111op

Hi, I am back. I want to thank everyone who answered my questions. Nothing disastrous happened, and I was surprised that I managed to make a good part of an insane itinerary. I'll fill in the details on my blog.

This is the original itinerary:

http://makeashorterlink.com/?I6942148B

Detailed itinerary for Venice:

http://makeashorterlink.com/?D1BB56DBB

These are two short entries I wrote while on the trip. They give a sense as to what I accomplished and what I missed:

http://makeashorterlink.com/?C1CB23DBB
http://makeashorterlink.com/?V2DB21DBB

I did have dinner at Le Calandre. I opted for the seasonal menu, which turned to be different from the one I had asked for help in translation on Fodor's. I'll write about it when I get a chance. I didn't check the website to see if the menu there has been updated.

I spent a fair amount of time researching for the trip and learning about Renaissance art. This groups some of the blog entries related to the preparation of the trip. The art links may be useful to others:

http://makeashorterlink.com/?N2EB26DBB

This is what I wrote today after I came back:

http://makeashorterlink.com/?G2FB31DBB

This is a detailed account of what happened today:

http://makeashorterlink.com/?O30C21DBB

There's nothing especially helpful to someone planning a trip in these entries, but it was an "entertaining" day for me.

I'll post some more links as I write my report. In the meantime, I'm happy to answer any questions. I'll comment on the hotels later, as this might be of interest.

Thanks again!

mvor

Welcome back. I must admit that i missed your posts about this trip but I'll check your blog in the days ahead. (I read and loved your Paris weekend in July.)

111op

Thanks mvor. It's good to know that someone out there is checking out the nonsense. I seem to recall that you were also in Paris this summer. I hope that you enjoyed your trip.

111op

I'll write about the hotels quickly before I forget, as it's not the sort of thing I really enjoying blogging about. I'm pretty casual with accommodation.

Both the hotels I stayed in are quite centrally located, and I don't have any major complaints. They were both clean and fine.

Since both hotels serve breakfasts starting at 8, I skipped my breakfasts, as my sightseeing started at 8:15, and I needed to be on my way before 8.

No a/c, but I had a fan at my disposal in both.

<b> Hotel Bavaria/Florence </b>

I stayed in Hotel Bavaria in Florence in a single with a shared bath for one night (48 euros). The shared bathroom may be a problem for someone who is tall. I'm about 5'9'' and I found it a little small, as the shower stall was in an area confined by a sloping roof. When I stood on my toes though, I still didn't hit the roof, so I guess it was ok. But it felt a little claustrophoic.

The room itself was quite spacious, and I had a nice double bed.

I was out late at night, and I found the staircase a little spooky because of the energy-saving devices installed. You need to find the right thing to press to get the floors illuminated, or else it's pretty dark (the hotel is on the second floor, if I remember right).

It's not the first time I stayed in a hotel like this, but I still found it a little unnerving.

There're no problems in terms of getting in and out late as you get a key to the front door of the building, a card entry for the hotel and finally a key for the room.

If memory serves, Huitres was the one who recommended this hotel in an old thread.

<b>Locanda Silva, Venice</b>

I was there two nights (70 euros a night) for a single with private bath. No elevator that I recall, and my room was on the fifth floor.

This was very basic but very adequate. Again the bathroom was a bit small, but it was nice having a private bathroom. The bed was a single, and the room was small. I had stayed in a single in Tiquetonne in Paris for 40 euros a night that was bigger (or felt bigger, anyway, probably because Tiquetonne has high ceilings).

The hotel is a very short walk from San Marco once you know your way. I had trouble finding it (I walked from Rialto) the night I arrived. But I don't think that that's a fault of the hotel -- it's not easy to find things in Venice.

One potential problem. The hotel locks its doors late at night. On the first night, after checking in around 1 am, I decided to walk to San Marco, and I was told that I had to be back by 3 am. On the second night, I was told that I should be back by 1 am. This was a little bit of a problem, as I went to Lido to see a film at the Film Festival. Actually the night clerk was the same on both nights, though when I left the hotel the second night (earlier in the evening), there was a different, older guy, whom I asked about when the hotel would close its doors.

So it was possible that I could have returned after 1 am, but I wasn't about to take my chances.

