kcrimson55

First, I want to thank all the Fodorites who posted some invaluable information here. This was our first trip across the pond. Having guidance for the 14 days we were there from those who went before made the trip a lot less stressful.
This is more of a journal filled with details you can skip over. Tried to include some tips -- maybe editorials -- for first-timers like ourselves. Limited history on the sites we visited since there are a number of books that do a much better job than I could. Some restaurant information, but foodies will probably be disappointed. Cast of characters are me, DW and sons aged 14 and 10. (they had a great time, by the way). Here's the first short installment of our trip in June 2009. Also, please excuse any typos. Thanks.

Rome. Five Nights. Two Boys 14 and 10 and DW. Tip #1, if you can carry on your luggage, do it. I understand it can be hard for the women, where 3.5 oz of product and makeup for 2 weeks is not nearly enough. But our flight from Detroit to Newark was delayed due to weather in NJ. That put a crimp on our connection to Rome – especially since we had to change terminals. So, we opted for a non-stop on partner Delta 5 hours later. But DW’s checked bag made the first flight. And trying to find it at DaVinci in Rome was a nightmare. Customer agents were rude and non-responsive. Almost 50 minutes later, we found our bag and made it to the car service arranged through our apartment owner. Tip #2. Decide if an apartment is better than a hotel. I discovered that many hotels are small. To the point that Quad rooms were hard to come by. And then the sleeping arrangements looked cramped. We opted for this apartment VRBO 32035, and I’m glad we did. For all of us, it made the trip much more enjoyable. Highly recommended. Book in advance. The owners will take care of you before and when you arrive. Great pastry shop across the street and decent gelato nearby.

Saturday Day 1. Rome greeted us with a warm welcome, literally. It was creeping into the upper 80s as we traveled to the apartment. Lots of new sights and sounds and trash and rough roads as we drove. But any bad impressions melted away when Circus Maximus came into view. By the time we got to the apartment, it was 1pm. I headed out with Marina (one of the owners) and youngest son, to get some time loaded onto the cell phone I got on eBay. DW and oldest son unpacked. After a couple of stops, it was at a newspaper vendor place where I paid 10 Euro and he dialed in my number on a keypad. A couple of minutes later, I was ready to go! Stopped off at the Bancomat for some more cash and got a quick tour of the hood. Went back and we all took a short nap. Decided to walk about ½ mile to the Colosseum where we would be taking a tour on Monday. We were all amazed. We found RomaPasses at the Colosseum Metro stop. I recommend the RomaPass if you’re doing a lot of cross-city sightseeing like we did. We decided to take our first Metro venture to the famous Spanish Steps (sorry, not very impressed by this sight.) We found a spot on the crowded steps for a photo opportunity. Really wanted to see the Keats museum, but it was closed. We then made it over to the Trevi Fountain. Wow, such an impressive work of art in a small space. Glad to have a guidebook handy on what the figures represented. Our last trek of the day was to find the gelato shop I read so much about – San Crispino. Don’t know, maybe too much expectation. It was good, but we all agreed we had better elsewhere – and more generous servings.
We then walked to the place Marina recommended earlier. It’s a family run place called Aisha (via Emanuele Filiberto 193). Several kinds of pizza, pasta and other dishes are laid out and you select portions to make a meal. Youngest son said it was the best pizza ever! We ate and crashed, looking forward to Borghese tomorrow.

