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Oh my goodness, KarenWoo - May I join the others in an enthusiastic thank you! I know how much time it takes to write a trip report and like the way you give the information first, then share the photos. I also like your honest opinions about cities, lodging, and restaurants. Hoping to travel to Italy next year and I’m bookmarking all over the place. thank you! 😎✈️🎉
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Karen, Just wanted to add my voice to the chorus of those who have greatly enjoyed and benefitted from your trip report so far!
I love Italy and we have been many, many times but not to some of the places you cover. I especially enjoyed your report on Bologna, Parma, and Ravenna - places we haven't been to yet and have planned for a spring 2026 visit. Of course, now I want to add some of the other places you describe to an already packed itinerary! I know we all have different likes and dislikes but I really appreciated reading about your final thoughts and opinions on each destination. It's really helping me focus on what we may like to do once there. For us, we love the "big three" Italian cities (Rome, Florence, Venice) and return as often as possible. We'll always add at least one new place. We have accepted that we'll miss seeing many new places in exchange for these return visits and are ok with that. Everyone needs to follow their own path and enjoy. Thanks again! |
Originally Posted by lrice
(Post 17667744)
Karen,
We are just returning from three weeks in Aspen so am late to your report. I loved reading about Pietrasanta! My husband and I spent a week there in 1994! This brought back such memories. I am thrilled to read about Parma! We have a couple trips planned to London but then hoping to get my Italy trip back on track. I am thinking of two weeks in Parma and two weeks in Venice. Was Parma buzzy at all? How would you compare it to Lucca? Parma is larger than Lucca but I think Lucca had more tourists and was more crowded or at least it felt that way because Lucca is smaller. It seems to me there is more to see and do in Lucca but i could be wrong since we only spent one night in Parma. There are daytrips you can take from either city. From Parma, you can visit Modena and Milan, and I am sure there are others I am not aware of. From Lucca, you can easily visit Pisa, Pietrasanta, and Barga. My daughter and her family also visited San Gimignano and Volterra as daytrips from Lucca. Those would be longer daytrips. Have you been to Venice previously? You will love Venice! We fell in love immediately. Where are you staying? We loved staying in the Dorsoduro neighborhood. |
Originally Posted by Leely2
(Post 17667732)
That's good. When I went, I did it spur of the moment as a day trip from Bologna so timed tickets might have created some wrinkles. As noted above, I was truly dazzled by the mosaics.
I am curious how you navigate with two suitcases. Does one sit atop the other? I went to Italy with my mom, who is in her early 80s, this past fall. Two small suitcases might have been a good option for her, and I thought about, but I couldn't imagine how it would work. (In this case, no pun intended, I would have taken one of her suitcases, so I would have been the person dealing with two.) Love Venice any time of year, so looking forward to that! To get on the trains, I would get on before Ed, and he would hand me one suitcase, and then he would turn around to get the other one. But sometimes a younger passenger would offer to lift one of the suitcases for him. I think a person has to be in really good shape to handle 24 inch suitcases on and off the trains, like rain city girl does. Ed found it difficult and regretted bringing the 24 inch. Then there is the issue of storing them on the trains. It wasn’t always easy lifting up the suitcases to store on the overhead racks. Sometimes there was room at the beginning of the coach but not always. |
Originally Posted by geetika
(Post 17667854)
Apart from hauling the suitcase on and off trains, I also find it hard to pull them on the cobble stone streets which are so common in Europe. And sometimes the Airbnb doesn’t have an elevator and you have to carry the suitcase up. At almost 70 I’m in relatively good health and shape, but this is something I find hard. Not just going up, but carrying the heavy suitcase back down at the end too.
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Originally Posted by KarenWoo
(Post 17667967)
I agree with Geetika about pulling suitcases on the cobblestone streets. And hauling them up 44 steps to our B&B in Florence was not fun.
When I travel alone ( with only a carry on ) I often find it difficult to lift the suitcase above the seat Occasionally, someone will help but not always. |
Interesting discussion re suitcases and trains. My husband attributes the hernia he got a few years ago to lifting my suitcase (which was heavier than his) onto a train. On our last trip we only took a couple of trains and really relied on the kindness of strangers to help with our suitcases. Also, we opt for the 1st class compartments and have been able to find available luggage storage that doesn't require lifting in the front or back of the car.
