daria

Hi! My husband and I are just back from our 3 week trip during which we visited Venice, Verona, Lake Como, Cinque Terre and Milan. We love Italy and had a wonderful time! Thanks so much to all of you who helped me plan. I have used this site for years, but I've never posted a trip report mainly because I wasn't sure I had anything to add. But, I have found other trip reports so helpful and fun that I decided that I should do one this time! So, here goes . . . .

If anyone has any questions about anything, I am happy to try to answer them.

VENICE (May 13 - May 16)

We arrived at Marco Polo airport close to midnight due to flight problems (I'll save that story for another time) and took a bus to Venice. We were dropped off at Piazzale Roma near the train station and walked to the Grand Canal where we caught a vaporetto to the stop nearest our hotel, La Calcina. At the airport, we bought vaporetto tickets that were good for 3 days at the same booth where we bought our bus tickets, and this worked out well for us. I like not having to buy a new ticket each time I want to take a ride.

I have been to Venice before and took a boat from the airport to San Marco where I then caught a vaporetto, and I would say that this is a much better way to arrive in Venice than by taking the bus to Piazzale Roma, especially if you have never been there before. It is absolutely magical approaching San Marco on a boat from afar. We took the bus because it was so late and I don't believe there was a boat arriving for a while.

Since, we'd been to Venice before, we didn't hit most of the major sites as we've already done them. It is enough to just be there. Venice is one of my favorite cities in the world. It is so incredibly relaxing and beautiful! It is wonderful to just be there, stroll around and gaze at it.

We did, however, visit the Ca'Rezzonico museum which is located on the Grand Canal. It is a restored palazzo filled with art, and decorated like an 18th century Venetian palace. We enjoyed it very much. We also went to Ca' Doro museum which had some interesting art and great views of the Grand Canal. I do not recommend the audio tour. We visited Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari church which was also fun as it had some beautiful paintings and sculptures.

We had never been to Murano and so we visited that island on a Sunday morning. I had read in a guidebook that the shops on Murano are all open on Sunday, but this was not true when we were there. We were there before noon, however, so they could open later. There were some shops open, just not all of them. Overall, I would say Murano was a pretty island and a lot less touristy than I expected

After Murano, we visited the much less touristy Torcello. We had a nice lunch there and visited the church, which has some fabulous mosaics. There is not much on this island at all, but we really liked the authentic, relaxed feeling it had. It was fun just hanging out at a canal side table at a restaurant and watching the locals. On the day we visited, there was a big wedding taking place and there were many more wedding guests on the boat we took over than tourists.

I found this to be a lovely time of year to visit Venice (although I would probably love it at any time). The weather was very pleasant throughout the time we were there (upper 60s and lower 70s) and there were not a lot of tourists.

We really liked our hotel, La Calcina. It was pretty, clean, comfortable, well located and the service was great. They offer a nice breakfast in a great room with a wonderful view of the Giudecca canal. We had a small room without a view and paid about E 130.00 for a double. I thought this was a good value for Venice. I wrote a longer review in the Rants and Raves section on this site.

The restaurants in Venice we visited that we really liked are:

Quatro Ferri - We shared a plate for two of pasta with porcini mushrooms and crayfish that was wonderful.

Ai Gondolieri - We had been to this restaurant before and I enjoyed it more the first time. On that visit, we got the tasting menu which I would highly recommend. I believe my husband enjoyed it just as much on this visit though.

L'Incontro - The service was friendly here and the food was great. I had a simple penne pasta with a sauce of tomato, ricotta and basil that was fabulous. The pasta was obviously fresh.

Il Dodge - This a great gelato place in the Dosoduro.

Gelato Nico - Fabulous gelato right near La Calcina.

Tratorria Alla Rivetta - A fun, busy, bustling place with good, honest food. The grilled prawns are to-die-for. The cuttlefish with squid ink and polenta was also excellent. The tiramisu is fabulous! Don't miss it.

daria

VERONA (May 17 & 18)

Prior to leaving Venice, our hotel provided us with a train schedule, so we did not buy tickets in advance. Normally, I prefer to do this, but it worked out fine just buying our tickets that morning.

