We made it home safe and EXHAUSTED.
I just wanted to thank all of you who joined us on our journey.
Here is a rundown of travel and lodging information from our experiences. Feel free to email either of us, if you want more in-depth information.
We flew Southwest on domestic flights and Swiss Air for International.
Southwest- Pro's- we had free points, Con's - no assigned seating, but for $25 we added Early Bird check in, which lets you check in earlier and therefore you get to board before most people. We had no trouble getting decent seats, together.
We chose Boston to change from domestic to international. It was clean, stressfree and easy to navigate. This worked well for us.
Comfort Inn and Suites (Revere) was near Boston Logan Airport, reasonable rates, comfortable rooms, free breakfast and a free airport shuttle every 30 minutes. This also worked well for us as Southwest and Swiss Air does not work together we needed some buffer time in case one was late or delayed, plus we got some much needed rest time in between 2 grueling days of flying.
Swiss Air: Pro's- We chose business class for comfort. Was it expensive? Yes, but the seats had individual desks beside them, the seats not only reclined with foot rests but also stretched out to a full length bed! We were served good well rounded meals and drinks and a great selection of current movies. Con's- 3 times Swiss air changed our seats or flights and it was difficult to reach them and even once you did, you could not understand them (language/accent difficulties). Would we fly with them again...yes- but be prepared to be flexible.
Please note: In hotels in Italy there is usually a safe, small fridge, but no coffee maker or microwave. Air conditioning is sometimes available, but its really according to seasons (Most work from one unit, so they are not set for individual rooms).
$- Cheap
$$- Moderate
$$$- High
$$$$- Luxury
Please note when searching for accomodations we looked at location and comfort first. We knew if you were not central in location, you were either spending money on transportation or spending time walking there, so you spend either way. So most places we stayed central and paid a little more and generally we would do it the same way (with a few exceptions).
Milan- Boutique Hotel Matilde- Pro's- central location (near the Duomo), wonderful rooms, handicap access, great service, helpful staff, and terrific free breakfast + a restaurant on bottom floor for days when you can't bear to go out for dinner!. Cons- zero - $$$ ...we stayed here 3 times! Great find. Would stay again.
Restaurant- Maio's on top floor of department store to the left side of the Duomo. Make sure to get reservations at least 24 hrs in advance and ask for the outside terrace...the view cannot be beat.
$$$, but worth it. We shared every course and did not leave hungry.
Verona: Hotel Milano & Spa- Pro's-Right next to the Arena, so great views and close proximity if you are going to an Opera or a show. Comfortable rooms, great service, free breakfast, Cons- not close to the train, be prepared for a taxi ride. $$. Would stay again
Dinner: La Grigia- This place is also close to the arena with a well deserved reputation. $$
Bolzano: Parc Hotel Laurin- Pro's- luxurious rooms, great staff, great location (a block from historic downtown) and an amazing free breakfast. $$$. Would stay again
To see the Dolomites without a car, a tour is the best option. We hired a private guide for 2 days who took us on different routes through the Dolomites. The views were amazing. The guide prompt, friendly and informative. The price reasonable. Don't regret this for a second!
Varenna (east side of Lake Como): Hotel Albergio Milano- Pro's- this little hotel is on a cliff right over the water, right next to historic downtown, has a terrace restaurant on the property and offers free breakfast. Our room had a large balcony. Cons- the room was almost smaller than the balcony, our bed was uncomfortable and there was no place to sit except the bed. $$$ All you are paying for is location, location, location. I would not stay here again.
Hotel restaurant: Our first night, every course was an amazing culinary adventure...so good we thought we would go back a second night to try other things we might have missed. WRONG- this time everything was wrong, but the worst offense was the main course. I assumed that this being a lakeside restaurant the fish would be great. WRONG. My order of baked lake trout was terrible. It was hard and dry, making canned tuna look succulent and tender. Maybe the head chef had the night off?
