Travel to relax, eat and shop ......: Northern Italy (May '10)

Decided to venture out of Switzerland after staying in Swiss for more than a month. Visited three cities: Milan (米兰), Florence (佛罗伦萨) and Venice (威尼斯) of Northern Italy with my colleague from Vienna on 13 May (Thur) to 16 May (Sun). On our second day, we took a full day Tuscany trip outside Florence which included tourist sites in Siena (锡耶纳), San Gimignano (圣吉米尼亚诺) and Pisa (比萨). Besides UNESCO World Heritage Sites, these sites have many world famous museums and landmarks.

Traveling between Neuchâtel and Milan / Venice can be tiring where train ride could take 5 to 7-hours.

Leisure trip at a glance

Country: Italian Republic
Period: 13 May to 16 May 2010
Train timings:
13 May: Neuchâtel to Lausanne, ETD 0531 ETA 0612
13 May: Lausanne to Milano Centrale, ETD 0620 ETA 0935
13 May: Milano Centrale to Firenze S.M.N., ETD 1315 ETA 1500
15 May: Firenze S.M.N. to Venezia S. Lucia, ETD 0550 ETA 0850
16 May: Venezia S. Lucia to Milano Centrale, ETD 1520 ETA 1755
16 May: Milano Centrale to Bern, ETD 1825 ETA 2123
16 May: Bern to Ins, ETD 2134 ETA 2208
16 May: Ins to Neuchâtel, ETD 2211 ETA 2224
Train tickets: Return tickets at CHF 197.10 and EUR 84.45
Accommodations:
Hotel Argentina Curtatone (13 to 15 May)
Hotel Lugano Torretta (15 to 16 May)
Currency exchange rate: EUR 1 = SGD 1.72 (May '10 period)

There is no time difference between Italy and Switzerland (Central Europe time). Total damage was about SGD 500 per trip including train tickets, transport, food and hotel, excluding personal expenses.

Here's the overview of the trip itinerary:

Day 1 – Morning train from Neuchâtel (Switzerland) to Milan (Italy). Arrived at about 9 am. Visited Santa Maria delle Grazie, Sforza Castle and Milan Cathedral. Took train to Florence and checked into our hotel. After which visited Santa Maria Novella Basilica, Basilica of Saint Lawrence, Gallery of the Academy, Florence Cathedral, Piazzale Michelangelo, Ponte Vecchio and Piazza della Signoria.

Day 2 – Had breakfast at hotel. Then joined the day trip 'Best of Tuscany' where we visited tourist sites in Siena, San Gimignano and Pisa.

Day 3 – Checked out Hotel Argentina and then took morning train from Florence to Venice. After checked in to Hotel Lugano, we took bus to Piazzale Roma and then vaporetto to St. Mark's Square. Visted St. Mark's Museum and Pala d'Oro. Took photos of Bridge of Sighs and Rialto Bridge.

Day 4 – Checked out Hotel Lugano and then visited Venice again. Return back to hotel in the afternoon to get our luggage and then took train back to Neuchâtel.

Milano Centrale railway station

Milano Centrale (photos below), or Stazione Milano Centrale in Italian, was inaugurated in 1931. It is currently the main railway station of Milan and the largest railway station in Europe in terms of volume. The station has 24 tracks and everyday about 320,000 passengers pass through the station using about 500 trains.

Milano Centrale is one of the most beautiful railway stations architecturally in Europe, with many paintings and statues decorating its main halls (photos below).

The lowest level of the station has shops, restaurants, and an entry to the Milan Metro. On the mezzanine and upper levels there are more shops and restaurants. The ground level is where the large ticket office, the left luggage facility, a post office, and most of the shops and restaurants are located.

As we intended to spend only about 3 hours in Milan, we then deposited our bags in the left luggage facility within the station (left photo below). It cost EUR 4 per piece for first 5-hours (right photo below).

Florence Santa Maria Novella (S.M.N.) railway station

Florence Santa Maria Novella or Stazione di Firenze Santa Maria Novella in Italian, was inaugurated in 1934 and it is the terminus railway station in Florence (left photo below). Similar to most railway stations in Italy, there are shops and restaurants in the station (right photo below) for the convenience of passengers. The station is strategically located where most Florence tourist attractions are within walking distance.

Venice Mestre railway station

Venice Mestre railway station or Stazione di Venezia Mestre in Italian is one of Venice's two most important stations; the other one being Venezia Santa Lucia which is located on the main island of Venice.

Venice Mestre offers cheaper hotel alternative while still being within relatively easy reach of Venice by train or bus. Also hotels in Mestre tend to be bigger than those in Venice itself, which means they typically have more facilities. This station is conveniently located besides Hotel Lugano thus saved us from carrying our luggage around on the main island of Venice.

