Trip report: Northern Italy - The Great, the Good, and the Not so good
Jun 12th, 2014, 05:13 PM
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First: Thanks all for the nice comments. Ackislander: I do like the RS guidebooks and use them a lot. However, I don't agree with all his opinions and I also use Fodor guides and travel forums like this one and Trip Advisor. I normally don't use travel agents but the ones in Europe who sell train tix and seat res can save time and hassle vs the stations.
And now on to Siena: We walked to Fondamente Nove from our hotel, got the vaporetto to the station. Our first class car to Florence was completely full. Our plan was to take the bus from Florence to Siena. I knew the general location of the bus station but could not see it when we exited the train station. It is across a big street but a bit tricky to find. We wandered around and eventually found it. Bought our tix for a bus leaving in a few minutes. Had a relaxing ride. I knew we were supposed to get off at Piazza Gramsci but the bus started making stops when we arrived at the city and I wasn't sure which one it would be. So I played "Are we there yet?" with the driver until we arrived. I'm sure he was glad to get rid of me. There were no taxis at the Piazza. I knew the hotel was walking distance and had a good idea where it was. We found it pretty easily, about a 15 min walk.
The hotel was a small inn/B&B type called Villa Elda. It was located outside the walled old town in a nice neighborhood of 19th century homes. As a visitor, you will want to spend your time in the old town but this neighborhood was nice to stay in and an easy walk from the walled town. We had a nice, spacious room on the top floor with a panoramic view of the classic Siena skyline dominated by the Duomo. It was especially nice pre-sunset when the stone seems to glow. The inn staff was friendly and it was fairly quiet except for the Saturday night when there was a car race at the nearby Fortezza(a fort built by the Medicis (I think) and now used for various events). The car race wasn't so bad but it was accompanied by very loud rock music until 1:00am. This was the only night that was a problem, though. The inn does not have an elevator so if stairs are a problem, this place would not be good. Details on the inn are in RS guidebook.
In the interests of full disclosure, I will say right off the bat: we loved Siena! It had made a good impression coming in on the bus, attractive, well-kept, a nice park with a big fountain( I've never met a fountain I didn't like), a lot of pride in the city by it's citizens and it showed. We stayed 6 nights. We had planned to have 2 days for the city itself and 3 for daytrips. As it turned out, we spent 3 days for the city and 2 on daytrips. Siena has interesting sights that take longer than you think to see, at least for me. And then there's just wandering and enjoying the place. I see tours that give it a few hours. It takes that long just to see the Duomo properly.
Sights: The, Campo, the Campo, the Campo! This is right at the top of my list for grand urban spaces. It has the unique sloped clamshell shape, Renaissance and pre-Renaissance buildings in such good shape they look like they were just built. My city hall sure doesn't look like the Palazzo Pubblico. If you're like us, you'll want to end each sightseeing day here people watching with your beverage of choice. Although the Campo is technically pedestrian, there is delivery truck and other vehicle activity in the mornings.
The Duomo: IMO, one of the most interesting churches in Europe, inside and out. The striped exterior was scaffold-free(yea!). The interior is filled with art(Bernini, Michelangelo, Donatello, a stunning pulpit by Nicola Pisano, Duccio(although the original of his stained-glass rose window is in the Duomo Museum.) The floors are magnificent inlaid marble. One scene shows Siena as the center of the Tuscan universe with Florence, Pisa etc rotating around it. As it should be! I have read the floors are not always completely uncovered. September(when we were there)is one of the months they are. So if this is accurate, try to go when they will be uncovered. Also, don't miss the Piccolomini Library in the church which is covered in frescoes from the 1400's depicting the interesting life of Pope Pius II who was from Siena. The frescoes are in pristine condition. Use your favorite guidebook to get the most from your Duomo visit.
We spent a good 3 hours at the Duomo. Bought tix when they opened. Short line to buy at that time.
Duomo Museum - Enjoyable , not too big, contains art originally in the church. Also, you can climb stairs to a great viewpoint. This is capacity controlled so you wait to go up in groups. Wait was not too long though and worth doing.
Civic Museum - In the City Hall, has some Sienese art and very interesting frescoes of Good & Bad Government. The frescoes are somewhat damaged but worth seeing anyway.
Santa Maria della Scala - This museum was once a hospital. The star of the show here is Pellegrinaio Hall with wonderful frescoes of hospital life in the 1400's. Seeing and reading about these in an art book before the trip and then seeing them in real life was special for me. (As it was throughout the trip, the prep time at home really enhanced the art experiences) The Hall has a beautiful ceiling as well and as I recall there were English descriptions of the art. There is more in this museum but we concentrated on the Hall.
San Domenico Church - A huge, half empty church but interesting for displaying all the flags of the contrade(Siena neigborhoods). It also contains St. Catherine of Siena's actual head. (You read that right).
Besides the sights, Siena is a joy to walk. Be aware though that Siena is NOT a sleepy village. It is a good size town with plenty of traffic on the very narrow steep streets in the old town. Many times we had to do our Spiderman impersonations clinging to a wall as a delivery van came within inches of us. Sunday was a good time to wander as it was quieter then. We especially enjoyed the streets that displayed the contrade flags of the dolphin, eagle and goose with matching light fixtures.
Restaurants: Siena earned our "Best Group of Restaurants" award. We liked all of them we went to which for 6 nights is an achievement. This region is meat oriented (and pastas of course) so made a good change of pace from seafood oriented Venice.
Firtst night we had arrived late afternoon, didn't feel like seeking out a full dinner place. So we went to a wine bar type place in the Fortezza. Had good meats and cheeses and sampled a few Tuscan wines. Nice, relaxed, quiet.
Real Restaurants:
La Taverna Di Cecco - Classic trattoria, shared tables, good service. Had classic veal piccata and a great potato side dish with tomato in it. Sounds weird but was really good. Inexpensive.
Ristorante Guidoriccio - Just off the Campo in a cellar atmosphere. Very nice owner. I would classify as a trattoria as well but pretty good wine list. Excellent vegetarian lasagna and this is where my husband had pici, the local thick spaghetti dish which he liked. We went here for a lunch and a dinner.
Compagnia dei Vinattieri - Upscale, lovely below ground dining room with arches. Sophisticated, modern Italian. Had a delicious sort of deconstructed canneloni here. Excellent wine list. Professional service.
Great for a dinner to linger over.
Taverna San Giuseppe - Also upscale, atmospheric. I sat by the opening to the wine cellar in the former Etruscan tomb below. I would say the food is heartier than Vinattieri. Husband had the boar ragu pasta and I had a duck with some kind of berry sauce. Had interesting salads as well for first course whereas most Italian salads are pretty much the same. This restaurant had a 7:00 and 9:00 seating. We had the 7 and were not rushed at all. A busy but well-run place.
Antica Osteria Da Divo - Considered one of the best in town. Beautiful ambiance, glassware, dinnerware etc. The "fanciest" of all our choices. This was the start of black truffe season so we had black truffle risotto which was very good. My husband had a good quail app but my first course was a bland vegetable dish. The varied bread basket was the best of the trip. So we enjoyed this place but was not my favorite of the group.
Details on all of the above are in the RS guidebook We made reservations at all of them(with the exception of Di Cecco where we just walked in) as we walked around. Most are open for lunch. I would suggest making reservations after you check them out because they get busy.
We made 2 day trips from Siena: San Gimignano & an all day mini-van tour of some of the Chianti region.
We originally planned to go to Montepulciano but the bus schedule did not co-operate. The morning bus that would have made it possible was not running in September, was summer only. We were disappointed and substituted San Gimignano. I had read about SG being overrun with visitors so was wary. It turned out to be an absolute delight. We took the bus from Piazza Gramsci.
Yes, there were plenty of people in the little main piazza but who cares? The town is so picturesque with all it's towers, just a picture in a history book come to life. It's much smaller than Siena, the stone it's made of is different and it has much less traffic so it is very enjoyable to walk around with great views of the countryside from the walls. It also had a nice ambiance with street musicians playing Rennaisance music and one guy portraying Dante (Kind of silly but fun) BTW: When you get out of the main piazza area, it's not all that crowded and some parts not at all. SG has an enchanting exhibit called San Gimigano 1300 which is a 1:100 scale model of the city as it was then with all of it's towers. If you like miniatures, you will love this. The RS book says there is an entry fee. There wasn't. It was on view for all to see with a donation box by it which it deserves. We had a lovely lunch at Locanda San Domenico on their terrace with postcard views of the countryside and good food too.
Rick Steves criticizes SG for "crass commercialism". Huh? It has shops, just like every other town that does a tourist trade. And most of them were quite nice. Sure, there's the obligatory tacky souvenir places. So what? You don't have to go in. He also criticizes it for having torture museums. Well, one of his favorite places, Rothenburg, also has a torture museum. Rothenburg is one of my favorites too. My point is I don't think he's fair about SG. His comments almost put me off from going. I'm very glad we did go. I still hope to get to Montepulciano someday.
