MILAN TO TRIESTE AND BACK

April into May of 2025 found us in a part of Italy we had not visited before. Landing in Milan, we did a rough elliptical journey to Trieste and back.

As background, DH and I are in our early seventies, and we’re transitioning to no driving for most international travel. We enjoy hiking as well as museums and gardens, and we like to end the day with a fine meal. "Night life" for us means a stroll back to our hotel. We prefer to stay at least 3 nights in any one place, and try to limit one night stays. We have always traveled independently, but in the past few years we have looked into small tours, as well as getting from point to point by train. This has meant few rural stays, and more cities. So far it is working out for us.

We divide the planning, consulting one another, but I am in charge of itinerary and accommodations, and DH is in charge of transportation and restaurants. Following is our itinerary.

Milan – 2 nights
Parma – 3 nights
Bologna – 3 nights
Ravenna – 2 nights
Padova – 3 nights
Trieste – 5 nights
Vicenza – 3 nights
Milan – 1 night

April 21-22 San Francisco to Milan via Frankfurt

We try to fly United because our gold status gets us into international airport lounges, as well as giving us a smidge more room in Premium Economy. We usually opt to pay for Premium Plus, but tried a different tactic this time. DH purchased an extra seat, giving us an empty seat in between in United’s Premium Economy cabin configuration. We saved some money, and for this trip it was quite comfortable. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to upgrade, but I’d rather take more trips given the choice. The only wrinkle was boarding passes for the second leg of the trip needed to be issued at the gate. The gate agent needs to be able to block the seat, but not count a person.

We left our house at 9:45 a.m. and were through security by 11. Upon boarding, we noticed that both Business and Premium Plus were packed. There appeared to be plenty of empty middle seats in Economy, but we were glad to have paid for the extra seat and not to play seat roulette. The flight was uneventful, three movies and a nap later we were in Frankfurt with a short layover for the Air Dolomiti flight to Milan.

We had been in Milan two years ago, and other than futilely hoping to get tickets to see The Last Supper, our only plan was to get acclimated. We’ve noticed that the older we get the harder it is to hit the ground running. (I’m convinced that the tour operators snatch up all the tickets to The Last Supper as soon as they are available as I have never been able to get them.)

Arriving in Milan we took the Malpensa Express to the Cardano station, then took the tram to the Duomo and our hotel Spadari al Duomo. This small hotel is a splurge, but it is in a great location and it makes for a soft landing. Our room was upgraded to one with a balcony, and as the afternoon was sunny we took full advantage. One reason we like this hotel is they have an aperitivo hour with prosecco and snacks, and the breakfast is fabulous. That, plus all the little chocolate treats and cookies … Not to mention the 5” x 5” block of dreamy chocolate we found on our pillow. That chocolate lasted our entire trip!

We enjoyed our aperitivo in the lobby, and then headed out in search of dinner. (We had made advance reservations at a restaurant before we left, but received a message that they needed to cancel.) We decided on Rossini’s which was fine, not great. It’s a short walk from the hotel, and is manageable without reservations. We had water, a split of vermentino, a burrata salad, a shrimp salad, and a mushroom pizza for 81 euros with cover. The salads were nice, the pizza sufficed, service was pleasant, if rushed.

We made it to 10 p.m. before crashing. I was awake a 1 a.m. Time for melatonin.

To be continued ...

Hi PJTravels, sounds like you both do your homework. May I ask why you skipped Verona? Have you visited Verona before?

I am impressed that you could leave your house at 9:45 and be through security by 11 at SFO.
Just one week ago I dropped my rental car off at SFO, checked my bag at AA and waited in line at security. It was one hour.
Your must live on the peninsula.

What a great itinerary!
I'll be along; very curious about Trieste, where I've never been......

Count me in for the adventure!

We were also impressed with how quickly we got through SFO! We had good travel juju that day, catching a direct BART train which put us at the international terminal, carry-on only, and TSA precheck all helped. And, no, we don't live on the Peninsula. We make the trek from the East Bay.
We had visited Verona before during our first trip to the Dolomites, and had commented that it seemed to be a good place to overnight in, but it just didn't figure into this trip.

We were very curious about Trieste, finding little in the trip reports here. As our itinerary took shape we kept adding nights to Trieste, thinking we might day trip into Croatia or Slovenia.