On the 17th, we got up early, took a vaporetto to the station, bought our tickets, and boarded a train for Verona. Naturally, the train was late arriving. Bella Italia! When we arrived, we used one of the self serve ticket machines at the station to buy tickets for the next leg of our journey to Varenna. The machine was really easy to use and I liked the ability we had to choose from different trains at different times. We left the station and had no problem catching a taxi to Hotel Torcolo.

I loved Verona. I had never been there before, but I found the old town to be completely charming. It was wonderfully walkable with some beautiful piazzas, a good number of sites, fabulous restaurants and even some good shopping. We were there two nights and I was sorry to go.

One of the best things we did was just sit in Piazza Erbe at a café and relax, one of my favorite "activities" in Italy. This is a beautiful piazza.

We also visited the Gardini Gusti which was a really beautiful garden that I enjoyed very much. The garden is Italian in style with manicured hedges, fountains, sculptures and a view of the city at the top. If I remember correctly, most guide books mention this, but don't give it a star. I would give it a star and take one away from the arena. I thought the arena was ok, but not as interesting as I'd expected because there was really no information provided (such as an audio tour or written materials) about it. I imagine it would be nice to see an opera though.

We also visited Castello Vecchio and enjoyed the art collection there very much. We also enjoyed Basilica San Zeno Maggiore which had some 14th century graffiti in it!

The last night we were in Verona, we observed an anti-war demonstration in the piazza in front of the arena. I found it very interesting because, unlike many demonstrations I've seen in the U.S., the participants appeared to be middle/upper class and were dressed in business attire, and the speakers were wearing suits; no one looked like "radicals" or "hippies."

I really liked Hotel Torcolo. It is a budget hotel, so it does not have any charm, but it is clean, comfortable and in a very good location. It is located right near the arena, so we were able to walk to all of the sites, to the restaurants we wanted to go to and to shopping. The service is also very friendly. It is run by two very pleasant older women. We did not get breakfast included in our room, so our rate was a little lower. We paid E 90.00 for a double which I thought was fabulous. I wrote a review on tripadvisor.com.

Two restaurants we really enjoyed in Verona (both from the Slow Food book) were:

La Bottega Del Vino - This was one of my favorite restaurants we visited on this trip. My husband and I started with the carpaccio. It was served with arugula and parmesan cheese, and drizzled with olive oil and lemon juice. It was delicious!!! I then had a ravioli dish that was to-die-for. It was filled with ricotta and red chicory and covered with small cubed vegetables and was absolutely amazing. I also had rabbit in a lemon, artichoke sauce that was fabulous. This is a wine bar and they have a huge number of wines, but I don't seem to have noted what we had.

Al Pompiere - This place has great salumi and cheese menus. We also had a pasta with artichoke sauce that was very good. I wish I could have brought all of this wonderful food home with me! My husband had the stinco di miale (pork shin), and loved it.

daria

LAKE COMO (BELLAGIO) (May 19 - May 22)

We took the train from Verona to Milan where we changed to a train to Varenna. All went fine. We walked from the station in Varenna and took a boat to Bellagio. We then began the interesting walk to our hotel, La Pergola.

La Pergola is located over the hill and is technically in Pescallo. I had read that it was about a 10 minute walk from Bellagio and decided to stay there because I wanted to be in Bellagio for the restaurants and services, but removed from the crowds. Also, La Pergola sounded nice and was priced very well. What I didn't know was that you don't just have to walk over the hill, but up and down many, many stairs to get to La Pergola. So, it was very interesting getting our luggage there. After a few flights of stairs, my husband was nice enough to carry both suitcases and leave me with only my toiletry bag. I don't know if we would have made it otherwise!

Other than the stairs between it and Bellagio, I really liked La Pergola a lot and found it to be an excellent value. We had a huge room, a view of the lake and a large balcony. The breakfast was also very extensive for this price (E 100.00 for a double) and we ate on a lovely deck right on the water. The service was very friendly. In fact, on the day we left, we were leaving before breakfast started and without us even asking, they packed a breakfast for us to take with us! Again, I wrote a review of this place on tripadvisor.

