Eating In

The best thing about having your own apartment is that you can eat in thereby saving money and time on restaurants.  The worst part is that you have to prepare a meal and that’s not why I came on vacation (direct quote from Marielle). The middle ground is to buy a meal and eat in.  Here are some addresses:

Try the family size, as in too big for three people, pizza (the four seasons – quattro stagioni is delicious) for 14 euros at the little pizza and gelati place right at the Fondamente Nuove vaporetto stop in Venice.  Who said Rome is the pizza capital of the world.

In Florence, go to the traiteur (prepared meals place) called Giuliano at Via dei Neri 74r one block from the Palazzo Vecchio.  Every day this place has several cooked meals to take out complete with vegetable side orders and dessert. Thanks for the tip Helen.  Also in Venice try the markets (Mercato San Ambrogio and Mercato central) where you can buy prepared meals (the roast chicken is great) and desserts.

In Rome we went out most nights as we had saved so much on our food budget during our stays in Venice and Florence.  And don’t forget to ask your hosts where the locals eat.  All the recommendations we received turned out to be great food at low prices.  Italians like a deal as well.

Buying groceries can be fun, in this fruit store Marielle asked for two afternoons (due pomeriggi) instead of two tomatoes (due pomodori)

Raisin bread for a breakfast treat, available at local bakeries

Riboletta, a tuscan soup that will put hairs on your chest

A dessert to die for

Paul's famous italian flag of food - eggplant, ham and potatoes, and spinach from the local market

Piazza San Marco

Of the millions of tourists who visit Venice every year nearly 80% stay for less than 24 hours.  During these 24 hours they invariably visit Piazza San Marco.  Why?  Have a look at this website to find out:  http://www.italyguides.it/us/venice_italy/st_mark_s_square/piazza_san_marco/st_mark_s_square.htm

We stayed a week and bypassed Piazza San Marco to get away from the tourists.  However one day armed with our reserved passes to the San Marco basilica and the Doge’s Palace we visited the famous square.  We toured the basilica with an audio guide before the tourists without reservations were let in and the palace on a guided (yes a real person) secrets tour.  The secrets tour guide led us through numerous rooms behind the museum to see where the leaders of one of the largest maritime powers of the early second millennium sat and discussed the business of state.  The tour also gave us an insight into the exciting life of Cassanova one of Venice’s favourite sons.  After the tour we joined the other tourists to tour the museum and cross the Bridge of Sighs to the prison.  The San Marco basilica museum is also worth the steep climb up the stairs for the view, to see the horses the Venetians pillaged from the Byzantines over a thousand years ago, and the mosaics.  In fact the whole interior and much of the exterior of the basilica is covered with mosaics.

There are a couple of other museums bordering the square which we did not visit.  There is a bell tower, boutiques selling murano glass, gelato stores and the campanile which we did visit for a splendid view over the city.  While we were up there the bells tolled twice, an ear splitting experience.

San Marco basilica with horses (false ones), the real ones are inside

Painting outside San Marco basilica using mosaics

The Piazza taken from San Marco basilica

The Bridge of Sighs

Looking out from the Bridge of Sighs

Campanile

Doge's Palace

Piazza San Marco bordering on the Grand Canal

Doge's Palace from the Campanile

Cappuccini Break

My Mum always said not to hold it in so when nature called we would stop to grab a cappuccino.  We not only had a great Italian beverage but also we could use the bathroom and sometimes even try a yummy pastry.   Prices varied and the stops were worth it.

Acqua Alta

Venice is sinking!  You can read many articles on the Internet about Venice’s war against the seas.  Despite several emergency measures and new construction Venice is flooded many times a year.  One day when we were window shopping (no surprise here) in the piazza San Marco we heard a loud wailing sound.  Soon after we saw water bubbling up through the grates which stopped before we had to roll up our trouser legs.  There are numerous platforms stacked around San Marco in case the waters rise too high.

Getting Organized

When?

We chose to leave in late September to avoid the Summer crowds and Summer prices.  Furthermore we let on a Friday night and arrived in Venice on a Saturday morning as most accommodation rentals go from Saturday to Saturday.  Fall is also cooler and the leaves were changing colour in Tuscany.

Where?

Where depends on your individual tastes and the length of time you have to visit.  We planned a week in Venice, two weeks in Tuscany (at two different locations), 5 nights in Florence and four nights in Rome.