Our other daytrip was a tour with Tours by Roberto. We had a congenial group of 7 of us(3couples and a single) for a minivan tour. We wanted to see some of the Chianti countryside and without a car this seemed to be a good way to do it. Roberto Bechi is an engaging, interesting guide and something of an expert on the Etruscans. After we had picked everyone up from their hotels we drove into the countryside which was lovely and green even in September. Our first stop was an Etruscan tomb. There is nothing to see in the tomb. The interest lies in Roberto's talk about it. And he does make it interesting, though the stop may have been slightly too long for most people. We then headed thru more countryside to a winery. It was very nice in a scenic setting. Roberto gave us about a 45 min tour of the cellars. I have been on several winery tours and thought his was quite good. We then had a nicely done tasting at a table for our group. We got to taste the "good stuff" and not just the lesser lights. I can't remember the name of the winery but it is well-respected. We actually ordered one of their wines at one of the Siena restaurants. So the winery visit was very pleasant but a bit long for me. We love wine but did not want to buy any and ship it home and we had a bottle at our hotel compliments of management still to drink. But others in our party did want to buy so this was somewhat time-consuming.
After the winery, we headed to a tiny place, not big enough to even call a hamlet, called Vertine. I believe the population was less than 20 plus 3 cats and a dog. Roberto took us around for a description of the architecture and then we had lunch there at the one cafe. Very pleasant sitting outside but service was very slow even though we only had a choice of three things so lunch took a long time and was quite late in the afternoon. After that we headed back to Siena.
All in all, an enjoyable day and nice to see some countryside. My personal preference would have been for less time at the winery and a shorter lunch adding some time in another village. Details on Roberto's company are in RS guidebook. He has a website. You book via e-mail, make a deposit via Paypal and pay the balance when you go on the tour.
So sadly, we had to say good-bye to Siena.
Next post(tomorrow) Florence
And now on to Siena: We walked to Fondamente Nove from our hotel, got the vaporetto to the station. Our first class car to Florence was completely full. Our plan was to take the bus from Florence to Siena. I knew the general location of the bus station but could not see it when we exited the train station. It is across a big street but a bit tricky to find. We wandered around and eventually found it. Bought our tix for a bus leaving in a few minutes. Had a relaxing ride. I knew we were supposed to get off at Piazza Gramsci but the bus started making stops when we arrived at the city and I wasn't sure which one it would be. So I played "Are we there yet?" with the driver until we arrived. I'm sure he was glad to get rid of me. There were no taxis at the Piazza. I knew the hotel was walking distance and had a good idea where it was. We found it pretty easily, about a 15 min walk.
The hotel was a small inn/B&B type called Villa Elda. It was located outside the walled old town in a nice neighborhood of 19th century homes. As a visitor, you will want to spend your time in the old town but this neighborhood was nice to stay in and an easy walk from the walled town. We had a nice, spacious room on the top floor with a panoramic view of the classic Siena skyline dominated by the Duomo. It was especially nice pre-sunset when the stone seems to glow. The inn staff was friendly and it was fairly quiet except for the Saturday night when there was a car race at the nearby Fortezza(a fort built by the Medicis (I think) and now used for various events). The car race wasn't so bad but it was accompanied by very loud rock music until 1:00am. This was the only night that was a problem, though. The inn does not have an elevator so if stairs are a problem, this place would not be good. Details on the inn are in RS guidebook.
In the interests of full disclosure, I will say right off the bat: we loved Siena! It had made a good impression coming in on the bus, attractive, well-kept, a nice park with a big fountain( I've never met a fountain I didn't like), a lot of pride in the city by it's citizens and it showed. We stayed 6 nights. We had planned to have 2 days for the city itself and 3 for daytrips. As it turned out, we spent 3 days for the city and 2 on daytrips. Siena has interesting sights that take longer than you think to see, at least for me. And then there's just wandering and enjoying the place. I see tours that give it a few hours. It takes that long just to see the Duomo properly.
Sights: The, Campo, the Campo, the Campo! This is right at the top of my list for grand urban spaces. It has the unique sloped clamshell shape, Renaissance and pre-Renaissance buildings in such good shape they look like they were just built. My city hall sure doesn't look like the Palazzo Pubblico. If you're like us, you'll want to end each sightseeing day here people watching with your beverage of choice. Although the Campo is technically pedestrian, there is delivery truck and other vehicle activity in the mornings.
The Duomo: IMO, one of the most interesting churches in Europe, inside and out. The striped exterior was scaffold-free(yea!). The interior is filled with art(Bernini, Michelangelo, Donatello, a stunning pulpit by Nicola Pisano, Duccio(although the original of his stained-glass rose window is in the Duomo Museum.) The floors are magnificent inlaid marble. One scene shows Siena as the center of the Tuscan universe with Florence, Pisa etc rotating around it. As it should be! I have read the floors are not always completely uncovered. September(when we were there)is one of the months they are. So if this is accurate, try to go when they will be uncovered. Also, don't miss the Piccolomini Library in the church which is covered in frescoes from the 1400's depicting the interesting life of Pope Pius II who was from Siena. The frescoes are in pristine condition. Use your favorite guidebook to get the most from your Duomo visit.
We spent a good 3 hours at the Duomo. Bought tix when they opened. Short line to buy at that time.
Duomo Museum - Enjoyable , not too big, contains art originally in the church. Also, you can climb stairs to a great viewpoint. This is capacity controlled so you wait to go up in groups. Wait was not too long though and worth doing.
Civic Museum - In the City Hall, has some Sienese art and very interesting frescoes of Good & Bad Government. The frescoes are somewhat damaged but worth seeing anyway.
Santa Maria della Scala - This museum was once a hospital. The star of the show here is Pellegrinaio Hall with wonderful frescoes of hospital life in the 1400's. Seeing and reading about these in an art book before the trip and then seeing them in real life was special for me. (As it was throughout the trip, the prep time at home really enhanced the art experiences) The Hall has a beautiful ceiling as well and as I recall there were English descriptions of the art. There is more in this museum but we concentrated on the Hall.
San Domenico Church - A huge, half empty church but interesting for displaying all the flags of the contrade(Siena neigborhoods). It also contains St. Catherine of Siena's actual head. (You read that right).
Besides the sights, Siena is a joy to walk. Be aware though that Siena is NOT a sleepy village. It is a good size town with plenty of traffic on the very narrow steep streets in the old town. Many times we had to do our Spiderman impersonations clinging to a wall as a delivery van came within inches of us. Sunday was a good time to wander as it was quieter then. We especially enjoyed the streets that displayed the contrade flags of the dolphin, eagle and goose with matching light fixtures.
Restaurants: Siena earned our "Best Group of Restaurants" award. We liked all of them we went to which for 6 nights is an achievement. This region is meat oriented (and pastas of course) so made a good change of pace from seafood oriented Venice.
Firtst night we had arrived late afternoon, didn't feel like seeking out a full dinner place. So we went to a wine bar type place in the Fortezza. Had good meats and cheeses and sampled a few Tuscan wines. Nice, relaxed, quiet.
Real Restaurants:
La Taverna Di Cecco - Classic trattoria, shared tables, good service. Had classic veal piccata and a great potato side dish with tomato in it. Sounds weird but was really good. Inexpensive.
Ristorante Guidoriccio - Just off the Campo in a cellar atmosphere. Very nice owner. I would classify as a trattoria as well but pretty good wine list. Excellent vegetarian lasagna and this is where my husband had pici, the local thick spaghetti dish which he liked. We went here for a lunch and a dinner.
Compagnia dei Vinattieri - Upscale, lovely below ground dining room with arches. Sophisticated, modern Italian. Had a delicious sort of deconstructed canneloni here. Excellent wine list. Professional service.
Great for a dinner to linger over.
Taverna San Giuseppe - Also upscale, atmospheric. I sat by the opening to the wine cellar in the former Etruscan tomb below. I would say the food is heartier than Vinattieri. Husband had the boar ragu pasta and I had a duck with some kind of berry sauce. Had interesting salads as well for first course whereas most Italian salads are pretty much the same. This restaurant had a 7:00 and 9:00 seating. We had the 7 and were not rushed at all. A busy but well-run place.
Antica Osteria Da Divo - Considered one of the best in town. Beautiful ambiance, glassware, dinnerware etc. The "fanciest" of all our choices. This was the start of black truffe season so we had black truffle risotto which was very good. My husband had a good quail app but my first course was a bland vegetable dish. The varied bread basket was the best of the trip. So we enjoyed this place but was not my favorite of the group.
