B&Bs in Pisa, Parma & Bologna, Hotel in Milan
 

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

Anyone familiar with these place? Their location?

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!

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

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.

Thanks.

I did search here by name. Little to be found :(

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

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.

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.

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).

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.

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!

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

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.

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.

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).

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

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).

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

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.

That market on the left side is frequently there and becomes a christmas market later in the year. Never noticed other clothes/shoes market, but maybe the relatively new rules for pedestrianized weekends have encouraged more vendors. Can't help but wonder if the regular shops along the via dell'Indipendenza are happy about it, since they already have exceptionally cheap prices for a lot of their stuff.

But I guess what I was really interested in was those anisette wafers!

I think the wafers were Pizzelle type cookies, but looked more like a large potato chip in size and shape (not with a pressed design like a typical pizzelle). They had a machine that made them. I googled and found something called a Cialde Wafer. That may be what they are. There was also vendors selling them in Lucca. The San Luca market was giving out samples, so every time I walked by I had one (also bought a bag in Lucca).

Thanks! I will keep an eye out for them when in Italy!

MFNYC, I have another posting related to Faccioli, thanks for the tip... you got me curious, I know they have a view of the piazza but did not know that there is a terrace that you can sit down. Is the terrace part of suite or of the building that you can access?

Casa Faccioli has only 2 rooms. 1 with a bathroom across the hall, and the other, Suite Guilia, bathroom ensuite, and a private terrace. Here's some photos of the view from my instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUjodaTlpOH/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUhHoVllXLf/
https://www.instagram.com/p/BUkTU--lqt1/