We are planning our second RS tour. Before our Village Italy Tour we will be staying two nights in Verona at the Relais Empire Hotel. At the end of our tour we will stay two nights in Milan at the Hotel Berna and one more night at a Hilton property close to the Milan-Malpensa airport. We are looking for suggestions of what to see, where to eat and any reviews of these two hotels in Verona and Milan. Any tips on the Village Italy Tour would be greatly appreciated also.
Posted by
Idaho, USA
7943 posts
Verona: I stayed there two nights again last year and have included my Trip Report summary for that day below. If you are there during the opera season, purchase tickets now. Previously, we enjoyed touring the arena, people watching at Piazza Bra, and we purchased the Verona Card to see several sites. Even though it's fake, you will want to stop at the Juliet Balcony corridor. There's a nice evening stroll, so pick up a gelato in the evening and enjoy this beautiful city.
Verona – 2 Days: Another activity that dictated my itinerary dates was attending the Aida Opera at the Roman Arena. What an experience to sit under the stars in the historical arena and hear an opera in Italian in Italy! Since my husband & I had previously stayed several days in Verona, I also had reserved both a bike tour & a cooking class with Veronality to fill my two days here. I thoroughly enjoyed both of them, although the cooking class in Lucca was even better. I booked Hotel Bologna because it was within site of the arena, and I knew the opera would finish around 12:30am. In hindsight, there were plenty of people walking around, so I could have stayed a few blocks further away.
Milan: I stayed at the Hotel Berna last year. Here's what I wrote in my Trip Report summary for my day in Milan:
This hotel has the ultimate customer service – professional, cordial, and the room had my favorite soft drink, water & juice stocked (when you book on their site). They even had subway tickets for sale when I checked in, and their delicious breakfast buffet options catered to multiple nationalities. Since I was in Milan on a Monday, I was unable to see the Last Supper. But, I enjoyed going through the magnificent Duomo, walking through the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and area. I walked a few blocks to tour the Museo Poldi Pezzoli, a home containing a private collection of paintings, glass, weapons, furnishings, interesting time-keeping pieces, glass drawers of beautiful lace, etc. There were only a few other people in the museum, making it a very enjoyable time.
Posted by
OP
Galt, CA
34 posts
Thank you Jean for all the good information. We do appreciate you taking the time to respond.
Posted by
Portland, OR
378 posts
More kudos for Hotel Berna - you made a good selection.
If you want to see the Last Supper, it's imperative that you acquire tickets as soon as possible or purchase them through a re-seller. It took us two trips to Milan to see, but more than worth it. The Duomo was one of our highlights in Italy. Milan is more modern than some of the "first trip sights", but we enjoy it,. The Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and area is definitely worth a look. Also, it's the 500 year anniversary of Da Vinci's death and I would assume there would be many opportunities in Milan.
Can't help with Verona. Have a great trip!