Sunday Day 2. Tip #3. Think about only booking the reservations you need and list some of the sights you want to see in the area. Not everything goes as planned. Case in point: I really wanted to see Santa Maria del Popolo after our Borghese tour, but was closed until 4 – later than usual and too late for us to stay around. Didn't see that late time in my research.
Booked Borghese Gallery reservations at 11AM by calling a month in advance instead of online because we were getting the RomaPass. Worked great. Took the Metro to Spagna stop and walk uphill a ways and arrived early since we didn’t know about travel times. Huge park. Youngest son brought his Heelies (shoes with little wheels you can put in) and had a blast in the park. Everyone was fascinated by his shoes. We got water and some snacks from the Café at the Gallery and sat outside for our check in time to arrive. Checked in downstairs and got talked into a tour rather than individual headset. Think they needed to keep someone busy. The tour was very good, but the headsets were terrible since her voice was often quiet and garbled.
In my opinion, this is a must see in Rome. Even my boys were amazed when we entered. Some simply incredible Bernini sculptures here and are best seen up close. Marble carved so thin, it was translucent. The guide said that “Bernini had God in his hands.” Wish we could have stayed longer than 2 hours, but that was the maximum visit time.
So, we were hungry by the time 1PM rolled around and saw on the map that there was a Café in the direction of Piazza Popolo – where we want to go to see the church. Tip #4. Always have 50 or so Euros stashed away. The café did not take credit cards and we spent our cash on headsets (the Borghese didn’t take credit cards for them) and snacks. So, we followed the confusing map as best we could and finally ended up at Piazza Popolo. Conveniently there was a Bancomat and Ristorante Popolo on the corner. Food was decent, not memorable, but just what we needed. So, with the church closed, we decided that we would take a boat trip on the Tiber I read about this on some online post. So, we took off toward Castel D’Angelo along the river to see if we could find a stop. We did, but it looked like service was discontinued. Weeds were growing up around the railings. Strike 2. There is a large outdoor vendor market along the Tiber near the Castel. Clothes, nick-nacks and some food like Buffalo Mozzerella. And some guy handing out samples of Limoncello. Just what you need on a hot day. Passed on buying a bottle.
So, we were hot and disappointed about our plans and decided to take a bus back home. I saw a bus that went to the Termini and thought we could get off along the way. Wrong. But at least we could get the Metro we needed. Took the Metro to Manzoni and went home with plans incomplete, but at least we toured Rome more. One good thing for the day is that we discovered Casa del Gelato just down from Aisha on via Emanuele Filiberto.

YvonneT

Marble carved so thin, it was translucent. The guide said that “Bernini had God in his hands.”

This gave me shivers! Looking forward to more of your lovely report.

JulieVikmanis

Nice report. Looking forward to more. Please put in paragraphs and skip a line between them to make it easier to read if you can. Thanks.

JulieVikmanis

kcrimson55, please come back. I want to hear your impressions of Lake Como.

ellenem

I'm enjoying this report and your tips.

kcrimson55

Thanks all. Sorry, work got in the way. Here's the balance of Rome. Florence, Venice and Lake Como coming up.

Monday Day 3 Roman Forum. We had a private tour set up with Jason Spiehler who was highly recommended. Well, he called to ask if another family from Dallas, Texas could join us. No big deal, but shades of things to come. Consider a tour to be Cliff Notes in a way. You could spend an entire day at the Forum area, but a tour lets you focus on the most important sights. The tour lasted almost 4 hours from our meeting place that the Arch of Constantine. We covered the Colosseum, Palentine Hill, Circo Max and the Roman Forum. It’s one thing to see all this in books, it’s another to touch it.

Jason had one of those before and after books called Rome Reconstructed which put Rome into a visual time machine. We bought one ourselves, especially for youngest son. In the upper 80s again. Thankfully there was some shade and numerous places to fill your water bottle. After the tour we were ready for lunch. Jason recommended La Taverna dei Fori Imperiali (via Madonna dei Monte 16). It was excellent. Air conditioning didn’t hurt either. We had a combination of entrees and caprese salad (our favorite) for 4. Keep an eye on the cost. They did charge us 4x8 Euros for the salad, the biggest expense on our bill.

We walked back to our apartment to freshen up and map out how we would get to the Pantheon and nearby church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva. Tip #5. Should have taken a compass. There were times when I didn’t know what direction to go toward. Even with a detailed map in hand. This created some interesting discussions between DW and I.

We did manage to find the famous café Sant’ Eustachio. We had the “coffee slush” that some have raved about. Good, strong, a little sweet for me, but what we needed. Like everything else, the Pantheon was amazing. A concrete ceiling! Never knew that the Pantheon is still considered a church. After taking the Pantheon in, we set out to find S. Maria Sopra Minerva Church. Plain on the outside, but incredible inside. Then, we ended up at the Corner of Doom. Loads of traffic, couldn’t find a bus stop. We did the only thing we could – hail a taxi.

Tip #6: Know some cross streets where you stay and how to pronounce them. Our taxi driver hardly spoke English. Scared that we might get ripped off, but for 8 Euro we got to where we wanted to go. Got carry out and enjoyed the view from our apartment terrace. Tried to order some Panini from a butcher shop. Managed to get carne and cheese. They did tide us over for a snack on our next trip. We got some groceries from a small place around the corner – fruit, cereal, milk, orange juice (which just sits out on the shelf) and coffee. We got hooked on the cappuccino since there was a pot and cups at our apartment.

