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

With all this info, I'm surprised your head hasn't exploded, Kicky! It's dangerous to have the word Italy in a post here. Many passionate ideas here!

Remember, it's what interests YOU, not us...although Calamity may have something there with us acting as tour guides;-)

One thing more, the trip from Malpensa is easier nowadays by bus to metro and then in directly, so don't let that dissuade you.

That's right, there was a big remod at Malpensa recently, wasn't there.

Fb, I admit t'was stupid of us, but that was my then-reaction, and more strongly my husband's, Disneyland was his word. It wasn't blaming Venice, even back then; it was the situation with the people visiting.

I've since learned better, at some length - I have been fascinated by some of the history, Scarpa, for example, and their rather unusual tendency not to promote one person to unchallengeable power - but haven't been back and not because I don't want to go. But it's just not first for me.

Prague, Munich, I want to hear about your trip, Calamity.

I do see I am putting too much self into this and adding confusion. Slapping m'fingers.

Okay, I'm thinking a little differently now. I have been reading up on Milan, and also listening to what you all have had to say, and I think I wouldn't mind seeing it, but I don't want to spend a fortune for a hotel there.

I looked on airbookers.com and found a flight that gets into Milan at 10:45 AM on saturday. My idea is that we take that flight, and then take the train to Parma, and try to stay at the Button hotel that night. I just sent a request to them for rates and availability.

I wonder if there is any place to put our luggage though, if we do decide to check out Milan for a little while during that day. I won't be too upset if that's not an option, but I wonder...

I'm almost afraid to ask, but what do you guys think of that idea?

I think you should pack light.

Sounds good to me, since I love Parma and it's sort of an elegant (to me) relatively quiet place to plop down. But fbaezer knows both and likes Milan better...
anyway, there should be a place to put your bags at the Milan station where you come in from the airport... I'm not sure if that is at the train station or the Metropolitana (subway), which is right there too. (I am thinking I actually took my bag with me, I travelled very light.) The duomo, etc. are right at another station, easy. Clear signage, as I remember, in all of these places. You might look up Metropolitana - Milano on google and see what you find re a map.

Let's Go guide or one of those should have a clue if one of us doesn't, I'm sure there is a place to put the bags.

His parents might not pack light though...
I remember seeing my cousins off from LAX to go to a wedding in Torino. They were gone eight days. I swear a large cart was stacked, stacked, I say, stacked, with luggage.

Me, a carryon duffle and a large purse (with smaller one inside) for 29 days. I got away with it by sending guidebooks and crappo home once a week or so. Plus guidebooks are heavy. I am a ruthless tearer-outer of pages.

I am going to try desperately to get my mother to pack light. She's pretty good about that stuff, so I don't think she'll be bringing half the house with her, but still, I'm sure we will have too much to just carry around while we're checking out the city. I will check that stuff out that you suggested, Osso. But first, I'm going to find out about a couple more hotels in Parma.

I just sent an e-mail to Hotel Torino, which had great reviews on Tripadvisor.

I'm going to feel so much better once I get this first part of the trip settled. What a pain!

Hotel Torino was the one other possibility to me, near the station, which is a pleasant busride from the heart of the town. And, the hotel Torino was much cheaper.....

I didn't see the review, that's good...

Well, as a rule, always pack light, but with great versatility. You can check bags at the station; I believe Milan still has a porter set up as well as lockers (in fact lockers may be a no no again) so you're paying per piece and time.

Parma...well, it sounds awesome to me, never been there, but are you moving away from Venice etc. entirely? Sigh. Ah well. The one thing I will say in its defense is that one street away from San Marco, the Ruga Giuffa and the tourist pilgrimage spots is the real Venice, quiet, real, and decaying most splendidly.
But Osso and DK has intrigued me enough to add Parma to my next trip. Seems like if you're doing Parma, you might continue on to Bologna for a day trip the next day or so or make your next stop in Ravenna. Or just proceed from there to Florence.

Florence is loud, it's crowded and no more fabulous expression of the medieval/renaissance exists. It's those tiny streets, that medieval ground plan that can make it deafening. High stone walls, loads of motor bikes tiny canyons. Loud.
BUT cross the bridge into Oltr'Arno and you're in another Florence. Much quieter, but still easily accessible to all the sites.
If you're kinda freaky, I highly recommend the Museum of the History of Science. I waited 6 years for this renovation to be finished, and it was worth it. They have renaissance style mock-ups of Galileo's "machines" that proved theories of acceleration on falling bodies and the like, and you can see them in action. There is a HUGE hall with nothing but globes, from 6 cm to 3m in diameter; there are early surgical instruments (ok these were a bit scary), and great devices illustrating optical illusions. A fun few hours.

oh, we were gonna give you a rest weren't we? Oops. Us west coast types will not be stopped! It's early, wake up!!
sorry.

Kicky, are you looking into two rooms? I'm beginning to agree with Calamity that Triples are harder to find, though it seems the Button had one, and adjusting to think you might end up all being happier.. and that it might be no more expensive and maybe even less.

Actually, I was thinking of doing Parma that one day and night, and then doing Venice on the 29th. One step at a time though. Once I get Parma all figured out I'll see what's next. I might be changing a lot of the plans I thought I had all figured out when I started this thread.

Closing hand over mouth re Venice. I know I was wrong...

Well, when I e-mailed them I asked for a triple, or a room with two double beds, and I told them there would be three of us. I just figured that two rooms would automatically be more money. Once I hear from them I might check into two rooms though, like you say. I'd like my own room too.

Wait, let me go exploring.

Okay. I'm going to get some dinner and take a break for a little while. Damn, you love this stuff, don't you, osso?

Yes, it makes my blood circulate.

On TripAdvisor, on Parma, Italy hotels, I clicked on Button Hotel, and then when that came up, on Frommer's and it said
Prices 108€ double; 138€ triple. Rates include continental breakfast

Yikes, I just realized I was mixing up symbols before, when I said it had seemed to go way up in price - I mistook the euro symbol for pound, both of which I'm dumb about, am used to Lire.
Button is as inexpensive, relatively, as it was when I was in 1999. 138E x 1.2 = $166. for a triple, a good deal. On the other hand, that is for right now, January.

Okay, money is a problem here, so why not rent an
apartment in different places kicky?

They are cheaper and you could eat some meals in house
and safe money there too.

Here are some in Parma http://www.vacanzeinfamiglia.it/qryresult.asp

The same website lets you choose by region.
In Florence you can have an entire week for 4 people
at 670 Euro.

CJ, good thinking! I did think of that. I requested info on an apartment in Toscany a couple days ago. I haven't heard back from that place...hmmm...gotta go check my e-mail...

Yeah, Osso, that hotel does seem pretty inexpensive. I looked on expedia and venere.com and they both came back with "no rooms available" for May 28th, for both Button and Torino, but I figured I'd at least e-mail the hotels directly and hope for the best.

Well... there's the apartment (wasn't it?) that Loisl mentioned in Venice..

or, a middle place, like Modena or Bologna, you could stay there in an apartment and whiz around by train...

I have no experience with apartments, can you just take them for, say, four days?