Trip to Italy, Part 1--Bologna, Venice, Parma

No! Part of the fun is searching for a hotel. You're not driving into
the city and stay there and relax, are you? You explore the town and
when you've found a good spot you look for a hotel. Chances are,
if you book via internet, that you're in a part of town that's less desirable
or too far out from the inner city, or too noisy (and this happens, trust me).

Be a bit more adventurous and flexible

I'm not arguing, we're all different.

Thanks, CJ. The possible problem with that is that I'll be with my parents. I am pretty sure that looking for a hotel with them will turn my relaxation and exploration into aggravation and arguing.

But I'll think about it.

Oh, and... there are a couple of books that you might at least look at in bookstore, one is called "Charming Small Hotels in Italy", and another has a similar name.
A lot of the hotels in the book are expensive but many aren't.

That first hotel on my first trip, the one I picked from the 1* star list because of the word 'garden', in Fodor's 1988 guide - quite a primitive book by today's standards but full of good stuff - has been later in a lot of the charming hotel guides, now as a ***star.

Awright. I will do that. I want to have this thing planned by the end of this month at the latest.

By the way, does anyone know whether it's better to wait until closer to the date to book a flight? Or are the cheapest flights found by booking early?

Booking anywhere in Italy during the summer is nearly impossible, but May is perfect; Venice is getting more difficult to visit on the fly now that travel has picked up again, although, so far they are a little below usual accomodations. Unfortunately, this usually means the high-priced places are the ones with the vacancies.
Also, if you're going with your folks, they might enjoy knowing where they are staying and for how much in advance.

In Venice, one of my favorite spots is a little out of the way--La Calcina is on the Fondamenta zattare Gesuati. They serve breakfast in the garden in warm weather, and it's one of the spots that Ruskin stayed. They also have a rooftop terrace, although, once you get there, you have to reserve a spot for sunset (no charge) so they don't have a huge crowd. They have nice rooms, several with terraces, and generally larger than many.
Ph-041-5206466 and this is the website for it--
http://www.lacalcina.com/HTML/en/calcina_menu_en.html

I also like the Albergo Doni if you want to be in the thick of it. Doni is a few canals away from the Piazza, and very close to the amazing seafood trattoria La Rivetta. It's on a side canal that many gondoliers use to access the Grand Canal, so sometimes you'll hear the singers as they go by. Simple and quaint. You can have a courtyard or canal view.
Best to call in their early afternoon or late morning to get an English speaker. You can also fax at late night to the same number. Ph/fax - 041-5224267. You can book and find info at this site http://www.veneziasi.it/ita/hotel.asp?ID=DONI or you can just google albergo doni venice and it will lead you to some reviews and sites.

I tend to stay in Dorsaduro or Castello-in the Venetian action rather than tourist one. In Dorsaduro, if you can stay in the main area and not the annex, I rec. Antico Capon. Wonderful people and right on the Campo Santa Margherita, which I adore. 041-5285292

I also know of a great small apt. perfect for 3, but I think I only have the info at home, so it will have to wait. I've got a few rec.s for Bologna and nothing on Parma, but you can always trust Osso on food and place!

I'll try to get back here tonight to give you more info.

Some more book suggestions:

Karen Brown's Italy: Charming Inns and Itineraries

Karen Brown's Italy: Charming Bed and Breakfasts

Italy (Charming Small Hotels S.)

Book the hotels, kicky.
Rather that than aggravation and arguing.

My choices:

Rome: Albergo Palatino, Via Nazionale (or Via Cavour, I can't remember)
Florence: Albergo Savoy (this one is ritzy!)
Venice: Albergo Ca' d'Oro or Albergo Cavaletto
Milan: Rosa Hotel, Piazza Fontana
Modena: Albergo Canalgrande ($$$) or Albergo San Marino ($)

I posted too fast on hotel Orologio, hadn't read close enough about your parents being with you. They probably don't need a soccer team nearby, whatever the chances of that happening again, though I've seen the hotel recommended elsewhere.

I'd listen to Loislane about Venice hotels more than my mention of pensione accademia, and would listen to Fbaezer's too.

I'll still say Hotel Button was fine in Parma, unless you're looking for deluxe.