Details on all of the above are in the RS guidebook We made reservations at all of them(with the exception of Di Cecco where we just walked in) as we walked around. Most are open for lunch. I would suggest making reservations after you check them out because they get busy.
We made 2 day trips from Siena: San Gimignano & an all day mini-van tour of some of the Chianti region.
We originally planned to go to Montepulciano but the bus schedule did not co-operate. The morning bus that would have made it possible was not running in September, was summer only. We were disappointed and substituted San Gimignano. I had read about SG being overrun with visitors so was wary. It turned out to be an absolute delight. We took the bus from Piazza Gramsci.
Yes, there were plenty of people in the little main piazza but who cares? The town is so picturesque with all it's towers, just a picture in a history book come to life. It's much smaller than Siena, the stone it's made of is different and it has much less traffic so it is very enjoyable to walk around with great views of the countryside from the walls. It also had a nice ambiance with street musicians playing Rennaisance music and one guy portraying Dante (Kind of silly but fun) BTW: When you get out of the main piazza area, it's not all that crowded and some parts not at all. SG has an enchanting exhibit called San Gimigano 1300 which is a 1:100 scale model of the city as it was then with all of it's towers. If you like miniatures, you will love this. The RS book says there is an entry fee. There wasn't. It was on view for all to see with a donation box by it which it deserves. We had a lovely lunch at Locanda San Domenico on their terrace with postcard views of the countryside and good food too.
Rick Steves criticizes SG for "crass commercialism". Huh? It has shops, just like every other town that does a tourist trade. And most of them were quite nice. Sure, there's the obligatory tacky souvenir places. So what? You don't have to go in. He also criticizes it for having torture museums. Well, one of his favorite places, Rothenburg, also has a torture museum. Rothenburg is one of my favorites too. My point is I don't think he's fair about SG. His comments almost put me off from going. I'm very glad we did go. I still hope to get to Montepulciano someday.
Our other daytrip was a tour with Tours by Roberto. We had a congenial group of 7 of us(3couples and a single) for a minivan tour. We wanted to see some of the Chianti countryside and without a car this seemed to be a good way to do it. Roberto Bechi is an engaging, interesting guide and something of an expert on the Etruscans. After we had picked everyone up from their hotels we drove into the countryside which was lovely and green even in September. Our first stop was an Etruscan tomb. There is nothing to see in the tomb. The interest lies in Roberto's talk about it. And he does make it interesting, though the stop may have been slightly too long for most people. We then headed thru more countryside to a winery. It was very nice in a scenic setting. Roberto gave us about a 45 min tour of the cellars. I have been on several winery tours and thought his was quite good. We then had a nicely done tasting at a table for our group. We got to taste the "good stuff" and not just the lesser lights. I can't remember the name of the winery but it is well-respected. We actually ordered one of their wines at one of the Siena restaurants. So the winery visit was very pleasant but a bit long for me. We love wine but did not want to buy any and ship it home and we had a bottle at our hotel compliments of management still to drink. But others in our party did want to buy so this was somewhat time-consuming.
After the winery, we headed to a tiny place, not big enough to even call a hamlet, called Vertine. I believe the population was less than 20 plus 3 cats and a dog. Roberto took us around for a description of the architecture and then we had lunch there at the one cafe. Very pleasant sitting outside but service was very slow even though we only had a choice of three things so lunch took a long time and was quite late in the afternoon. After that we headed back to Siena.
All in all, an enjoyable day and nice to see some countryside. My personal preference would have been for less time at the winery and a shorter lunch adding some time in another village. Details on Roberto's company are in RS guidebook. He has a website. You book via e-mail, make a deposit via Paypal and pay the balance when you go on the tour.
So sadly, we had to say good-bye to Siena.
Next post(tomorrow) Florence
Jun 13th, 2014, 10:54 AM
#28
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Thanks some more, elizacat. We also got goofed up with a vap trip from the Lido--ended up taking way longer as it went to a commuter parking lot no where near Venice!
I agree more with Mr. Steves about San Gim but to each his own, eh? And yes, Siena's Duomo is stunning indeed.
Can't wait to go to Florence "with you"!
I agree more with Mr. Steves about San Gim but to each his own, eh? And yes, Siena's Duomo is stunning indeed.
Can't wait to go to Florence "with you"!
Jun 13th, 2014, 01:35 PM
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On graffiti in Venice - I also don't remember noticing it while I was there but after reading this review looked through my photos and did see it in one photo. Most of the graffiti I saw was while pulling into train stations and even then it wasn't as bad as I've seen in some other places.
Jun 13th, 2014, 04:00 PM
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Thank for your funny, informative and honest report, which really illustrates that everyone takes their own trip, but we all can benefit from the variety of experiences.
We also love Siena. As for Taverna di Cecco, also a favorite. Our daughter, who was studying in Siena several years ago, took us there for our first meal when we came to visit there. Went there more than once that week. Last month, on our first visit back to Siena since then, we went there for lunch. Nonna was still in the kitchen, food was still wonderful.
We also love Siena. As for Taverna di Cecco, also a favorite. Our daughter, who was studying in Siena several years ago, took us there for our first meal when we came to visit there. Went there more than once that week. Last month, on our first visit back to Siena since then, we went there for lunch. Nonna was still in the kitchen, food was still wonderful.
Jun 13th, 2014, 04:24 PM
#34
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Thank you everybody for the kind comments
Lest you think Siena is absolutely safe, I should have mentioned that a pigeon pooped on me while I was stitting on a bench against a wall across from the Duomo. I didn't realize they were on the roof of the building. To add insult to injury, I had put on a not-yet- worn outfit that morning which is precious on a long trip. At least it wasn't on my head.
On to Florence: We walked to Piazza Gramsci and got the bus to Florence. We had previously purchased our tix at the bus office. Arrived at the Florence train station and took a taxi to our hotel. About the train station: I had read some warnings about it concerning pickpockets etc. We encountered no problems, whatsoever. No one suspicious approached us or even looked at us as far as I know.. Some had described the area as being run-down. It did not appear so to me, just a busy area.
Our hotel was the Davanzati, small, family run , excellent location right in the heart of things. We had a good size, comfortable room facing the street. The window glazing was good so noise was not a problem. They have an elevator and we thought breakfast had the most variety of any we had. The middle-aged male owner was on duty when we arrived and offered to make our dinner reservations for us so we had him do that (at our choices). This was a nice service. (His son was sometimes on duty and not as helpful). They have an hour in the early evening where you can have a free glass of prosecco or
wine. Unfortunately, during this hour, they play loud music, to create ambiance I guess. After one time of this, we took the prosecco to our room. Details on the hotel are in the RS guidebook.
We stayed 5 nights and so had 4 1/2 days which was a packed itinerary. More than I usually try to do. Luckily, the area of interest to visitors is pretty compact so you can do multiple sights in one day. (until your head threatens to explode from art overload!)
The first thing we did was to go to the Palazzao Vecchio (didn't tour it that day) and buy the Firenze Card. The card covers admission to a great number of sights with no waiting in line(almost) at the sights. It is pricey, 72 euro when we were there. You have 72 hours to use it from the time you first use it. If you go to a lot of sights, you will break even or save a little. Much of it's value lies in the fact that you can visit the Uffizi and the Accademia without a long wait and you are not tied to a particular time. Those were the only 2 sites with line issues when we there. They revised the Card last year to include the Duomo Museum, Santa Maria Novella and Santa Croce churches( and some others) but you still only get 72 hours.
We spent the rest of the afternoon doing RS's "Renaissance Walk" thru the heart of central Florence(do go in the interesting Orsanmichele Church) ending up at the Ponte Vecchio. Of course, you've seen it in pictures but it's more impressive in person( even to the two young Easter European (judging by their accents)male tourists who asked us if we knew what bridge it was) LOL. No, they weren't scammers, just clueless.
The next 4 days were jam-packed with sights:
The Uffizi - I knew there would be great art here. What I didn't know was that it would be a very enjoyable experience as well. I had read all the warnings about shoulder to shoulder crowds and was worried we wouldn't be able to see the art well. It wasn't like that at all. The capacity-control policy seemed to work or at least it did that day. We arrived around 9:00 and went right in using the Firenze Card. Yes, there were people but not unplesaantly crowded and you could get close to everything and spend as much time as you wanted in each room. Note: Many pieces are not where they're "supposed" to be so you can't just follow your guidebook. With the exception of Michelangelo's "Holy Family" there were no signs to tell what had been re-located. However, we found many we were looking for just by browsing thru the rooms. Also, don't be afraid to ask the guards where a particular piece is. Sometimes you have to ask more than one to get the right answer. We particularly enjoyed the Botticeli room. When we were there, they seemed to be almost finished renovating a second wing so there will probably be more to see in the future. As it was, there was plenty and we stayed about 2 1/2 hours here. If you don't buy the Firenze card, do buy tix in advance so you won't waste time in a tik buying line.
