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Modena 16th
– 18th April
After
spending about 45 hours of traveling, we landed at Bologna
airport. We were greeted by a limo driver to take us to our hotel in Modena,
about 30 mins away. It was about 5:30pm,
and it was raining, but that was OK, we were happy to be in Italy
at last!
We
were jetlagged for the whole 3 days that we spent in Modena,
but this was our first taste of Italy,
so we didn’t let that stop us. This was the first time that we tried to speak
Italian (with some limited success), and the first time we tasted Italian
coffee.
The
highlights of Modena were
visiting the Panini Museum,
doing a tour of the Maserati Factory, and visiting the Ferrari Galleria in
Maranello
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Parma 19th
– 21st April
The
whole reason that we went to Parma
was to do the Maserati Driving course. The hotel that we stayed at was about
10km out of town, so we didn’t actually get to have a look around the town at
all.
Having
said that, we did spend two fabulous days as guests of Maserati, living it
up, and driving the fantastic Maerati around a race track for two days. This
was one of the many highlights of the trip for me, it was a once-in-a-lifetime
experience. Take a look at some of the photos!
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Bologna 22nd
– 23rd April
We
only stayed in Bolonga for 2 nights, but that was plenty, we got to see a lot
of this very pretty city. We stayed in a very average hotel (Holiday Inn) on
the outskirts of town, but thankfully the bus system is easy to use, and
cheap.
Bolonga
is full of great little squares, and it’s well worth your time to just wander
down little side streets, it’s amazing what you’ll find.
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Venice 24th
– 25th April
We
only stayed 2 nights in Venice,
and it wasn’t near enough, you really need at least 4 or 5 nights to gain an
appreciation of this wonderful and unique city.
April
turned out to be the perfect time of year to visit Venice,
the weather was nice, but the crowds were manageable. In any case, it’s best
to walk around early in the morning, when the air is fresh, and the crowds
still in bed.
Our
Hotel was right on the Grand Canal, just down from the
Rialto Bridge,
and it turned out to be an ideal, central location.
Be
prepared though, Venice is very
expensive, but you really need to spend a little money to get the most from
it.
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Bellagio 26th – 27th April
I don’t
think I’ve ever been anywhere in my life that is more picturesque, peaceful
or calming than Bellagio, right on the tip of the peninsula on Lake
Como.
We
stayed in a fantastic hotel (Hotel Florence) and our room had wonderful views
of the lake. The bus trip from Como
to Bellagio can be scary, the roads are very narrow, but once you are there,
everything changes. Walking around the villages on the lake can be a
challenge, the streets are very steep, but getting between the villages is
very easy, regular ferries run all day.
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Milan 28th
– 29th April
Milan
is OK, but I don’t really have any desire to go back there again. There are
some nice things to see, including the incredible Duomo, but really, it’s a
pretty ordinary city. Most people rave about the shopping, but if you’re not
really into that, like us, then Milan
doesn’t have a great deal to offer.
In
retrospect, I would much rather have spent the 2 days we spent in Milan
in Venice instead, and given Milan
a miss altogether.
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Cinque Terre 30th April – 1st May
The Cinque
Terre are 5 small villages that lay along the Mediterranean coastline on the
Italian Riviera. They cover about 12km of coastline. The villages are
Riomaggiore, Manarola, Corniglia, Vernazza and Monterosso. We stayed in
Monterosso.
There
is a train line that runs between each of the towns, but the best way to get
there is to walk along the coast trails. They can be hard going, but the
scenery is spectacular.
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Florence 2nd
May – 3rd May
Florence
is a beautiful city, with plenty to see. If, unlike us, you are into art,
there is even more to see! One site to visit that is rarely mentioned is the Bobini
Gardens, just on the other side
of the Ponte Vecchio, well worth a visit.
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Pisa 4th
May
We
didn’t actually stay in Pisa, we
just passed through on the way from Florence
to Siena. It rained constantly
that day, and now whenever I see the pictures of Pisa,
I just remember being cold and wet.
It’s
a nice place though, well worth a visit. Climbing the tower is expensive, but
worth it, the view is great.
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Siena 4th
May
It
was after 6pm by the time we got to
Siena. It had been the first day
that we had driven in Italy,
and it was pouring rain all day, so we were pretty tired by the time we got
there. We spent a few hours the following morning, walking around the town in
the rain, but then had to leave. It looked like a really rice place, I just
wish that we could have spent more time there.
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Assisi 5th
May
We didn’t
actually stay in Assisi, we just
passed through on the way from Siena
to Todi. It was still raining while we were there, which limited how much we
got to see, however what we did see we nice. Next time we come to Italy,
we’ll spend more time in Tuscany
and Umbria, and hopefully the
weather will be a bit better too
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Todi 5th May
Todi
is a quiet little town on top of a hill, surrounded by city walls. Unfortunately,
we had tried to cram too much of Tuscany
and Umbria into just a couple
of days, and given the poor weather, it meant we didn’t get to see a great
deal. We did spend a bit of time walking around the town though, it looked
very nice.
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Rome 6th -
10th May
Rome,
at last! The sun started to shine again after we arrived, and we had 5 days
to look around. Rome was a real
highlight, and for me, Ancient Rome was what it was all about. Having said
that, the Vatican
and St Peters were also
excellent.
Rome
is the sort of place you could spend a month in, and still not see
everything.
We
threw a coin each into the Trevi fountain, which is supposed to guarantee our
return, but when?
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