Genoa: NH Collection Hotel, Marina. Pro's- on the waterfront next to the Aquarium, comfortable room, reasonable price, helpful staff. Con's- location (if you just want to explore the waterfront it is great, but if you want to explore downtown historic Genoa...there is a major interstate separating the waterfront from town and very fews ways to safely cross). Also, the hotel restaurant is terrible and to eat anywhere else you also must cross this interstate. $$. Would choose somewhere in town to stay.
Pisa: Alessandro della Spina- Pro's- helpful staff, inexpensive, close to train station and wonderful free breakfast. Con's- terrible neighborhood, no close restaurants, room is small and stuffy and it is a long taxi ride to Miracle Square (leaning tower of Pisa). $ Would not stay again.
Bologna: Hotel Orologio- Pro's- wonderful room, location could not be better, great staff, good free breakfast. We were next door to the Duomo, 1 block away from the oldest market in Europe. Con's- none. $$$ worth every euro. Would stay again.
Florence: VRBO- Here we rented a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment from VRBO. Pro's- Elevator, space to spread out, close to everything. The beds were comfortable, reasonable price. Con's- so close to Duomo...it was like living over a nightclub, the livingroom and kitchen furniture was so uncomfortable we generally sat on the bed to do anything. They advertised a washer/dryer...not true- no dryer, and the washer did not work properly...no spin cycle, so we had to drag soaking wet clothes to the shower to hand wring out then hang over the balcony to dry. Also one bathroom was so small, it was basically just a shower that someone installed a sink and toilet into. You had to store the toilet paper in a cabinet to keep from getting wet. Upside: you could potty and shower and brush your teeth at the same time. :? $$ Would not choose to stay here again. This is a busy city, with so much to do...but you really need to be able to relax- the furniture and noise prevented that. A better location is near the Basilica of Santa Croce.
Tuscany: Monte San Savino- VRBO. Pro's- spacious 2 bedroom, 2 bath, full kitchen, deck, yard and pool. Laundry facility (washer and lines to hang dry). Wonderful hosts, beautiful, well equipped (no microwave), reasonable, comfortable and quiet. Con's- this is a remote location. You have to have a car. This is an olive tree farm and several miles from town and even farther if you want to visit other towns of Tuscany. We rented a car, specifically for the purpose of taking day trips within the regions of Tuscany and Umbria. This location was a lifesaver for our sanity. When you take such a long trip, you need time and a place to unwind. We had wonderful day trips to Siena, Arezzo, Lucca, Orvieto, Bagnoreggio, Montalcino, Montepulciano, Santa Maria degli Angeli, Pienza, Monte San Savino and overnight trips to Pesaro/San Marino and Assisi. $$ Worth every euro!! Would stay again.
Assisi: Hotel Umbra- Pro's- central location, balcony with beautiful views, comfortable, spacious, reasonable price, free breakfast and helpful staff. Con's- none $$ Would stay again.
Rome: VRBO- Near Campo Di Fiori. Pro's- comfortable, reasonable, wonderful location, 2 bedrooms, 2 bath, full kitchen, washer/dryer, microwave. The best location, central to almost anything you might want to see in Rome. Con's- Water pressure was iffy and could not get hot water in the kitchen...to wash dishes had to boil water on the stove. No elevator, must be able to climb stairs. Cobblestone streets are somewhat difficult to navigate...wear flat sturdy shoes! $$ Would stay here again or somewhere in the same general area.
*Eat anywhere in Trastevere...never found a bad or expensive meal
**Luciano's- a small restaurant right on the side of Campo di Fiori. Known as the King of Carbonara (and rightly so). Tiramisu is the best and most creative I've ever encountered. $$ a little spendy, but worth every Euro. Ate here twice, my only regret is that we didn't find it sooner.
Sorrento: Hotel Minerva- Pro's comfortable rooms, great free breakfast, helpful staff (they went out of their way to make us a to-go lunch on the day we left), everyroom has the killer views of the Bay of Naples and Mt. Vesuvius. Con's- the location is quite a ways from town (and a very steep walk) and any restaurants and a taxi ride one way is about 30 Euro's. $$$ Just because of the location, I'd try to stay closer to historic downtown.