Accademia - I'm tempted just to call this David because that's what it's all about here. And it needs nothing else. After seeing the sculpture in every travel brochure know to man for decades, I wondered if it would be a let-down. As so many others have said, it is simply stunning. When you first see it, you are struck by the size of it. Then you get to walk around it and appreciate the grace of it. Again, because it is capacity-controlled, we had plenty of room to appreciate it at length. Even with the Firenze card, we waited 30 min to enter. So buy tix ahead. The tik buying line was ridiculous.
Medici Chapels - Stunning and emotionally moving Michelangelo sculptures.
San Marco Museum - Beautiful former monastery featuring the art of Fra Angelico. He had been a miniaturist and to me his art has elements of the art of illuminated books. Really exquisite. There are also the monk's cells painted by him. The monk Savanarola's cell is here also. He of the "bonfire of the vanities" fame. Lovely and peaceful cloisters. A good break from the crowds as it's pretty quiet at this museum.
Bargello - Wonderful sculpture museum. Small enough to manage in about 1 1/2 hr . The building itself is pre-Renaissance and was once the town hall. Enjoyable, uncrowded.
Pallazzo Vecchio - Former Medici palace and current town hall, great tower. How do several hundred year old buildings look this good? It never ceases to amaze me. It contains the huge and impressive Hall of the Five Hundred and the Medici apartments.
Brancacci Chapel - Small but covered with exquisite frescoes by Masaccio.
The Duomo - Magnificent exterior, the dome that still dominates the Florence skyline. The unbelievable Giotto's Tower. The same Giotto of fresco fame designed the tower. How do you spell genius? We admired the tower at length but did not climb it. Entry to the Duomo is free, there is a line which moves pretty fast. The Firenze card does not get you faster entry here. I enjoyed seeing the dome structure from the inside but the real thrills are on the outside.
Baptistery - Stunningly beautiful interior covered in mosaics. Will remind you of St.Mark's because they were done by Venetian artists (12-1300's) Also, of course has the wonderful Ghiberti doors which are copies. Originals are in the Duomo Museum.
Duomo Museum - Unfortunately, this was almost entirely closed for renovation. I do not know what the current situation is. Ghiberti's doors and Michelangelo's pieta were on view but that was about it. It was, however, worth it just for those. Though the entry fee was not reduced. It was covered by the Firenze card though.
Santa Maria Novella Church - A treasure trove of art. Too much to detail here, this is a must-visit, IMO. Don't miss the Spanish chapel here. I had read the piazza the church is in was somewhat seedy. It may have been at one time. It isn't now. In fact, it was quite nice to sit and admire the exterior of the church and get to sit down for awhile!
Santa Croce Church - Well worh a visit. Has the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo and more. In a delighful piazza with many cafe's. However, the church doesn't compare with Santa Maria Novella, IMO. Do see the Pazzi chapel, separate from the church, desighned by Brunelleschi(Duomo dome architect). Good acoustics highlighed when a male visitor sang part of a hymn. Lovely moment. The Leather school is around one side of the church. We are not shoppers but this has top-notch leather and my husband bought a wallet here. The prices reflect the quality.
As you can see, Florence has an overwhelming number of world-class sights. We did not get to the Pitti Palace or the Galileo museum and others. We need a second visit.
Next post: Florence restaurants and some general info/thoughts on the city
Lest you think Siena is absolutely safe, I should have mentioned that a pigeon pooped on me while I was stitting on a bench against a wall across from the Duomo. I didn't realize they were on the roof of the building. To add insult to injury, I had put on a not-yet- worn outfit that morning which is precious on a long trip. At least it wasn't on my head.
On to Florence: We walked to Piazza Gramsci and got the bus to Florence. We had previously purchased our tix at the bus office. Arrived at the Florence train station and took a taxi to our hotel. About the train station: I had read some warnings about it concerning pickpockets etc. We encountered no problems, whatsoever. No one suspicious approached us or even looked at us as far as I know.. Some had described the area as being run-down. It did not appear so to me, just a busy area.
Our hotel was the Davanzati, small, family run , excellent location right in the heart of things. We had a good size, comfortable room facing the street. The window glazing was good so noise was not a problem. They have an elevator and we thought breakfast had the most variety of any we had. The middle-aged male owner was on duty when we arrived and offered to make our dinner reservations for us so we had him do that (at our choices). This was a nice service. (His son was sometimes on duty and not as helpful). They have an hour in the early evening where you can have a free glass of prosecco or
wine. Unfortunately, during this hour, they play loud music, to create ambiance I guess. After one time of this, we took the prosecco to our room. Details on the hotel are in the RS guidebook.
We stayed 5 nights and so had 4 1/2 days which was a packed itinerary. More than I usually try to do. Luckily, the area of interest to visitors is pretty compact so you can do multiple sights in one day. (until your head threatens to explode from art overload!)
The first thing we did was to go to the Palazzao Vecchio (didn't tour it that day) and buy the Firenze Card. The card covers admission to a great number of sights with no waiting in line(almost) at the sights. It is pricey, 72 euro when we were there. You have 72 hours to use it from the time you first use it. If you go to a lot of sights, you will break even or save a little. Much of it's value lies in the fact that you can visit the Uffizi and the Accademia without a long wait and you are not tied to a particular time. Those were the only 2 sites with line issues when we there. They revised the Card last year to include the Duomo Museum, Santa Maria Novella and Santa Croce churches( and some others) but you still only get 72 hours.
We spent the rest of the afternoon doing RS's "Renaissance Walk" thru the heart of central Florence(do go in the interesting Orsanmichele Church) ending up at the Ponte Vecchio. Of course, you've seen it in pictures but it's more impressive in person( even to the two young Easter European (judging by their accents)male tourists who asked us if we knew what bridge it was) LOL. No, they weren't scammers, just clueless.
The next 4 days were jam-packed with sights:
The Uffizi - I knew there would be great art here. What I didn't know was that it would be a very enjoyable experience as well. I had read all the warnings about shoulder to shoulder crowds and was worried we wouldn't be able to see the art well. It wasn't like that at all. The capacity-control policy seemed to work or at least it did that day. We arrived around 9:00 and went right in using the Firenze Card. Yes, there were people but not unplesaantly crowded and you could get close to everything and spend as much time as you wanted in each room. Note: Many pieces are not where they're "supposed" to be so you can't just follow your guidebook. With the exception of Michelangelo's "Holy Family" there were no signs to tell what had been re-located. However, we found many we were looking for just by browsing thru the rooms. Also, don't be afraid to ask the guards where a particular piece is. Sometimes you have to ask more than one to get the right answer. We particularly enjoyed the Botticeli room. When we were there, they seemed to be almost finished renovating a second wing so there will probably be more to see in the future. As it was, there was plenty and we stayed about 2 1/2 hours here. If you don't buy the Firenze card, do buy tix in advance so you won't waste time in a tik buying line.
Accademia - I'm tempted just to call this David because that's what it's all about here. And it needs nothing else. After seeing the sculpture in every travel brochure know to man for decades, I wondered if it would be a let-down. As so many others have said, it is simply stunning. When you first see it, you are struck by the size of it. Then you get to walk around it and appreciate the grace of it. Again, because it is capacity-controlled, we had plenty of room to appreciate it at length. Even with the Firenze card, we waited 30 min to enter. So buy tix ahead. The tik buying line was ridiculous.
Medici Chapels - Stunning and emotionally moving Michelangelo sculptures.
San Marco Museum - Beautiful former monastery featuring the art of Fra Angelico. He had been a miniaturist and to me his art has elements of the art of illuminated books. Really exquisite. There are also the monk's cells painted by him. The monk Savanarola's cell is here also. He of the "bonfire of the vanities" fame. Lovely and peaceful cloisters. A good break from the crowds as it's pretty quiet at this museum.
Bargello - Wonderful sculpture museum. Small enough to manage in about 1 1/2 hr . The building itself is pre-Renaissance and was once the town hall. Enjoyable, uncrowded.
Pallazzo Vecchio - Former Medici palace and current town hall, great tower. How do several hundred year old buildings look this good? It never ceases to amaze me. It contains the huge and impressive Hall of the Five Hundred and the Medici apartments.
Brancacci Chapel - Small but covered with exquisite frescoes by Masaccio.
The Duomo - Magnificent exterior, the dome that still dominates the Florence skyline. The unbelievable Giotto's Tower. The same Giotto of fresco fame designed the tower. How do you spell genius? We admired the tower at length but did not climb it. Entry to the Duomo is free, there is a line which moves pretty fast. The Firenze card does not get you faster entry here. I enjoyed seeing the dome structure from the inside but the real thrills are on the outside.