Plane

We chose Air Transat principally for the direct flights from Montreal to Venice and Rome to Montreal.  Thanks again Denis for driving us to and from the airport.  The price was comparable to Air Canada whose flights take longer as they go through Frankfurt.  I guess we could have taken longer and used our Aeroplan points but it can be a hassle if you have limited flexibility in your dates.  Don’t forget to check out insurances.  We took out trip cancellation insurance which is not covered by my VISA card.

Accommodation

See my article on Homelidays.  I reserved our accommodation in advance.  Most owners prefer a small deposit to hold the reservation but when I pointed out that the bank fees on a small money transfer are as much as the deposit itself they were OK with paying upon arrival (in cash).  Our average per night cost was $120 CAD for the three of us, two bedrooms, and all amenities.

Money

Luckily for us the exchange rate was very favourable following the demise of the Greek and then the Spanish and Irish economies which forced down the value of the euro.  I bought some euros in advance which turned out to be a good idea as the exchange rate improved by 7%, in favour of the euro, during our trip.  In addition to cash we also used our bank cards to draw cash and also used our trusty VISA Aerogold card.  We never had any problems with the instant teller machines or purchasing items by credit card.

Luggage

Travel light!  We took less than 20 kgs of luggage each in one medium size suitcase which could be wheeled.  I still found this minimal amount too much especially for the fourth floor (no elevator) climb to our Venice apartment.  Think over eighty stairs, dim light and narrow with Paul carrying 20 kgs in each hand.  And this was after wheeling our suitcase for 600 meters between Marco Polo airport and the docking area for the vaporetti.  Less luggage helped us to rent a smaller car and to negotiate the mayhem (many tourists with large suitcases) on the Eurostar train from Florence to Rome.  For those of you who need to change clothes once if not twice a day, don’t forget that you will probably never see these people again so you can wear the same thing twice in a row.  The Homelidays apartments all come with washers.  Just buy some laundry soap.

Venice apartment, 77 steps to the top floor

Rome apartment, 54 steps to the third floor

Reservations

I strongly recommend reserving tickets for well-known attractions (Doge’s Palace, Uffizi, Accademia, Coliseum, Vatican Museum) in advance.  You will pay a small administration fee however you will avoid long line-ups.  I reserved my tickets through the Internet except for the Doge’s Palace Secrets Itinerary tour.  Because their website sucked I called a perky tourist agent in Venice who gave me the opportunity to practice my Italian, parla inglese, due, due, quattro, cinque, arrivederci.

Language

A big thanks for the Harraps Learn Italian book and CDs from Chantal and to Marielle whose latin came in handy.  In fact it was rather frustrating for Paul considering he had studied for hours and hours when Marielle who didn’t study much (didn’t get past chapter 10 of 50) could understand and even converse as if she had been in Italy for a few months.  Italians like tourists to make the effort to speak their language no matter how poorly.  In Rome when we took taxis everywhere, once I attempted to speak in Italian the drivers would open up and point out sites and make conversation.

Writing Home

We used the same setup as for our trip to Australia that is, mobile phone with international card and our Hotmail account on the Internet.  The mobile phone worked almost everywhere except for some places in Tuscany where we would have to go outside the apartment to get reception.  It was more difficult to find Internet outlets than Australia.  In Australia we would go to the local library.  In Italy we couldn’t even find a library (what is library in Italian by the way) and would have to ask the locals.

Avoiding the Internet cafes by borrowing the apartment onwer's laptop

Air Transat

Often called Air Sardine due to the lack of space between the rows of seats, as in no leg room and very little bum room, I upgraded to the ‘Club’ section of the plane.  This section of three rows and twenty-one  large size, comfortable each is at the front of the plane which is separated from the rest of the riff-raff by a curtain and cabin crew who guarded our intimacy.  You pay a big premium but in the grand order of things it is worth it.  I still found the nine hour flights exhausting however we were never bored what with snacks, meals, water, more wine, champagne (mousseux really), another magazine, another paper, and going to the washroom without a huge line-up.  You also get priority check-in service which can shave an hour or more off your wait time at the airport and a priority luggage pick-up service which didn’t seem to be working at Montreal.  You also receive a free kit containing blanket, mask, headphones, toiletries etc.