April 23 – Milan

We woke at 10 a.m., both startled it was so late, and dashed down to breakfast. The hotel is so reasonable in this respect – breakfast runs until 11 a.m., and check out is at noon. We enjoyed a very leisurely breakfast, ordering fresh squeezed orange juice and omelettes, and helping ourselves to the array of fruit salad, yogurt, meats/cheeses, smoked salmon, pastries, etc. It was a lovely start to the day.

We headed out to wander toward the Basilica di Sant’Ambrogio, one of the most ancient churches in Milan. The warm morning was bright with the spring-green trees along the streets. Just before we arrived at the church we passed the Temple of Victory, dedicated to the Milanese soldiers of WWI. “The eight sides of the monument are oriented in the direction of the eight gates of Milan, to remember the ways through which the soldiers left the city to join the Italian troops.” (Italyscapes.com) Surrounded by wrought iron fencing, we were left to peek through at the monument and the statue of Sant’Ambrogio.

The basilica is impressive with its massive gold altar front, mosaic in the apse, and the marble ambo above a sarcophegus. DH disappeared into the crypt, but just as I was about to join him we were hustled out at 12:30. That’s what we get for sleeping in.

Further wandering brought us to the National Museum of Science and Technology Leonardo da Vinci. Perhaps not the best choice for jet-lagged persons, but the entire museum is well done, and full of lots to hold one’s interest. We began in the da Vinci galleries which hold models of many of his inventions as well as reproductions of his notes and sketches. To exit the museum visitors must pass through the Air and Water Building, an enormous hall housing ships, part of an ocean liner, and aircraft. There is a mezzanine walkway which makes for an interesting perspective on the collection. A highlight for us was seeing the Luna Rossa catamaran suspended from the ceiling. It is huge, and it was impossible to get a decent photo.

Having had a large, late breakfast there was no need for lunch, but there’s always room for gelato, n’est pas? On the way back to the hotel we popped in to Gelateria Lab for the first gelato of the trip – a shared cup of salted pistachio and gianduia for euro 3.50. We then rested until aperitivo time, when we enjoyed a few glasses of prosecco along with some tidbits in the comfortable lobby. Off to Cantina della Vetra for what we anticipated would be a good dinner. We had enjoyed a fun al fresco dinner there on our previous trip with a delicious porcini pasta, fresh vegetables, and grilled lamb chops. It was not to be this time. The evening had turned cold and drizzly, we were fortunately seated inside, but our meals were just okay. We had an artichoke flan and soup to begin – both were luke warm. DH ordered lamb shank, and I had the osso bucco on a bed of risotto. Those dishes were not piping hot, the meat was not falling off the bone, and the risotto could have used 5 more minutes on the stove. We had a bottle of lagrein. With cover and water the meal was euro 147. An expensive disappointment, although the wine was lovely. Fortunately, our food adventures would improve greatly for the rest of the trip.

To be continued ... Also, while I have posted photos in the past, I've hit a glitch this time around. Will keep working on it.

Great start. Looking forward to more!

Me, too!

The hotel looks lovely, and serving breakfast until 11 is such a plus..I am going to begin looking for that when I am researching where to stay in a particular city or town!
I seem to always be the last person to enter the dining room on recent trips.

April 24 – travel day to Parma

The morning got off to an alarming start. I woke at 3 a.m., and glanced at my phone to see a string of texts and calls from our home security service, as well as many panicked texts from our house sitter. The house sitter had accidentally set off the alarm, and then got rattled enough she couldn’t get it reset. The police came to the house, and she was able to show them the house and pet care instructions I’d left to prove her legitimacy. Of course, all of this was long over by the time I saw the alerts. In her words, “We’ll all laugh about this one day.” Um, maybe.

We had another great breakfast and headed off to Milan Centrale for the train to Parma. This was one of the tickets we purchased in advance because I didn’t know how the next day’s holiday would impact travel.

If one leaves the Parma train station heading in the right direction, which we didn’t, it’s a straight shot 6 minutes or so walk to the apartment we rented. Recommended by Fodorite, Joannyc, Le Tre Tori is lovely! At 2 bedrooms, 1 ½ baths it’s more room than we needed, but the wrap-around terrace and the washer sold us. The shower was small, but that is pretty typical. The owner had someone meet us at the apartment, and checked in with us during our stay to see if we needed anything. Within easy walking distance to all we wanted to see we were very happy with our choice. Thanks, Joan!