Tuesday Day 4 Ostia Antica. This was a bit of a compromise, and not a bad one. DW wanted to go to Pompeii. I told her that it would be an all-day event. So, we booked a tour to near-by Ostia Antica with the promise of taking the train further down to the Tyrennian Sea. First, we needed to get to the Piridmede Metro stop to hop on the local train. It takes about 35 minutes. Lots of Italian High School students on the train headed to the beach. We had a delightful tour guide, Simona. She was great with the boys and gave us a lot of insight into the ruins. The deserted city is huge. Recommended.

We got back on the train for a few more stops. It’s pretty wide open and a bit deserted in this part. I had a note that a decent restaurant was on the water called La Vecchia Pineta, but didn’t know where to turn. Saw a building in the distance and there it was! Wished everything was that easy. The most we ever spent for lunch at 100E, but the food and service was very good and the view was to die for. Sailboats were racing in the distance. Kids playing in the sea. After lunch, we found a nearby private beach – mostly all are – and got in for 10 E with the kids free. The water was fine, nice sandy beach and away from the traffic. Relaxation.

We boarded the train around 5:30 to head back. Took the Metro to Colosseo stop. Boys and I got some money and pizza and pasta from a place around the corner and brought it home. Not the best, but good in a pinch. Offset the expensive lunch.

Wednesday Day 5 Last Day in Rome. On the agenda was the Papal Audience and Sistine Chapel tour with Jason (who called and said he couldn’t do a semi-private tour, but could get us into a group tour. Not more than 35 he said. Well, he has associates who pull people off the street. Ended up being about 60 people! At least he kept youngest son nearby at my request since he pretty much dismantled our reservation.
Anyway, DW who is a good Catholic girl, was worried that we didn’t have seats for the audience. Turned out to be no problem.

We headed out on the Metro to the Ottaviano stop and walked a ways to the entrance. Seeing the Pope was pretty cool. We were just behind a dividing wall and had no problem finding seats in the several rows of blue chairs they had set up. There were a lot of people, but not jam packed. The Pope is broadcast on a Jumbotron since he’s quite a ways away. The interior of the square was incredible with all the statues of the Saints surrounding. We stayed, burning up in the sun, for about an 90 minutes.

Decided that we should have time to get lunch in Trastevere. Caught a bus and got lucky that we hit the right stop since it’s hard to see street signs outside the bus. We didn’t see Santa Maria in Trastevre Church that was on my agenda, but wandered to look for a restaurant I had written down called Osteria Ponte Sisto. After about 10 minutes I said, Let’s give up.” But oldest son asked what the name was, and said, “There it is!” Right in front of us – and closed! We found another Trattoria nearby call Da Umberto(we were the only ones it being early) and had a nice lunch at a reasonable price.

Since the bus ride was slow due to the traffic and tour busses, we decided to walk back. We made it to the meeting place with about 5 minutes to spare. Headsets were great fortunately. It was a little fast-paced (like we blew through the tapestry room) but we spent a good 2-1/2 hours with Raphael, Michanglo, and too many others to mention.

Combining the Sistine Chapel with St. Peter’s Bascilica was almost too much for the senses. We made it to the top of the Dome… lots of steps, hot, but incredible. If you're able to make this trek, do it. You will see how the piazza really is laid out like a key.

We found a bus that took us to the Colosseum and found a restaurant where we had the most mediocre meal of the trip. Oh well. Got some clothes in the washer (yeah apartment) and packed for out 7:30 am taxi ride to the train station and Florence.

Buying train tickets was not too bad for the most part. The lines are long, but they move fast. Most agents have a good command of English. If you are traveling with a family, be sure to ask for the Familia Rate – they won’t give it to you automatically. You’ll need to provide ages of the children. If you’re kiosk savvy (we didn’t go there) they have lots of ticket machines where you insert cash or a credit card and get your ticket.

kcrimson55

The trip continues to a stop-off in Florence and on to Venice.

Thursday Day 6. Florence. This was a last-minute add-on to the itinerary. DW said, according to a cousin, that no trip to Italy was complete without visiting Florence. So, we hopped on the train as early as we could out of Rome for about 6 hours in the City. Way too short, I know. We checked our bags at the train station (a popular spot), got a map and headed out to find the Duomo.