Baptistery - Stunningly beautiful interior covered in mosaics. Will remind you of St.Mark's because they were done by Venetian artists (12-1300's) Also, of course has the wonderful Ghiberti doors which are copies. Originals are in the Duomo Museum.
Duomo Museum - Unfortunately, this was almost entirely closed for renovation. I do not know what the current situation is. Ghiberti's doors and Michelangelo's pieta were on view but that was about it. It was, however, worth it just for those. Though the entry fee was not reduced. It was covered by the Firenze card though.
Santa Maria Novella Church - A treasure trove of art. Too much to detail here, this is a must-visit, IMO. Don't miss the Spanish chapel here. I had read the piazza the church is in was somewhat seedy. It may have been at one time. It isn't now. In fact, it was quite nice to sit and admire the exterior of the church and get to sit down for awhile!
Santa Croce Church - Well worh a visit. Has the tombs of Michelangelo, Galileo and more. In a delighful piazza with many cafe's. However, the church doesn't compare with Santa Maria Novella, IMO. Do see the Pazzi chapel, separate from the church, desighned by Brunelleschi(Duomo dome architect). Good acoustics highlighed when a male visitor sang part of a hymn. Lovely moment. The Leather school is around one side of the church. We are not shoppers but this has top-notch leather and my husband bought a wallet here. The prices reflect the quality.
As you can see, Florence has an overwhelming number of world-class sights. We did not get to the Pitti Palace or the Galileo museum and others. We need a second visit.
Next post: Florence restaurants and some general info/thoughts on the city
Jun 13th, 2014, 04:38 PM
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drchris: I don't get too upset about grafitti along train tracks etc. It does, however, bother me when it's on great old buildings which I consider art, the same as in a museum. Because we had quite a bit of time, we walked around a lot of areas and I felt the graffiti was excessive in a lot of the otherwise charming small squares and did not see much evidence of attempts to remove it. Something for the city administration to do a better job on. That said, there is plenty of beauty in Venice, it shouldn't stop people from going and I want to visit again someday. I just feel if I'm going to report on the good stuff, I should mention the other stuff too, to try to give people a realistic view.
Jun 14th, 2014, 04:00 PM
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Before I mention the restaurants we went to, I want to finish up the sightseeing in Florence. On our last day there, after visiting the abbreviated Duomo Museum, we walked up to Piazzale Michelangelo. We had planned to take a bus up from central Florence and walk down thru the Oltrarno. But our plans were de-railed by the peloton of the Tour de Toscana. I did not know about this bicycle race ahead of time. We found out when we were leaving Piazza Santa Croce (the day before going to the Piazzale), when the streets were barricaded off and we could not get back across the main drag to return to the hotel. We looked for a crossing but did not find one so we went to a cafe in the Piazza and had some prosecco. With our brains working better after the prosecco, we tried again and finally found a place where the police were allowing people to cross at intervals(in between racers). We assumed this was just for that day since it was a Sunday. Wrong. This event goes on for a week meaning the central Florence streets were barricaded every morning starting by 9:00 and removed around 6:00 in the evening. No buses, no taxis. There were some places for pedestrians to cross which it turns out had been published but our hotel had said nothing about it. It would have been helpful if they had posted some info at the front desk. I got the impression this is an annual event in September so if you wish to avoid it, I would look into that. You can work around it, but be prepared for some disruptions.
In any case, because the bus we had planned to take was not running, we walked up to the Piazalle. We found a way up that was fairly gradual and we enjoyed the walk. The views from the top, of the Florence skyline are fabulous with the Duomo dominating just like the travel brochure pictures. The Piazalle itself is filled with tacky souvenir stands and tour buses. However, just below it is a delightful outdoor cafe with virtually the same view, a great place for a drink or lunch. The panninis were quite good. You can sit and enjoy the views in a quiet relaxing atmosphere. Frankly, I would opt for the cafe and forget the actual Piazzale itself.
After lunch we visited the nearby Benedictine San Miniato Church. This beautiful and unique church dates from the 13th century. Very nice to just sit awhile in the exceedingly peaceful interior. While we were doing just that, some of the monks came out and sang some chants(not a full mass) which was a real treat. We then had a nice walk down thru some of the Otrarno and along the river back to our hotel.
Restaurants: The Florence restaurants were not quite as good as Siena's as a group. Out of the 5 dinner restaurants we went to, we really liked 3, the other 2 not so much.
The ones we liked:
Ristorante del Fagioli - I would call this kind of a sophisticated trattoria. It is a little bigger than some, has comfortable seating, tables are not shared. Good wine list. Very friendly and competent service. Food is hearty, I had a flank steak roulade and my husband had excellent meatballs. They had a geat cheesecake dessert that involved chocolate. Moderate prices.
Trattoria 4 Leoni - This is prominent in guidebooks and it deserves it. It was more "upscale" than I had envisioned with an inviting interior as well as some outdoor seating. We had their excellent finochetti pasta which is stuffed with cheese and pear, one of the best pastas of the trip which is saying a lot. Service was professional. I would really not characterize this as a trattoria.
Il Santo Belvatore Restorante - The most expensive of the 3 we liked(possibly because we had 2 glasses each of Brunello di Montalcino), it was well worth it. Husband had a beef dish(not Florentine bistecca) because I would have to have it too and I just don't like meat that rare) and I had a pork with cherry sauce. Like Fagioli, they too had a great cheesecake with orange sauce instead of chocolate. Really good wine list including by the glass. Very good service.
Details on all of the above are in RS guidebook.
The two we didn't like that much were at opposite ends of the cost spectrum:
Frescobaldi - Really disappointed in this one. RS lists it as a splurge and those are usually very good but this one wasn't. We were expecting a relaxed, high-end experience. What we got was a noisy dining room and rushed impersonal service. They seem to be catering to groups as one entire large room was filled with a tour group. Our first courses were ok but nothing special. My husband's main was ok and mine was bad. It was chicken and once the crust on it was gone, it was dull and appeared to be not cooked enough all the way to the bone. I ate about half of it. Yes, I should have sent it back but sometimes you just don't want to start over when companion is almost finished. The only thing we could praise was the wine which was from their own winery. (we got no help choosing it, though). This actually was probably the worst dinner we had in Italy.
Osteria Vini e Vecchi Sapori - This is an inexpensive trattoria which has become a darling on Trip Advisor.
Consequently, it is very hard to get into. We asked our hotel to try to get us a reservation a few weeks in advance of arriving. We wanted the 7:30 seating but they could only get us either 9:00 or 9:30, I forget which. We didn't know this until we arrived but figured we'd go with the flow because it got such good reviews. I actually don't think this is a bad place but our dinner didn't go well. The second seating in the very small restaurant was entirely Italians except for us, which was fine with us. But we got the feeling that maybe this is the time they would prefer to have for just locals, which is also fine but that's the time they gave us, not what we requested. We just didn't feel as welcome here as other places.
But the big problem was with my main course( had a simple salad for first). I was not familiar with one of the pastas on the menu and asked the waiter to explain it. He drew a picture of the shape on my napkin and I ordered the dish. Main courses arrive and mine is...fried chicken. Huh? I told the person who brought it (who was not the waiter) that it was wrong. He looked skeptical but I had the picture of what I ordered on the napkin so he took it back. He did not take my husband's back though so he tried to eat slowly. Even so, he was half finished when my correct dish arrived. The pasta was undercooked, probably because they were rushing to get it out. The waiter brought it and muttered a barely audible sorry. That was the only apology we got and nothing was taken off the bill for this fiasco. The prices here are low so it was nothing major, just disappointing. My main point in relating all this is even at it's best, I don't think this is a place worth jumping thru hoops to get into. Fagioli was so much better and we made a reservation the same day we went there. I think it's a case of too much internet hype for an okay but not particularly special trattoria. So don't feel bad if you can't get in!
I also want to mention La Bussola where we had the best pizza of the trip. We had a lot of pizza lunches, all of them good, to varying degrees. But this was one of the best pizzas I've had. The toppings were boar sausage, a local sheep's cheese and I believe cherry tomatoes. It was delicious and service was friendly. This, I think, would be a good dinner place also. It is located at 58 Via Porta Rossa, the same street as the Davanzati hotel.
Final thoughts on Florence:
We liked Florence much more than I thought we might. Although there were certainly plenty of visitors in town, the crowds were not as bad as I had feared, the traffic more orderly, vespas were not a problem, no safety issues that we encountered, looked "spiffier" than I thought it would and really liked the river setting. The art and achitecture elevate it to world-class. Hope to return.
The morning we left, we decided to take an earlier train to Lucca than originally planned to avoid the start of the bicylcle race. Although, the hotel would have arranged an early taxi to arrive before the barricades went up, we decided to just walk to the station. About a 15 minute walk. Nobody bothered us.
