Yeah, thanks Walter. I posted my opinion on that thread.
Health Minister Girolamo Sirchia,
a reformed smoker, warned that "the police are not joking, they can enter anywhere, including private offices."
I pentiti sono i peggiori!
Hmmm, re Parma - this fancy looking place actually looks less expensive, for 3, (I made up the dates, forgot the exact ones) than the Hotel Button. The Button rates look high to me, but time has passed and dollar dwindled.
Starhotel du parc
edit, I just figured out it's just outside of town.
Found a little list of other hotels, am looking at them.
Signed, the mad researcher.
Okay, edit #2 -
I went through the list of "other hotels in Parma" on the TripAdvisor site (from the Button link earlier) and found most of them out of the city, which may or may not matter to you, Kicky. And most are more expensive than the Button. Button, one of the few in town (Hotel Torino is too, over by the train station) and is pretty happily located - see earlier posted map, piazza Garibaldi.
It seems they have either have one triple room or can make a triple room.
tel 0521-208039, fax 0521-238783. Not sure if that is what you dial from New York, if you need numbers before that.
But this reminds me - depending on how much you like or don't like hotel breakfasts, they cost money you might like to spend elsewhere. When I reserved those eleven hotels by phone/fax, I asked them if I could reserve without breakfast. (A friend's daughter's italian companion used to run the breakfast concession and bar at a hotel in Florence.) I think 10 of the 11 subtracted the breakfast fee and that added up to a good savings over 29 days..
This matters to me, aside from the money, since I'd much rather go find a Bar like Caffe Orientale and have a dolce and cappuccino, way cheaper and more fun. The Orientale has more than dolci for breakfast too, though most bars don't. Be aware, if you are not already, that sitting down at a table tends to, but not always, cost money.
OK, I'll be quiet for a while.
Osso, you are so damn helpful. I am not sure about the breakfast thing yet. To me, I think whatever's cheaper is good, but I'll have to talk to my parents about it tonight and see how they feel about it. But thank you so much, and thank you to everyone else who has provided so much information here.
I just bought Frommer's "Italy from $70 a day", and that place you suggested, Osso, the Orologio is in there. I guess I have some research to do.
Thanks again everyone. I REALLY REALLY appreciate it. I'll be back with more questions, I'm sure.
I agree with Osso on page 2 about booking in advance. You should book in advance. Maybe keep an open mind about changing reservations if you can once you get there. You just never know what event may be happening in the city while you're there and with your parents in tow, it's better safe than sorry.
Fran, who knows Bologna, was on the phone and on the net for hours trying to find local hotels to a conference she was going to - this was not peak season, but it was during some event or other. If you're going to major cities, book in advance. If you're going to smaller cities, still book in advance.
And, if you do end up visitng Lucca, I can probably get good info on hotels and eateries as that's the seat of my ancesteral family. Many of my american family members have been there and we are still in touch with some of the family there. Unfortunately, or fortunately, when I was there I didn't eat out or stay in hotels.
I just looked the Orologio up, tried to pretend I was staying there, can't remember what, they didn't have 3 to a room, I think. Frankly I remember it as sort of depressing. We weren't all that in love with Bologna. It was grey and rainy, John got a cold, we waved bye-bye Bologna.
I know other people love it though.
Kept looking. Did fbaezer suggest Corona de Oro? (it sounds familiar, looks wonderful, but is huge money in May, unless I screwed up.)
Kept looking, found the best western Donato, I like (it may be just me) the looks of it, and they don't have three to a room either. On the other hand, they're less expensive, and it may be that you grow to appreciate having your own room once in a while, possibly at the same total price. Best Western Donato is not right next to piazza Maggiore, but is not all that far away either. (There's a map on the Tripadvisor site).
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187801-d278973-Reviews-Best_Western_San_Donato-Bologna_Emilia_Romagna.html There's a good picture of it on the orbitz link, I think.
Your welcome, Kicky, but, y'know, I love this stuff. Luckily, I work tomorrow so I'll stop pestering you.
Need to go back and see what fbaezer suggested.
As to Modena, and Ferrara, Fbaezer used to live in Modena.
I was there about a day and a half, not long enough to know it, but didn't dislike it. I liked the colors... to me each city has a color palate.. I think of Modena as a greyed red with nifty iron ballustrades... It's also famed for good food. I haven't been in Ferrara, plan to go there sometime.
Back on three in a room - I had a roommate on my last trip for about a week and I am never never never never going to do that again, unless it's a lover. It gives you almost no time apart, she says, grinding teeth.