As we made our way into the city, we decided to grab a quick bite to eat at a local café called Amadeus on via dei pescioni. The food was good, nothing special. We ate outside, but our only real view was all the scooters parked along the narrow street. We had Rick Steves’ audio tour with us so we could at least hit some of the hot spots. His audio also led us to spend the most on gelato ever! Beware of the prices in this city, especially along Via dei Calzaiuoli. They will automatically give you a special cone at the biggest price. We were so used to spending just 2 Euro in Rome, we thought the prices would be similar. But before I could shout “piccolo” for our 11 year old, the damage was done. Almost 30 Euro for the 4 of us.

Anyway, I ruled out the Uffuzi and we didn’t make it to the Arno. But, we did see the incredible Duomo there and made it to the top of the Campanili. This trip to the top takes stamina (414 steps), but there are a few places to rest on the trek up. The view of all the red tile roof buildings is, of course, incredible. After the much easier trip down, we walked over to the open statue area where they have a copy of David. Amazing sculpture in this area. We asked an exchange student about the Dante museum there, and he gave us bad directions. So we wandered past the many leather shops and stumbled upon an artist in a small shop selling watercolors of the city. Perfect souvenir for the trip back in our luggage, and a great memory of a short visit.
We headed back to the train, happy that we had seat and carriage assignments.

Day 6PM. Off to Venice. The train trip was great. No table, but at least the 4 of us were together. The scenery was great. Got to read more of my book, Ironweed. We arrived with the lagoon on our left. Had the number ready for our apartment manager Cristofo, and he greeted us at Fondamente Nove. It was just a short walk to Apt. Rachele (reserved through Cross-Pollinate.com). Very nice, practically new, great location. Certainly a downsize from Roma, but just fine. As an added bonus, we got breakfast at the main office – a fun, left, right, left walk away. Very nice.

Anyway, due to our late arrival, we were starving. Cristofo set us up at Da Alvise, right on the water. We had a great table, but terrible service and entrees. Took forever, youngest son’s pizza was hard as a cracker. Nice location, but I would avoid.

Friday. Day 7. We had a few things on our minds – taking the Rick Steves’ Grand Canal tour I downloaded on our MP3 players, small gifts for some folks back home, and whether or not to take a gondola ride. Ever since we found out about the pigeons at San Marco, youngest son has been crazy about the idea. I told him that they recently banned pigeon feedings here, but that was his main goal.

Our first desire was to go back to the train station and take the Rick Steves tour to get a lay of the land (or water?). We wanted to end up at San Marco so we could take a tour of the Basilica. I had made a reservation for a time slot. Turned out to be worthless. Take the Rick Steves tip and check your luggage at a place nearby. You’ll get a token that will let you right in. Anyway, when we got to the train station stop, the lines for all the vaporetti were crazy. We needed to be at the back of the boat, we felt, and those are prime seats for sightseers. So, we decided we could walk our way to San Marco. We got pretty far, but somehow found ourselves on the wrong side of the canal. We worked our way back to a Grand Canal vaporetto stop that would take us to the Piazza.

The piazza was fantastic. A good amount of people, but not jammed packed. Right away, young son sees a man with about 5 pigeons on each arm and one on his head! He wanted to do the same. Soon, the police came over to the man and told him to move on. YS had taken some bread at our breakfast and put out his arms. “Turn on the camcorder,” he said. Started out slow, but he soon had some pigeons on his arms. It was short, so no police came by. He was fulfilled.

After an American gave us the checked luggage tip, we walked right in to an incredible sight. Like the churches of Rome, it was opulent and detailed. We paid extra to go up to the Loggia – worth it for a closer look at the mosaic ceiling and the 4 original bronze horses of St. Mark that went through so much. “Let’s not take the vapertto back home,” we decided. So we passed the Bridge of Sighs – which was surrounded by blue construction coverings, and wove our way back best we could looking at our map. This was one of the best parts.

And we it was about time to eat, we came across a restaurant called Antico Gatoleto Cannaregio S. Maria Nova in a quaint piazza. The food was perfect for us and we had a great waiter. Youngest son was completely entertained by 2 small dogs who were playing with each other. A nearby shop had the perfect mask for our oldest son – comedy and tragedy – since he loves the theater so much.
Full and happy, we felt like we could make it back to our apartment after seeing an arrow point to Font. Nove on the side of a building.

kcrimson55

The balance of Venice and Day One at Lake Como.

