elizacat

tomarkot: Thanks for the kind words. The hardest part of writing it was deciding how much detail to include. Sometimes I thought I was including too much and sometimes not enough. So if anyone has specific questions I will try to answer them.

TDudette

The money-raising marque wasn't at the MIlan Duomo when we were there quite a few years ago. How disappointing!

I actually tried to get opera tickets at La Scala but was put off by the prices. It's too bad about the re-sellers.

A super read.

Dukey1

Great report! Glad you enjoyed your trip and understand your feelings about Milano. In terms of the piazza in front of the SMN church in Florence, when last in town we stayed in a hotel which fronted on it. Place was busy, especially at night with all those lighted parachute gizmos being launched and for sale.

Your report has just enough detail IMO.

Kathie

Thanks for your very detailed report. I enjoyed it and will use some of your tips when I plan our first trip to Italy.

drchris

I enjoyed reading your report and appreciated the detail you provided. I am glad to see another RS fan be brave enough to post here. We use his guidebooks (as wel as others) and appreciate the details he provides. It sounds like you did well with his recommended hotels and restaurants. I hope you make it back for Italy II. We just returned (and I hope to find time to write a trip report soon) and had thought it would be our oly trip to Italy as there are so many more countries we want to see but I find myself longing to see more of Italy. Enjoy your memories!

willit

Thanks for the report, very enjoyable and informative.

elizacat

drchris: I always take the RS recommendations on hotel and restaurants and vet them on Trip Advisor and other sites. Then we check them out when we're there to see the menus and the vibe. But, yeah we thought his picks were particularly good for this trip. I look forward to reading your trip report.

sarge56

Great report! I was in Milan for the first time this spring and.. I agree with you. Outside of the Duomo and the Last Supper, I would not necessarily care to go again.

I didn't get my full 15 minutes with Leonardo, unfortunately, because most of us had to wait on someone's tour guide. So, we got about 12 minutes. If I had to do it again, I'd have bought a second ticket online, for the 15-minute slot 1/2-hour after the first one.

Glad you liked Florence, too. I love it and can't seem to get to Italy without stopping there!

SirDiegoRaleigh

Very nice report. I actually visited Lucca as well, last year. It was a very funny story actually, I had just bought a lamp from a website for lighting (for reference: http://interior-deluxe.com/ ) and it said that it was manufactured in Lucca. The name sounded strange and so I googled it and immediately fell in love with it. Saved all my money to visit the place a year later and it did not let me down. A wonderful place!

ileen

Enjoyed your trip report. Lots of great ideas we can use.
We will be in Venice for just a weekend. I would like to buy some Murano glass jewelry.
Wondering if you bought any item or did you do any window shopping for other items.
Would love to find out what did you buy in Venice and if you have some little tips.
Our time will be short, so I think your input will be great help.
Thanks for sharing. Have a great Sunday.

elizacat

Ilene: Can't help you much on the shopping. We travel very light so just don't have the space for stuff. We did buy a cute Murano glass angel Christmas tree ornament on the island of Murano itself. There was certainly plenty of lovely Murano glass in the Venice shop windows but we did not investigate prices or anything like that. Sorry.

ileen

Appreciate your reply. I also travel very light and have enough souvenirs and don't need much.
Thus wanted some tiny jewelry, but like your idea of a tree ornament too.
Will window shop and enjoy.
Have a great day.

kawh

great report-- thanks for sharing in such detail!

NevadaGranny

Thanks for sharing your trip in such detail. We leave Monday for a month in Italy, traveling to Varenna from Milan, on to Venice, Florence, Siena, Orvieto and ending with 6 nights in Rome. I've printed out all your comments and plan to try many of your restaurant and other suggestions.

We also have two tours with Roberto in Siena.

We'll be using RS book as one guide. We've used his books for parts of other trips. I think we're only staying in one of his hotel suggestions. The trouble with following his tour books is that you wind up with mostly RS'ers in the hotels and restaurants. Good place to start planning though.

I felt this trip was overwhelming, but I feel a lot more confident about doing it on our own after reading your trip report. We'll be traveling by train and bus also.

Never enough details for me. Thanks again!

SkipHudgins

Great report. Thanks for taking the time and for all the info and insights provided.

bilboburgler

MacDo was in the Galleria in 2000 so maybe it has been moved

KTtravel

I just found this report and really enjoyed it. I am so glad you liked Siena so much as it is one of my favorite places. I have never been to Murano and Burano and you have convinced me I must make them a priority if I get the chance to return to Venice. Thanks for an excellent report!