A Panda to Tuscany++

[ellen10]

We stayed 3 nights in Bellagio last year and loved it!
We did not drive but caught the ferry up from Como.
Every afternoon we enjoyed aperitifs down by the water watching the setting sun on beautiful Lake Como. Ahh sigh.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Lago Maggiore

Next morning we drove to Lake Maggiore which is the second-largest and western-most of the Italian pre-Alpine lakes. While quite beautiful in its own right, I initially didn’t find it as stunningly beautiful as Lake Como.



We had lunch in a little village called Feriolo where we discovered we were their last customers for the year; they were closing for winter that afternoon and reopening at the end of February or early March, depending on the weather.

Feriolo:





We drove a bit further along the Lake’s western shore before returning via Stresa, another stunning area that rivaled Bellagio for its scenic beauty and overcame my initial feelings.



Both lakes are beautiful while having a different "feel" about them. I could easily return to either for a longer visit.

 

[Jacques Vert]

MXP to Milano

First job today was to return the Panda to the hire company. This was a great little car in which we covered just under 2,000km at an average of 5.8 litres per 100km. It was easy to drive, easy to park, inexpensive to hire and big enough for the two of us and our bags.

After dropping the Panda off at MXP Terminal 1, we headed for the train into Milano. Now we had used the Torino Card and Verona Card with success and found them reasonably good value so we decided to get a Milano Card from the airport which included a one-way ticket on the train to Milan at a 10% discount and unlimited travel on the metro, trams and buses. What a rip-off. This is the worst con I have come across.

To be fair, I now understand that you can buy this card (not that I would) in the arrivals hall where they may know what they are talking about. But we had come in from the carpark and the guy at the ticket office advised that you can only buy the card through the ticket machine and then you take your combined train & tourist ticket to any station in Milan and pick up the proper card and all the information that goes with it.

So we get off at Centrale where we take a ticket and wait for half an hour to talk to someone at the information desk, and one guy says yes this is the right place and another says no it isn’t. Eventually we find out the second story is true and we have to go to Cordona station to swap cards. Only at Cordona it is almost impossible to find the correct office. Eventually we get there and find that the cupboard where the cards are kept is locked and no one has a key. Go to Garibaldi we are told. Finally we have our converted ticket after about 5 hours of stuffing around.

After a quick look around town to gather our thoughts and let the blood pressure recover we need some information and discover in the booklet that we have been given that the Milan Tourist Board (who issue the Milano Card) have, not one, but two offices at Centrale where our nightmare began.

So we went to the one on the ground floor facing the Piazza Luigi di Savoia where +1 asked the chappy behind the counter a question. He mumbled something which couldn’t be heard through the security screen, so +1 said “sorry, I couldn’t hear you”. To which he replied in a raised and insulting voice, “For the last time Madam, this is not an information office, go to the counter inside the station near McDonalds”. Compare that to this BS that is in the official booklet listing their address:

MilanTourismPoint (MTP) Offices are places devoted to welcome visitors and designed to make their stay in Milan truly unique.

Well , it was certainly unique.

So after returning to our hotel we went to their Website where I found the form to fill in for feedback or questions and I asked for an email address where I can send a complaint; I am yet to receive a reply.

On the other hand, +1 posted a complaint on their facebook page which got a rely within the hour: very sorry, apologies, launching an investigation. A few likes & comments from others later and another response from them saying the poor chap had a hard day and was sorry. OK, so we had a hard day too and this clown’s attitude was totally unacceptable. He was without doubt the rudest, most arrogant person I have come across in all my travels.

If you can’t keep a civil tone in your voice, hard day or not, then you have no place in tourism, hospitality, or any other service industry.

But the card gets worse. Unlike the Verona Card which gets you into all attractions for free, the Milano Card gets you a small discount at attractions or a larger discount at an overpriced restaurant or two. For example, to go onto the roof at the Duomo you can get a discount from EUR7 to 6, and can jump the queue. Only problem is you can’t get the discount at the Duomo, you have to go back to the tourist office about half an hour’s walk each way (and join the queue at the tourist office).