We loved Bellagio and Lake Como. It was absolutely beautiful and although I was prepared for mobs of tourists, they just didn't materialize. Of course, there were tourists there, but not the crowds that I expected based on what I had read. It could have been the time of year. Here is a quote from my journal "We arrived in Varenna and almost immediately fell under the calming spell of Lake Como. It is so beautiful here words cannot describe it. Everything is slow, quiet and tranquil. The lake has an amazing calming effect." While we were in Lake Como, I was fantasizing about owning a vacation home there.

A word of advice about the boat schedules, make sure you understand all of the symbols on the schedules as soon as you arrive. For example, there is a symbol that means "weekdays" but, come to find out, that includes Saturdays. The schedule doesn't say this, so ask. It took us a while to figure out the schedules and we didn't realize until a couple of days later that we had been reading them wrong. Because of this, we didn't get to visit Villa d'Este. There is always next time.

We visited Mennagio, Varenna, Como, Caddenabia, and Tremezzo. Of those, I liked Mennagio and Varenna the best. I'm glad we visited Como, but it does not have the relaxed feeling that the other villages on the lake have.

I struggled a lot trying to decide which town to stay in and was happy with my decision. So, if there is anyone out there who is trying to make this decision and wants help, I would be happy to tell you what I remember about these towns.

We also went to Villa Carlotta which was very pretty. But, the belle of the ball was Villa Balbionello. Thank you to Rex and Patrick for steering me there. It was definitely the most beautiful villa on the lake. The gardens were fabulous. We also did the inside tour, which I liked, but did not love. To me, the best parts of Villa Balbionello were the gardens, the views from the grounds, and the outside of the house. The gardens at Villa Montesari in Varenna were also wonderful.

The restaurant we enjoyed most in Bellagio was actually Trattoria San Giacomo (right across the street from Bilacus). We went there a couple of times. The service was warm and the food is fresh and bursting with flavor. It is basic, simple and authentic.

We also ate at Bilacus and Silvo. We thought Bilacus was very good, but not as great as we expected. At Silvo, the service was awful. We were rushed the entire time. The server came to our table twice and urged to order before we were finished reading the menu. The second we were finished ordering, our appetizers appeared. Apparently, they take your order on a palm pilot device that instantly beams the order to the kitchen, so that someone can start bringing the food out while the server is still taking the rest of your order. Also, as soon as they picked up our appetizer plates, they were immediately replaced with our entrees. This was not the relaxing meal I wanted to have on vacation. The one thing I will say is that I don't eat fish. My husband does, however, and he thought the food here was great. He said he would endure the service again to eat the food. I would not.

I do not recommend the restaurant at La Pergola.

daria

CINQUE TERRE (VERNAZZA) (May 23 - May 26)

Our train trip from Varenna to Vernazza was not quite as smooth as our prior trips. After changing trains in Milan, we had to change again in Genoa but, of course, the train we arrived on was late and unfortunately, we missed our connection. This is where we got screwed up. As soon as we got off of our train in Genoa, we noticed another train bound for La Spezia, so we rushed and hopped on it. Unfortunately, this turned out to be a local train that stopped at every little town in between Genoa and Vernazza, and it took much longer to get there than the original train we planned to be on (which had less stops). Amazingly, I had never missed a train before in Italy, so I hadn't really experienced this. Make sure to figure out where your train stops before it gets to your final destination. Otherwise, your ride could take much longer than expected.

But, we finally made it to Vernazza, and we were in for a big shock. Up until this point, we were happily surprised everywhere we went at the lack of tourists. But, as soon as our train stopped at the first CT town, Monterosso, we were met with wall to wall tourists in the station. The same was true when we got off the train in Vernazza. I had read about the mobs of tourists in CT, but I'd expected the same thing in Venice and Bellagio, so this was a bit of a surprise.

Happily, I can say that Vernazza and the entire CT is soooooooo wonderful that it just doesn't matter how many tourists are there. It is so beautiful and so relaxing, we just loved it!!!

While we were in the CT, one day we hiked from Vernazza to Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore. We absolutely loved the hike in between Vernazza and Corniglia. The views were beautiful and there were dozens of different wildflowers on the hills. Despite the fact that this hike is described as strenuous, I am not in great shape and I was able to do it without trouble. I just took it slow. If you do this hike, you must visit the restaurant I describe below, Osteria a Cantina de Mananan.

