As a result of changed flight plans we how have five (5) extra days to spend in the Milan area before we return to the States. We will have spent 5 days in the Piedmonte area (Borolo), 5 days in Lake Como area and 4 days in Lake Maggiore area.
Where should we spend the next 5 days before our return to the States. We will have a car. I don't want to undo our reservations for the three previous locations to extend them a few more days. I was thinking about Bergamo, but am concerned that may be too much time.
Bergamo is a beautiful city, and worth visiting. You could combine it with day trips to Pavia, Piacenza, Cremona and Brescia. With a car, these area all wonderful places to see very easily. So you could never be bored!!
Hopefully Roz will jump on board here as she and her family just recently stayed in Bergame and loved it. She should also have a trip report ready shortly...
If you have never been to MIlano, what I suggest id droping the car and spending the last 5 days in imlano itself, both exploring the city and using it as a base for daytrips in the neighboring cities. By train you can easily and cheaply reach Pavia, Vigevano, Como, Bergamo, Cremona and MIlano has more to offer than what most credit it for. Start witha day in Milano, visiting the Duomo area (Duomo, Galleria, Scala, Castle and its museums), than use the rest of the time to discover the hidden treasuries of Milano, alternating with daytrips to the neighboring places I listed. Here are a few of my most recent MIlano pics, to give you a taste of what the city has to offer.
The trip is early June 2007. We actually start our trip the middle of May 2007 in Antwerp and take a river cruise from Antwerp to Basel. We then drive to Piedmont.
The idea of staying in Milan is a good one and as suggested, one I didn't even consider. We could get rid of the car and thus reduce that expense. I also like the idea of staying away from a large city and using a town such as Bergamo as the hub for visiting other areas.
Hi Dick, Scroll down this page on the SlowTrav.com site for some great travel notes on Milan. Be sure to check the site for Milan and other Lombardy restaurants, too.
btw, I really liked Bergamo when I was there a few years ago. I spent 3 days in the upper city and very much enjoyed it.
I would drive down to the Ligurian coast in a heartbeat. You obviously like natural beauty and this would top it off. Where to stay is another question. I would be tempted with Santa Margherita as your base. The last nite I suspect near MXP.
Megan, I am still working on the pictures from Liguria, but I have put up albums with pictures of some of the most memorable food we ate (including that wonderful lunch with you in Vernazza) and one of Villa Ortensia, my fabulous Slow Trav prize. Click on the link to my travel page under my name, to see the links to those albums. I have so many gorgeous pictures of the Cinque Terre and environs that it is taking me a long time to sort through and make a manageable-sized album.
We really did like Bergamo, and I would recommend Villa Luna, the B&B where we stayed, as a nice and quite reasonable place (80 euro a night). I don’t think my photos really do Bergamo justice, because a lot of what we liked about it was just the feeling of the place, which is hard to convey in photographs, especially since the light wasn’t great while we were there — quite hazy most days. We spent most of our time in the Città Alta, which had so much character and atmosphere and was a great town for walking.
We didn’t do anything outside Bergamo (we were only there 2 days), but if you were there for 5 days, you could certainly make some nice day trips in the area, as Diana says. It will be a while before I get to my trip report, but if you have questions that I might be able to help with, please ask.
However, I also think the suggestion of the Ligurian Coast is a great one, and if you do that, you should definitely book Megan’s tour!
Nothing against Bergamo but, I would drive to Verona. It's a beautiful city. Earlier this year we rented an apartment there right on the river and really enjoyed the city and surrounding area. You can stop in Bergamo on the way to/from Verona. You should be able to do the trip in under 2 hours. One of the most enjoyable little towns we visited was Bassano del Grappa. They were having a reunion of the Italian alpine army core there and there were lots of guys running around with those hats with the feather in the side. There's the most amazing wooden bridge between the 2 parts of the town. Anyway, Verona was a great base for day trips in the area. Our apartment had a garage and we would head out in the morning on a day trip and come home in the late afternoon, park the car and, go out strolling in Verona. Our apartment was a couple of blocks from Piazza Bra which was a sea of activity, restaurants, shopping, the sites...it was wonderful. As with everywhere in Italy, the food was fabulous.
