May 13th - Best of Italy Tour

We're on that tour one week ahead of you! I'm sorry I won't get to meet you. Have a wonderful time, Stacy!

Thanks. Have a great trip!!

Hello Stacy!
My niece Meredith & I will be on that same trip. Like you we can't wait to (a) be in Italy and (b) meet the group we'll be sharing our time with! We have plans for Milan on Thurs 12 May, but I can't say for certain just when we'll be traveling up to Varenna. This is a special trip for my niece and I'm staying pretty flexible so to meet her needs and desires. We're excited about the cooking school adventure that we'll do Friday before our official 5pm start! Perhaps we'll see you around the hotel on Thursday evening or Friday morning. Stay well, travel smart. Janet

Thanks for the reply. I will be in MIlan on Wed 5/11 and Thurs 5/12 traveling to Varenna on 5/13 on the 12:20 train. Have a great time in Milan and see you at the hotel on Friday at 5pm.

Stacy

Hi Stacy,
We are on the same Tour. We (wife, brother & sister-in-law) arrive in Milan Thursday morning staying Hotel Milano and will be leaving for Varenna on the 2:20 train on Friday. We will heading to the top of the Duomo Thursday mid afternoon and have a Last Supper Tour Friday morning.

We are really looking forward to the trip.

Steve

It's a great tour. Went in 2019, I think. We missed Last Super, because of flight delays. Who is your guide? We had Sarah Corfield. She was fabulous.

We have Vanessa Nicol

You will love this tour, I did it in October 2016. I stayed 2 nights in Milan and went on 2 Walks of Italy tours, one, a walking tour including tickets to The Last Supper and the walk to the top of the Duomo! Highly recommend this. I bought my ticket online with WalksofItaly.com.

The 2nd Walks of Italy tour I did was a Brera Art Gallery tour with only 3 people so each of us got more attention from the guide. We could ask more questions about the art. Several Caravaggio paintings were a pleasant surprise. I also liked being on this tour because it was in a different neighborhood and I could see people out at sidewalk cafes enjoying the afternoon!

You are lucky you met some other tourmates on the forum, I was a solo traveler but met some wonderful people who I’m still FB friends with.

We are taking this tour in September. Looking for tour reports. How did it go?

The whole tour was fabulous. We had Vanessa as our tour guide and I am so happy we did. She was fantastic!! Just be ready for huge crowds at all of the top attractions, especially in Rome. Take an umbrella with you when visiting the Forum and Colosseum where there is little shade and can get quite hot. Also be prepared for some hotels not to have elevators. Some of the hotels are better than others and the only one I was really disappointed with was in Rome (Hotel Aberdeen). You are going to see so much fabulous art and architecture and beautiful little towns (Assisi was my personal favorite) . The food is fantastic especially all of the dinners included with the tour. When in Venice, try to be in St. Mark's Square for sunrise. Not only will you have it mostly to yourself, but it is a stunning sight and then go over to the Bridge of Sighs and get a picture without any crowds in the shot. Same goes for Rome, I have a picture of the empty Spanish steps and a mostly empty Trevi Fountain. There is a lot of walking and it will be hot so be prepared and always make sure you have water. There are many public restrooms, but you have to pay for them or go to cafe and buy an espresso to use theirs. Bring your swimsuit as you will definitely want to take a dip when you are in Cinque Terre and we had a pool in Lake Como and at the Wine Resort outside of Orvieto. Be careful on public transport and in crowds as pickpocketing is prevalent and watch your bags on the train from Milan to Lake Como (if you are traveling that way). The tour packs a lot in and is fast paced at times, but I think it was an excellent itinerary and included everything you would want to see. Just remember, you can sleep/relax at home for free!!!

If you want to know anything else, please let me know. I would be happy to help.

Stacy

Stacy, you said Hotel Aberdeen was your least favorite hotel. I have stayed there 2 or 3 times, but not recently, and thought it was very adequate. What didn't you like about it as compared to the other tour hotels where you stayed.

Thanks for the report.

Laurie:

I thought the room was rather dated, lacking in any kind of comfort and the bathroom was in serious need of an update. It was also very hot when we were there and the air conditioning worked more like a fan which made sleeping uncomfortable. The breakfast was just basic. I will say that the staff was great and responded to problems/requests immediately. I don't want to put anyone off of the property, it is just my opinion, but I am glad I made reservations at another hotel by the Spanish Steps for my 3 days in Rome after the tour.

Stacy

Laurie Beth, we recently were in Rome on our own, and stayed at the Aberdeen. It has always been our favorite hotel in Rome. The main difference we saw this time was that because of Covid concerns, the good buffet breakfast has morphed into a third rate skimpy selection. It's still pretty much a buffet, but it consisted mostly of things like pre-packaged sandwiches and plastic wrapped rolls, which were not at all good. The last day we were there I decided to hit a bakery early to get some good bread, but it was Sunday and most of them were closed. I was able to bring back a cornetto for my husband, but I couldn't find just a plain panino type roll for myself. So the breakfast was a big disappointment.

The wifi in the room was very weak; the only place I could get a signal was by the toilet! So I would go out into the hall when I needed to check email or whatever.

The staff were, as always, wonderful, and the room was fine. More than adequate, but not "special."

Thank you for the comments on Hotel Aberdeen cvc200mp and Jane. Disappointing, but understandable. Hopefully as covid becomes endemic like flu their former breakfast will return...Wifi and ac weak are very common, unfortunately.