I'd LOVE to read more about your honeymoon trip! I am going in Oct. to this same region and hope to take notes re: the hotels and restaurants etc. that you experienced. Thanks for sharing via this venue.

Hi hunnym,

Thank you for your wonderful trip report. I appreciated your honesty. My husband and I are traveling to Florence and Venice late Jan and Feb 2006. We hesitated booking during that time of year at first, but the more I read, including your trip report, we now are looking forward to having a jacket on but experiencing these two glorious cities in a less busy time of year.

I greatly appreciate your candid report, I am glad you will have so many fine memories of your honeymoon.

Congrats again, T.

hunnym, great trip report. Sorry to hear that you did not care for Venice as it is one of my favorite cities. I definitely agree that there is a daytime and nighttime Venice and both are very different. There can also be many factors in how one percieves any given city, as you stated.

Sounds like the rest of your trip was great, though! Congrats and thanks for the report!

Congrats! I'm sorry Venice didn't work her charm on you guys, especially under the circumstances. However, many of your points are very well taken. I guess I overlook/ignore the negative and let the uniqueness and beauty take over. Glad you enjoyed the Daphne Inn, it really is a find. Welcome home and I hope the honeymoon lasts a lifetime!

Dave

Thanks to everyone for your kind words and wishes!

swalter - I would definitely recommend Milan for a day, especially if you're passing through anyway. The Last Supper is worth a stop, plus it's interesting to see how different the financial capital of Italy is versus the political capital (Rome). Personally, I could have handled staying even longer...but you can certainly cover the main highlights in a day.

Travelphile - I think the idea of seeing Milan first, before heading off to Bellagio, is a fine idea, and would work just as well as the other way around. We just wanted to go somewhere quiet first, since we were trying to unwind from our wedding! If you're the type who can get off a plane (assuming you're arriving in the AM from North America) and get going, then I think your proposed schedule works just fine (and maybe better!)

In case anyone is still reading...

To follow-up on an interesting thread many weeks ago in which a woman was inquiring about pedicures in Italy - I only saw ONE nail salon the entire trip. It was in Rome, somewhere in the Spanish Steps area (on a small street; sorry, can't remember more).

Also, a couple of Americans asked us for directions to St. Peter's while we were in the subway. We told them, but my husband gave them a "head's up" that they were unlikely to get in, given that they were wearing shorts. They chose to take their chances.

Lo and behold, at St. Peter's I saw several people get turned away from the basilica for wearing shorts or tank tops. At least when we were there, they were very strict about enforcing the dress code.