Must See on Milano-Firenze Route?
Oct 13th, 1999, 04:05 AM
#1
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Must See on Milano-Firenze Route?
I will be landing at Milano-Malpensa and driving to the Florence/San G. area. <BR> <BR>Is there a worthwhile alternative to taking the Milano-Firenze autostrada? Are there any towns/villages on route which would justify a stop over? Thanks!
Oct 13th, 1999, 05:04 AM
#2
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The fastest route from Malpensa to Florence is the A8 to the outskirts of <BR>Milan, then the E35 to go round it and the A1 to Florence. The nonstop drive should take a bit over 3 hours. To San G. add about 45 minutes. A natural stop on this route would be Parma which is less than 2 hours driving from Malpensa. You may plan to have lunch there and to visit the very nice city centre. All together, I would allow 3 1/2 to 4 hours . Another natural stop would be Modena, a little over 2 hours driving from Malpensa. Finally, you may consider to visit the outstanding Certosa, north of Pavia. This would be a small detour (some additional 30 minutes driving) from above route. Allow about 1 1/2 hour for visit (if I remember well, there were no guided visits during lunch time - from 11:30am to 2:30pm). The Certosa may be reached from Malpensa in less than 1 hour. A completely different approach would be through the Riviera (to Genova-La Spezia-Pisa-Lucca). This would require some 4+ hours (Autostrada) nonstop driving time to Florence. The Certosa would then be a natural stop (very small detour) as would be the Portofino Penninsula, Pisa or Lucca. <BR> <BR>Take your pick 
<BR> <BR>If you decide for the Certosa, things may naturally fall into place. After you've visited it, depending on available time, you may then decide whether to go on to Parma/Modena or to the coast ... <BR> <BR>Paulo <BR>
<BR> <BR>If you decide for the Certosa, things may naturally fall into place. After you've visited it, depending on available time, you may then decide whether to go on to Parma/Modena or to the coast ... <BR> <BR>Paulo <BR>
Oct 13th, 1999, 06:41 PM
#5
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Eli: <BR>I just drove the coast route last month. The direct (A8) is definitely more bland, and only an hour shorter, stops not included. Worthwhile sidetrips to consider: Portofino, Cinque Terre, Pisa (brief). If you're not pressed for time, the coast is the way to go.
Oct 14th, 1999, 05:54 AM
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Sorry for the typo---of course the town <BR>is spelled PORTOVENERE and it is special. There are 4 good hotels here. <BR>The best is a 4 star--G.H. Portovenere. <BR>But, also 2 good 3 stars--The Paradiso <BR>and the Belvedere. All have web pages-- <BR>go to www.portovenere.it for more info. <BR>The coastal options would be either <BR>Santa Margherita or Monterosso but I like the quaintness and natural beauty <BR>of Portovenere---a special place.
Oct 15th, 1999, 03:15 AM
#7
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Bob,Paulo, BMG: thank you very much for the wonderful ideas. Now it's decision taking time on matters which should not be taken lightly. (Bob, I do trust your recommendations, having read all your posts in the past few years). <BR> <BR>Looks like Certosa/Parma one way, Pontovenere on the return (or vice versa)...
Oct 15th, 1999, 03:15 AM
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Bob,Paulo, BMG: thank you very much for the wonderful ideas. Now it's decision taking time on matters which should not be taken lightly. (Bob, I do trust your recommendations, having read all your posts in the past few years). <BR> <BR>Looks like Certosa/Parma one way, Pontovenere on the return (or vice versa)...