Next post: Lucca/Pisa and Milan
In any case, because the bus we had planned to take was not running, we walked up to the Piazalle. We found a way up that was fairly gradual and we enjoyed the walk. The views from the top, of the Florence skyline are fabulous with the Duomo dominating just like the travel brochure pictures. The Piazalle itself is filled with tacky souvenir stands and tour buses. However, just below it is a delightful outdoor cafe with virtually the same view, a great place for a drink or lunch. The panninis were quite good. You can sit and enjoy the views in a quiet relaxing atmosphere. Frankly, I would opt for the cafe and forget the actual Piazzale itself.
After lunch we visited the nearby Benedictine San Miniato Church. This beautiful and unique church dates from the 13th century. Very nice to just sit awhile in the exceedingly peaceful interior. While we were doing just that, some of the monks came out and sang some chants(not a full mass) which was a real treat. We then had a nice walk down thru some of the Otrarno and along the river back to our hotel.
Restaurants: The Florence restaurants were not quite as good as Siena's as a group. Out of the 5 dinner restaurants we went to, we really liked 3, the other 2 not so much.
The ones we liked:
Ristorante del Fagioli - I would call this kind of a sophisticated trattoria. It is a little bigger than some, has comfortable seating, tables are not shared. Good wine list. Very friendly and competent service. Food is hearty, I had a flank steak roulade and my husband had excellent meatballs. They had a geat cheesecake dessert that involved chocolate. Moderate prices.
Trattoria 4 Leoni - This is prominent in guidebooks and it deserves it. It was more "upscale" than I had envisioned with an inviting interior as well as some outdoor seating. We had their excellent finochetti pasta which is stuffed with cheese and pear, one of the best pastas of the trip which is saying a lot. Service was professional. I would really not characterize this as a trattoria.
Il Santo Belvatore Restorante - The most expensive of the 3 we liked(possibly because we had 2 glasses each of Brunello di Montalcino), it was well worth it. Husband had a beef dish(not Florentine bistecca) because I would have to have it too and I just don't like meat that rare) and I had a pork with cherry sauce. Like Fagioli, they too had a great cheesecake with orange sauce instead of chocolate. Really good wine list including by the glass. Very good service.
Details on all of the above are in RS guidebook.
The two we didn't like that much were at opposite ends of the cost spectrum:
Frescobaldi - Really disappointed in this one. RS lists it as a splurge and those are usually very good but this one wasn't. We were expecting a relaxed, high-end experience. What we got was a noisy dining room and rushed impersonal service. They seem to be catering to groups as one entire large room was filled with a tour group. Our first courses were ok but nothing special. My husband's main was ok and mine was bad. It was chicken and once the crust on it was gone, it was dull and appeared to be not cooked enough all the way to the bone. I ate about half of it. Yes, I should have sent it back but sometimes you just don't want to start over when companion is almost finished. The only thing we could praise was the wine which was from their own winery. (we got no help choosing it, though). This actually was probably the worst dinner we had in Italy.
Osteria Vini e Vecchi Sapori - This is an inexpensive trattoria which has become a darling on Trip Advisor.
Consequently, it is very hard to get into. We asked our hotel to try to get us a reservation a few weeks in advance of arriving. We wanted the 7:30 seating but they could only get us either 9:00 or 9:30, I forget which. We didn't know this until we arrived but figured we'd go with the flow because it got such good reviews. I actually don't think this is a bad place but our dinner didn't go well. The second seating in the very small restaurant was entirely Italians except for us, which was fine with us. But we got the feeling that maybe this is the time they would prefer to have for just locals, which is also fine but that's the time they gave us, not what we requested. We just didn't feel as welcome here as other places.
But the big problem was with my main course( had a simple salad for first). I was not familiar with one of the pastas on the menu and asked the waiter to explain it. He drew a picture of the shape on my napkin and I ordered the dish. Main courses arrive and mine is...fried chicken. Huh? I told the person who brought it (who was not the waiter) that it was wrong. He looked skeptical but I had the picture of what I ordered on the napkin so he took it back. He did not take my husband's back though so he tried to eat slowly. Even so, he was half finished when my correct dish arrived. The pasta was undercooked, probably because they were rushing to get it out. The waiter brought it and muttered a barely audible sorry. That was the only apology we got and nothing was taken off the bill for this fiasco. The prices here are low so it was nothing major, just disappointing. My main point in relating all this is even at it's best, I don't think this is a place worth jumping thru hoops to get into. Fagioli was so much better and we made a reservation the same day we went there. I think it's a case of too much internet hype for an okay but not particularly special trattoria. So don't feel bad if you can't get in!
I also want to mention La Bussola where we had the best pizza of the trip. We had a lot of pizza lunches, all of them good, to varying degrees. But this was one of the best pizzas I've had. The toppings were boar sausage, a local sheep's cheese and I believe cherry tomatoes. It was delicious and service was friendly. This, I think, would be a good dinner place also. It is located at 58 Via Porta Rossa, the same street as the Davanzati hotel.
Final thoughts on Florence:
We liked Florence much more than I thought we might. Although there were certainly plenty of visitors in town, the crowds were not as bad as I had feared, the traffic more orderly, vespas were not a problem, no safety issues that we encountered, looked "spiffier" than I thought it would and really liked the river setting. The art and achitecture elevate it to world-class. Hope to return.
The morning we left, we decided to take an earlier train to Lucca than originally planned to avoid the start of the bicylcle race. Although, the hotel would have arranged an early taxi to arrive before the barricades went up, we decided to just walk to the station. About a 15 minute walk. Nobody bothered us.
Next post: Lucca/Pisa and Milan
Jun 14th, 2014, 07:42 PM
#37
For Tirano, Trenord has their tickets online.
http://www.trenord.it/en/timetable/timetable.aspx
>>>I had read the piazza the church is in was somewhat seedy.<<<
A few years ago they did a major upgrade of the piazza in front of SMN so perhaps it improved afterwards.
>>>The most expensive of the 3 we liked(possibly because we had 2 glasses each of Brunello di Montalcino<<<
Brunello di Montalcino would improve any meal! On your next Siena trip, you can easily hop the bus to Montalcino and sample the Brunellos.
http://www.trenord.it/en/timetable/timetable.aspx
>>>I had read the piazza the church is in was somewhat seedy.<<<
A few years ago they did a major upgrade of the piazza in front of SMN so perhaps it improved afterwards.
>>>The most expensive of the 3 we liked(possibly because we had 2 glasses each of Brunello di Montalcino<<<
Brunello di Montalcino would improve any meal! On your next Siena trip, you can easily hop the bus to Montalcino and sample the Brunellos.
Jun 15th, 2014, 01:36 PM
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kybourbon: Yes, the upgrade of SMN piazza worked because I don't think anyone would call it seedy now.
And now on to Lucca:
Taking an earlier train than we had planned actually was a good thing because we really liked Lucca and that gave us a bit of extra time there. Lucca is a more workaday city with fewer tourists than the other places we had visited(with the exception of Padua). However, it is being discovered and there were somewhat more visitors there than I had imagined there would be. Also, don't confuse less tourism with sleepy. It is a busy, vibrant town with lots of street activity. With all the bicycles I thought I was back in Holland at times..
When we arrived at the train station, there were taxis waiting so we took one to the hotel. It would have been a confusing walk as we didn't have a good map yet. Our hotel was Hotel A Palazzo Busdraghi. A bit of a weird name but that's the official name. It's small, more like a B&B, centrally located in an atmospheric courtyard with private apartments off one of the main streets. Our room, the junior suite, was at the back of the building so there was no street noise. We booked it because it was the only one they had available. It was large, split level and very nice. However, it had a tub only, no shower. You had to sit in the tub and use the hand-held device which I don't like. I know some of the rooms have showers so if you want that, make sure that's what you're getting. Otherwise, we liked it. It is not in the RS book but it is listed on Trip Advisor.
We stayed 3 nights so had 1 1/2 days for Lucca and one day for a daytrip to Pisa.
One of the highlights of Lucca is it's intact walls. They are very wide and open, perfect for walking or biking around the perimeter of the old town. We really enjoyed this. Lucca has varied and interesting architecture including the unique Piazza dell' Anfiteatro, which is round, having been built on the site of a Roman amphitheater. We enjoyed drinks here but did not eat here. Lucca has churches worth expploring including the Pisan Romanesque Cathedral, but the real fun is just wandering around enjoying the ambiance and discovering different piazzas. Make sure you see the unique Guinigi Tower with it's little forest of greenery at the top. We would not have minded another day here at all.
Our dinner restaurants were Paris Boheme and Osteria Via San Giorgio.
