This will be our longest trip yet. We fly into Milan from Washington, D.C., via JFK. Having been there before, we'll stay just two days to get acclimated.
From there, we'll train to Bologna and use an Airbnb as our base for 14 nights. We then have four nights in Vicenza (hotel), followed by six nights in Trieste (hotel), both by train. Next, we'll train to Treviso for an 11-night stay (apartment) and, finally, train to Venice (apartment) for four nights before flying home to D.C. via Atlanta. Some of those stays might seem long, but we like to plop and play locals as much as possible.
I love those Italian breakfasts that the hotels feed us. But given the length of stays in three places, we thought it better to have a place with some additional room to stretch out. Also, we like heading out to the local markets and whipping up a meal or so with market purchases.
We'll pre-book all trains prior to leaving the U.S. to get those super discount fares, including day trips from each location.. I'm thinking we need to research finding a day guide in, perhaps, Bologna, Treviso and Trieste. Definitely a food tour in Bologna.
This will be our second visit to Venice, but we love the place and we plan to stay in a neighborhood we haven't seen before - the Old Jewish Quarter.
Phone-wise, I think the Verizon International plan at $10 a day for my wife's phone is on the expensive side. But it worked last time and we'll use it sparingly. I'll get a local SIM card for my phone.
Restaurants. Yes, we'll line up a few recommendations for each city. A good lunch gets us through most days - usually followed by nibbles along with our evening spritz (Campari, please).
And, so, the planning continues. Need to think about how much cash to stash in the debit account for ATM withdrawals, some good walks in each locale, specific museums/churches, etc.
Suggestions/tips appreciated.