Saturday Day 8. We awoke to cooler temperatures and some rain – the only rain we would experience on our trip – and it didn’t last for long. We found an umbrella, got our map, and set out to find the Rialto bridge walking from our apt. Walking is the best way to see and experience Venice. Just when I thought we were at a dead end, you would turn the corner and it would open up into a small piazza usually with a restaurant and some shops.

We did find the bridge – and lots of surrounding tourist shops – and took time to watch all the vaporetto pass underneath us. So, we checked out some glass and masks and decided to hold off anything until we went to Murano the next day.

By this time, the weather was clearing up and we decided to work our way toward San Marco piazza. We continued to walk down the main path and came across the open air market with all the seafood and some fruits and vegetables. This was pretty cool, and even though we had a cooktop at home, we quickly dismissed the idea of broiled fish for dinner. We chose a restaurant that was attached to Hotel Malibran for lunch. I was concerned about the international menu they had, but the food was fine and reasonable.

The rain was gone and we went back to the Grand Canal to take a vaperetto to the Accademia stop to see if the Gugenheim museum was open for free on Saturday (a tip by a fellow Fodorite). Unfortunately, it wasn’t free. DW and I would have liked it, but we decided to wander on and go back to San Marco to see about touring Palazzo Ducale. This time, some of the bars had patrons and there was a quartet of musicians playing at one. Even though we didn’t make it back in the evening, I could imagine how wonderful the dueling orchestras would be in this special place.

It was off again, this time to find a super marcato along the way for some coffee and soda and Peroni for me. For dinner, we went back to a café we saw and ordered sandwiches, chips and drinks and took them back to the apartment. This was a great way to keep dining costs down, and it was fun at the same time.
Gondola Ride. We decided to skip pass on this mainstay of Venice.. Maybe if it was just DW and I. Considering the price, we thought the experience might be lost on the boys. Anyway, we were having a blast just walking around and experiencing the city by foot.

Sunday Day 9. Murano. After breakfast, we loaded onto a packed vaporetto to Murano. Ours stopped first at the cemetery. We had thoughts of exploring, but never did. We got off at the first Murano stop and right away you’re in front of a glass shop/factory. Because it was Sunday, the factories were not open. We were not pressured at all to buy anything. But after the fifth shop, you’ve pretty much seen everything. But, some of the items for sale here (like the glass wine bottle stoppers we got) were not 3 times more expensive than Venice (as one saleswomen told us. Anything for a sale, I guess).

We decided to explore the Church of Santa Maria e San Donato. The tile floor was incredible as is the mosaic in the apse. We had a very nice lunch outside at the busy Busa alla Torre da Lele (Campo San Stefano 3 Murano). We left from a different vaparetto stop and decided we would finally take the Rick Steves tour.

It was worth it. We found some spots away from the entrance and exits of the boats where we could see both sides of the canal. The Podcast is put together well and we learned a lot about key buildings of Venice along the Grand Canal.
Back at San Marco again. Short pigeon feed.

We did briefly step inside the Santa Maria Salute church. It’s the brilliant white standout in Venice. Certainly a photo opportunity not to be missed. We went back to the train station to buy our tickets for the next day to Varenna on Lago Como. A little bit of misunderstanding occurred here because sometimes train routes are based on the final destination – which in this case was Tirano. Varenna was a stop along the way. And we had to connect in Milan. The guy behind the ticket counter got upset and sent us to customer service. I had to point to the city on a map for him to understand where we wanted to go. We also picked up some sandwiches and drinks to have on the train at lunchtime.

Monday Day 10. Venice to Milan. Hurray, we got 4 seats together with a table for our Venice to Milan leg. BTW, Second Class is just fine. We really didn’t see First, but we were comfortable and had plenty of room for our luggage (can fit overhead or sometimes between the rows of seats) and our backpacks. Caught a little nap, ate our lunch and enjoyed the scenery. Milan to Varenna. This train was speedy enough, but made several stops. Great scenery changes too. Awesome to see the mountains come into view.

Our only problem was the car we were in. Finding 4 seats together put us in the back of the train. When we finally reached Varenna and tried to disembark, the doors were locked! We scrambled up to find an open door, but too late. The train took off again. Later someone told us that because some of the train platforms are so short, only the front cars open. Turns out we stopped again only a few kilometers up the tracks in Bellano. We looked to see if we could find a ferry back to Varenna, but just went back to the station and took the train back.

