Planning our trip:We started well in advance. This was even more important as there are a number
of people involved. I've always been interested in Italy and its been on "my list", not just for the history but for the culture, the food and the
environment.
The first ideas of which part of Italy to visit came from "Playing for Pizza"; a short novel by
John Grisham. This was set in
Parma and the descriptions of the city and surroundings are the best part of the read. Parma is a city in the Italian region of
Emilia-Romagna famous for its architecture and the fine countryside around it.
My interest was further sparked by a Rick
Steevs (an American author and host of a public television series on European travel) TV show covering
Verenna on Lake Como.
Bellagio is a
comune (municipality) in the region
Lombardy, located on
Lake Como.
It didn't take much reading and
Internet search of Tuscany - a place known for food and scenery- to be really intrigued by
Siena.
Siena is a city in
Tuscany. It is the capital of the
province of Siena. The historic centre of Siena has been declared by
UNESCO a
World Heritage Site.
Then an
internet image search brings up some pics of
Cinque Terre – WOW got to check out more –The
Cinque Terre is a rugged portion of coast on the
Italian Riviera. It is in the
Liguria region of Italy, to the west of the city of
La Spezia. "The Five Lands" comprises five villages:
Monterosso al Mare,
Vernazza,
Corniglia,
Manarola, and
Riomaggiore. The coastline, the five villages, and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the
Cinque Terre National Park and is a
UNESCO World Heritage Site.
So we had a great outline – a meeting over some rum and cards brought it all together. “We don’t want to rush from site to site, we do want to sit in the plaza and watch the people, we want to see the country and we will take advantage of the good train system in Italy”. OK so no wheeled luggage – let’s get packs so we can get on and off those trains quickly – great advice from Phil and Fran who have been there.
We finalized the places we will go and how many nights we’ll stay at each (“slow travel” not hectic travel
Slow Travel Italy ). We left only one night flexible (will find the location and a place to stay that day).
We started researching each location for accommodations – we wanted to be city centre when possible because we did not have a car. We did not always find city centre but not too far off in most cases. When we found a place that fit our needs and was not too expensive, we booked it.
Here is the plan:
From Halifax through Heathrow, land in Milan – one night in the city – train to Parma (the land of cheese, prosciutto and great food) 2 nights there, off to La Spezia enroute to the Cinque Terre, apartment in Manarola for 3 nights while visiting each village, drinking wine and the scene, what next – something en route to Siena. Probably try to do short visits to the castle in Sarzana , the tower in Pisa – not sure. The B&B apartments in Siena for 3 nights to see the city but to also wander into the Tuscan countryside. From here to an apartment in Venice (VE) for a boat ride and a couple of nights and off to Milan to catch the train to Verenna, Lake Como and ferry ride to Bellagio apartment for 3 nights. From her back to Milan and a hotel near the Malpensa airport for the last night.
It will be interesting to see how four contry bumpkins get along with Italian trains - our chosen mode of transportation. Will the language be a barrier? Stay tuned.
