MFNYC

I just booked these places (all have free cancellation up until near date), for an upcoming trip in the Spring. I like to have something booked well in advance, then check occasionally to see if something better comes along. I know some of the places have few rooms too, so I want to grab them when I can. We like to keep our hotel budget at an average of $150 per night, and these places keep it well under that. They all have ensuite bathrooms (a must), and seem to be in good locations (based on reviews and looking at maps). All of my picks also have excellent reviews on TA and other booking sites. Any thoughts or comments from personal experience with my choices?
Pisa - B&B 4 Rooms
Parma - B&B Pio
Bologna - B&B Casa Faccioli
Milan - Bianca Maria Palace Hotel

MFNYC

Anyone familiar with these place? Their location?

jamikins

We were just in Bologna this past weekend and loved it! It is our third time.

The location of your hotel there is great - right in the middle of the historic centre.

We always stay here: http://www.anticaresidenzadazeglio.it/

It is about a 5-10 min walk away from the main piazza so it is in a quieter area.

Enjoy!

vincenzo32951

Maybe you'd have better luck here by doing a search on the names of the hotels.

jmb67

I will be staying at Hotel Bianca Maria too next week! I picked it based on all the good reviews. It's not near the metro, but there are trams nearby.

MFNYC

Thanks.

I did search here by name. Little to be found

brdcollie

Agree with jamikins regarding Bologna - Antica Residenza d’Azeglio is an excellent choice. Augustino is extremely welcoming and helpful.

MFNYC

That B&B looks lovely but is pushing $300/nt for my dates! I'm paying about $175 for the place I booked. If the price should drop, I'll consider.

jmb67

Hi MFNYC,

I just finished my stay at Bianca Maria Palace Hotel. It is a nice hotel with very friendly staff and a good breakfast selection. My only complaint is that the wifi sometimes would get slow. If you are not working, this shouldn't be a problem.

It was convenient to use the tram. #12 and 27 take you to the Duomo. #9 in one direction takes you to Naviglio neighborhood. In the opposite direction, the #9 takes you to Milano Centrale.

Enjoy your trip.

MFNYC

Thanks! I actually am now leaning towards bc maison. It's a small b&b, very close the Duomo. We have a quick visit, so I wanted to be as close as I could spending < $200/night.

Do you have any restaurant recs? Also any must sees other than the duomo area and Last Supper (we booked a tour for that). We'll have a full day on a Monday, where some things are not open (Last Supper viewing for one, so doing that on Sunday after noon).

jmb67

If you like Leonardo Da Vinci, go to his museum at the back end of the Galleria.

If you like opera, La Scala also has a museum. I didn't make it as it was my last full day in Milan and they were closed.

I can't make any restaurant recommendations for dinner near the Duomo, as I didn't not eat near there. I did eat lunch at Gran Cafe Visconteo, Piazza Duomo. Prices were reasonable for the location (I am not one to spend a lot of money on food).

If you plan on going to Naviglio, I can recommend an economic restaurant in that neighborhood.

MFNYC

Jmb, We don't need to eat by the Duomo, just wanted to be near there for sightseeing purposes since such a short stay but we definitely don't have to eat in that area. I prefer more 'local' places. Would like to avoid tourist traps. Please share restaurant in Naviglio.

I see both those museums you mention are open on Mondays as are some others.

Thanks much!

iamles

How was your stay at B&B Casa Faccioli in Bologna?

MFNYC

We didn't go yet. Trip is 5/18-30. Will report back after that.

In Milan we ended up booking Hotel Gran Duca di York.

tuscanlifeedit

We had osso bucco and risotto at Ristorante Papa Francesco in Milano Centro.

It was very good and service became more and more friendly throughout the meal, with them finally overloading us with more desserts than we could eat, at no charge. They came bringing out another taste, another tiramisu, more biscotti.

The place seemed very local and a bit old fashioned compared to other places we ate in Milan. I think they liked us because we were tourists.

MFNYC

iamles, we are back from our trip, and Casa Faccioli was AMAZING! We were in the Guilia Suite. It was a lovely room and huge bathroom, but the real kicker was the terrace. What a view. I could have sat there all day.

The location can't be beat, right in the center, on a small street. At the end of the block, there's a daily street fair kind of things, where you can pick up some snacks (nuts, cookies, biscotti and these anisette wafers that they make fresh all day and are addictive).

frencharmoire

Glad you had such a great experience at Casa Faccioli. What do you mean by a daily "street fair kind of things" -- ???

MFNYC

Re: street fair, I'm thinking NYC style, just a street filled with vendors selling things. In this case, it seems to be every day (was the 3 days we were there, and some of them stay open into the evening). I'd say about 1/2 booths are food related (mostly snack type food) and the rest jewelry, and some other odds and ends (toys, scarfs, cell phone accessories, etc).

frencharmoire

Maybe it was for the feast of San Luca, which is in May. Was it in the via Altabella, or in the opposite direction?

MFNYC

That's exactly where it was. Not exactly a feast though. On Saturday, while walking on Independenza towards the train station, I stumbled upon a small arts and crafts type market. I picked up some very inexpensive handmade jewelry and pottery. That was on the left side of Independenza, on the right side there was also a market, but selling mostly cloths and shoes.