Oh man, this is all great information. Thank you all, and keep it coming! He he he...

ok, here's a site on Parma ristoranti, and it mentions Sorelle Picchi. It's only open for lunch. In fact it had closed and the family was eating their own lunch, and then flagged me in. It's true, you walk in past the culatello di zibella...

http://goeurope.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fparmait.ags.myareaguide.com%2F%3Fcityguide%3Deat_drink

il posto doppio

Here's stuff on Hotel Button - click on the Frommer's link.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187804-d236711-Reviews-Button_Hotel-Parma_Emilia_Romagna.html
I don't know about the money, re pound to a dollar.
When I was there, the euro wasn't used yet, and the dollar wasn't as dismal as it is today.

I just want to go somewhere named Bologna.

I still think they should pronounce it like Oscar Myer..... :wink:

I'm going to add some Parma info to this post, one link at a time -

actually, I changed my mind. Part of the fun of italy for me was the surprise of walking into places like the Farnese Theater (or piazza Navona) with no preconceived ideas.

So, instead - a bit of a list -

The Basics:
Parma is a city of 200,000 people, rich with culture, art, tradition and history. Its Cathedral, built in the 13th century on the ruins of an earlier structure, is a renowned example of the romanesque style in the Po valley, with a cupola painted by the artist Correggio in the sixteenth century; also located in the Piazza Duomo is the ancient Baptistery, an octagonal structure made of pink marble, an expression of the transition into Gothic styles.
Other important parts of Parma include the Old San Giovanni Pharmacy, Steccata's Church, the Camera di San Paolo, the Duke's Palace & Park, the Regio Theater, the Pilotta (explained below) and many other sites. Parma is also home to a university that was began in the ninth century, now with about 20,000 students.
While it is an urban center, Parma is also surrounded by beautiful nature, with nearby green hills, fertile countryside, seasonal flowers and plentiful vineyards, as well as the Po River that divides the city in half.

http://www.sccs.swarthmore.edu/users/99/maya/parma.html (source)

Smoking Ban Takes Effect Across Italy
January 10, 2005 2:06 PM EST
ROME - Office workers took their cigarette breaks on the street Monday after a strict law banning smoking in bars, restaurants, offices and other public spaces came into force in Italy.

Minutes after the law went into effect after midnight, a young man was fined for smoking in a bar in Naples, TV stations showed. The man's plea that a cigarette was only normal after a coffee won him no reprieve, and he was fined the minimum penalty of $36.

The law, which bans smoking in indoor spaces unless they have a separate area with continuous floor-to-ceiling walls and a ventilation system, is one of the toughest in Europe.

Among those fuming at the legislation are bar and restaurant owners who say the new rules will deter clients and that they don't have the time or money to create sealed-off smoking areas. They also have protested a provision requiring them to report on customers who flout the law, saying it is not their job to act as "sheriffs."

Some smokers claim the new rules curb individual rights.

In Milan, an organization called "Polite Smokers" threw a party in Milan, titled "The Last Cigarette," to protest the law as it came into force.

Others showed their support for the law by burning piles of cigarettes in the street.

However, some have raised concerns about whether the law will be applied. In Rome, consumer group Codacons announced a lunchtime blitz of restaurants to check that the new rules were being enforced.

In a bar in central Rome, waitress Giorgia Pasqualetti complained about having to step onto the street whenever she wanted a smoke.

"Now when I take a break, I risk catching a cold," she said. "We do not have the space to create a separate smoking room, so the only way to enjoy a cigarette is outside."

Smokers ignoring the ban face fines of up to $363, while owners of premises risk penalties as high as $2,904.

Health Minister Girolamo Sirchia, a reformed smoker, warned that "the police are not joking, they can enter anywhere, including private offices."

In the first two months, however, officials would focus on prevention and education, he told the newspaper Corriere della Sera, with no sanctions "except in extreme cases."

The law, approved in 2003, was to have gone into effect in December, but an extension was granted through the holiday period. Bars and restaurants lobbied for more time to prepare no-smoking zones but have been denied.

The autonomous province of Bolzano, which has broad powers outside central government control, delayed the law's introduction until July to give restaurants and bars longer to create no-smoking zones, the ANSA news agency said.

According to the Health Ministry figures, about 26 percent of Italians are smokers.

Non conosco nessuno Parmigiano ma conosco alcuni Milanese..

They told me this ristorante was a good one :

Parmarotta

Yes, Francis, that one was also mentioned in the earlier food site as being good.. lot of grilled food.

Here's a map, I hope - http://www.parmaitaly.it/citymap/centrostorico/centrostorico.html

Shewolf, I can only imagine the reaction of italians with the new smoking law..

http://www.able2know.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=42763&highlight=