[2014 Italy] Pre-trip preparations

The annual international conference is here again, and this time, it's in Milan. I have to admit: I wasn't very excited in the beginning. Yes yes, Milan is the fashion capital of the world. But for someone who's not really in pulse with fashion and don't care much for designer brands, it's not too exciting. Even if it's Italy. But then I thought: well it has been a while since I visited Europe, so why not get a vacation out of it? Boss said yes, so two weeks it is. Rick Steves' guidebook in hand, it took me a while to decide where to go. I was torn between a driving trip in Tuscany vs. major cities. Eventually, my fear for driving in a city where I don't speak the language triumphed, and I decided on Florence and Rome. I almost wanted to squeeze in Venice, just so that I can see it in better light and wipe away the cold and gloomy Venice I visited 10 years ago (has it really been that long already?!), but scratched it because I didn't want to spend valuable time traveling between cities. After long hours of cross-referencing tripadvisor and chowhound for dining options, the final itinerary is as follows:



5/5-5/10 Florence (staying in Hotel Pendini)
attractions: Uffizi, Duomo, Mercato Centrale, Accademia, Palazzo Pitti, Giardini di Boboli, L'erbolario (shopping), Tuscany day trip, Fiesole sunset
Lunch options: Trattoria Mario, Nerbone, 'Ino, Fratellini, La Casalinga
Dinner options: Buca dell Orafo, Osteria Vini e Vecchi Sapori, I Due G

5/11 Florence->Milan (staying in Hotel Ariosto)
5/12-5/16 Conference
attractions: Duomo di Milano, Teatro alla Scala

5/16 Milan->Rome (staying in Hotel Apollo)
5/17-5/19 Rome
attractions: Vatican, Castel Sant'Angelo, Tazzo d'Oro, Pantheon, Campo Di Fiori, Colosseum, Roman Forum
Lunch options: Pizzarium, Forno Campo di Fiori, Forno Roscioli
Dinner options: Da Armando Al Pantheon, Taverna dei Fori Imperiali, Roscioli

As is obvious from the map above, I'm backtracking a bit with this itinerary. My original plan was to squeeze in Florence and Rome before the conference, but couldn't quite get the timing right. Oh well, Trenitalia is pretty fast: Milan to Rome takes only 3 hours, so I won't be wasting too much time.

Two weeks before leaving, I called to makes reservations for the Uffizi, Accademia and the underground guided tour of the Colosseum, because seriously, who wants to spend precious time in Italy standing in lines? Also made online reservations for a guided tour of the Vatican Museum. Unfortunately I waited too long to research Trenitalia tickets. Turns out they often have presales with huge discounts, but I missed that and ended up with business class tickets. Some people recommend buying tickets at the train station rather than in advance, but for a control freak like myself, that's unthinkable. I also tried booking a few of the restaurants, either by calling or online reservation on their website, but nobody replied. Oh well, I thought, I've never had trouble getting into restaurants by myself, shouldn't be a problem this time...(boy was I wrong about that!) Besides, I'm sure anything in Italy will taste AWESOME (I was wrong about that too...)

Fast forward to the days before my flight, anxiety set in. I'm spending 5 days in Florence? The city where most people use as a base for Tuscany and barely devote 1 day? Am I nuts? And Rome only gets 2.5 days? What was I thinking? Actually, I was thinking the word that almost everyone uses in association with Rome: chaotic. I'm going on vacation, and chaotic doesn't sound very well with vacation. So Florence 5 days, Rome 2.5 days it is!

Staring at my itinerary (the detailed one, with times, not gonna bore you guys with that one), it's jam-packed. What happened to the vacation with lots of coffee, people-watching and relaxing strolls that I promised myself? All I can say is, Europe is just too chock-full of amazingness and there's just not enough time, even if I spend a lifetime there. So, dear readers, ready to come to Italy with me?