Other than the metro/tram/bus component we never got to use the card anywhere.

(Rant over)

 

[Julesmac]

Great TR, JV. Your pics brought back great memories of our three trips to Italy.......it's a grey old day here in Melbourne but I have been transported back to a baking August day walking Cinque Terra.....like you, we developed a taste for prosecco which seemed the only possible way to finish off each day. Or limoncello. Funny how they never taste the same back home!! look forward to reading about the rest of your travels

 

[Jacques Vert]

We stayed 3 nights in Bellagio last year and loved it!
We did not drive but caught the ferry up from Como.
Every afternoon we enjoyed aperitifs down by the water watching the setting sun on beautiful Lake Como. Ahh sigh.

I am sure the ferry ride would be quite special, particularly on a nice day.

It would be a much better way for anyone who hasn't driven in Italy before and become comfortable with the challenge.

 

[Jacques Vert]

In Milano we stayed at the Crowne Plaza Milan City. This is an excellent hotel.

Nice room:









The hotel is directly above the Sondrio Metro station. In fact, if you take the lift to street level with your bags, the front door of the hotel is about 10 metres to your left. There is also a trolley bus service that runs past the hotel which then goes past the back end of Centrale station but I never did find out where it went after that because we always took the metro or walked.

We stayed on reward points but they still gave us an upgrade, two x 600 point bonus vouchers, and a food and drink discount voucher for 20% off for the entire length of our stay.

The food and service in the restaurant and bar were excellent. For lunch they had a special deal where you got a plate with two different dishes + water + coffee for EUR 10.00 (less 20% with the voucher). There was also a fruit (apples only) bowl in the foyer where you could help yourself to an apple at any time.

All in all a very pleasant place to stay.

 

[Jacques Vert]

So over the next couple of days we visited the Duomo:





Loved being on the roof:



Great views:

 

[Jacques Vert]

And La Scala:



and the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II:



the Castello Sforzesco:



a few monuments:



and parks:

 

[Jacques Vert]

They say that given enough time, nature can hide the worst architect's mistakes, this guy seems to have tried to speed up the process:



An interesting place for dinner is the canal area not far from Porta Genova station. The canal is almost empty at present as it is being renovated for Expo. You buy your first drink for around 10 Euros and the all-you-can-eat buffet is thrown in. A bit like an Italian version of Dixon Street; has a nice ambiance:

 

[Jacques Vert]

The Last Supper (Cenacolo Vinciano)

I hate tour groups. Not the people themselves, but the idea of acting like sheep following someone holding up an umbrella on a sunny day just doesn't appeal to me. So I tend to book and do my own stuff.

However, the Last Supper by Leonardo is a bit of a challenge. As often repeated on AFF and elsewhere, you only go in to see the painting in small groups and only get 15 minutes. You can book it individually and I had this sorted until a last minute change to the days we were in Milan and an unexpected work trip interrupted my planning. As it turned out, by the time I had confirmed the dates we would be in Milan there were no slots available. Not to worry; we have seen many old paintings and most are in a better state of repair from what I have read. And we will most likely pass through Milan again so we will look at it then.

I did take the opportunity while in the area to locate the monastery/church of Santa Maria delle Grazie where the painting is, and to talk to the somewhat unhelpful lady on the desk. (Yes, it must be annoying answering the same questions in English 100s of times per day but heck, it is a job and there are plenty of people in Europe who don't have one.)

