connie

I'm on business in Milan for 3 days in September and have the opportunity to spend another week + in Italy. As an art lover I don't think I can fit in more than two other cities and see all that I would like to see. Rome, Florence, Venice, Perugia ....help me pick 2 without feeling like I've missed out. Suggestions please?

Linda

Florence is, IMHO, a must for any art lover. The Uffizi and Acadamia are wonderful. If I had to pick between the other 3, it would be Rome, simply for the Vatican Museum, with its wonderful artwork.

Diane

I'd save Rome for another trip. There is enough there for a full week and more. Visit Venice, even if just for one day and night, but two would be better. See the St. Marks' s Cathegral and then the Doge's Palace with an audio tour. Then go to Peggy Guggenheim's Palazzo to see her fantastic collection. (She really enjoyed spending her money on great things!) There's more in Venice, but the light, as they say, makes the city itself an artistic masterpiece. Then on to Florence. Accademia, Ufizzi, and more. You'll be back.

Graziella

Hi Connie, you might be ab le to squeeze in Pavia, close to Milano.<BR>The Certosa de Pavia is fascinating one of the most important rennaissance buildings in Italy, also I found Pavia most interesting.<BR>

BOB THE NAVIGATOR

I agree with skipping Rome this trip, but with a week you can do more than just Florence and Venice. I would try to include Siena and Assisi and perhaps even Arezzo--they are all close.

Art

Sorry Connie, I'll be in Poland in September, but you could study me some other time.<BR>Cheers<BR>ART<BR>

Rex

Knowing what I know about the inimitable Mr. Hussey, I think that the history of "Art" covers a lot of years!<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR><BR>

Leslie

Don't forget to save time by making advance reservations for the museums in Florence and to see The Last Supper in Milano you must have a reservation. Also, not museum closures on Mondays.

carol

In Venice, the Accademia museum, the Frari (Titians), and the Scuole San Rocco (Tintorettos)are absolute musts for any art lover, and they are just the tip of the iceberg. In Florence, the Uffizi, the Bargello, the Accademia, the Duomo, the Loggia dei Lanzi, and one of my favorites, the Museo di San Marco (the Fra Angelico museum), will get you off to a good start. I believe the train will take you from Milano to Venice in a couple of hours, and from Venice to Florence in the same amount of time. If you figure 3 days in each of Venice and Florence, you'll have the time to hit the top tier art treasures.

elaine

I vote for Florence and Venice, where I've been, over Rome which I'm planning for this fall, simply because the <BR>"seeing" of Rome itself, not to mention the art, seems overwhelming in both quality and quantity.<BR>Florence is Renaissance art-lovers' heaven, see the comments above. Actually my favorite museum in Florence, aside from the Accademia because of "David" is the Bargello, a feast for<BR>sculpture.<BR>As mentioned, Venice has the Gugg. collection of modern art, which makes a nice change. As much of Venice's great art is in the churches as in the museums, so that's one more incentive to explore that unique and beautiful city.<BR>I have files on F, V, and R; if you'd like to see them, email me.<BR>

Thyra

I have to agree. Florence and Venice... Rome is really overwhelming, a lifetime wouldn't be enough. It needs a trip all by itself. I certainly do Florence and Venice though, both very different from each other, and yet with such great art treasures!

kam

If you have a specific artist or period of art, you might want to decide that way. The Last Supper is at Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan. If you stay in a major hotel, they will make a res. for you. (my husband was just there on business and his hotel, the De La Ville, did that on one day's notice)Also in Milan is the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana with works by Botticelli, Raphael, Titian, Caravaggio etc. Florence is probably the best art city in Italy. So much there I get dizzy. Each time, I try to limit what I see so I can remember and not blur it all together. Venice of course is Venice and if you love Titian,Tintoretto and Veronese, the Marciana and the Accademia are outstanding. I believe Peggy Guggenheim's collection is more modern with some Picasso and Braque. When (when, mind you, not if) you go to Florence, take at least a half a day to go to Arezzo (can be done by train in one hour) to see the della Francesca Legend of the True Cross frescoes in the church of San Francesco. They are beautiful beyond belief and probably the most famous frescoes of the 15th C. Try to see them in the afternoon when the light is best and bring a pair of binoculars. The church closes from 12-2 but the Buca de San Francesco restaurant across the street is a great place for a relaxed lunch. This one trip to Arezzo will give you a feel for the countryside and a Tuscan hill town. In all of Italy,the most beautiful Renaissance art I've seen is Fillipo Lippi's Life of the Virgin in Spoleto. But, that's a bit out of your way, so see his Madonna and Child in the Uffizi in Florence--gorgeous. I'm not an expert but it brought tears to my eyes and I went back the next day for another look. We're going next year and I'm planning the itinerary mainly to include art we've not seen before. Enjoy but don't get overloaded!