We have a car. My husband and girlfriend have a 9:50a.m. flight on July 23 Saturday. <BR>We will be in Santa Margherita on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday; but I can not come up with a good plan for Friday nite. Is the gorgeous, expensive, and probably booked Villa Malpensa the only way to go? If we stay in Milan, will it be difficult to get to the airport early enough without having to get up at the crack of dawn? Someone please help. I can not locate the airport on maps so that I can figure this out on my own. <BR> <BR>Also, I will be staying in Italy, returning to the Siena area. Should I drive from Malpensa Airport, or take train to Florence,then Siena. This will determine what time we pick up the car the Saturday before. Mille grazie to all who have suggestions, good bad and ugly.

Jackie, Malpensa is about 30 miles NW <BR>of Milan---if it is not on your map then <BR>you must have a very bad map. That is the first thing to buy before you can plan a good trip. There are many places to stay within a :45 drive---Lake Orta, <BR>Lake Maggiore[Villa Carlotta in Belgirate is good], the Jet Hotel in <BR>Gallarte. I would dump the car and train to Siena after that, but you have to get to Milano Centrale from Malpensa.

Jackie, there are less expensive alternatives to the Villa Malpensa. For our 8:00 a.m. flight in July, we've booked a room at the Hotel Cervo (3 stars), which you can find at hotelcervo.malpensa.it, tel 0331.230821, fax 0331.230156. Our rate is ITL 140,000 for a double room. It's 3 minutes from the airport, and they have a shuttle. You can find others at the web site www.malpensa.it. Given the need to arrive early for international flights, I'd be inclined to stay near the airport on Friday night and avoid traffic delays, but I suppose that with a car, you could stay farther away, as Bob suggests. I agree with him that I'd turn in the car and take the bus from the airport to Milano Centrale train station, then on by train to Siena. You can check train schedules at www.fs-on-line.com. Buon viaggio!

Oops! What I meant in the above post is that the e-mail address for Hotel Cervo is [email protected]. Their web site is reached through www.malpensa.it.

Bob and Frank: Thank you for your information. I did indeed find the Malpensa airport on one of my fold-out maps, and I'm very surprised it is so far from the city. I guess its like flying into or out of New York. You just have to plan on the hour transport... I'm embarrased that it was so frustrating for me to find its location on the net. I'm very new at this, though not new at all to travel. Thank you all for your help. <BR> <BR>

We recently stayed at the Jet Hotel which is about a 10 minute cab ride from the Malpensa Airport. This is a nice, quiet hotel with English speaking staff members, within walking distance to a few shops. Cab fare was about $15

A town fairly close to Malpensa (and lovely to stay in) is Stresa on Lago Maggiore. While in Stresa, one can take boats to the beautiful Borromean Islands, which are in the middle of the lake. Each of the three islands has a different character, and all are worth visiting. Have a good time!

Just did something like this on Saturday night. Satyed in a perfectly serviceable Tulip Hotel- the Arizona- on the edge of Milan the night before- a tram ride from the centre and it had parking. <BR> <BR>But given the choice again (next time, maybe he'll listen to me) I would stay in Parma, about an hour south of Milan - total driving time maybe 80 minutes- rather than be in the city.

Dear All: Thank you all for your advice and input. We've booked 2 rooms (230.000 lire each, includes taxes and breakfast) at the Hotel Gritti (recommended in Rick Steves and Fodor's) near the Duomo,etc. and I'm under the impression, it will be a fairly easy departure to the airport via the 40 minute Malpensa Express out of the Cadorna Station (the station nord?) We're not too excited about Milan, but our visit will be short. We look forward to seeing the Vittorio Emanuale "Shopping Mall" for its architecture, and the Duomo, just because..., and enjoying my friend's last night....

How long do you have? I have some suggestiions as to places you might like to visit; and I suggest you book tickets for "The Last Supper" NOW

We will probably arrive around 3:00 p.m. to the hotel that Friday afternoon. I would love any suggestions, re: "Last Supper" -- is it something like seeing the Mona Lisa -- over the heads of others standing far from glass, that is still another distance from the work of art itself?? <BR>re: Where to have an enjoyable, tasty, charming dinner (about 9:00 p.m.) from which we might take home with us a taste of Italy, gastronomically and experience wise that we will savor the rest of our lives???

Jackie <BR> <BR>As you may have seen from my Lunigiana post, we didn't get in to see Il Cenacola, so I don't know. It is a remarkable painting and I would reccomend it. (I saw it in 1975, before it was restored) <BR> <BR>We had a terrific supper in a Tuscan restaurant called La Torre di Pisa, and I would highly recommend it. If you want to shop, I guess your itinerary is full. If you choose not to go to the Last Supper or can't get in, try the Brera Pinoteca. It doesn't rival the Uffizi, but it's pretty good.