Honestly, I would not call the walks in between Corniglia and Manarola, or between Manarola and Riomaggiore "hikes." They are mostly on level, paved walkways, not on trails. They are also not nearly as beautiful as the hike from Vernazza to Corniglia and they were much more crowded. If I were in this area again, I would skip those walks and just take the train or a boat if I wanted to see Manarola or Riomaggiore.

We also hiked from Vernazza to Monterrosso one day, which was also a wonderful hike with beautiful views of both of those towns and lovely wildflowers growing everywhere. I was able to do this hike easily too.

All of these towns were wonderful, but we were glad to be staying in Vernazza as we thought it was the prettiest. Monterrosso was the least picturesque.

We also visited Santa Marguerita Ligure and Portofino one day via train. I thought Santa Margherita Ligure was a beautiful city. It has wonderful architecture, and lots of the buildings have flower boxes in the windows. I would love to visit that town again. The bus ride in between these two towns along the coast is also beautiful.

We stayed at Gianni Franzi's rooms which were just ok. I probably wouldn't stay there again. I personally did not find our room to be clean enough, and the service was not very warm. I got the distinct impression that Gianni Franzi's knows that they don't need you as a customer because they can always rent their rooms to someone else. But, our room was a good value. Again, see my detailed review at tripadvisor.com.

Our favorite restaurants in this area were:

Gamberro Rosso (Vernazza) - The pansotti (like ravioli) filled with spinach and ricotta is dreamy, as is the trofie with pesto sauce. My husband also raved about the Tegame alla Vernazza.

Osteria a Cantina de Mananan (Corniglia) - We found this place in the Slow Food book and were so glad we went there! I had fabulous homemade pasta with pesto sauce, and my husband had the same pasta with a walnut sauce that was delicate and rich and wonderful. We also had artichokes and a selection of cheeses. You must visit this restaurant if you are in Corniglia.

Trattoria del Capitano - The veal carpaccio and pansotti are fabulous. We also found this place to be a great value.

Panificio Da Gino - This is a bakery on the main street in Vernazza that I wish I could have brought home with me. The brioches with cream filling (la crema) are so fresh and light! I want one now! The chocolate brioches are great too, and my husband loved the foccacia.

We also ate at Trattoria Gianni Franzi and Castello, which were good, but not as good as the above.

Vernazza is so wonderful because everyone there is just hanging out doing nothing. People sit in cafes and sip drinks and gaze at the sea. Or, they stroll down the main street and gaze at each other. That's it. And, it's wonderful. After 4 nights in Vernazza, we absolutely did not want to leave. I just wanted to hang out in the piazza and do nothing. For some reason, there are a lot of women in Vernazza who appear to be over 80. One of my favorite things to do there was watch them take their evening stroll, or sit on their benches in the evenings and chat. Ah, Vernazza . . . .

daria

MILAN (May 27 - June 1)

I should start by saying that we did not originally envision this trip ending in Milan. I wanted to end in a more relaxing location. In fact, we had planned the trip in reverse, starting in Milan and ending in Venice. But, we got a really good deal on airlines tickets into Venice and out of Milan. In retrospect, I would say that I should have gone with my original instincts. Milan is a huge city, and although I love it, I don't think it was best place to end this vacation.

In any event, we took the train from Vernazza to Milan. We had to connect in Genoa, but before we got there our train stopped in Rapallo. It broke down. We sat there for 45 minutes or so and then another train came which we boarded to Genoa. Naturally, we missed our connecting train in Genoa, but were happy that we made the next one just in time.

I know a lot of people don't like Milan, and many people here questioned our decision to stay there for so long. But, I would say that if you have any interest in fashion and/or art, and you like big cities, you will like Milan. I loved it and did not at all feel we were there too long. There were quite a few things we actually didn't get a chance to squeeze in. Milan is not a beautiful city like Rome or Florence with cafes to sit in on lovely little piazzas, but it is wonderfully dynamic and has some of the best clothes and house wares shopping I have ever seen.