After unpacking we began our late afternoon wander. Our first stop was across the street at the restaurant la Greppia (also courtesy of Joan) to make a dinner reservation. We visited the Duomo, and stopped in at the Monastery of Saint John the Evangelist with its dome painted by Correggio. By that time it was getting late, we stopped in at a market for breakfast yogurt and strawberries, and returned to our spacious apartment to get ready for dinner.

La Greppia turned out to be very nice. Service was pleasant, the room was nice, and the food was generally good, although I began my often futile search of menus for salad greens. We had a split of nero d’avolo, a pasta with duck sugo, a tagliotini with truffle, and one order of eggplant parm. With cover and water the bill was euro 71.

Returning to the apartment we watched TV, something we haven’t done while traveling since we stayed up all night in London watching Obama’s election. We watched Jon Hamm in the first episode of Friends and Neighbors. Time for bed.

To be continued ...

Chapel in the Parma Duomo

April 25 – Parma

It’s Independence Day in Italy, and we’re interested to see what that means in Parma. Last year in Trani it meant the harbor walk was packed with families enjoying a sunny day off. I slept all night long which was much needed, and after a light breakfast enjoyed on the terrace we set out.

It was a beautiful spring day with bright sunshine and the intense green of the plane trees along the avenue. Less than two blocks from our apartment is the Palazzo della Pilotta, an enormous complex originally built to extend the Farnese ducal palace. Today it includes the Museum of Antiquities, the Farnese Theater, the National Gallery of Parma, as well as the Palatine Library and the National Archaeological Museum.

The entrance fee of 18 euros was waived due to the holiday – lucky us! We were first guided into the Farnese Theater, completely reconstructed after being destroyed in a bombing in 1944. This has to be seen to be believed. The theater is so large that it could be flooded to stage naval battles. However, the cost of mounting a production was exorbitant, and it was only used nine times between 1652 to 1732. It was re-inaugurated in 2012 with an audience of 1500. Today it is used as a concert hall for special occasions.

The Archaeological Museum held some interesting objects, and was well laid out. It included a fabulous 2nd century mosaic wall section discovered in what had been Parma’s forum. Hour two of our visit found us in the National Gallery which was room after room of mostly religious art – Correggio and Parmesanino being the key artists of the area. The gallery holds a gorgeous da Vinci, Head of a Woman known as La Scapiliata, and a Holbein – Erasmus of Rotterdam. There was virtually no crowd in the gallery which made for a wonderful, intimate viewing of the exhibited works.

There is only so much time we can spend in a museum before we are no longer enjoying the treasures before us, and that time approached. Exiting, the grass field in front of the palazzo was filled with picnickers, musicians, dog walkers, frisbee players, and general good timers. We crossed the street to Poldo, a happening corner sandwich spot recommended by one of DH’s associates. There are times when traveling that it takes us a bit to figure out what we call “the code” – how is one supposed to do something? It took a few minutes observation to realize that people just grabbed an open table, no reservations, no finding a server, etc. Once seated the hard work began. There were so many offerings in so many different sandwich formats! We settled on two sandwiches: one mortadella with truffle, eggplant and gogonzola cream; the other mortadella with pistachio pesto, tomato and fresh mozzarella. They came on wonderful, soft focaccia rolls. We also ordered an aperol spritz and a campari spritz. This was my first ever aperol spritz, and I didn’t really get what the noise was all about. (That would change over the course of the trip.) We had a great time soaking up the atmosphere, people watching, and enjoying our lunch. When it came time to pay at the bar I noticed a platter of giant cookie/scone type things with chunks of chocolate and almonds. Yes, please. Research indicates the cookies are Rosa del Deserta, and I plan to find a recipe. Lunch was 34 euros, and worth every penny.

We made the quick walk back to the apartment for a rest, and then headed over to the Parco Ducale. Reminiscent of the Luxembourg Garden in Paris, all the chestnut trees lining the long walk were in full, fragrant bloom. We also saw an enormous plane tree that was over 250 years old. I wish I had brought a book along as it was pleasant to just sit on a bench and watch the children on their grilli – low, elongated trikes. It was time to go back to the apartment, toss in a load of laundry (hurray!), and get ready for dinner.