Posts: 341 | Location: Philadelphia | Registered: 04 November 2004
Originally posted by Dick D: The trip is early June 2007. We actually start our trip the middle of May 2007 in Antwerp and take a river cruise from Antwerp to Basel. We then drive to Piedmont.
The idea of staying in Milan is a good one and as suggested, one I didn't even consider. We could get rid of the car and thus reduce that expense. I also like the idea of staying away from a large city and using a town such as Bergamo as the hub for visiting other areas.
Martin and I think Milan is a vastly underrated city. It has art and history, fabulous restaurants, and good shopping. You can easily make day trips to other cities from there. Here are some things we have enjoyed in Milan.
The area around the Piazza del Duomo is a wonderful area. The Cathedral is worth spending quite a while in; you can even go up on the roof and climb among the spires. There is a crypt and other areas for which you pay extra admission. The Galleria is great fun to walk through and the shops are incredible although most are out of my price range, but the art and architecture of the Galleria itself are wonderful. In addition to the La Scala Opera house, there is a lovely little museum attached to it. The Palazzo Reale next to the Duomo, on your right as you face the Duomo, almost always has an art show that is worth seeing and the adjacent Palazzo Arengario- just to the right of the Palazzo Reale - houses the Office of Tourism and it also sometimes hosts art or photography exhibits. Even if there are no show, a climb up the huge marble staircase will net you a superior view of the entire area around the Duomo.
The Last Supper is absolutely worth a visit, but either make reservations in advance or be prepared to wait and possibly not get in on the first day you try. Sforza Castle is a large and amazing castle with battlements and turrets. We have spent hours walking around its grounds as well as visiting its permanent collection and many special art shows over the years. The permanent collection houses the last of Michelangelo's four Pietas- The Rondanini - which is my favorite.
We also love Il Monumento, one of the most spectacular cemeteries you would ever want to see. Although it may be a bit out of the way for a short visit, it is included on many city tours.
Rinascente is Milan's Bloomingdales; from the top floor restaurant you get a great view of the spires of the Duomo, and we always do a walk through on all floors. My husband could spend hours just studying the various espresso machines in the basement housewares department.
While there is not much left of the 12th century Church of San Gottardo, it has one of the most beautiful steeples in Milan; its octagonal brick framework is visible from many different places in the city.
The Poldi-Pezzoli Museum in an old house is an absolute gem of a museum, and of course there is the large collection in the Pinacotheque at the Brera Palace, which also houses the National Library, the Academy of Fine Arts and the Astronomical Observatory.
There is a park, the Arch of Peace, the old city gates, the House of the Omenoni, and several churches that all are worth seeing. Most hotels hand out little books on what's going on in Milan and they will contain addresses and phone numbes for museums and churches.
One museum I have not visited because of its limited hours, but which I hope to see one day is the Bagatti Valsecchi Museum a collection of 16th century household objects collected by Fausto and Giuseppe Baggati Valsecchi. This collection has been arranged in a building in the manner of a 16th century home in Milan and gives a picture of what day to day life in that period must have been like. Ruth
Originally posted by Dennis: Verona. It's a beautiful city. Earlier this year we rented an apartment there right on the river and really enjoyed the city and surrounding area.
Dennis, I'd love to have more info on the apartment you rented in Verona - thanks
Posts: 871 | Location: New York City | Registered: 28 May 2003
Also, Milano is essentially an "introvert" city. Some of the veryy best things you may see are inside thembuildings. for istnance, many complain about Milano being gray, but it looks gray because the gardens are often INSIDE the buildings. As you walk though Milano, if you happen to see an open door or gate leading into a building, check for the "portinaio", the doorman, and ask if you can visit the courtyard, especially in the center. Some fo those courtards are really wonderful. The castle is yet another place where you could spend lots of time, it has a large number of museums, some extremely interesting, that you can visit with a single ticket. The ticket costs 3 or 5 euro per person, can't remeber, but it allows full access to ALL of the museums for a whole day. Unforstunately, these museums close at 6 or so, but the access if free for the last hour, so if you are intereted in just one of them you can arrive at 5 and get a ticket for free.