We found the ferry to Bellagio. It was a windy day, but that was good according to one visitor – you could now see all the mountains clearly. Lago Como is really a sight to see, and I was glad that we put it on the end of our trip. It’s like a resort area. We docked at Bellagio and I looked at the map for our street (not really a street since no cars are allowed). It was quite a walk up the cobble stone paths with luggage in tow.

We finally made it to Antico Pozzo – a group of apartments with a nice restaurant attached. The apartment fit the bill for us. You don’t have a view, but the price was incredible for the space. We paid 100E a night for the four of us. We were in the 2-room apartment. No clothes washer but all modern appliances, clean and plenty of storage. The apartment is located near the top of Bellagio where there is a road and lots of shops – including groceries, wine and an excellent gelato place. When you stay at the apartment, you get a 10% discount at their restaurant and also at Baba Yaga – which was very nice for a DW and I date night.
We had some excellent appetizers, pasta and pizza and soon went to bed.

LarryRGV

I enjoyed reading your report. Thanks. We will be going to Venice next year and will need to fly back home from Milan. Your train trip from Venice to Milan - How long was it and what did your 2nd class tickets cost? Our luggage will be big cases as we can't seem to travel light, so I guess I probably will need 1st class only because of that. What do you think? Thanks for info.

ellenem

Larry,

Regarding your suitcases, how large is large? 2nd class has ample storage space, so I would not choose 1st class just because of your luggage.

Some Venice to Milan sample times and costs:
ES/ train— 2hr35min; 1st class 38,50€; 2nd class 27,60€
R train—3hr31min; 1st class 21,85€; 2nd class 14,50€

Leely2

Great report, sounds like you missed a few things you wanted to see--more reason to return!

I rented from cross-pollinate in Rome many years ago. Basic but reliable and a good deal. I'm glad to see you had a good experience with them in Venice.

Looking forward to the rest.

madams77

Thanks for posting your report. I looked up the apartment in VRBO, and it looks lovely. I sent a inquiry to see about staying there for a few days next October. The views look very enticing on the website. How did you pay for the rental? Did you have to put a deposit down and then pay the balance in euros upon arrival?

emerald125

Thanks for your report... I am making a similar trip with my 11 yr old next March and have been undecided about whether she would enjoy Borghese Gallery - will re think after reading that your boys did.

kcrimson55

Larry, I would trust ellenum (since we didn't see First Class) on the luggage issue. Trains varied a bit, but we had no problems with 4 22" suitcases and 4 backpacks. Times are right, too. For the 4 of us on the Familia rate, it came to about 85 Euro.

Madams77 -- We were able to mail a deposit to a bank account they have. Not complicated at all. They figured out the exchange rate. I got some Euros stateside (and if I was to do this again, I would get far fewer because of the rate at our bank here)and we got the balance from the ATMs in Rome and paid when we checked in.

emerald125. We were surprised too by the reaction of our 11 y.o. We thought he would be bored to tears. But you move around a lot and time goes by fast. I think the tour helped to keep his attention, too.

Thanks all for the comments. Here's the wrap-up of the trip.

Tuesday Day 11. Varenna Vezio Castle. Still windy when we took the ferry back over to Varenna. We were out to climb to the Castle. It is quite a hike. YS noted that I almost had a heart attack. In the end, it was certainly worth it. A view like no other. They had some owls and hawks that they were taking care of, and a falcon show that we arrived too early for. There are some armaments on the grounds. The boys loved getting into a suit of armor they had in one spot. Olive trees are all around. We got a jolt of coffee at the top.

YS got a miniature crossbow with his sovenier money – and this caused us some problems at the airport. They wouldn’t let it in his backpack, so we had to check his whole backpack. Just another travel story. Anyway, we decided to take a different way back to Varenna, thinking we would find the River of Milk I read about. Well, we found a waterfall with a very nice park-like setting along a well-maintained trail. Problem was, it dumped us out into a road leading into Varenna. Dodging some speeding cars, we hit the top of the town. It was around lunch time and all we wanted was a sandwich. We remembered a little café near the lake when we first arrived in Varenna. No, no sandwiches. So, we had pasta. It was just OK.