We visited the Duomo, of course, and really enjoyed going to the top of the church and walking among the spires. It was fascinating to see the gothic architectural details up so close, and the view of the city was fun too. I also really enjoyed the Vittorio Emanuel, right on Duomo Piazza.

Although most people mention the Last Supper in reference to art in Milan (which is fine), if you are interested in art, there are other destinations in Milan that should not be missed. We really enjoyed both the Brera and the Pinotecca Ambrosiana museums. The Brera contains paintings from all over Italy from the 13th - 19th centuries. There are some excellent Mantegnas, a Caravaggio and some Hayes. The Pinotecca Ambrosiana contains some huge Raphael drawings that he did in preparation for the School of Athens, as well as paintings by Da Vinci, Titian, Caravaggio and Boticelli. This museum is also housed in a beautiful building with some amazing mosaic floors and stained glass windows.

We also very much enjoyed the Poldi Pezzoli museum which is a house that has been converted into a museum, but still retains the feeling of a home. It has an enjoyable audio guide to some selected paintings and some of the other art. There are also some very interesting collections of armor, clocks/watches, etc. There are important paintings by Mantegna, Bellini, Fillippo Lippi, Pollaiolo, Botticelli and others.

Throughout the time we were in Milan, we took the subway a lot. Once we figured out how to purchase a ticket, it was very easy to use and ran like clockwork.

If anyone is interested in fashion, you can email me about specifics ([email protected]). But, in brief, I would say there is fabulous shopping that can occupy you for days all around the Duomo. Many of the big name designers have huge stores. In fact, I saw stores for US designers that I have never seen in the US. The Brera neighborhood has a lot of wonderful smaller boutiques where you can find unique items by up and coming designers. Although most of my guide books said that retail stores are still closed in Italy on Sundays and Monday mornings, we found that many of the shops around the Vittorio Emanuel were open at these times.

There are also gorgeous modern home design stores all over the city. My husband and I love this type of furniture and couldn't stop drooling.

Foodies should not miss Peck, which had me almost in tears. This is food-porn at its best. The Milanese apparently have a lot of money and not always a lot of time to cook. So, there are also other delis all over the city with beautiful windows filled with the most fabulous gourmet foods you have ever seen.

We stayed at Hotel Speronari, again to save money. This is a one star hotel and we found it to be perfectly adequate. It is not charming and there is no breakfast and no elevator, but it was neat, clean and very well located right near the Duomo. We had a room on the street and I actually found that it was too loud to sleep in the early morning with the window open even when I had earplugs in. Closing the window can be stuffy, so I would suggest a room off of the street. See my review on tripadvisor.

Restaurants we enjoyed:

Tratorria Milanese -- This was a pretty place and there were quite a few Italians dining here. I had osso bucco e Rissotto (which was risotto Milanese) that was fabulous. My husband had a vitello alla Milanese (breaded veal cutlet) that was superb as well. We were shocked to overhear an American woman here ask, in English, for some "steak sauce or A1" for her osso bucco. Obviously, they had no idea what she was talking about.

Dongio - The homemade pastas here were very good as was the steak with rosemary and the vitello Milanese. If you have the Slow Food book, order what it recommends.

Al Pont de Ferr - This is located in the Navigli district and had an absolutely scrumptious cheese course that you can choose yourself right off of the extensive cheese tray. We also had a fabulous steak. Again, follow the recommendations in the Slow Food book. This is a down-to-earth, friendly place with few (if any) tourists.

Princi - Sells fresh breads, pastries, panini and pizza over the counter and has a few bar stools where you can sit and eat. There is one right near Hotel Sparonari and others throughout the city. The baked goods are fresh and scrumptious.

Well, I suppose I've rambled on long enough. Thanks for listening! Ciao!

BTilke

Nice report! Very detailed with lots of helpful info. I arrived in Bellagio the day you left. I also almost missed my ferry from Bellagio back to Como because I didn't read the little symbols on the schedule carefully.
I thought Bellagio was *very* crowded on Sunday the 23rd, lots of motorcyclists there.
Down in Pescallo did you see the fat gray and white cat roaming around those pretty little houses on the way up the via Cappuccini? He was very friendly. I think he gets a lot of tidbits from the fishermen.

