Just back solo trip Florence,Venice

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Oct 10th, 1998, 05:46 AM

Elaine

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Just back solo trip Florence,Venice

I just got back and I had a wonderful time. I also now have opinions about Hotel Flora-Venice Hotel J and J--Florence Getting around safety restaurants The much-discussed ATMs shopping museums(boy do I have opinions) Guidebooks: the good, the bad, the ugly trains airports what to pack (late Sept, early Oct) customs,observations, etc If anyone's interested (again, these are personal impressions and opinions) ask me a question! By the way, thanks to all the posters who gave me information before I went. Elaine

Oct 10th, 1998, 06:32 AM

Becky

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Intrested in opinions on hotels. I've been to Venice many times, but it seems that my "old" haunts (some of which weren't that great to begin with) have gotten outrageously expensive. Suggestions, please! Thanks. It is fine to write tome directly

Oct 12th, 1998, 04:06 AM

elaine

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In Venice I stayed at the Hotel Flora. It was charming and has an outstanding location, 5 minutes from the Piazza,3 minutes from the San Marco vaporetto stop. The building itself is very old, but rooms are modernized and pretty. I had a single room which I must say was Extremely small. The bathroom was also very small but modern. Continental breakfast included. I paid the equivalent of about $155 per night. I would definitely recommend it.

Oct 12th, 1998, 05:04 AM

MaryAnna

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I'm leaving for Florence on Sat. and would love to hear your opinions on museums,restaurants, and the availability and usability of ATM's. Was safety a problem? Thanks!

Oct 12th, 1998, 06:58 AM

Elaine

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Hi MaryAnna: First, I loved Florence, although I didn't "fall in love" with it the way I did with Venice. The following are some of my opinions. One, I highly recommend ordering tickets for the Uffizi and Accademia in advance. One way to do it is to contact the website <weekendafi> (Weekend a Firenze). For a fee they will book museum tickets for you at a specified day and time.Or, go directly to the museum and see if you can book tickets for another day. The lines for the Uffizi and the Accademia stretched around the block, and that was true at 9am as well as later in the day, up untl about 4 pm. My companion and I were able to bypass those morning lines, waltz in, and pick up our tickets. To avoid crowds in the museum, go early or late in the day so you can see "David" with some sort of serenity. Despite my misgivings prior to the trip, I was easily able to use my Citibank ATM card at Banco di Roma and Banco di Milano atms to withdraw money from my checking account. You need to have a four digit pin code. I'm sure other ATMs would have worked as well. Now here's the part where other travelers may disagree: I found the Uffizi museum and actually some of the other museums to be user-unfriendly. The Uffizi was the worst--many flights of stairs,warm and stuffy (in October), no signposts, arrows, or markings on rooms to explain where you are going, not even in Italian. Of course the art is gorgeous, I am not commenting on the art or suggesting you not go, I am simply saying that the museum was not a pleasant experience for us except for the art. Most of the museums, either because they are in historic buildings or perhaps due to lack of funds I suppose, do not have elevators. I highly recommend the following two guidebooks: The Fodors guide to Florence, and "Art in Focus--Florence" which is published by the Bulfinch Press. The latter had small photos of many of the masterpieces in museums and churches and comments on the works and on the artists. I did not find the Eyewitness guide to Florence to be particularly helpful, which surprised me because the Eyewitness guide to Venice is excellent. I also HIGHLY recommend the small perfect map Streetwise Florence which is available in many bookstores and travel shops. I recommend the following restaurants, with approximate prices: Acqua al Due, Vigna Vecchia 40, near Santa Croce church, Reserve in advance. very casual, popular with young people. We paid about $60 for two with wine. Food ranged from omlettes to a great veal chop. Restaurant Cibreo,via de Macci, 118. Reserve now if you're going soon. phone 055 234 1100. This is a famous restaurant, always cited as one of Florence's best. Dress a bit (ties for men not necessary, though would not be out of place), $120 for two with glasses of wine. They have a less expensive cafe across the street which doesn't take reservations. Most main courses are unusual, some my companion and I found downright odd, and I do have an adventurous palate. The main courses on the night we were there included lamb's brains, stuffed chicken neck (which turned out to be very good but it was garnished with a chicken head), pig's trotter, and also several less-challenging dishes. I recommend it as long as you are a flexible eater. Dine after 8:30 to avoid a room full of Americans. Restaurant Acqua Cotta, via dei Pilastri 51. $120 for two with wine, could have spent much less if we hadn't ordered steak. Neighborhood place with excellent food. Large selection. Finally, high recommendation to Pallotino, Don't have the address at this moment but it's mentioned in many guidebooks. I believe it was about $40 pp. Excellent food, and you can skip dessert and go next door to Vivoli which has gelato so sublime that it puts Haagen Das to shame. All of the above restaurant prices were at the high end for those particular establishments because my companion and I were ordering full meals, appetizer, pasta, meat or fish. You could spend less, although pasta is not considered a main course in Italy. We never once felt unsafe or insecure in any way, even walking on dim streets after dinner. The only danger is perhaps getting run over by a motor scooter or motorcycle! The museums and sites that I found to be the most worthwhile (this is very personal and I don't provide this as gospel) were the Accademia (where the original David is), the Palazzo Vecchio, the Bargello, Santa Croce church, Convent of San Marco, Pitti Palace--Palatine Galleries, Medici Chapel at San Lorenzo church,Brancacci Chapel, and of course the Duomo. These are only some of what I saw and their are many other wonderful places that I didn't get to. I also spent one day visiting San Gimignano and Siena, and next time I would spend more time in Siena because I loved it, even in the rain. Despite some of my caveats, the art in Florence is the experience of a lifetime. If you want something to read on the plane, buy The Stones of Florence by Mary McCarthy which has a readable historic view of Florence which puts some of the buildings and art in perspective. Have a wonderful time!