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continuing to love this report, KarenWoo-thank you--it's definitely inspiring fantasies for another trip to favorite and new places in Italy.
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Well, I really like travelling with a 24-inch case. I'm a small 70-year-old woman, and I travel by myself most of the time, and I travel by train most of the time. I don't have problems with it, though I do build in a 20-minute time for connections (I have done the racing upstairs and across platforms and racing downstairs again, and that I won't do again). I may be stronger than the average 70-year-old, as I used to work out with weights when I was on active duty, but I haven't done it since the 1990s. I do still throw in a few push-ups when doing my routine, for both core strength and upper body strength.
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I also make sure I have plenty of time at the station plus I look at the seat maps ahead of time to see where the luggage racks are on the train, if you are the first or one of the first to board it's not an issue.
On our TGV trip from Nice to Paris recently we had lots of space and sat near the luggage rack, two women with a child rushed on with tons of luggage plus a very large folding stroller and struggled to find room to accommodate everything. So one woman wedged her giant Rimowa trunk suitcase up against the automatic doors and broke them causing irritation to everyone as then the AC didn't work properly and the mechanism struggled to open the door making this awful noise. Two train employees came twice and tried to fix it and then threw their hands in the air and said "Boh!" and that was the end of any attempt to make it right lol. During the journey at least 4 different men at various times leapt up and attempted to fix the irritating doors. I usually take taxis to and from my hotel/train station or airport so not typically bothered by cobblestone issue although a few times have been dropped off a short distance away when the taxi can't get close to the hotel. My suitcase has 4 wheels and it hasn't really been a problem on the cobblestones plus I am not adverse to kicking it and manhandling it in any fashion needed to make it work lol. |
For some reason, our last few trips have featured the absolute heaviest suitcases that we each have ever travelled with. Taxi drivers have quizzically met our eyes with "You're kidding, right?" looks.
In Barcelona last year, we were about to take a Renfe train north to Aragon. For some reason, rail staff herded all of us waiting passengers into a tight, chairless area for the 80 minutes prior to boarding. When at last the call came to get onboard, an official shouted that all riders with suitcases were to follow him down the hall, assumedly to some distant elevator. I turned to Mrs Z and muttered, "Fuck that", hoisted both of our oh-so heavy suitcases and assertively descended the nearby stairs down to our waiting train. That Olympian act pushed me to my physical limits. I am done. for some reason |
Originally Posted by KarenWoo
(Post 17667961)
Lrice, When will you be going to Italy? When we were there in May, Parma was quiet. I wouldn’t call it buzzy. But the summer months might be different.
Parma is larger than Lucca but I think Lucca had more tourists and was more crowded or at least it felt that way because Lucca is smaller. It seems to me there is more to see and do in Lucca but i could be wrong since we only spent one night in Parma. There are daytrips you can take from either city. From Parma, you can visit Modena and Milan, and I am sure there are others I am not aware of. From Lucca, you can easily visit Pisa, Pietrasanta, and Barga. My daughter and her family also visited San Gimignano and Volterra as daytrips from Lucca. Those would be longer daytrips. Have you been to Venice previously? You will love Venice! We fell in love immediately. Where are you staying? We loved staying in the Dorsoduro neighborhood. I was in Lucca decades ago, when we were in Pietrasanta. I have read on this board by a couple of people about how nice it is to settle in there for a month. I have not been to Venice since the 80s ... sad to say! My daughter stayed in the Dorsoduro neighborhood last year and loved it! I also am going to look for an apartment in Canneregio. We are hoping to go in September/October of 2026. Heading to London for Christmas with our daughter (who is moving there on Friday!). Going back to London in March for a week-long trip themed around the Tudors with both of my girls. |
May 23: On the Road Again – From Bologna to Venice!