I was able to confirm the following: The entrance is from the Piazza Santa Maria delle Grazie (obviously), metro MM1 to Conciliazione or MM2 to Cadorna, better still: tram 16 to Santa Maria delle Grazie (Corso Magenta); opening hours are 8-15 to 7-00PM (last entry 6-45PM); closed every Monday and on 1/1, 1/5 and 25/12; tickets are Eur 6.50 + 1.50 "booking tax"; audio guide 3.50

To book: www.cenacolovinciano.net (which actually redirects you to vivaticket's website) and they have a call centre (+39) 02 92800360 where you can apparently check to see whether there have been any cancellations. I rang the call centre a number of times but the best I got was a recorded message in Italian.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Train to Venice:

From Milan we headed to Venice by train as we had already dropped the Panda back to the hire company: I couldn't see much use for the Panda in Venice! Thanks to the man in seat 61 (The Man in Seat Sixty-One - the train travel guide...) I learned how to book the train from Milan to Venice for Eur 9.00 each on Trenitalia (Trenitalia - HomePage), there is an English button in the top right corner of the home page.

Trenitalia website is a bit like a LCC in that there are cheap fares available well in advance and as a these get sold the price increases. You have to enter the station names in Italian and there is an option to search +/- 3 days for the cheapest fare. Interestingly, when you search for two adults it shows the total price, that is 18.00; it is only when you go to the next page that it confirms that it is 9.00 each. When I first investigated there were 9.00 Euro fares available on many trains but by the time I got around to booking, only the 0635 had the cheap fares. Not to worry, I can get up early if it means saving around 100 Euros. Only problem is that the first metro train was cutting it a little fine and I didn't want to miss the train to Venice. Thought about a taxi but in the end decided to walk towing the roller bags. 11 mins from the CP to the station entrance and 14 mins to our platform no. 10. Easy.

When you book on trenitalia it wants you to register; while there is an option to "book without registering", it is not that obvious where to do this. By the time I had booked a couple of trains I decided to register: it wants my address in Italy! OK, so I put in the address of one of our hotels and I am now a proud member of the Freccia Club, AND I have 1.25 points in my account.

The 0635 was a FrecciaBianca (White Arrow):



The FrecciaBianca is the third in the hierarchy of Italian trains after the FrecciaRossa and FrecciaArgento. The man in seat 61 will tell you all about them.





All seats have power sockets.

A word of warning: we were staying at the Crowne Plaza in Venice East (more on the hotel next post). This meant that we had to change at Venezia Mestre and get the regional train to Quarto D'Altino. Problem is that while there is a lift at the small station at Quarto D'Altino, most platforms at Mestre don't! They are installing lifts but not expecting all platforms to have them until the end of 2015 at the earliest (poor show for a major station). So we had to carry our bags down the stairs, along the subway to our next platform and then back up the stairs.

If you are staying on the mainland (like us) and need to change trains, then catch the train through to Venezia St Lucia, which being the end of the line has access to all platforms on the one level (no stairs between platforms). It will add half an hour to your trip but worth it if you have heavy/many bags.

The FrecciaBianca took two hours and 23 minutes from Milan to Venice, and a nice smooth ride as well. And some nice views along the way. Beware of the door closing; ouch!

 

[Jacques Vert]

The Crowne Plaza Venice East - Quarto D'Altino was quite nice:

The room:



The above photo shows the two single beds on the other side of the room as it was a family room. Our bed was this one:



All very nice and at Eur 80.00 per night a significant saving on many of the hotels on the Island(s).



The concierge, Erica, was excellent. Without being asked she offered us a map of Venice and advised that the easiest way to get to the main island was by train; Quarto D'Altino station is literally 2 minutes walk as it is at the back of the hotel. Although our room was closest to the railway, noise was not a problem at all. Erica gave us a timetable for the trains noting that there is a gap of two hours in the middle of the day (otherwise about every 20 - 30 mins), pointed out the time of the last train back, that tickets are available at the hotel's front desk for Eur 6-60 return and that tickets must be validated at the green machine as you enter the subway at the station. She also gave us a map of Quarto D'Altino and marked her preferred local restaurants, as well as marking some of the landmarks in Venice. A very pleasant experience.