Oct 12th, 1998, 09:12 AM

lida

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Elaine -- I'm curious about your shopping experience in both Florence and Venice. What are some wonderful buys (either things that are cheaper there than here in the U.S. or things that you just can't really find anywhere else)? If you could mention specific shops you enjoyed, I'd appreciate it!

Oct 13th, 1998, 03:55 AM

Robin

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Lida, Venice is well known for its hand made glass products. You can find all kinds of glass items (everything from bowls, jewelry, knick-knacks, etc). None of this is particularly inexpensive, and prices vary alot. The shops around Piazza San Marco seemed to have more unique products and I read in a travel book that those shops had higher quality merchandise. The only other product that seemed to be a "good deal", was the local Tuscany wine.

Oct 13th, 1998, 05:05 AM

elaine

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Hi, Lida: These are my impressions of my shopping experiences. Venice: the most popular items to buy, and the items that Venice is known for, are glass, lace and carnevale masks. In my opinion, most stores in the San Marco area fall into two categories (I realize I'm making broad generalizations here): Expensive, elegant boutiques with items that are beautiful, sometimes unique, and certainly very costly, or shops that feature more affordable items, but the items tend to look (and perhaps are) mass produced as you see the same designs from store to store. These shops are popular with many tourists because they wisely feature small souvenir type items (3" glass animals, sets of glasses,beads, small masks, lace handkerchiefs, etc) that people can more easily buy in quantity as gifts or remembrances, as I also did. I walked the length and breadth of Venice, and I found that as one got farther away from San Marco the shopping choices seemed more affordable, more interesting, and less touristy. For example, in the Cannaregio section, I walked along Strada Nuova which is a surprisingly broad street for Venice, and found shops selling gifts, glass and masks that were less common-looking and slightly less expensive. That said, I actually ordered my glass on Murano which of course has many factories, showrooms, and shops. After spending a couple of hours browsing and comparing, I ended up at Seguso-Albarelli & Nielsen, a factory showroom at Ponte Vivarini 143 right off the main drag on Murano, telephone 041 736 655. I cannot be sure that I got bargains, I can only say that I was impressed and pleased with their unique designs, their presentation, and the prices did not seem bad after what I'd seen. I did not go to Burano, the lace-making island, but I'm sure others can make recommendations, or you can browse on your own. I always amuse myself with my impulse to buy things when I travel. I'm usually on a budget at home(sucessfully or not) and yet when I travel I get this impulse to go into a shop and spontaneously spend money on gifts for myself or others. I guess it's wanting to take a piece of the place home with me. In Florence my travel companion and I did buy some jewelery on Ponte Vecchio which as you may know is lined with jewelery shops. We did some comparison shopping, but ended up buying what we liked and could afford. Again, I cannot say that it was a bargain, I can only say that for the money I spent I was very happy, and I did feel that it would have been more expensive at home in New York. Of course, at home I wouldn't have been buying it in the first place, but there you go.

Oct 13th, 1998, 05:05 AM

Mary Anna

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Elaine-- Thanks for all the Florence tips! We did order Ufizzi tickets in advance. We'll be spending a couple of days in Siena- if you have any advice I'd love to hear it. Would you go back to San Gim?

Oct 13th, 1998, 07:50 AM

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Elaine

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I certainly am not an expert on Siena and San Gim. as I only had one day to spend there and was rushed. Also, it was pouring rain so that dulled my enthusiasm somewhat. That may account for why I was disappointed with San Gimignano. It is quite small and the main street is lined with souvenir shops. The medieval character and many of the towers are still intact, and I liked the church very much, but I was more taken with the beauty of the surrounding countryside, vineyards, olive trees, etc than I was with the town itself.Maybe I'll give it another chance someday. I loved Siena. The huge Campo is unlike anything I've ever seen, especially for a relatively small town (I believe Siena has less than 50,000 people). The streets off the Campo wind up and down, and it is a real place where real people shop for clothes and groceries, not just souvenirs. The Duomo is amazing--all zebra striped inside and with some true masterpieces of art. Even its floor is unique. I will never forget the interior of the Duomo, and don't forget to go inside its "library" where the fresco colors are amazingly vibrant. Siena has a small-town character, and despite the tourists didn't give me that "herded" feeling. Please post or email me when you get back, I'd love to hear how it went. Elaine

Oct 13th, 1998, 04:57 PM

#11

Sean

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I enjoyed reading about your trip. How about restaurant recommendations in Venice -- good ethnic cuisine that is in no way touristy? Thanks in advance for any suggestions. Sean

Oct 15th, 1998, 04:31 AM

#12

elaine

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RE restaurants in Venice, I only ate Italian food, I'm not sure if you mean other ethnic food. Anyway, I second the nomination for Da Raffaelle, Ponte delle Ostreghe 2347, San Marco. I paid 76000 lira for one person, no wine, but I could easily have spent less and they don't frown if you just order an appetizer and pasta. Casual, but not jeans. Very attractive setting along a small canal. Very good fish. Also Trattoria San Toma, Campo San Toma, two minutes from San Toma vaporetto stop. 60000 lire for one, less expensive set menu or pizza available. Simple neighborhood place, very casual, very good food. Outdoor dining in private garden in good weather. There were other places, but they were significantly more expensive and fabulous, like the dining room at the Cipriani hotel.