Another northern Italy itinerary.

Old Jan 16th, 2017, 07:41 AM
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Another northern Italy itinerary.

My husband & I are planning this trip for our 30 anniversary. We will be there 4/20-5/4, 2017. We already have non-refundable flights, into Milan & out of Venice. I have all the hotels booked except Venice. They are all refundable so am able to change. Please give me your thoughts on this itinerary.
Fly into Milan, spend 3 nights.
Train to La Spezia, spend 3 nights.
Train to Florence, spend 4 nights.
Train to Venice, spend 4 nights then fly home.
Thanks!
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Old Jan 16th, 2017, 08:15 AM
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Seems really nice - about trains -most of your trips can easily be done on dirt-cheap regional trains where you best buy your tickets at the station - only on Florence to Venice is it really advantageous to book in advance and get neat discounted tickets: www.trenitalia.com to book your own. For lots of good info on Italian trains check www.seat61.com; www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

again a great itinerary IMO -enough time in each for sure.
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Old Jan 16th, 2017, 08:20 AM
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Good job. I would probably cut back to 2 nights in Milan, or at least use one of those days for a trip to Lago di Como, but otherwise, looks great to me.
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Old Jan 16th, 2017, 08:49 AM
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Thanks for the train info. A big help!

As far as the extra night in Milan, we started with 2 and added one because we thought a day trip to Lago di Como and another to Bergamo (heard it was nice) would be good. Not into shopping.

Any suggestions on what area in Venice to stay?

Thanks again!
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Old Jan 16th, 2017, 09:07 AM
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We just got back from 5 nights in Venice and stayed in a nice little place (Ca' del Nobile) between Rialto and Piazzo San Marco, because we got a really good deal (for Venice on the price), but I think the next time we go we will stay in Canareggio. Near San Marco means hordes of tourists and inflated prices. We didn't fall for that because we were all over Venice on foot and knew what to pay for what, but it's easy, I imagine, for some to get seduced. Fact is, get out of the main pathways and Venice is affordable.
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Old Jan 16th, 2017, 10:07 AM
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STCirq,

I found a reasonable price for Ca'del Nobile (reasonable for Venice). Is this a fairly quiet area? Or is it too close to San Marco? We'd like to be able to walk easily to restaurants.
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Old Jan 16th, 2017, 10:52 AM
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I would cut Milan to a single night and take the local train up to Varenna, spending a day moving between there, Bellagio and Villa Carlotta by lake ferries, in between your two nights in Varenna itself.
Of course, this only works if you prefer the great outdoors.
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Old Jan 16th, 2017, 11:47 AM
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It seems to be a truism that Milan doesn't deserve more than a few hours of your time. I fell for that myself, and didn't bother to go there for the first ten years I lived in Italy. Now I've been back four times, and we're going again next month.

It's a vital city, elegant and sophisticated, with great restaurants, shops, and culture. Three nights aren't enough to see what I consider its best features:

The Gothic Duomo, and the terraces on its roof, a riot of medieval stone carvings.

La Scala, Italy's most famous, and one of its most beautiful, theatres. Try to see an opera, or ballet, or concert there.

The elegant Galleria shopping arcade

The Sforza Castle, a large medieval castle in the center of the city, with several interesting museums inside.

The Grande Naviglio, a canal, lined with trendy bars and restaurants.

The Brera Gallery, one of my favourite art museums.

Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper.

The Basilica of St. Ambrose, built in the 4th century, and restructured in the 11th century, with many original features preserved.

If you've seen all (or most) of these, you are qualified to offer an opinion on whether Milan merits more than an afternoon. Otherwise, not.
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Old Jan 16th, 2017, 11:54 AM
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Great pitch for Milan, bvlenci!

I think your itinerary is perfect. Not too many places, just enough time.
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Old Jan 16th, 2017, 12:14 PM
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Thanks, everyone. I'm feeling good about our plan. I will keep the 3 nights in Milan. If we don't like the city that much, we can do day trips from there. Then we won't have another hotel to have to check in/out.