Cocchi was recommended on Katie Parla’s website, and as she had steered us in the right direction in Tokyo we were looking forward to it. It is not in the historic center of town, and the plan was to take the bus there, and possibly walk back as the schedules indicated the buses stopped at 8 p.m. So much for best laid plans. The street where we were to catch the bus was closed due to the holiday. By the time we crossed the river to find the next stop we were late enough we thought it would be better to keep walking, hoping we would either catch up to the bus, or it to us. We did actually see our bus, one block from our destination.

Cocchi is a traditional restaurant – suited waiters, lots of wood paneling, rolling service carts. Our dinner there was great. As we were in the land of cured meats we wanted some, but not too much. We ordered the smallest sampler which came with little square puffs of fried bread – pane fritto, and a chunk of parmesan. It turned out that the parmesan was 6 euro, not part of the sampler platter. Oh well, it was great. After sharing the sampler, I had the tortelli two ways – potato and truffle, and herbed cheese. DH had the traditional agnoli in brodo. We shared the special of veal breast stuffed with parmesan – somewhat like a dense custard – that came with roast potatoes and peppers. The veal was outstanding – tender, flavorful and salt crusted. No room for dessert. Wine was a Muller-Thurgau. Total cost for dinner was 109 euros. We walked back to find that the party was still going on, and Poldo was packed. We stopped in to buy more of the Rosa del Deserta cookies for a breakfast treat.
To be continued ...


Part of the wrap-around terrace at Le Tre Torri

Passageway, Palazzo del Pilotta

Roman mosaic wall

Love the report! Looking forward to hearing the rest.

Fan of Aperol spritz here. If you haven't already done so, and get the chance, you might like a Limoncello spritz too.

Thoroughly enjoying your report.

I'm loving this!!! You are a great writer!! And all the food details!!!

Thanks for sticking with me!

April 25 redux
Oops! I forgot that we were able to get a last minute tour of the opera house, the Teatro Regio. The bi-lingual tour was well done, interesting, and the young woman leading us clearly enjoyed her job and loved opera. Going to an opera is still on my life-list, but it was fun to see behind the scenes as well as to sit in the fancy box seats without needing to get dressed up. The views from the back of the royal box were not good at all, and we were told that the best sound is from the upper reaches – the standing room only seats. Evidently the opera goers of the Teatro Regio are known to demand performances of the highest quality – a long held tradtion of being tough audiences. Prior to its current burgundy and gold décor dictated by the Bourbon Duke Carlo III, the Duchess Marie Louise called for the theater restoration to be finished in the colors of blue and white.


April 26 – Parma

I woke up at 5 a.m. Just a bit early to go out sight-seeing. I finished listening to an audio book, and then enjoyed watching the sunrise from the terrace. I also managed to fit in a manicure and have breakfast before DH appeared. We spent the rest of the morning on the terrace discussing plans, finally managing to leave the apartment at noon.

I had asked our hostess if there was a local store where I could purchase linens similar to the pretty tea towels in the apartment’s kitchen. She responded immediately with the name of the shop, Tencati, gave me directions, and confirmed the shop’s hours. So our first stop of the day was to purchase linens for souvenirs and a few house warming gifts. Tencati was filled with beautiful things, and only the knowledge that I had very little room in my carry-on got me out without making too many purchases.

It was time to check out older eye candy – the Baptistry. Tickets are purchased across the piazza in the Bishop’s Palace, and include the diocesan museum. We found the museum to be a good foundation for our visit to the Baptistry, and it didn’t take long to go through it. The Baptistry is quite extraordinary inside with its explosion of painting and sculpture. I looked up a question I had about one of the paintings and found the Duomo’s website which was very good. Inside, the Baptistry was cold and somewhat dark, but we both found it fascinating, especially the stories surrounding the sculptures of the months, seasons and the zodiac. Overall, well worth the entrance fee.

Our next objective was to set out for the botanic garden, see what we might find, and possibly get lunch. We entered a small piazza we hadn’t been to before with some interesting-looking lunch spots, but we were too late for lunch. We did get a gelato, but I thought the tiramisu flavor was pretty meh. Continuing out the other side of the piazza (possibly on Strada Farini) we passed lots of interesting shops, restaurants and bars, most closed for the afternoon. We stopped in at a bakery with the Rosa del Deserta cookies, and made a hefty purchase. Unfortunately, they were not nearly as good as the ones from Poldo. Somehow we managed to eat them! When we reached the point where we needed to turn for the park we instead decided to head across the river to walk along a riverside pathway which we followed until we recrossed and headed for the apartment, but not before stopping to get a piece of pizza by the kilo for a very late lunch.

