Driving from Manchester to Venice - best places to stop en route?

[pinkbraces]

We are driving to Italy in June, first stop Venice. Can anyone recommend any nice overnight stops on the way down?

We have two older teens so dont need any special facilities, just somewhere lovely :)

We drove to Tuscany from Brussels a few years back. On the way out we stopped on the Rhein, Bavaria, and Valpolicella. On the way back we did Lake Como, Lake Brienz/Interlaken and Alsace. Lake Como was the highlight stop off. Be aware that if you plan to drive on motorways in Switzerland or Austria, you need to buy a vignette.