Martin, from Casa Bertagni, called a taxi for us to bring us to the train station. It took him several attempts to get a taxi, which happened to us several times during our trip. Martin stayed with us outside until the taxi came because it is not unheard of for taxis to not show up. Martin or Roberta would stay with us every time they called a taxi for us. The service at Casa Bertagni was exemplary! The train ride to Venice took about 1.5 hours. None of our train rides were very long. Before leaving for Italy, I had made reservations with Venice Link for a private water taxi to bring us to our hotel, Agli Alboretti. This was another splurge. I didn’t want to deal with hauling luggage on to a potentially very crowded vaporetto with possibly standing room only. If you make your return reservation at the same time, you get a little discount so that’s what we did. This was one of the best decisions we made! We loved the ride down the Grand Canal, seeing all the lovely buildings, and we immediately fell in love with Venice!!! My husband was initially hesitant about including Venice in our itinerary because of always reading about how crowded and touristy Venice is. But I insisted. I wasn’t going to Italy without seeing Venice. And Venice turned out to be one of our favorite and most memorable places. The water taxi dropped us off right next to the Accademia Bridge and vaporetto stop which is about a 1-minute walk from our hotel, Agli Alboretti. We love this location in Dorsoduro. It was about a 5-minute walk to the Zattere waterfront on the Giudecca Canal, about 10 minutes to Ca Rezzonica, and very close to the Accademia Gallery and Peggy Guggenheim Collection. We love staying here! You are far enough away from the hustle and bustle of Piazza San Marco and the San Marco district. The walk from our hotel to Piazza San Marco took about 20 minutes. Agli Alboretti is lovely. Our room was very comfortable with a large bathroom and a separate sitting room to spread out in, which was great for 4 nights. The breakfast buffet was served in their adjoining restaurant, which had a very pretty garden for dining as well. I would gladly stay here again if we return to Venice some day. Our room wasn’t ready when we arrived, so we had a nice pasta lunch in the hotel’s restaurant. Then we started exploring Dorsoduro and ended up on the waterfront in Zattere eating delicious cicchettis and drinking Aperol spritzes at Restaurante Terrazza dei Nobli while gazing at the sparking blue Giudecca canal. Life doesn’t get any better than this! We had dinner reservations for tonight at Muro Frari near the Frari Church. It was a warm and comfortable evening, so we dined outside. I ordered sea bass with vegetables that were baked in parchment paper. This reminded me of a similar dish I’ve had in Eygalieres, France, which is only served on Fridays. Ed had shrimp with curry sauce, rice and vegetables. We were both happy with our meals, and it was a lovely walk to and from the restaurant. |
Our photos from May 23:
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...ee12aacac.jpeg Our first glimpses of Venice and the Grand Canal from the private water taxi https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...db6f35510.jpeg Another view of Venice and the Grand Canal from our private water taxi https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...90e26c770.jpeg Bridges and canals everywhere https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c0e9226fd.jpeg On our way to our hotel https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...c40addeda.jpeg https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...069f7daf8.jpeg Grand view of the Grand Canal https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7a1282a2c.jpeg The Grand Canal is a busy place https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...833212de8.jpeg Disembarking at the Accademia Bridge - a one-minute walk from our hotel in Dorsoduro https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8cd8d4cf9.jpeg Our afternoon walk in Dorsoduro - this is a gondola workshop https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f7421d2d6.jpeg Walking along one of the back canals https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d2c6ec216.jpeg We fell in love with Venice - the architecture, the canals, the bridges https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...b47a41ce4.jpeg Venice is like no other https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d899c5fa9.jpeg Floating market near Campo San Barnaba https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...bfaacadea.jpeg A lone gondola - a rare sight - unless you know where to look https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f5e920a80.jpeg Along the sparkling blue Giudecca Canal https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...38e4cc739.jpeg Ed enjoying his Aperol Spritz at Restaurante Terrazza dei Nobili on the Zattere - a wide promenade along the Giudecca Canal - we enjoyed this place so much that we returned on our last day in Venice https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...f355e86fb.jpeg Our delicious cicchettis - a tomato bruschetta; the other 3 are all seafood - salmon, tuna and sardines https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...a24126512.jpeg Along the Zattere https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...38bd19f8b.jpeg There are many dining establishments along the Zattere https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...7e08be031.jpeg Famous Venetian carnivale masks and other interesting items https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...8b9fece53.jpeg The famous Venetian carnivale masks https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...5bf99e482.jpeg My baked sea bass and vegetables at Muro Frari https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...faddcc603.jpeg Ed's shrimp curry with rice and vegetables https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...89810131f.jpeg Walking back to our hotel in the evening https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...32f11e75f.jpeg So many beautiful sights on our evening walk https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...83bf51fd8.jpeg Ah Venice!!! So beautiful! https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...d2aef9cb3.jpeg Exterior of our hotel, Agli Alboretti |
INO arriving by private water taxi is the best wsy to see Venice, truly spectacular and magical! Kerp it coming Karen, we can never get enough! 😍
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I'm with Geetika. Keep it coming!