Dinner was another “snack” back at Poldo. We ordered the large board which came with three types of meat, apple slices, chunks of parmesan and pecorino, honey, mustard, and bread. Little did we know that happy hour cocktails are served with potato chips and a 6 inch salami! So our snack kept growing! The price for 3 cocktails, the board, and another cookie was 54 euros. So good!


Baptistry, Parma. DH photo

Teatro Regio looking to the royal box. DH photo

Produce store along the way

Thoughts about Parma

We enjoyed our time in Parma, and felt that a 3 night stay was perfect. Most of the sights could be seen in a 2 night stay, but the days would be packed. The Pilotta Palace, alone, took many hours. If we had visited on a day trip from Bologna, which was our original plan, it would have been a long frustrating day.

April 27 – Travel day to Bologna

Delicious lasagne from Darcy, Bologna


I woke up at 4 a.m. (this getting older is a b…) to see that I had several incoming text messages. Fearing a repeat of the house security system debacle, I opened them only to find that they were harmless “hellos” from friends back home as well as a message from my brother asking why I wasn’t watching basketball, and why hadn’t I let him know that the Warriors’ game was being televised on network TV that night! Relieved, I was able to catch a bit more sleep. We had one last breakfast on the sunny terrace, tidied up, and made the short walk to the train station.

An hour later we were in Bologna. I confirmed with our apartment owner that we were to meet at 4, so we first needed to search for the Left Luggage. It took a while, but we did find it on the far left side of the west portico of the station for those who may have a future need. We needed lunch and to wander for a few hours. We considered taking the bus, but the indication was it would take as long as if we were to walk. We walked twenty minutes to the Piazza del Netuno/Piazza Maggiorearea amid slow moving crowds the entire way. DH quickly named this part of Bologna “the mosh pit”. I missed the part in the guide book about the Sirens of the fountain squirting water from their breasts, so that was a bit of comic relief.

It was definitely time to find some lunch, and there were lots of empty tables on Piazza Maggiore, but DH wanted a quieter scene. We found a quiet street a bit further on next toPiazza Minghetti and settled in for lunch at Cafe Minghetti. Overall, the lunch was ok to fine, but it was pleasant to sit outside in the sun and watch the clouds darken. I had a special salmon and avocado salad with shaved fennel and a few greens. It was tasty except for the Bolognese version of avocado which was a dab of smush flavored with something artifical tasting. DH had a Caesar salad with chicken and iceberg lettuce. He said it lacked flavor. With a small water and cover the bill was 35 euros. We’re in a city now.

We then walked over to Santo Stefano which turned out to be closed. I liked the look of the area, and would have been happy to park for a bit, but it began to rain. Given the covered porticos, and the short storm we really weren’t the worse for wear, but decided it was time to head back for our luggage and our apartment which was near the train station. The apartment, Sunshine and Mark Rothkoon Air BnB was quite nice: reasonably priced, exceptionally clean, modern, 2 bedroom, 1 bath with a washer and dryer, great shower, across from the station and in a fun neighborhood. It was more room than we needed, but it was my favorite of the places I looked at for Bologna. Our original plan was to spend 5 nights in Bologna as a base for day trips, and that is why I was looking at apartments.

For dinner we headed back to the historic center toDarcy Osteria Contemporanea. We had fabulous first courses of their traditional lasagna and a passatelli with asparagus, butter and lemon. We looked at each other and said, “This makes me so happy.” We didn’t fare as well with the next course. DH had the cod special which consisted of cod fritters which he said were exceptional, and cod poached in oil. The poached cod was so tough it was like chewing rubber bands. I ordered the Bolognese cutlet made with a boneless chicken leg. It arrived covered with prosciutto and cheese, and it covered the entire plate. It was tender, but it was far too rich, too salty, and too large for me. Perhaps we ordered the wrong things, as this restaurant consistently gets good reviews. With a bottle of verdicchio, water, and cover the price was 117 euros. Friends visited a few days later, forewarned about the cod, and had a great meal. I would recommend, if only for the pastas.