It was here that we met a guy who said he freelanced for a tour company. DW was very interested in when George Clooney would show up. Too early, he said. Usually hits the golf course and town toward the end of July or in August. We walked about the city some more. Very quaint. Then we decided to head over to Mennagio to get some bus information about going to Switzerland. If we had to do it over again, we would stay in Mennagio. Bigger piazza, more flat, nice walk along the lake, and more.

Wednesday Day 12 Bellagio. This was the day that we decided to tour Villa Balbianello. We decided that it might be good to have lunch on the run and we got the best panini in Varenna.
A little meat shop off the main square made up 2 different kinds. We bought some buffalo mozzarella and some drinks. But guess what? The Villa was closed on Wednesdays. We walked around the city for a while and then decided to play miniature golf at the place we saw in Mennagio. By now it was lunch time and we broke out the panini at a long park along the water. We sat at a bench and had the best lunch ever. Lots of people fishing off the walkway here. Never did see anyone catch anything. Miniature golf was surprisingly fun. You play on painted concrete. We went back home, did some window shopping and found the laundromat down a narrow street from the grocery store. We ate at Ristorante La Punta . The food was a bit more expensive, but good. We had the fish from the lake. The view is great since it’s at the tip of a peninsula. Someone is building a huge home nearby. We were jealous.


Thursday Day 13 Bellagio. We did have ideas for myself and oldest son to play golf, and DW and youngest to go horseback riding – both outside of Mennagio. But the bus schedule didn’t work out and we nixed a taxi and in general, all the logistics got in the way. Wish we could have also made it to Switzerland, but I was surprised by how much time is eaten up in ferry travel. We decided to go to Varenna and get our train tickets from a travel agent in town. Very inexpensive. Then it was finally off to tour Villa Bababillino. The grounds were fabulous and the tour was very entertaining. You pick up a small boat in Lenno. It can only fit about 8 people. The tour took about 90 minutes.

So, we decided that we would end our time at a private beach/pool complex on the far side of Menaggio. The three guys in the group all jumped into the cold water of Lago Como. It was refreshing, but what a shock. We hit the pool, relaxed and enjoyed the view. DW and I went to eat at Baba Yaga (very good) while the boys had pizza in the room watching comedy shows in Italian.

Friday Day 14 Varenna to Milan. We finished off the cereal and fruit we had in our apartment for breakfast and headed out to the ferry stop and the train station in Varenna. There were a number of people at the station – which was completely unmanned. By a stroke of luck (and maybe payback for our earlier mishap) we had the train doors stop right in front of us, and they were open! Off to Milan.

Milan. The Duomo and Last Supper. The train trip from Varenna to Milan was pretty short and again we were lucky to find seats together. A little noisy since there was no air conditioning. Couldn’t see out the window because of the spray paint graffiti. We figured we would be there in time to check in to the Four Points Sheraton and enjoy lunch. But that was a problem in Milan. By the time we got directions to the Duomo and headed out (there’s a convenient subway line, but we decided to walk a way to find a restaurant) all the restaurants were packed. Out the door packed. And standing up dining -- which we were not in the mood for.

With me keeping an eye on my watch for our Last Supper reservations, we finally find a small (they were all small) place with a booth. A lot of places are like buffets, but not quite. Pasta, sandwiches and desserts are behind glass and you can order from one of the cooks/servers behind the displays. We had a great waitress and the food beat our expectations. She also assured us that we were on the right path to the Duomo.
About 2/3 of a mile later, we turned the corner and the most incredible while lacey church came flooding into view. It seemed out of place from the surroundings. We rewarded ourselves with a gelato from a shop just off the square and headed toward the Duomo for a walkthrough. Like all the other places of worship we went to, it was awe inspiring. This Duomo is so elaborate that it took almost 400 years to complete.

We found out where the entrance was to the top of the Duomo and headed to the Metro for the Last Supper stop. DW hates the Metro. This one was packed with all the smells and sounds of humanity. We got off at Conciliazione, and I wasn’t sure of which way to go. This is where my small command of Italian came in spotting a guy at a Petro station. “Scuzi, Dove Santa Maria della Grazie?” He pointed to go up one street and make a left. It as a few blocks down where we came upon the very unassuming church. A monestary to begin with actually. We check in at the office and paid for the audio tour. Well worth it. As you wait, you sit outside and listen to an overview of what led up to DaVinci painting one of world’s most famous murals.