I spent my first 2 days in Bergamo this summer after landing in Milan - my place to deal with jet lag. I also loved Bergamo - great choice! For another hotel option, there is the Hotel Agnello d'Oro, a small 2 star and very comfortable hotel located between the funicular and the main piazza in the upper town.
Don't even consider Milano for one day only.if you stay here for one day all you will remeber is chaos. Milano needs several days to be appreciated, a short stay is not a good option.
I loved Milano from the first minute I saw it, and I only saw it because I was terribly sick and had to fly home from a trip, so we went to Milano. The only hotel we could get on such short notice was the Spadari, and we arrived at night -- it was too dark and I was too sick to notice where we were -- and the next morning, a taxi picked us up to take us straight to Malpensa. And as we whizzed passed the Duomo and up these tree-lined streets that reminded more of Paris than anyplace I could think of in Italy, I thought to myself: "Wow! What *is* this place? I've got to come back here."
I have since been back to Milano many times, and I must admit that most of the time I have not been able to spend more than one or two nights there. Maybe it is because I am from New York City, but I feel like Milano is a wonderful city to walk around and I like the excitement. I take the subways and I sit outside at the bars or join the passegiata on the via Dante and think: "How come American cities can't be like this?"
My favorite place to go in Milano is the Pinoteca Ambrosiana. One time, when I had to go through Milano on New Year's Eve, I decided to go first to the Last Supper, and it was nearly empty. (It was so cold that night!) I HATE shopping but I think it is fun to watch the shoppers in Milano acting out their fantasies. I just wish they would unwrap the Duomo. (I even like the little museum of the Duomo.)
I guess what I like about Milano is that all its attractions (except the Sforzeca) do not take long and do not tire me out. To me one day in Milano sometimes feels perfect, like eating a bite-sized rich cake. Maybe someday I can afford to spend 5 days in Milano -- I would love that! -- but I think by the end I will be stuffed, especially if I keep eating all that good food. To my tastebuds, it is the best city for eating in Italy, except I only spent one day in Napoli, so I have to back there to before I make the final judgment on urban food in Italy.
So don't worry too much about newcomers who spend just one day their first time in Milano. If they open their eyes and mouths, they'll want to come back. They'll start rearranging all their flights to come in and out of Milano to get another taste.
Cervo, the point is that in Milano you can't be astounded, unless you come from a place like NY where life is about as frantic as here. Milano is infact a pretty understated place, that needs to be discovered bit by bit, looking at all of the details. Milano needs patience and the skill to low down in the middle of a storm of activity.
Well, since I come from New York City, I guess I wouldn't know how others from elsewhere would react to it. But I think one of the reasons I enjoy Milano is that each time I'm there, I only do one "bit." I don't try to see all the bits at once -- but that is true of me wherever I go. I have been to Roma I think 4 times now and I still haven't visited the Borghese Gallery, the Spanish Steps, or much of the Vatican beyond the exterior. I plan to spend a day there in December, and I will go to the Borghese, but then I will have lunch and just walk around, and maybe visit a church.
Funny, but I think Milano is an easier place to slow down than Roma because it's not like you've been hearing all your life about San Babila, like people hear about the Spanish Steps. So you don't feel like you MUST go, even though you've already seen 18 other famous places just that day alone.
Anyway, you probably know more visitors' reactions to Milano than I do. But I do know I'm not the only American whose first experience of Milano is accidental (because it is close to Malpensa) who ends up thinking: "How come other people keep avoiding this place. I like it!"
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