Beautiful Milan
It's not surprising why some people hail Milan to be the best of the old and the new. The city is filled with a depth of character but also with superficial decadence. It has extremely delicious traditional pasta and it also gave birth to the nouveau coffee pasta (sounds more tasty than you think).
JAZZ FESTIVAL
For jazz lovers, visit the city in November when the Milan Jazz Festival usually draws big names in Italian and European Jazz. Check with the local tourist office in Milan about a month prior to the commencing of the jazz festival to get a detailed itinerary of the jazz performances, venues, as well as styles being featured.
WHERE TO STAY
Hotel Principe Di Savoia Milano
Easily accessed from all parts of the city, this hotel is centrally located in Piazza della Reppublica, close to many museums and elegant shopping districts. Behind its Neoclassical facade is one of the world's most luxurious hotels, combining old world elegance with the latest in technology and design.
Hotel Michelangelo Milano
Catered for businessmen, this hotel is more about comfort and access than luxury and tradition. it is ideally located and reasonably priced at around US$150-180 per night.
Grand Hotel Et De Milan Milano
Arguably the most historical and luxurious Hotel in Milan, this hotel has attracted celebrities since 1863. Trivia: The great composer Giuseppe Verdi
lived here for 27 years. Located in the heart of the city's fashion and business district, it is also walking distance to the breath taking Duomo Cathedral, the renowned Galleria, La Scala Theatre and the most exclusive shopping streets. Each room is individually decorated with fine Italian fabrics so that no two are alike. Alongside antique furniture & marble bathrooms is state-of-the-art-technology so there is no fear of losing touch for businessmen who are travelling first class.
Check out http://www.triptake.com/Hotels-in-Milano-42337/ for more useful information on Milan.
Finding the Best in Florence, Venice, Napoli & Verona
If you're planning a trip to Italy, here is a content aggregator that has a comprehensive, descriptive database of Italian Hotels you can check out:
(1) Florence hotel
(2) Venice hotel
(3) Napoli hotel
(4) Verona hotel
While there, here is what we think you definitely must see/do. If you can't find them, just ask around.
Florence: Go to a very small restaurant called Acqua al 2, Via della Vigna Vecchia 40/r. It is extremely small and extremely popular so you usually won't be able to find an empty table. Even if you do, you'll be joined shortly by someone else. Go nuts on everything- from the primi to the dolci, because everything is absolutely delicious.
Venice: Visit a small bookstore called Carlo Docupil (L'art d'Ecrire). Simply meander through the streets and alleyways, enjoy the quiet and the absence of motor vehicles. I bought a beautiful leather notebook with acid-free, water colour, hand made / bound paper while I was there and as you can imagine, it was really expensive, but is worth every lira (or maybe I should say euro).
Napoli: "Mi dispiace, no ho solde!" I met a couple who kept saying that in Naples, but that statement is another story for another time. The lesson is to remember to have lots of money on you when you get to Naples because you'll want to stay forever. But if you really must leave after only a day or two, then you must walk down and around Spaccanapoli, the long street/quarter with most of the great churches and noble palaces in Naples. It used to be really dangerous, with the churches even being bolted shut, but it is now tourist-friendly and a must go.
Verona: It's a small city, but oh so charming and oh so many things to see and to do. My favourite start off point is the Piazza del’Erbe – which was once the Roman forum, and although it is just a very small piazza, it is still the heart of Verona’s old city. Get there early in the morning if you like to see how the locals live because each morning a vegetable market springs up and if you must sleep in, you can also look at the souvenir stalls the rest of the day.
Fascination with a Foot
After unpacking our backpacks at our Roma Hotel, we headed out to San Pietro Basilica where the figures were so huge even if they weren't "great", you have to be impressed just by sheer size. I kept asking my friend to take a picture of my hand against the foot for contrast, but she was too embarrassed and said, "it's too dark inside anyway." So, no pictures.So why the fascination with the foot? It's the closest part of the statues to the ground- i.e., it's the only part you can actually touch. To be there, just to flood your visual senses, doesn't make sense. I can do that at home with my projector. The whole purpose of travel is to indulge all senses.
We only had less than 11 days in Italy, so after 3 days of touring around the various Roman Catholic Churches and looking at Medieval paintings, we headed out to Florence. We had not booked ahead so our Firenze Hotel turned out to someone's home. It was festival season- so everyone was drinking- which means puke was everywhere. The Uffizi gallery turned out to be a nightmare with the long snaking lines and the absence of exhibits (so many were under restoration). So, I didn't like Florence very much and quickly took up my bags and pulled my friend away to Milan.
We never made it to our Milano Hotel because we screwed up with the train schedule. Not only that, we mistakenly gave away all our money at the restaurant. We found out, in the middle of the night, that all we had on us were American Dollars and the couchette that we wanted actually cost 25% more than we were told earlier by the booking agent. Thankfully, we were able to find some Americans who were living in Florence who agreed to be our money changer. After that, we decided we liked Florence, especially "Acqua al 2", which has to be the best Italian restaurant either of us has been to, ever.
Last stop before home, Venice. There was no need to book a Venezia Hotel as we didn't plan to stay too long. We should have though as the place just beckons to be seen, to linger, to just watch the world go by. I got my most expensive (US$100+) leather notebook there and have put it to good use. Italy, we shall return!