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Venice is special and you captured it so well.
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Still following. Still loving your story and photos. You've convinced me to try to visit Venice again.
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May 24: Venice Dazzles!!!
After a filling and delicious breakfast at our hotel, we walked to Piazza San Marco. This was about a 20-minute walk. St. Mark’s Basilica – All that Glitters is Gold! Our first sightseeing venture of the day is St. Mark’s Basilica. I purchased our tickets online in March for 9:30AM. We purchased the tickets that include Basilica San Marco, Pala d’Oro (Golden Cloth) and the Museum and the Loggia of the Horses for 20 euros per person. This was well worth it! This Basilica is absolutely stunning and filled with bling! The floor has nearly 3000 square meters of mosaics made from precious stone. The walls and domes are covered with gold mosaics. The Pala d’Oro is a Byzantine altarpiece of pure gold and studded with over 2000 jewels. The original horses are in the museum, and the reproductions are in the outdoor balcony overlooking the piazza. We were awestruck. We spent about 2 hours here. If you have the time, I really think it’s worth it to visit not only the Basilica, but also the Pala d’Oro, the Museum, and the Loggia. Palazzo Ducale (Doge Palace) – Filled with Art After visiting St. Mark’s Basilica, we walked right over to the Doge Palace for our timed entry. The exterior is spectacular with its Venetian Gothic style and its iconic location on the waterfront. There is an amazingly huge collection of art works inside. I admit the art collection is overwhelming. We rented the audioguide and after about an hour, we stopped listening to it and just wandered. I think the guide went into detail about every single piece of artwork! It was just too much after awhile. I did not purchase the Secret Itineraries tour because I had read there is a lot of up and down walking on narrow stairways, and I think the tour is about 1.5 hours. And that doesn’t include visiting the rest of the palace. We knew we wouldn’t want to spend all day indoors. So we were happy with what we saw. The Doge Palace ticket also includes entry to the Correr Museum but we decided to skip this. We had already spent a lot of time indoors, we were hungry, and we wanted to take advantage of the beautiful weather to be outdoors. We had a late light lunch at one of the restaurants in the piazza near the water. The food was fine but we were there mostly to soak up the amazing atmosphere! We then spent the rest of the afternoon and evening just wandering and exploring this magical city. Ed did some restaurant research, and we decided to have dinner at Ristoteca Oniga in Campo San Barnaba. This restaurant focuses on fresh fish and shellfish, although it does have a few vegetarian and meat dishes. Their specialty dish is bucintoro, a huge pan full of mussels, clams, prawns, etc. with pasta (for 2 people). It looks delicious but we didn’t think we could finish it. So we shared mussels and clams in tomato sauce. For our mains, Ed ordered black pasta with seafood, and I ordered shrimp ravioli with artichokes. It was so lovely dining outdoors. This is a small square on a small canal with the San Barnaba church across from the restaurant. And another lovely evening walk back to our hotel. |
5-week Italian Adventure - Bellissimo!!!
What a joy to read these detailed trip reports — thank you all for sharing! It’s so inspiring to see the amount of thought, planning, and appreciation that went into your travels. The variety in your itineraries and the honest reflections (both the highlights and the challenges!) are incredibly helpful.
I really liked how you mixed big cities, small towns, and countryside. The practical notes on transportation, like booking Trenitalia tickets ahead and using private transfers when needed, are something I’ll definitely keep in mind. And wow, your persistence with The Last Supper tickets — that's dedication! It's a good reminder to plan museum visits carefully, especially around free admission days. We’re considering a similar trip for next spring, and now Milan, Parma, and Varenna are all firmly on my list. Also, really appreciate the hotel recommendations — I’ve already started bookmarking them! Thanks again for taking the time to write such thoughtful and useful recaps. Feels like we just got a mini tour of Italy through your words! |
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