Another poster on this forum has personal experience with this hotel, as mentioned on this thread:

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34583160

(Sorry, I didn't check for the name of the poster again.)

I'll add my comments on Locanda Silva there.

Eloise

I'm looking forward to your posts on your blog. It's a better place than this forum, I think, to get into the art-historical details that fascinate both of us.

111op

I agree with you. Who is going to care whether that painting has the word &quot;Seggiola&quot; or &quot;Sedia&quot;?

nonnafelice

111op, I wanted to ask you about visiting the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, with the Giotto frescoes. You said (on your blog) that you had bought the Padua Museum Card, then booked two consecutive 15-minute slots in the chapel. I thought that was a great idea, since 15 minutes seems like such a short time.

My question is, can you only do that with the museum card? If you don't get the card, would you have to pay double admission to the chapel for two time slots? I assume that with the card, you don't pay extra for going twice.

111op

With the card, I paid 1 euro for each reservation (so the total cost for the Chapel was 2 euros). (No need to pay twice.)

I was actually wondering if I could book 3 slots, etc., but my time was so tight that it didn't matter.

Obviously you must have looked at the website, so you know that there're double turn visits at the Chapel anyway.

But the Padova Card is a good deal, I think -- it includes buses also. I didn't make the best use of it, admittedly.

I made my booking by phone. I don't know what would happen had I tried on the website.

In any case, make sure that you've both your reservations with you. Each reservation comes with a sheet of paper, a corner of which was torn off for admission. Once your 15 minutes are up, you get to stay for another 15 by showing the sheet of paper.

Another thing: When I went to pick up the card the first time, they only gave me my first reservation and wanted me to come for the second one when my first reservation was up. I thought this was very odd. So I went back again later right before 7 and asked for a second reservation.

The chapel, though very close to the office, is a one- or two-minute walk away. Given how strict they are about letting people in and out, you should have all your reservations with you.

111op

And by the way, you can certainly leave before your time is up. Though I booked two slots, I left after 20 minutes. Admittedly the person watching us was confused by my request and didn't speak English, but an Italian made my wishes known.

With the press of a button, he let me out.

111op

I guess I didn't quite answer your question directly -- you could book a 30-minute visit with a double-turn ticket. But I think that it might be cheaper to buy the card. That's what I'm trying to say (though in a very convoluted way).

I don't know if you can book two 15 minute slots without paying twice, as this wasn't the one I did it. But you can call the number listed on the webpage and ask them.

nonnafelice

Re double-turn tickets for the Scrovegni chapel: The website mentions those after 7 pm. But suppose you wanted to go in the afternoon. It wasn't clear to me whether you could book two visits on the same 11 &euro; admission ticket (for the chapel only) by paying 2 reservation fees of 1 &euro; each. Or would you need to buy another 11 &euro; ticket?

The website really has quite a confusing array of fees. For example, it says that you can get a 30 min visit after 7 pm for 11 &euro; plus only 1&euro; reservation fee.

Then it also says that the price after 7 pm is 7 &euro; plus 1&euro; reservation. So that would imply to me that you can't normally make two visits on the same ticket to the chapel by paying an extra reservation fee. Otherwise the 30-min visit for 12 &euro; including the reservation makes no sense.

Anyway, it never says explicitly that the museum card gives you multiple admissions to the chapel by paying the extra reservation fees. Since that apparently is the case, it does seem like a good deal to get the card.

111op

I agree with you -- I also found the website confusing (there was something else that was weird when I looked at it and I asked about it here, but I forget what it is now).

I think that Padova Card is 14 euros, so if you find one other place to visit, then it should be worth your money.

But perhaps the phone ops can be more helpful. (But then, granted, they don't speak the best English.)

If you're buying the card because you think you can book back-to-back time slots, I'd clarify with them that that's the case. It might be because I got lucky and they were confused (who knows?).

But in my group I wasn't the only one who had done this, apparently. (But then, maybe the others booked double-turn tickets.) There were at least five or six still in the Chapel after the 15 minutes were up.

111op

This is an index in case anyone cares:

http://makeashorterlink.com/?Q1B1422CB

I'll link all the entries on the blog related to the trip to this index. I hope to be done by the end of the week.

yk

topping for 111op

111op

I saw one comment from someone on this forum, I think. So maybe the topping did help.