Perugia: Hotel Sina Brufani- Pro's- perfect location, helpful staff, comfortable spacious rooms (our bathroom consisted of 3 rooms!), great free breakfast. Con's- none. $$$ (this is a 5 star hotel...also where we saw Stanley Tucci, but the cost is more reasonable as Perugia is not a big tourist town). Would stay here again.
Venice: Hotel Marconi- Pro's- the staff was nice, free breakfast. Con's- location, price, decoration and room size and lack of comfort. I made the mistake of thinking a room overlooking the Grand Canal was going to be romantic. This room was overpriced (twice of any other place we stayed) very small, very little ventilation...so you needed to open the balcony doors- but the stench was terrible, plus the noise from the canal traffic and restaurants ran into 3 or 4 am every morning. WOULD NOT STAY HERE AGAIN...do yourself a favor and choose a small hotel on a side canal, you will be much happier.
Padua: Hotel Majestic Toscanelli- Pro's- comfortable room, reasonable rates, nice free breakfast, helpful staff, great location. Con's- not really, you could stay closer to the University or Duomo. $$ Would stay here again.
Notes:
Every bathroom has a bidet.
Very few hotel rooms have coffee pots or microwaves.
Refrigerators are small as most Italians shop every day.
Clothes washing machines are common, dryers are not.
Electricity is a issue, so it is common that your room key is also used to control lights and/or outlets. So if you leave the room you can't leave lights on.
Dairy in grocery stores is a little unusual. Don't expect to find Greek Yogurt, cottage cheese, skim milk or any cheese that isn't an Italian variety.
As a tourist expect to commonly fine caffine, carbs and sugar. We found most protein portions are small. Example: Appetizer- Bruscetta, Primi- a huge bowl of Pasta- sometimes with a ragu (small amount of meat) or pork, Secondi- usually a protein (a chicken leg/thigh), small piece of fish or in cases of the Florentino Steak...a side of a cow! We rarely saw a pizza with meat (or just a small amount) and sandwiches were big pieces of bread with about 1 oz of shaved pork of some kind inside.
Expect to dress modestly in any church- they expect knees, shoulders and mid-sections to be covered.
Public bathrooms cost generally 50 cent euro, but don't expect toilet seats. I was told that it is considered unsanitary as they think people will pee on them???
Most restaurants will need reservations. Dinner will take over 2 hrs as an average. We found it funny that waiters were very attentive in taking our drink and food order, delivering each course...but at the end of the meal- disappeared or failed to meet our eye. You can easily expect to wait an hour after finishing eating to ask for/receive and pay your bill.
Chris has some Spanish, but neither one of us speak Italian...yet we had almost no problems communicating with anyone.
Taxi's- We took many taxi rides. For the most part, the drive was not scary, and the rates reasonable. Most taxi stands will be near any tourist spot and you just go to the car in the front of the line. You tell them where you want to go and ask for a price. Only once, coming out of the Vatican Museum did a taxi driver try to take advantage of us...they quoted us 26 Euro's for the same drive that cost us 8 Euro's that morning. We said no, walked around the corner and caught a taxi for 7.5 Euro's.
When visiting any popular tourist spot, try to make a reservation at opening time or arrive before opening time. We visited the Uffizi twice. The 1st time we went in the afternoon, it was packed with people and tour groups. This caused the museum to be hot, no place to sit and very hard to get up close to a piece of art you might want to see. 2nd visit we bought tickets for opening time and literally walked into an empty museum. We encountered this over and over again...Pantheon, Accademia Museum, any major Duomo, Leaning tower of Pisa, Vatican museum, Borghesi Museum, Colosseum and more. Pick less popular sites or outdoor sites for afternoons.
I truly hope this helps any future travelers. :D
Ciao!