to take the most direct road between Valcamonica and Fiavé, passing just south of the Dolomites near Bagolino. Unfortunately I came upon a mountain pass that was closed (Crocedomini). So I had to drive all the way back to Brescia, and take a different road north from there.

that's great! although I'd stick to the pile dwellings in Fiave and Valcamonica most probably. I feel the Dolomites are deserving of at least a long weekend. How were the pile dwellings? Were they visible? What about Valcamonica? I only visited the Rock Drawings of Alta so I can't really compare well, but from what I've read it seems the Italian rock art are more scattered and less visible because they haven't been dyed. Looking forward to your reviews. Enjoy your time in Italy!

About Valcamonica: I've seen a number of rock art WHS now, and they do all seem a bit similar to me. Rock 1 at Valcamonica/Naquane is a huge cluster of hundreds of drawings on one rock, and these are clearly visible. Others in the park are less so.
I already added the review: http://www.worldheritagesite.org/sites/valcamonica.html

And yes, the remains of the pile dwellings in Fiavè were visible. I think they can be seen the whole year, as they are well above the water line and the "lake" actually is a small pond within a peat bog that probably isn't influenced much by melting snow from the mountains.

Does anyone know how the piles are so well preserved at Fiavè?

There may also be visible remains at Lac de Chalain as anyone been there?