Paris Boheme is a charming cafe on the small "Puccini" piazza decorated in appropriate Parisian style. We had a wonderful dinner at a tiny table outside. They have a unique house salad that contains fruit but is not a conventional fruit salad at all. Also had a pasta in a curry sauce, one of the best and more unique pasta dishes of the trip. The owner who does the serving is something of a character and this was a fun evening. He likes reservations. We made one for the same evening when in the area at lunch time. This is not in RS book but is listed on Trip Advisor.
Osteria Via San Giorgio is a very welcoming, unpretentious place with a nice interior and outdoor courtyard seating as well. I would probably call it a sophisticated trattoria. We had an excellent risotto here, laced with red pepper cream and something green which I now can't recall if basil or parsley. Also, good meatballs and other pastas. We ended up going here twice because we couldn't get into the well-reviewed Osteria Pasqualino Gubitosa. We had gotten used to getting into the restaurants we chose by making a reservation a day or two in advance but Pasqualino is very popular so if you're interested in that one, learn from our mistake. Lucca has plenty of restaurants but at this point in the trip, we were tired of restaurant hunting so chose San Giorgio for a second visit. Enjoyed it both times. Details on San Giorgio are in the RS guidebook.
Daytrip to Pisa:
We took the bus to Pisa, an easy about 40 minute trip. We went to see not just the Tower but the whole complex. We thought the actual Tower might be a let-down but it wasn't. It is actually really impressive. It was delicately beautiful in person, kind of a lacy appearance that doesn't really come through in pictures of it, IMO. We admired but did not climb it. If you want to, I think you have to have a reservation to do so.
We enjoyed the entire Field of Miracles complex, especially the Duomo and the Baptistery. Be aware: this is tour group critical mass. That said, most of the people are outside taking their obligatory pictures of themselves with the tower. The Duomo interior was not badly crowded and the Baptistery not at all. Both contain exquisitely carved pulpits by the Pisanos(father and son).
We did not have enough time to see anything of the town of Pisa. We returned to Lucca by bus to have a bit of time back there in the late afternoon saying good-bye with a glass of wine on the amphitheater piazza.
Milan - We took the train via a transfer in Florence to Milan, our last Italian destination where we would stay 3 nights. When planning the trip I chose Milan over Verona because there were two things I really wanted to see there, the quite unique Flambuoyant Gothic Duomo and Da Vinci's Last Supper. I was also interested in the Galleria, a model for shopping venues elsewhere in the world. It also fit in with taking the train back to Zurich from which we would fly home. As it turned out, we just did not like Milan very much for the reasons detailed below.
Upon arrival we took a taxi to our hotel. The city was noisy and traffic-flilled with lots of vespas buzzing around. But it's a big city and to be expected and we generally like cities. This one just didn't win us over. Our hotel was the Duca di York. It was very centrally located, right by the Ambrosiana Museum. Our room was nice with a terrace that faced the street. It was not noisy because the hotel is on a little side street. Breakfast was good, the front desk made restaurant reservations for us. Nothing wrong with the hotel at all. Details are in RS guidebook.
We arrived with enough time to explore so we headed for the Duomo Piazza. I had been looking forward to seeing this since planning the trip. And there it is, massive with countless pointy spires, the parts of it I can see that is. Part of it is in scaffolding. What else is new? ( I had been misled by a guidebook(not RS) to think the renovation was finished and therefore wasn't expecting it). So ok, I'll appreciate what I can until I approach the part that is festooned with billboards, yes billboards ON THE CHURCH, not nearby, on it. And not just any old billboards either but ELECTRONIC ones that changed and called maximum attention to themselves. Sorry, Milan but this is a new low. The advertisements supposedly contribute to the renovation. Fine, how about putting them elsewhere in the Piazza? There may be some out there who will defend this practice but you are not going to convince me. The city of Venice was roundly criticized for having billboards on the scaffolding for the Bridge of Sighs when it was being renovated and elsewhere in St. Mark's Square and yes there were some on the Correr Museum when we there, but NOT on St. Mark's itself and the billboards were not electronic. So if Venice is going to get flak, I think Milan deserves it even more.
Not in a good mood, we go to the Galleria. It is indeed an elegant urban shopping space. However, it would be nice if there was someplace to sit down and enjoy the architecture. There is no place to sit except at pricey cafes, which we were not in the mood for. Not a bench in sight that we saw. The RS guidebook says there is a McDonald's in the Galleria. It is not. There is one in the piazza, not in the Galleria itself. It is not my life's goal to visit McDonald's when in Europe but at least we could have sat and had a coke and enjoyed the Galleria ambiance.
The next day we toured the interior of the Duomo which while worth doing is not as interesting as the exterior. Touring the roof, however, is a unique and fascinating experience, up close and personal with the sculptures and gargoyles.
In the afternoon, we walked up to Sforza castle(did not visit the castle) and back on Via Dante, a pleasant pedestrian street with entertaining street performers. One Asian man was carving shapes from vegetables. The prawn from a carrot had to be seen to be believed.
Our second (and last) full day in Milan was Leonardo day. We took the tram to the Last Supper sight. You must purchase timed tix in advance. We did this thru the official ticket seller, Vivaticket, first setting up an account with them. As soon as tix could be purchased for the day we wanted, I purchased them on-line at 2:00 am our time. It's hard to get tix because re-sellers buy them to sell at higher prices. You get exactly 15 minutes of viewing time with the fresco which is adequate. By this time, we had seen many artists' versions of the Last Supper so I wondered how impressive Da Vinci's would be. It was not only artisically impressive, but quite moving as well. For us, it was worth jumping thru the hoops to see.
After picking up the tix prior to our entry time, we walked around the area a bit which we thought was much nicer than the Duomo area. Some elegant 19th century apartment buildings(although some of the great old doors are defaced with graffiti).
In the afternoon, we visited the Ambrosiana museum. It contains an eclectic, enjoyable art collection in a building which itself is a work of art. They also own a collection of Da Vinci drawings and pages from his diaries, a selection of which were on display on a rotating basis in a beautiful wooded library setting. It was a priviledge to see them but the audioguide really had no information on them. Having good audioguide descriptions would have enhanced the experience. I'm not sure how long they will be displaying these so you would need to get current info if you're interested in them.
Restaurants:
Peck Italian Bar - Owned by the same people who have the gourmet food outlet but not at the same location. We had good charcuterie platters here. However, as were the other restaurants in Milan, it was more expensive than similar fare was in the other ciities we visited.
Hostaria Borromei - Nice, romantic courtyard. Food ok but my lamb was overcooked(and I'm not a rare meat fan). I had not specified anything so they overcooked on their own. Good service, complimentary glass of prosecco.
Ristorante Bruno - Nice trattoria. Good buffet appetizer spread, charged by the plate. Tasty pasta. Enjoyable for our last Italian dinner
All of the above are in RS guidebook.
Final thoughts on Milan: I'm not sorry we visited if only for the Last Supper and the Duomo roof but this was the Italian destination we liked the least. Especially because of the billboards on the Duomo but also the graffiti was pervasive in the general Duomo area(the worst we saw in Italy) While there was some nice architecture, there was nothing really unique except for the Duomo and the Galleria. We are not at all interested in high fashion or upscale shopping so that was not an attraction for us. Also, there is a lot of traffic wizzing down the side streets (to avoid the main drags). I'm sure others will disagree with me about Milan but I can only report my experiences and opinions.
From Milan we returned to Zurich and thence home without incident.
Final thoughts on Italy;
Overall, we had a great trip and really enjoyed Italy. At some point, we hope to embark on Italy II. I have new respect for those who write trip reports. They are harder and take more time than I would have imagined. I hope some will find mine helpful. Thanks for all the nice feedback. I will monitor this site for a few weeks in case anyone has any questions.
Happy Travels!
And now on to Lucca:
Taking an earlier train than we had planned actually was a good thing because we really liked Lucca and that gave us a bit of extra time there. Lucca is a more workaday city with fewer tourists than the other places we had visited(with the exception of Padua). However, it is being discovered and there were somewhat more visitors there than I had imagined there would be. Also, don't confuse less tourism with sleepy. It is a busy, vibrant town with lots of street activity. With all the bicycles I thought I was back in Holland at times..
When we arrived at the train station, there were taxis waiting so we took one to the hotel. It would have been a confusing walk as we didn't have a good map yet. Our hotel was Hotel A Palazzo Busdraghi. A bit of a weird name but that's the official name. It's small, more like a B&B, centrally located in an atmospheric courtyard with private apartments off one of the main streets. Our room, the junior suite, was at the back of the building so there was no street noise. We booked it because it was the only one they had available. It was large, split level and very nice. However, it had a tub only, no shower. You had to sit in the tub and use the hand-held device which I don't like. I know some of the rooms have showers so if you want that, make sure that's what you're getting. Otherwise, we liked it. It is not in the RS book but it is listed on Trip Advisor.