Statia

From one Venezia lover to another, great report, Daria. Glad you had a wonderful trip! We hope to return to Italia ourselves in the spring.

bobthenavigator

What a wonderful and up beat trip report. In spite of your typical Italian snafus you managed to adjust and see the true beauty of Italia.
Good job Daria.

daria

Thanks for your responses! I am so glad my report can be of some use or amusement to some of you. Bob, it was certainly due in part to your help that the trip was a success.

I did not see that cat, BTilke. But, it seemed like there were a lot around there, so I could be forgetting. I do remember a couple that were white and orange though . . . .

JJBhoy

daria,
I enjoyed your report very much & wondered if you wouldn't mind answering a couple of questions.

Can you give me an idea of how long your train journey from Verona to Varenna took? Also, is there an alternative way of getting from the boat at Bellagio to La Pergola - taxi maybe?

Thanks,

Jim

daria

Hi Jim,

Our train trip took about 1 1/2 - 2 hours from Verona to Milan and then another hour from Milan to Varenna.

I'm glad you asked about the alternate way of getting to La Pergola because the answer is yes! You can take a taxi from the boat. You can also walk this way and avoid stairs, but it is quite a bit longer and after trying it once we did not walk it again. We booked a taxi to take us and our luggage down to the boat when we left.

I believe there is a taxi stand just in front of the boat dock for the car boats. There were some taxis near there when we arrived. This boat dock is to the left (the euqivalent of about 1 or 2 city blocks) of where the passenger only boats dock. If you are unsure, ask at the tourist information booth which is located at the dock where the passenger boat lets off.

JJBhoy

Thanks for the information daria - your report has definitely planted a seed in my mind!

Jim

tcreath

Thank you for the wonderful report, Daria! Your descriptions were great and I can almost envision being there myself, not to mention that your restaurant descriptions made me hungry for some good Italian food! We were in Florence and Rome in March but would love to visit the CT, the lakes area, and Venice. It sounds like you had a wonderful time.

candert

Daria,

Thanks for the report. My wife and I just finished planning a similar trip for this October, but we are doing it in reverese. Our plans are Milan, Menaggio, Castelrotto, Piran (Slovenia), and then Venice.

I really enjoy reading about other persons experiences. October can't come fast enough!

Thanks,
Chris

Marija

Daria,

Enjoyed your report. Thanks. Could you please give the title of the Slow Food book you refer to?

BlueSwimmer

daria-

Your trip report was wondeful; I'm glad you decided to share it! You brought back all of the best memories of my travels in Italy, and convinced me that it is time to go back this year.

Your food descriptions were just right: enough to make me visualize the meals and make me hungry, but not a long recital of every ingredient ever used.

Is the Slow Food book available on the Slow Trav website?

Thanks!

SuzieC

Oh my...this report is a print out...
like Ira's last year.

daria

Thanks everyone for your kind comments!

Chris, your trip plans sound great. I think starting in Milan and ending in Venice should be wonderful. I could visit Venice every year . . . .

Marija & BlueSwimmer, the actual name of the Slow Food book is O'steria d'Italia. As far as I am aware, it cannot be purchased in the US, but it is available on their website. It is not printed in English, only Italian. But, we found that we were able to decipher enough information for it to be useful. And, honestly, after we experienced the quality of the restaurants, we would just choose anything listed in that book, not really caring what it said. We were never disappointed. I posted a question about the book a few months back. Here is the link: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...een_name=daria

BoulderCO

Daria
Thanks for the great trip report. I was reminded of our trip last year to Bellagio where I also had to carry two large suitcases up the countless flights of stairs to our hotel. I was also glad to hear that you enjoyed Trattoria San Giacoma. You are the first person on this site I have heard mention it. We had a very memorable dinner there last year. I have recommended it often to people on this forum.

mr_go

Very nice job, Daria. Sounds like a memorable trip. I hope you took plenty of pix.

I'm also glad you had the chance to enjoy (and report on) Verona. A great city for walking and exploring, as you noted. Very underrated.

Thanks again for your valuable contribution to our knowledge base!