Accommodation

By now you know I am not a hotel guy.  I prefer renting apartments from local people and preferably through the Internet.  I started investigating accommodation several months in advance once we had set our arrival and departure dates.  After a lengthy search I found a UK company that specializes in vacation apartments in France, Italy and the UK as well as other locations around the world.  Here is there website: http://www.homelidays.co.uk/

I like this company for many reasons.  You can find the accommodation you desire by using a map interface which means you can pinpoint exactly where your apartment is located.  This was very important in Venice where I wanted to be close to the Fondemente Nuove vaporetto stop, in Florence where I wanted to be close to the Uffizi and Palazzo Vecchio, and in Rome where I wanted to be within walking distance of the Borghese Gardens and the Spanish Steps.  The site also has very detailed information in each apartment which includes facilities, size, number of rooms, many photos, and testimonials.  Although renting an apartment for a week is the norm there are several for shorter stays.  Nearly all come with bedding and linens included and often you would find basic food items.

I was not disappointed.  The advertisements lived up to the descriptions on the website and some cases were even better than expected.  And the best thing was meeting the owners who would welcome you and were always eager to describe their region and tell you the best spots to visit.  Gian Piero would leave his personal laptop for our use and Maria Pia brought in a basket of vegetables and herbs from her garden.  For pampered North Americans most apartments do not have insect screens.  This is common throughout Europe but does not mean that there are no bugs.  We did not encounter many bugs (an occasional mosquito) as we were travelling in Autumn however in Summer you should expect a different story.  My suggestion is to take some screening with you or bug spray.

View from our apartment in Venice

Second bedroom in Venice, notice the floor which dates back 500 years

View from our kitchen in Chianciano, Tuscany

Filling our faces in the garden at Chianciano

Our bedroom at Catellina in Chianti

The infinity pool at Castellina in Chianti, too cold to try

Kitchen at Castellina in Chianti

Florence apartment, doesn't look like much from the outside however...

Kitchen and dining area, apartment in Florence

Lounge room in apartment in Rome

Bathroom in Rome, most apartments have smaller bathrooms and no bath

By the way I think Europeans have got it right, North Americans should have bidets.  What do you think?

Transportation

In Venice we took vaporetti to get around.  In Tuscany we had a rental car.  We took a Eurostar train from Florence to Rome and taxis while in Rome.  Above all you will need to use your feet to walk on uneven pavements, narrow congested streets and lanes, and climb stairs.  Make sure you are in shape.  Rome and Florence are hilly and Venice has lots of bridges with stairs.

Vaporetti

The vaporetti of Venice ply the two main canals in Venice as well as circumnavigating the island both clockwise and counter clockwise.  In addition you can take a vaporetto from the airport and also visit the island of Murano.  We found them very useful and bought a week pass for 50 euros otherwise it is a 5.50 euro cost per trip.  The basic setup of the vaporetto includes seating in the front and back and downstairs.  However if you have suitcases it is best to stay upstairs (standing only) and negotiate around the other passengers entering and leaving the boat.  Many times we heard Avanti! Avanti! Scende! Scende! meaning to get out of the way.  All tickets including week passes have to be validated at little machines on the quais.  You just have to wave the card in front of the reader.

Vaporetto Stop on the Grand Canal

Vaporetto with Rialto Bridge in the background

Rental Car

Before we left Canada we reserved a compact car from Europcar with pick up in Venice and drop off in Florence.  We used it to travel through Tuscany for two weeks.  The cost was 430 euros for 14 days.

If you are staying on the island in Venice make sure to rent your car from the office at Piazzale Roma and unless you have a death wish drop your car off south of the main central area of Florence.  We dropped ours off at the office at via del Gelsomino.  Our car was a Lancia MUSA which accommodated the three of us, our three suitcases and three backpacks comfortably.  The car was OK to drive however due its boxy shape it wasn’t great in windy weather or cornering tight curves.  Even though it was a manual shift it almost drove like an automatic.  A couple of times when I had difficulty getting it into gear it would ‘pop’ the clutch and do it automatically.  Other times (of course very rare) when I stalled at the top of a hill and risked rolling back it would restart automatically.  It even turned the engine off automatically when I would stop to take a photo and leave the car with the engine still running.

On the road near Castellina in Chianti

Picking up our car in Venice

Parking

Parking is difficult in Italy so if you rent apartments in Italy make sure they include parking.  When visiting go early or late.  Learn to park your car up a hill into a tight space while other cars wait to get by and learn to back up narrow dark alleys.

Autostrada

We drove on the autostrada from Venice to Chianciano in Tuscany without a hitch.  Autostradas are toll roads and it cost us 23 euros for the 389 kilometres journey.  Unlike the toll roads in the USA where you are obliged to stop from time to time to pay, in Italy you grab a ticket upon entry and pay when you leave.  Lanes leading to the toll booths are colour coded.  Don’t take the yellow telepass lane.  Take the blue pay by credit card lane or the white pay by credit card or cash lanes.  Off the autostada you will have to negotiate numerous roundabouts as you would in most European countries.  These help traffic flow and also give you an opportunity to find your way.  Just stay on the roundabout until you see your ecit.