Now that we had a sense of getting to and from our apartment, we wound our way back taking a more indirect route.

To be continued ... and my apologies for placing the lasagna front and center. Perhaps I'm suffering from novocaine overload, but I can't get it fixed at the moment, and there is no adolescent in the house to help!

Thank you, following along. Familiar with Emiglia Romana from past travels but looking forward to hear about Vicenza, Trieste etc. where we haven't been at all.

April 28 – Day trip to Modena

Friends from Berkeley, who we hadn’t seen since the pandemic, were in Italy at the same time so we arranged to meet for lunch in Modena where they were staying. Finding an open restaurant on a Monday can be tricky, but DH found a suggestion in a NYT 36 Hours in Modena article and made a reservation a few days ahead of time. It was a quick trip across the street to the station, and twenty minutes later we were in Modena.

DH and I have two different walking around styles, and here is where we wasted some time getting calibrated. I like to look at the map for an overall feel of a town’s layout and head out. He likes the constant data input of Google maps “follow the dots”, stopping often to make sure he is on the right path. Sometimes my method is best as I look for landmarks, and generally have a sense of which direction I’m heading in. Sometimes his following the dots on the map saves us lots of meandering when we are looking to get somewhere specific. There’s usually a bit of push/pull. I’m learning to be patient as he consults his phone, and he is willing to trust me when I know that we need to turn soon. At any rate, believe it or not, this happened leaving the station in Modena. Once we both agreed that I was right – this time – we first popped into the Tempio Monumentale San Guiseppe, an impressive looking building and church directly across from the station. The Tempio was constructed in memory of the over 7,000 Modenese who died in WWI, and their names are inscribed on the walls of the crypt. The interior of the church is simple, and was beautiful in the morning light.

We continued to walk to the historic center of Modena arriving at the impressive Duomo di Modena. The dark brick of the interior was a stark contrast to the bright exterior which dazzled in the sunshine. There was a lot to see in this duomo, particularly the amazing sculpture, and my favorite, a crucifix made of malachite which was gorgeous. Upstairs overlooking the altar I heard a familiar noise, and sure enough, someone was vacuuming the altar area. Imagine trying to clean house with a swarm of tourists milling about. Actually, we found Modena to be quiet, and not at all aswarm.

We still had a bit of time so we entered the covered market to admire all the produce before meeting our friends at Stallo del Pomodoro.It was a pleasant day so we sat outside under a vine-covered arbor. The food was very good, and we had a good long catch up. We started with a shared antipasti, and two of us continued with the special of risotto with peas and mushrooms, while the other two had the lamb steak with snap peas. We all split two desserts – a ricotta with baked lees, and an espresso panna cotta-like thing. With a bottle of lambrusco, water, and cover the bill was 140 euros, or 70 euros for our share. It was a lovely lunch, and I don’t hesitate to recommend.

Then we were off to try the gelateria our friends had discovered in the piazza by the synagogue - Gioelia Cremeria. They were raving about a gelato with cherries, chocolate crunchies, and almonds. I had that, plus my favorite gianduja. We all agreed that it was some of the best gelato so far, and we continued to try the cherry concoction for the rest of our trip. Sometimes it was called crocante, or crocantina, but all had cherries, some form of chocolate, and something crunchy. Yummm.

Back in Bologna we spent the early evening doing laundry and then rested before heading out to explore our neighborhood. There wasn’t much happening as it was a Monday evening, so we made mental notes of places we wanted to check out when open. The only open bar/vinoteca we could find was packed so we just continued wandering in the lovely evening. Where we live it is extremely rare to have a warm evening, and we wanted to take full advantage while we could. We literally stumbled upon the Mercato Albani, and while the market stalls were closed, there was a happening bar scene with various bars set up in box car stalls. We sat outside Bollore – Box 26, ordered negronis from the window, sat back, people watched, and called it a night. There was no need for dinner after our big lunch and double dessert.

This is a terrific report. And such beautiful photos!

Would you think that Modena would be a good stopover for a couple of nights?

Thank you, and yes, I think that Modena could keep one interested for a couple of nights. I found myself wishing that we had spent more than a day there, if only for more gelato! The friends we met up with had booked an apartment for 5 nights, and didn't seem to think their time there was too long. As far as I know they only made one day trip out of Modena, and that was to Parma.