Venezia Santa Lucia railway station

Venezia Santa Lucia railway station or Stazione di Venezia Santa Lucia in Italian, is a terminus station located at the northern edge of Venice island. As most tourists do not want to drag their heavy luaggages around, often there is a long queue of visitors waiting to deposit them in the left luaggage facility of the railway station (right photo below).

Transportation

Eurostar Italia train

Eurostar Italia is a high-speed train operated by Trenitalia in Italy (left photo below). Eurostar Italia trains are faster than regional trains but more comfortable and contemporary in design (right photo below). Ticket price no doubt also higher compared to regional trains.

Trenitalia regional train

Trenitalia is the primary train operator in Italy. For regional trains, there is no reservations required and thus free seating (photos below). Once tickets are bought, they have to be validated at the station before departure.

Milan Metro System

The Milan Metro is a rapid transit system serving Milan. The network consists of 4 lines each identified by different numbers and colors. Its stations and trains are typical of major cities in Europe (photos below).

During our trip, we only took the metro from Centrale to Duomo station to save time. Train cabins are generally packed (left photo below) so one advice is to be careful with personal belongings. A standard ticket cost EUR 3 and is valid for 24-hours after the ticket was validated (right photo below).

Venice ACTV Bus

Bus operated by Azienda del Consorzio Trasporti Veneziano (ACTV) travel from Mestre to Piazzale Roma (left photo below) which runs every eight minutes. Bus number '6' or '6/' can be boarded from the bus stop outside our hotel. However the bus condition didn't seem to be well-maintained (right photo below). The bus journey took about 10-minutes across the causeway to Venice Main island, and bus ticket cost EUR 2.20 for both ways.

Venice Water Bus Vaporetto

The word "vaporetto" refers to flat-decked and single-levelled water vessels (left photo below). It is often used to mean any kind of ACTV water bus on Line 1 and Line 2. Both lines run along the Canal Grande for about 4-kilometers. The main difference between them is the frequency of the stops:

Water Bus Line 1 (Grand Canal to Lido) stops about 15 times, the travel time on the Canal Grande is about 45 minutes.
Water Bus Line 2 (Grand Canal and Giudecca Canal) is a kind of express line and only stops about 7 times on the same route. The travel time is only 30 minutes.

Ticket counters are located only at Piazzale Roma (right photo below), Ferrovia, Rialto, and San Marco.

These vaporetti are fully accessible by wheelchairs, strollers, baby buggies, and wheeled luggage, and there are no steps between the entrance (left photo below) and the passenger cabin (right photo below).

Tickets & Fares in Venice

Travelling in Venice is really expensive! Vaporetto tickets are one price, regardless of the length of the journey. If want to save money then purchasing flexible travel passes is highly recommended.

Fares: a 75-minute ticket costs EUR 6.50 (left photo below) and entitles unlimited travel during that period, which starts at the time of validation. If plan to use vaporetti a lot, then it makes sense to buy a 1-day (EUR 20), 2-day (EUR 30) or 3-day (EUR 40) pass. One-week passes can cost EUR 60 each.
How to buy: tickets can be purchased online or at ticket offices or at tobacco shops (tabacchi), news-stands (edicole), or wherever the ACTV logo is displayed.
How to use: validate ticket by "swiping or tapping" them on machines (right photo below) located at the boarding entrance. Failure to do so could result in a hefty fine. Price includes one piece of luggage not exceeding 150-cm.

Accommodation

Hotel Argentina Curtatone

Booked this hotel via the internet for SGD 262.34 per standard room for 2 nights. Hotel Argentina Curtatone (left photo below) is located in the prestigious historical centre of the city, on the banks of the Arno River and just 400-meters away from Florence Santa Maria Novella train station.

Standard amenities were provided in the room, but the room was rather small compared to other European cities (photos below).

Breakfast was no frills with a limited selection but acceptable (photos below).

Here were my choice (left photo below) and my colleague's selection (right photo below) during our stay.

Hotel Lugano Torretta

We also booked this hotel via the internet for EUR 80.00 per standard room for a single night. Hotel Lugano Torretta (left photo below) is located besides Venice Mestre railway station.

Room was decorated with simple furnishing (right photo below). Due to our misconception during booking, we had missed the breakfast at this hotel.

Interesting Observations

Small electric cars were spotted in Florence (photos below) which was uncommon back in Singapore.
Seasonal flowers bloomed on window boxes! This sight was common when we walked pass the residential houses in Venice (photos below). I always thought such sight could only occur in paintings or animations.
Partial flooding at St. Mark's Square seemed to be a common sight in Venice (photos below).