Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - DH went kicking and screaming to Venice and why he threw a hissy fit in the train station...our February foray to Italy!

Truth be told he wasn't literally kicking and screaming on the way to Venice but he absolutely didn't want to be going. This isn't a long detailed trip report as I'm not a writer and certainly not a food critic but just a few notes about our
trip.

First off...thumbs up to the Philly airport and USAir. Yes...we flew USAir, out of Philly...I know, I know...but they go direct into Rome.
We were surprised...both flights left on time and both were smooth as could be.

This was our second trip to Italy and after many itinerary changes we ended up going to Florence and Venice with a night in Rome (been there before) before our flight home. From Florence we did a day trip to Siena and Arezzo.

In Florence we stayed at the recommended Tourist House Ghiberti and enjoyed it very much, however we had room #5 by the sauna which was in the back of the building, very quiet, and away from the desk...not sure I would have liked the other rooms. We ate twice at Zio Gigi right around the corner...loved it.

Florence we liked...but our hearts belong to Rome. Don't know why but both DH and myself didn't "connect" with Florence. To my surprise I had to fight back tears in Santa Croce.
I had read The Agony and Ecstasy before the trip...did I feel a connection to Michelangelo? There was something about the tombs of so many who've contributed so much..or maybe I'm just hormonal. ;)

We took the bus to Siena and spent the day with a former girlfriend of our son who's there for the semester.
After reading some negative reports about how dark and Gothic it is I was
surprised at how much I loved it. Of course I'm sure having lunch in the Campo while getting sunburned played it's part in my impression. Bought some pici which we eventually made in Venice.

Our last day in Florence and we completely changed our itinerary and decided to day trip to Arezzo...and that's when it was DH vs the Italians. I'm a Fodorite, capable of purchasing train tickets from the machine...right? Well...somehow we managed to get the receipt for the tickets but not the tickets! DH is not about to let this happen...he storms off to the information center.
Back to being a Fodorite...I've read about the Italian way of doing things and I want to say let's just try another machine. No big deal...20 E
isn't going to break the bank. At the info center we're directed to customer service and of course when we get arrive there a woman is showing her tickets to the man and having a hearty discussion in Italian. DH's blood pressure is rising as the time for our departure is shortening. The God's are with us as all of a sudden the woman ends her conversation and it's our turn. DH explains and the man proceeds to make a phone call. Guess what...our tickets were printed! Of course they were... that's why we're going to soon miss our train. I go back to the machine to look and that's when DH says to the man "this is stupido"
Understand without actually hearing him and the accent he was using you aren't getting the full effect. The man says to him "why is this stupid?" DH replies "because I have a receipt and no tickets!" At which point I return, ticketless as I
figured. On my way back I discovered a man who also was having trouble with getting his tickets...we exchanged a few words and wished each other good luck. So DH storms out of the office and together we go back to the machine like it's going to magically spit out our tickets. Surprise..no tickets. Now we're off to the actual ticket window which is probably where we should have gone first. Guess who's at the window next to us....the other guy who was having trouble. DH wants the boss, he's not messing around anymore. She comes and again tells us our tickets were printed. DH says then we're getting on the train with the receipt. "You can't do that..you have to have a ticket" She finally agrees to write us a ticket..not an actual ticket but a handwritten note!
Upon leaving the ticket window my DH throws up his hands and says "Italians"...again with his crazy accent. Fortunately we made both trains as one was late. Arezzo was worth the struggle...we both loved the town and were glad we made the trip.

The next morning brings us back to the train station heading to Venice.
I,of course, expect DH to be thrown out the minute we walk in but his head is hanging so low about going to Venice I don't think they recognize him. He'd been told "it stinks" by some and others said they loved Venice. Well..Venice worked her magic on him captivating him with her maze of narrow, twisting, turning tiny streets. He ended up loving it.
For some reason he thought it was all water. Does that tell you who does all the planning? Had he looked at a map he would have noticed there was land! Honest - he really is an intelligent man. We manage to cover a lot of territory from the Zattere to Campo Santa Margarita all the way up to the Gesuiti Church at Fondamente Nuove...which of course is closed. So we decide to take a ride out to Burano...anyone who has an interest in photography needs to go there. I'm playing Susie Snap leaving DH in my dust when don't I get a wink and whistle from a man standing in his doorway. Now I'm in my early 50's...do I have to mention he's probably in his 60's, maybe early 70's. I tell DH it's because any woman, any size, any age can't be by herself in Italy without drawing attention from a man. I laugh...but why couldn't he have been younger?
Who knew the trip back was going to turn into an adventure? We're on the boat when it gets foggy. I'm not thinking too much about it but all of a sudden it's extremely foggy, to the point where now we can't see anything. Turns out the boats captain couldn't either. They ended up transferring us to a boat with radar. We had been traveling so slowly the trip took twice the amount of time to get back. Apparently this was a very unusual occurrence.

From Venice we were taking a 6:40 am train to Rome. After some discussion we decided to save some time and catch the boat at the Rialto Bridge instead of St. Marks close to our apartment. We timed it, plus we wanted to make sure we knew the route...6 minutes to walk from the apartment to the bridge. I wasn't too sure about doing this at 5:30 in the morning but agreed. The dark streets, the morning mist, pulling our suitcase. It was a mini adventure. We had time for a cappuccino before the boat came and a second one at the train station.
DH was a happy man.

Going in February has its pros and cons. The timing for this trip was due to DH's job. I was amazed at the crowds we saw in Venice and Rome and couldn't imagine being there during high season. Unfortunately I missed not being able to take advantage of the outdoor cafes in Venice even though we did have lunch outside. (The pizzeria at the end of the Accademia bridge) Many of the cafes had tables set up outside but it was a little too chilly at night. I also missed the longer days the summer season would bring. We did the Secret Itinerary Tour, a highlight for DH, couldn't see us taking that tour in the heat. Our day in Rome gave us a temp of 62 and we had both meals outside that day.

It's so hard leaving isn't it? I'm looking forward to DH's retirement in two years when we take in southern Tuscany/Umbria and the Amalfi Coast
and Rome for a few days because, well, it's Rome!

Thanks to all who've answered my many questions and given their advice. I had posted a question about being nervous going to Venice...it was ridiculous... as the boats were very easy to figure out and we didn't get too lost wandering the streets! I can't wait to go back.