Filling Up

Our car took diesel fuel which cost anywhere from 1.17 to 1.35 euros a liter.  The car ran on the smell of an oily rag (fuel consumption was excellent).  Filling up on autostrada and major roads went well where I could use my credit card despite the instructions in italian.  Filling up on minor roads in out-of-the-way places was always an event.  An attendant would fill your car up (pieno per favore) for you which always occasioned an animated (arms going) short chat while at other stations you had to fill it up yourself (cash only).  The instructions for cash only were way beyond my basic Italian and I would send Marielle to ask the nice man other there how to operate the god&*%$ thing.

GPS

Being a map guy I thought taking a GPS, my Christmas present, would be a waste of time.  How wrong I was!  After we changed the voice from American English (Chuck) to French (Sylvia) we understood what they were saying.  Many were the days that Sylvia saved our bacon.  Recalcul! Recalcul!  The only issue was at roundabouts where the signs give directions to the surrounding towns and villages while the GPS works on street addresses.

Train

Not knowing the system we went to the train station (the central one, not the other one) in Florence to reserve tickets to Rome a couple of days before our departure.  Instead of waiting in a long line we used one of the many self-service machines and with a little help from another good looking Italian we managed to reserve our tickets, second class to Rome on the Eurostar.  Second class was Ok except that you are at the back of the train.  The Eurostar left on time and took 1:30 to cover the 285 kms to Rome.  We had some trouble storing our suitcases as the baggage area was full however Marielle came to the rescue and found some space at the opposite end of the carriage.  Paul was left to execute.  Have you ever tried passing people in a train isle with three heavy suitcases?  The one way ticket to Rome cost 44 euros.

 

In the train on the way to Rome

Taxis

Arriving in Rome foot sore and under budget we decided to use taxis instead of hazarding the bus or metro system.  Each morning we would walk to Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps) to hail a taxi.  Paul would sit up front and after a few hesitant words in Italian the driver invariably would start showing off his city and his driving skills.  We were witness to a shouting match with another driver, pedestrians running into our car (oh! Is this a street for cars?), and a ten minute ride from the Vatican at 90 km/hr.  Taxi fares are based solely on the distance covered so you have a very good idea how much it will cost, usually 10 euros including the tip for the three of us.  I made many taxi driver friends by tipping which does not seem to be very common.

Feet

Your feet are asked to do lots of work in Italy, from climbing up the 400 plus steps to the top of campaniles to walking along narrow sombre uneven alleyways.  Marielle arrived in Italy with a foot problem (fasciitis) and Yolande developed one in Venice.  She fell in a dim alleyway (told you so) and twisted her ankle.  Nevertheless (women never complain) we still chalked up lots of mileage every day.  At night it was ice packs and getting Paul to run around doing all the chores (joke).

A small street in Venice

A typical street in Rome

Icing feet in Venice

House numbering

First you should note that house numbering is the system of giving a unique number to each building in a street or area, with the intention of making it easier to locate a particular building.  In North America we have perfected this system to a fine art.  City planners with no imagination have given us such addresses as 100 57^th Street East and 200 A Street.  Italian city planners in Venice and Florence don’t lack imagination.   In Venice houses are numbered within districts, six of them called sestieri.  Within the sestiere each building is numbered in one long consecutive sequence. Venice's random and informal street names are not officially part of an address, although many businesses will helpfully provide one.  So there you are.  I defy you to try to find Canneregio 5706 without a street name.  This is one of the reasons most (every) visitor to Venice including us get lost.  The following website sums it up nicely.

http://www.italyheaven.co.uk/veneto/venice/navigating.html

In Florence they include street names in their addresses.  However you often will encounter two buildings with the same number on the same street.  In Florence a building with a red number is a commerce while the same number but in black is a residence.  Luckily we arrived in Florence by taxi and our driver knew the difference.

Street address in Venice (for what it's worth)

Black address or red address?

Canals and Bridges of Venice

There are 409 bridges in Venice of which the Ponte de Rialto is the most famous.  These bridges span 177 canals (can you see that I am mathematician?) with the Grand Canal at three kilometers long being the major thoroughfare.  I spent much of my time taking photos as the colour and variety of the canals and bridges, and the absence of automotive traffic, provided wonderful shots at every turn.  And don’t forget the luminosity – dappled sunlight reflecting off the water.