Lucca is the place I would live in Italy if I could, except maybe Rome..
Flashing lights warning, warning - many of the links give prices for right now, not May. big diff - you have to fill in the form to find out what it is in May.
I dunno if Lucca is 'city' enough for me. If I were to retire to Italy, I'd retire to Lucca.
cool, interactive map:
http://www.luccatourist.it/mappaprovincia.asp
Well, of course, I'd have my rome apartment, and keep a place in CA as well. If I am going to do this, I will need to start buying lottery tickets.
Osso, you weren't so impressed with Bologna? When I started this thread I was sure I wanted to go to Bologna, but I'm actually going back and forth between Bologna and Milan for the start of my trip. I want to go to Parma, and I know it's pretty close to both cities. So now, I'm leaning back towards going to Milan. Oy.
Kicky, consider visting smaller cities instead of bigger cities. In my limited, but varied experience, big cities are very much the same, with different decorations.
ossobuco wrote:Well, of course, I'd have my rome apartment, and keep a place in CA as well. If I am going to do this, I will need to start buying lottery tickets.
I have my fingers crossed for you - if you win, can I crash at your Italy apts some day?
Well, since I've never been outside the United States, I don't think I'll get bored no matter what cities I visit. But I am interested in checking out some smaller cities too. I just don't know if I'll have enough time. Damn work, always getting in the way of my leisure time.
Well, then, research. And think about what you really want to see. Do you want to see the heart and blood of Italy? Or do you want to see the facade? Maybe both?
Can I suggest Barga if you're going to be near Lucca? It's a gorgeous middle-of-no-where town/city with a little gothic (or is it medieval?) church set high on a hill.
Or maybe Sienna and Assisi - two old OLD cities with a huge tourist industry and probably zero night life.
I assume your parents are religious - make some trips to the churches - they are breath-taking (and this from a heathen).
Of course you can, littlek, it'd be a pleasure.
I wrote something like that on the airline price thread, can't remember if I erased that paragraph or not..
I think it's a push to do, say, Venice, Florence, Rome. Well, Florence isn't big, but it is chock full of tourists, as are the other two. But many people need to do them together, since they may well not be back for years if ever.
On our second trip, we stayed in Rome 5 nights (natch, for us) and then hopped a train and got off in Siena (2 nights), took a bus to Arezzo (1 night), took a train to Perugia (2 nights), Orvieto (1 night - fbaezer has spent more time in Orvieto and likes it a lot) and then back to Rome, preplane (1 night). Those are all short hops. Except for Rome, they're not very big cities, and pretty apprendible, like Lucca is. That adds up to about two weeks, with the flights. So, how many places is that, 6 - and we didn't end up exhausted.
First trip, we spent first 5 days in Rome, took train to Venice (2 nights, I need to go back), train to Bologna (1 night and outta there), train to Firenze (3 nights I think, great time, even though John was still sick); then we rented a car and moved around Tuscany, staying mostly in a village called Strove, near Siena, and driving somewhere like Volterra and coming back each day. (Came back to LA and painted 17 paintings based on photos around that little town and started taking italian - that was when I fell crushingly for italy, that time in Strove). Then back to Rome, with side trips to Ostia Antica and Tivoli and Bagnaia (Villa Lante), for another week. Trip of my life, and his too. (We just got off the phone..)
So, what, even though that trip had Rome, Venice, Florence, it was long enough to include many small villages/towns I haven't mentioned individually, that give more texture to the experience.
Something happens when you are in a place for more than two days, for me anyway.. as the days accumulate it becomes more and more yours. Well, you are still just a tourist, but that's from the outside, inside you change a little. People get to know you at least as a particular tourist, acquaintanceships start up, you see the same people in the early morning at Nannini's..
So on the last trip I ended up in Lucca four days and Firenze four days (I know that sounds quaint.) Nothing compared to people like fbaezer who lived in Modena, or people from a village who have always lived there.
But more than a dash.
I've friends who just go to Umbertide for a few weeks and hang out..
This is all too much information, but I'm having a lot of fun.
Kicky, littlek's housemate could tell you more about Bologna, I shouldn't spook you towards it.
My italian teacher met her american husband there, the cad, after moving from Padova. (Padova, another place I really want to go.. did you know they have canals there too?) Anyway, Camilla said that Bologna is full of places where people just break out singing opera, opera bars, as it were.
That is a good idea, littlek. I will check into those places.
Yeah, my parents are religious, alright. I am sure they would love to see at least a couple of the little towns too.
By the way, how many times have you been to Italy?
