So I am not nearly as ready as I would like to be at this point (no, I have not done a "pre-packing" as some of you do, and I don't want to hear about it ). But I am still due to leave for Bologna this coming Wednesday. Four days there, then a week based in Ferrara, then 8 nights in Florence at (yes!) Residenza Il Carmine.
I see that it is likely to be raining in Bologna for most of the time I am there, so I am counting on those famous arcades to keep me dry. I am about to print out Rar's fantastic Bologna notes (skipping the club part, alas). And all the other wonderful recommendations. I am adding Palma's recommendations on Bologna AND Ferrara.
I will not be bringing my laptop, but my Bologna and Ferrara hotels (Roma and Annunziata, respectively) claim to have internet access. So I will try to check in periodically. My favorite Florence internet point is just a few blocks from Il Carmine, so I expect to check in from there too.
I am hoping to meet STer Peter Longenecker and his wife for dinner in Bologna one night, maybe venexianan while in Ferrara, and various folks in Florence.
I'll update this in a bit, when I am more organized, so you guys can tell me what I have left out.
Don't worry about the pre-packing thing, Marian. For my last trip to Italy, my traveling companion arrived at my apartment 2 hours before we left for the airport, and I was in a towel, with my suitcase open on my couch, only half full. That is the kind of packer I am! (But I don't recommend it!)
I will miss you, but look forward to hearing about your fantastic journey this time around.
Marian -- we should be setting foot on Italian ground a day or so apart - have a wonderful trip, as I know you will. And I've been talking firmly to the rain gods, trying to encourage them to zip up the rain clouds for another couple of weeks - we'll see how effective I am!
Buon viaggio - we will raise a glass to you when and if we get together with Diva in Torino.
Judy
Posts: 1902 | Location: Berkeley, CA | Registered: 22 March 2005
Marian, Pre-packing, you say? Does that mean the suitcase open with things you "might need" tossed in as you think of them, then ruthlessly edited the day of the trip?
I hope you enjoy good weather, good food, good touring, and visits with good friends. I'm eager to see Bologna and Ferrara; I'm sure your trip report will add to my interest in both cities.
Posts: 14303 | Location: The Beautiful San Francisco Bay Area | Registered: 06 August 2001
Marian, I feel your pain! I am leaving on Thursday and feel far from ready myself. I can't believe we'll be in Italy at the same time and our paths won't cross this trip! Have a most wonderful time.
Don't worry too much about those weather reports. A week ago they were predicting rain for most of last week in Florence and every day was sunny and in the 70s.
Florence however was wall-to-wall tourists, so I hope you plan lots of train trips out to smaller towns...unless of course you like the crowds. Lines to museums were very long.
If the lines are too long, I just won't go to the museums. But I AM hoping to get into the Accademia, which I haven't visited since ---- well, it was after David slew Goliath..
I've had one small bit of disappointment related to Florence: I was hoping to visit the Vasari Corridor, but apparently I am the only one who has signed up for a tour on that date, so likely it won't be held. Also, I thought I had bought a ticket for a concert to honor the 40th anniversary of the disastrous 1964 flood, but apparently not. The concert is open admission, so I am not sure how crowded it will be. Will people just come at the time of the concert, or will they line up hours in advance like people do in New York for free concerts?
I am in Bella Bologna, which is a lovely and energetic city. But today it is also a very rainy one. My hotel is very cozy and perfectly located (Hotel Roma). Last night I had dinner w. Peter Longenecker, a new member, and his wife Janet. We had fun and an excellent dinner at Da Gianni.
I spent part of the morning at the Carracci exhibit now at the Archaeological Museum. Very, very nice.
If the lines are too long, I just won't go to the museums. But I AM hoping to get into the Accademia, which I haven't visited since ---- well, it was after David slew Goliath..
I got back from three weeks in Florence on Wednesday. Go to the museums when they first open in the morning. I had no trouble getting into the Bargello and the Pitti. They were not crowded. However, I agree with the other comment that Florence (especially in the center area) is wall-to-wall tourists.
---Marlene
Posts: 568 | Location: Boston, MA | Registered: 11 May 2004
I am now in Ferrara, having successfully picked up my car in Bologna, found the autostrada AND found my hotel. It's quite lovely, and I upgraded my room to a doppio uso singolo so that I have some nice space AND a bathtub.
There is free internet access in the lobby, so I will check in when I can.
Ferrara looks like the perfect-sized city, so I cant wait.
Topic Closed
). But I am still due to leave for Bologna this coming Wednesday. Four days there, then a week based in Ferrara, then 8 nights in Florence at (yes!) Residenza Il Carmine.