Thanks for the great list of Milan highlights, bvlenci. I will look into all of them.
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Old Jan 16th, 2017, 12:22 PM
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One neat day trip from Milan in nice weather is to Lake Como or Lake Stresa and scoot around the lake by boat.
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Old Jan 16th, 2017, 12:30 PM
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I really like Milan. I think it's an underrated city. Great list by bvlenci. There is much to see and do and of course, has great food.
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Old Jan 17th, 2017, 08:28 AM
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Terri, Ca' del Nobile is on a quiet street off one of the main pathways between Rialto and the Piazza San Marco. It's a little quirky, as in the owners are not always there (never in the evenings) and you have to learn how to get into and out of the building. But it's fairly elegant and the rooms are large and comfortable. There are plenty or restaurants within a few minutes' walk, but most of them are tourist traps. Apart from having some absolutely amazing Chinese food on Christmas Day (my husband is Jewish and that's just what you do on Christmas) at La Dragone right around the corner, we didn't choose to eat in the area nearby the hotel. But you can get anywhere you need to go in Venice either on foot or by vaparetto.

We did do a classic overpriced drink on the Piazza San Marco on Christmas night. Had the place all to ourselves. Really, we were THE only people seated outside at a café. Yes, a small drink cost us each 20€, but the setting was absolutely magical. We steered clear of it the rest of the time we were in Venice.
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Old Jan 17th, 2017, 09:00 AM
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Genoa is another easy day trip from Milan and a really neat old city-especially the warren of tiny old lanes near the old port area. But yes Milan has lots to do besides the Last Supper and Duomo.
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Old Jan 17th, 2017, 09:53 AM
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StCirq, Thanks for the info. We went ahead & reserved there. We will beware of the touristy type restaurants nearby.

PalenQ: we were thinking of stopping there on the way to La Spezia to check it out. Now for sure we will. Thanks!
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Old Jan 17th, 2017, 09:57 AM
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We did do a classic overpriced drink on the Piazza San Marco on Christmas night. Had the place all to ourselves.>

and I suppose not even the ubiquitous musicians were absent -that would make it special for a change. All alone at San Marco-worth the price of those drinks!
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Old Jan 17th, 2017, 12:59 PM
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Milan is a beautiful city, second only to Paris in my opinion. There is much to see and do. Enjoy every minute of it.
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Old Jan 20th, 2017, 12:20 PM
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As far as visiting C Terre by train, you get the all-day all-you-can-rise pass. Personally I'd skip Riomaggiore (#1) and Corniglia (#3) initially and keep them at the bottom of the list. Manarola is dreamy - do keep enough energy and time to hike the vineyard trail on the hill facing the village. In Vernazza do walk up the hill to the monastery and go in.
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Old Jan 20th, 2017, 02:46 PM
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I also like Milan.

If you can't get tickets to La Scala, try to visit the theater's museum. When we were there, the entry ticket included viewing the stage from one of the boxes. And the museum was small but interesting.

You can eat dinner while riding around in an old streetcar.

http://www.atm.it/en/AltriServizi/Te...ATMosfera.aspx
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Old Jan 20th, 2017, 07:57 PM
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La Spezia is not a particulaly attractive place. It's a military port. It has a couple of small museums, but not much else of interest. There a lots of villages and small towns with seaviews nearby if you are going to the area to enjoy the outdoors, swimming and hiking, with beautifual, dramatic scenery.

I hope you are not disappointed or irritated by Milan (I find it noisy and abrasive.) Bologna is a short day trip if you like cities (45 minutes on the train) and 2 lakes are close if you like gorgeous scenery or boat rides.. Most people would not consider Genoa an easy day trip from Milan. The train ride back and forth is more than 2 hours, and there is nothing scenic about it. Genoa is large and sprawling and a rather difficult city to navigate in a single afternoon unless you get a guide. However, if you want to go, you could see it on your way to La Spezia more easily than as a day trip back and forth from Milan. Just put your luggage in the train station while you see the city.
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