There’s a convenience store right across the street, and we loaded up with some cold aqua. When our time came, we were ushered into 2 different chambers to control humidity. Then, we were led into the Hall where the Last Supper is. Again, the audio narration was invaluable. But, my 10-year-old son, an obsessive button pusher, managed to lock his player into the Spanish language. We had to get him another as soon as we entered.

It’s amazing being face-to-face with history and greatness. Here I was, standing before a masterpiece I had only seen in books. Full size is almost overwhelming. And in spite of the condition of the mural, it still speaks fo DaVinci’s genius. Highly recommended. Not to be forgotten is the other mural on the opposite end, the Crucifixion by Montorfano. Great to contrast and compare.

At 15 minutes, it ended too soon, but it was fulfilling. We made our way back to the Metro and the Duomo stop to climb to the top. It’s just incredible that this is allowed. In fact, it looked like they had some special concert on the roof earlier. There was a stage and lights set up. The passages up and down can be narrow and we had to wait for people for a break. The best part is seeing the many spires up close. The amount of detail is incredible. Statues are tucked in nooks and crannies. Across the way, you can see some more famous architecture in the Velasca Tower built in 1954.

We took a leisure walk back to our hotel. Oldest son had seen some silver tennis shoes he wanted to buy on our way there earlier. We set a Euro limit. We looked for some souvenirs at the fantastic Emmanulle Plaza. All the top designers have shops here. We did the traditional spin on the bull’s balls for good luck. Tennis shoes are bad for this. Well, it takes some deep pockets to be fashionable – but Milan had some great shops. We found an open mall and did some window shopping. The silver tennis shoes were 68 Euro – out of budget.

So, after all this walking and open air, we were getting hungry. Since we had to leave early the next morning, we decided to stop in a bakery to have something for the morning. Lots of good stuff. I asked where a good restaurant was, and got a suggestion for a seafood spot a couple blocks away. Never got used to the fact that at 7:20pm, we were the first seating. Saw reservations on other tables for 9PM! The food was very good but I was a little disappointed in my dish… a selection of some shrimp, calamari, mussels and fish fillet. Should have gone with the Frutti di Mare pasta like DW. Excellent type of garlic bread here – just thin sheets stacked in a basket. DW did not like the “place your feet here” type of bathroom facilities.

We collapsed back at the hotel and set an early wake up for our taxi to the airport. Some things you can count on: the plane was delayed 90 minutes. This time, it was OK. More time to say goodbye to the Alps in the distance.

farrermog

Very interesting report, thanks. Good to see the younger members enjoying the experience.

annhig

Tip #1, if you can carry on your luggage, do it. I understand it can be hard for the women, where 3.5 oz of product and makeup for 2 weeks is not nearly enough.>>

LOL, kcrimson - not all of us are victims of the cosmetics industry!

despite that, a great report. you highlight very well the need for a plan B when places close unexpectedly, which in Italy has a tendency to do rather too often.

I felt for you with the €30 gelatti. having been to Rome first, like you, we were horrified by the cost of gelatti in Florence, and only had two in whole week! and those from more out of the way places.

annhig

ps - thinking about it, of course you are NOT limited to 100ml of "product" [vile phrase that makes me wince every time I'm asked in the hairdresser "do you want any product?" - what product????] on carry-on. you can, within reason, have as many 100mls as you like, so long as they are in separate containers and will fit insdie your resealable plastic bag.

madams77

kcrimson55,

Thanks so much for the information. I contacted the apartment owners and found that our dates in October were available. I have already sent my deposit to their bank account! As our stay in Rome will be at the end of our vacation, we should have plenty of opportunities to get the remaining balance in euros from the ATMs in Italy!

kcrimson55

madams77 -- That's great. The apt. was one of the highlights of the trip. We had room to roam and fruit, wine and snacks in the frig. Youngest son loved the spiral staircase to the second floor. Extra nice is the small elevator they have -- although we did take the steps a few times to work off some gelato! I hope you have great weather so you can enjoy the terrace. Have a great trip in advance.

cusogolf

kcrimson55,
Loved your report. Took some suggestions to use when planning our trip tin Sept. 2010. Curious, when using ATM in Italy, did you use credit card or debit card and what charges were applied by the banks. Also, if exchanging dollars for euros in a bank, do they charge a fee or how is that transacted?

How reasonable was the Four Points Sheraton and taxi to airport?

No one ever mentions, but do they sell liquor in stores in Italy, i.e. vodka and/or tonic?