We stayed 3 nights so had 1 1/2 days for Lucca and one day for a daytrip to Pisa.
One of the highlights of Lucca is it's intact walls. They are very wide and open, perfect for walking or biking around the perimeter of the old town. We really enjoyed this. Lucca has varied and interesting architecture including the unique Piazza dell' Anfiteatro, which is round, having been built on the site of a Roman amphitheater. We enjoyed drinks here but did not eat here. Lucca has churches worth expploring including the Pisan Romanesque Cathedral, but the real fun is just wandering around enjoying the ambiance and discovering different piazzas. Make sure you see the unique Guinigi Tower with it's little forest of greenery at the top. We would not have minded another day here at all.
Our dinner restaurants were Paris Boheme and Osteria Via San Giorgio.
Paris Boheme is a charming cafe on the small "Puccini" piazza decorated in appropriate Parisian style. We had a wonderful dinner at a tiny table outside. They have a unique house salad that contains fruit but is not a conventional fruit salad at all. Also had a pasta in a curry sauce, one of the best and more unique pasta dishes of the trip. The owner who does the serving is something of a character and this was a fun evening. He likes reservations. We made one for the same evening when in the area at lunch time. This is not in RS book but is listed on Trip Advisor.
Osteria Via San Giorgio is a very welcoming, unpretentious place with a nice interior and outdoor courtyard seating as well. I would probably call it a sophisticated trattoria. We had an excellent risotto here, laced with red pepper cream and something green which I now can't recall if basil or parsley. Also, good meatballs and other pastas. We ended up going here twice because we couldn't get into the well-reviewed Osteria Pasqualino Gubitosa. We had gotten used to getting into the restaurants we chose by making a reservation a day or two in advance but Pasqualino is very popular so if you're interested in that one, learn from our mistake. Lucca has plenty of restaurants but at this point in the trip, we were tired of restaurant hunting so chose San Giorgio for a second visit. Enjoyed it both times. Details on San Giorgio are in the RS guidebook.
Daytrip to Pisa:
We took the bus to Pisa, an easy about 40 minute trip. We went to see not just the Tower but the whole complex. We thought the actual Tower might be a let-down but it wasn't. It is actually really impressive. It was delicately beautiful in person, kind of a lacy appearance that doesn't really come through in pictures of it, IMO. We admired but did not climb it. If you want to, I think you have to have a reservation to do so.
We enjoyed the entire Field of Miracles complex, especially the Duomo and the Baptistery. Be aware: this is tour group critical mass. That said, most of the people are outside taking their obligatory pictures of themselves with the tower. The Duomo interior was not badly crowded and the Baptistery not at all. Both contain exquisitely carved pulpits by the Pisanos(father and son).
We did not have enough time to see anything of the town of Pisa. We returned to Lucca by bus to have a bit of time back there in the late afternoon saying good-bye with a glass of wine on the amphitheater piazza.
Milan - We took the train via a transfer in Florence to Milan, our last Italian destination where we would stay 3 nights. When planning the trip I chose Milan over Verona because there were two things I really wanted to see there, the quite unique Flambuoyant Gothic Duomo and Da Vinci's Last Supper. I was also interested in the Galleria, a model for shopping venues elsewhere in the world. It also fit in with taking the train back to Zurich from which we would fly home. As it turned out, we just did not like Milan very much for the reasons detailed below.
Upon arrival we took a taxi to our hotel. The city was noisy and traffic-flilled with lots of vespas buzzing around. But it's a big city and to be expected and we generally like cities. This one just didn't win us over. Our hotel was the Duca di York. It was very centrally located, right by the Ambrosiana Museum. Our room was nice with a terrace that faced the street. It was not noisy because the hotel is on a little side street. Breakfast was good, the front desk made restaurant reservations for us. Nothing wrong with the hotel at all. Details are in RS guidebook.
We arrived with enough time to explore so we headed for the Duomo Piazza. I had been looking forward to seeing this since planning the trip. And there it is, massive with countless pointy spires, the parts of it I can see that is. Part of it is in scaffolding. What else is new? ( I had been misled by a guidebook(not RS) to think the renovation was finished and therefore wasn't expecting it). So ok, I'll appreciate what I can until I approach the part that is festooned with billboards, yes billboards ON THE CHURCH, not nearby, on it. And not just any old billboards either but ELECTRONIC ones that changed and called maximum attention to themselves. Sorry, Milan but this is a new low. The advertisements supposedly contribute to the renovation. Fine, how about putting them elsewhere in the Piazza? There may be some out there who will defend this practice but you are not going to convince me. The city of Venice was roundly criticized for having billboards on the scaffolding for the Bridge of Sighs when it was being renovated and elsewhere in St. Mark's Square and yes there were some on the Correr Museum when we there, but NOT on St. Mark's itself and the billboards were not electronic. So if Venice is going to get flak, I think Milan deserves it even more.
Not in a good mood, we go to the Galleria. It is indeed an elegant urban shopping space. However, it would be nice if there was someplace to sit down and enjoy the architecture. There is no place to sit except at pricey cafes, which we were not in the mood for. Not a bench in sight that we saw. The RS guidebook says there is a McDonald's in the Galleria. It is not. There is one in the piazza, not in the Galleria itself. It is not my life's goal to visit McDonald's when in Europe but at least we could have sat and had a coke and enjoyed the Galleria ambiance.
The next day we toured the interior of the Duomo which while worth doing is not as interesting as the exterior. Touring the roof, however, is a unique and fascinating experience, up close and personal with the sculptures and gargoyles.
In the afternoon, we walked up to Sforza castle(did not visit the castle) and back on Via Dante, a pleasant pedestrian street with entertaining street performers. One Asian man was carving shapes from vegetables. The prawn from a carrot had to be seen to be believed.
Our second (and last) full day in Milan was Leonardo day. We took the tram to the Last Supper sight. You must purchase timed tix in advance. We did this thru the official ticket seller, Vivaticket, first setting up an account with them. As soon as tix could be purchased for the day we wanted, I purchased them on-line at 2:00 am our time. It's hard to get tix because re-sellers buy them to sell at higher prices. You get exactly 15 minutes of viewing time with the fresco which is adequate. By this time, we had seen many artists' versions of the Last Supper so I wondered how impressive Da Vinci's would be. It was not only artisically impressive, but quite moving as well. For us, it was worth jumping thru the hoops to see.
After picking up the tix prior to our entry time, we walked around the area a bit which we thought was much nicer than the Duomo area. Some elegant 19th century apartment buildings(although some of the great old doors are defaced with graffiti).
In the afternoon, we visited the Ambrosiana museum. It contains an eclectic, enjoyable art collection in a building which itself is a work of art. They also own a collection of Da Vinci drawings and pages from his diaries, a selection of which were on display on a rotating basis in a beautiful wooded library setting. It was a priviledge to see them but the audioguide really had no information on them. Having good audioguide descriptions would have enhanced the experience. I'm not sure how long they will be displaying these so you would need to get current info if you're interested in them.
Restaurants:
Peck Italian Bar - Owned by the same people who have the gourmet food outlet but not at the same location. We had good charcuterie platters here. However, as were the other restaurants in Milan, it was more expensive than similar fare was in the other ciities we visited.
Hostaria Borromei - Nice, romantic courtyard. Food ok but my lamb was overcooked(and I'm not a rare meat fan). I had not specified anything so they overcooked on their own. Good service, complimentary glass of prosecco.
Ristorante Bruno - Nice trattoria. Good buffet appetizer spread, charged by the plate. Tasty pasta. Enjoyable for our last Italian dinner
All of the above are in RS guidebook.
Final thoughts on Milan: I'm not sorry we visited if only for the Last Supper and the Duomo roof but this was the Italian destination we liked the least. Especially because of the billboards on the Duomo but also the graffiti was pervasive in the general Duomo area(the worst we saw in Italy) While there was some nice architecture, there was nothing really unique except for the Duomo and the Galleria. We are not at all interested in high fashion or upscale shopping so that was not an attraction for us. Also, there is a lot of traffic wizzing down the side streets (to avoid the main drags). I'm sure others will disagree with me about Milan but I can only report my experiences and opinions.
From Milan we returned to Zurich and thence home without incident.
Final thoughts on Italy;
Overall, we had a great trip and really enjoyed Italy. At some point, we hope to embark on Italy II. I have new respect for those who write trip reports. They are harder and take more time than I would have imagined. I hope some will find mine helpful. Thanks for all the nice feedback. I will monitor this site for a few weeks in case anyone has any questions.
Happy Travels!
Jun 16th, 2014, 08:20 AM
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Elizacat, once again, thanks so much for your wonderful TR. Anyone who has written such a detailed report as yours must really appreciate all the time and energy that went into it. It was a delightful read!