So after dropping our bags in our room it was off to the train and into Venice S Lucia station, 15 to 20 minutes depending on whether you catch an express or all stations.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Now it is often reported that Venice is VERY expensive and it certainly can be if you eat/drink or base yourself in or near the main tourist haunts like Piazza S Marko. Or take a Gondala ride (standard price for two is Eur 80 for 20 minutes). But it doesn't have to be; except for the Gondolas. We found some will reduce their price to Eur70 but that was about it, although it was suggested that occasionally you may talk them into 60 if it is very quiet, or you may get it for 120 if have 4 persons. Try the areas around some of the smaller canals such as Rio de San Zulan.



As I work in the marine industry a boat ride wasn't appealing enough for me to part with that amount of cash.

After getting off the train on our first day we turned left leaving the station and checked out the first couple of places for lunch; not cheap. But a little further down the road we came across a couple of places that were very reasonable. We had pizza and a drink each for a total of 13.50 and the pizza was quite nice. Another place called Brek had a deal where you buy a drink and buffet for 6-00; we didn't try the food as I didn't discover it until the last night. We called in there to have a drink while waiting for the last train back to our hotel and we had already eaten, but I did buy a hot chocolate and a house vino rosso for Eur 4.20 (and the vino was a full glass and I got a choice of 4). Can't complain about that.

We also come across a couple of inexpensive bars in the area around Accademia. Perhaps the best deal was a lovely restaurant we found called ai Barbacani on Calle del Paradiso: www.ristorante-ai-barbacani.it

We went for the menu speciale which for Eur 22 for dinner (19 lunch) got you three courses with service and cover charge included. The place has a lovely ambiance, a log fire, and great service. As soon as we sat down 2 complimentary glasses of Prosecco arrived, followed by the menus in a choice of at least 5 languages. During dinner, this bloke turned up to entertain us:



He played about song tunes and around a plate for to relieve us of our spare change to which we gladly contributed. When we finished our meal, the bill arrived along with 2 complimentary glasses of, well we got to choose between limoncello and grappa. As it was cold outside I chose the grappa to steal myself against the night air. All in all, a lovely meal for a total of 71.50 including a nice bottle of vino.

On the way back to the station you have to confront the bridges. Depending on the source there are 350+ or 400+ bridges in Venice. What the sources don't mention (as it should be painfully obvious) is that Venice is low-lying so that every bridge has a hump to allow the to pass underneath.



You go up the steps and down the steps, and up.....



Some are worst than others:



After a long day, a meal, some vino and some grappa, they did become a little tiresome.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Of course, when you get tired of all the walking and bridges, you can always take the water bus.



You can get a day pass on the water bus for Eur 20 per adult, or a three day pass, etc. but you don't get to see all the back alleys and smaller canals. We bought a pass on one day and used it to visit Murano and Lido.

Murano is famous for its glass blowing and glass jewelry, etc. When you get of the ferry, sorry...waterbus, there are guys at the end of the jetty directing you to THE factory. Of course, it is their factory and there are plenty of other outlets if you go the other way. We did check out the one thay were spruiking for and they did have very nice stuff but also a higher price.

Murano:

 

[Pushka]

That blue glass monument must be the most photographed thing in Murano. Trying to get one without photo bombers is impossible!

Snap:

 

[Ric]

Reminds me of my last trip march last year!! Was not dressed for this weather at all!! Brrr!!

 

[ellen10]

Loving the photos and I loved the little bridges in Venice except when we were hauling our suitcases.

 

[Jacques Vert]

Loving the photos and I loved the little bridges in Venice except when we were hauling our suitcases.

I loved them too; at least the first 100 each day. After that, aperitivo!

 

[Jacques Vert]

So after Murano, we headed for Lido which is one of the island that protects the lagoon from the ocean. It is still part of greater Venice and only about 10-15 minutes on the ferry/bus/thingy. Not sure what we were expecting but this was not it:





It has its beaches and the odd change room; or are they on-site cabins?





But they do still have a couple of canals; otherwise it would not be Venice?



I have to say that I quite liked Lido; it had a very pleasant, relaxed feel about it. I am sure it gets very busy/crowded in summer though.

 

[Pushka]

Lido looks really interesting. Must go there next time.