Hi small,

Sounds like a great trip. Say "hello" to the folks at Peterson and Le Sirene for me.

>my attempts at calling have been unsuccessful<

for Secret Itineraries tour of Doge?s palace the number for reservations more than one day ahead is 011 39 041-520-9070. You have to call between 9:00 and 4:00 Venice time. They are 7 hrs ahead of us.

Thanks Ira. I finally got through and made reservations for the Secret Itineraries tour this morning before work. I had tried 3 or 4 mornings last week and never got a live person, but this morning I talked to a very friendly lady who reserved our tour for us.

Rufus - I see your point completely, and since you've been there a couple of times, you know a heck of a lot more than me. If we come back from our trip hating Venice and wish we would have skipped it, I'll be the first to admit it and give you a chance to post a big, fat, "I Told You So!"

No, "I told you so's" from me. We all have to take all sorts of chances when we travel.

I love Venice and just hope that everyone gets a chance to experience it as I have. Many people spend just a day or two in Venice and have a great time--I really hope you are among them.

Do try to get to the better known sights before the daytrippers arrive or after they leave--at least you aren't going to be there in the middle of the most crowded season.

smallworld, if you haven't already, go ahead and make your reservation for The Last Supper as well. A few weeks ago I made mine for a Tuesday in early May and there weren't many times left to choose from.

We're staying at Casa Rezzonico as well, just after you. Happy anniversary.

I am so excited for your trip! Venice is the second love of my life (the first is my husband)! We were there for a few days on our first trip to Italy and then returned a year later for an entire week. We stayed at the Casa Rezzonico as well. We absolutely loved it. I suggest a room with a garden view instead of the canal. Just a suggestion. Rent the movie Summertime starring Katharine Hepburn. It captures Venice perfectly! The canal that Katharine falls in is the canal Casa Rezzonico is on, just down the way next to Campo San Barnaba. A few suggestions:
1. You must go to dinner at Taverna San Trovaso. It's close to your restaurant and in Fodor's. You absolutely can't go wrong and the price is very affordable. They are closed on Mondays. Before going to dinner, I suggest you try the wine bar down the way. I can't remember the name without my notes, but if you head down the canal away from Taverna San Trovaso, it's about a block down. It's more like a liquor/wine store that also sells wine by the glass and has finger food. The wine is only $1.50 a glass and the hor'doeuvres are only $1.00. Also makes a nice afternoon break. You must walk through Campo San Margherita. Lots of locals, benches, vendors, etc. One of the few spots with beautiful trees! Also, just down the way from the Campo, visit the Scuolo Grande dei Carmini. Absolutely breath taking paintings by Tiepolo. You can't miss seeing it! Also, the Accademia and Peggy Guggenheim of course. Another good art museum was the Ca'Pessaro. It's small so it didn't take long to go through but they had some great art. Near the Ca'Pessaro, is the fish market. Go early and see all sorts of sea creatures! Of course you won't want to miss the Rialto and San Marco. In San Marco, I strongly suggest you go up in the tower. If you look to the north you can see the beautiful Dolomite mountains. I never knew they were so close! One very important note, leave at least a couple hours to get lost. Don't even look at the map, just wander. You can't ever really get lost because it is an island! As for Florence, don't miss the Boboli gardens. We went to the opera in Florence. The production was the best I had ever seen but the opera house was a let down. Very plain. The opera house in Venice was recently completed and is what you would imagine in Italy. One more note, don't expect everyone to know Italian. We ran into plenty who didn't speak English. Bring a phrase book, I suggest Rick Steves. Okay, I will quit babbling! Have fun!

Another possilbility is kind of flipping the trip around, catch a connecting flight upon arrival in Milan to Naples or Rome (these short hops shouldn't cost much). Start down there (Rome/Amalfi) and work your way north, spending the last night in Milan. If you can add days to Venice, that's where you can have your unwind time.

smallworld -

I will also be staying at Le Sirene from May 4th through May 8th on my honeymoon - perhaps our paths will cross. Happy Travels!

Jessica01- Thanks so much for the great tips for Venice and Florence. I have taken notes and will most definitely try some of your suggestions!!

Noraeileen- Congrats!! We will be arriving in Praiano on the 8th so it sounds like you'll be checking out as we'll be checking in. I hope you have a wonderful honeymoon!

Jocelyn - who did you make your reservations with for The Last Supper? I had a direct number, which I can no longer find. Please let me know. Thanks!

jmmess-

You can make reservations for "The Last Supper" by calling 011-39-02-89421146. There is an option for an english speaking operator, who will give you a reservation number. The price of 8 EU per person is to be paid upon arrival.

Hi, smallworld, I'm so envious of you and your wife - my husband and I just returned from driving around Tuscany and Umbria. The loveliest city in Tuscany region is Lucca. Your schedule is busy but if you have one extra day in Florence think of taking the train to the Cinque Terre - magical!

I didn't read all the replies here. Here is my advice having just returned last month from our "itinerary" of Italy. We met a couple young like yourselves who flew to Milan and tried seeing Last Supper etc and found it all horrid!! They were tired and lost and found that the people of Milan were "Uran" and not helpful and they got so lost and walked around lost so much they hated "The Last Supper" when they finally got there. They then went to lake Como where we me them and then on to Venice. hear you saying you want to be in Venice for your anniversary and so be it. It is a wonderful city and you will love it. This is coming from one who steers clear of cities as a rule. We stayed for two nights at end of our trip with the third night prior at a B&B 30 km from Venice (to rest up before we hit the city) I say fly in rent a car and head East, stay somewhere cool along the way and drop off car at Piazzell Rome and Vaporetto into Venice and LOVE it. You are young --so after that go your own way and you will learn for future trips how to pace yourselves. Happy Anniversary!! H

No offense meant I didn't edit my reply URAN was supposed to say URBAN! sory H

Reeder-
Thanks for all the suggestions. We are really looking forward to spending our anniversary in Venice. I can't wait to stroll around late at night after all the daytrippers have left.

Summer1-
We do have an unplanned day while we were in Florence. We were thinking of going to Siena, or maybe Lucca/Pisa, or maybe just staying in Florence. Can you tell me a little more about your experience with the train to Cinque Terre? Was it a daytrip for you? How long did the train ride take? Did you see Lucca on the way, or spend a seperate day there? We hadn't really thought of going to Cinque Terre on that day, but maybe it's a possibility. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks!!

We returned a couple of weeks ago from our trip and it was wonderful (except for an Alitalia strike on our departure day). I just wanted to thank all of you for your great advice. I learned so much from this board that helped me plan our trip. I took good notes and will be posting a trip report soon.

For now, I'll just say that all the hotels were great:

Casa Rezzonico/Venice-nice room with a large bathroom. Pleasant canal view. Beautiful garden in back.

B&B Peterson/Florence-comfortable, clean, and in a great location. Friendly owner was very helpful. Would definitely stay there again.

Relais Banchi Vecchi/Rome-Beautiful interior. Large room and very large bathroom and bathtub. Great location near Piazza Navona. Very nice!!

Le Sirene/Praiano-Small, modest room, but breathtaking balcony view. Giancarmine and his wife Maria were extremely nice and helpful (I had a bad cold/cough and Maria gave me some medicine to help me sleep since the farmacia was closed). Beautiful terrace were you eat breakfast with a view of capri and positano. Our favorite hotel of the trip. I couldn't recommend it more.

Le Meridien Gallia/Milan-5 star hotel which I booked on priceline for 125 euros/night. This was a steal since this was by far the fanciest hotel we'd ever stayed in. The room was very luxurious. A nice way to end our trip before our long day of travel back home.

smallworld, that's a great record to stay at 5 different places and like them all. Your research and the tips here sure paid off.