# Leaving soon - Munich, Northern Italy and Florence



## P&T (Jun 20, 2010)

This will be an 11-day loop through northern Italy down to Florence excluding the Como area but including a bit of the west coast. 
Rovereto, Venice, Padua, Verona, Modena, Cinque Terre, Lucca, Pisa, Florence and surrounding towns, Bologna, Bolzano
Hotels listed have parking garages

Day 1: Fly from Charlotte, NC, to Munich (a direct flight on Lufthansa)

Day 2: Arrive in Munich at approximately 8:00 a.m., go directly to the BMW Welt. *Any suggestions on a good boutique hotel?*

Day 3: Drive through the Brenner Pass and visit the Reifenstein Castle (a.k.a. Castel Tasso) on our way to Rovereto where we will stay at the Hotel Relais Palazo Lodron.

Day 4: We plan to travel on toward Venice, see Venice a bit, and then spend the night in Padua at the Hotel Galileo.

Day 5: We will stop in Verona and travel on toward Emilia-Romagna area to see Ferrari museum, tour the towns, and eat great food. We will stay at the Real Fini Baia Del Re in Modena.

Day 6: Originally planned to go to Cinque Terre. However, I just read an article in the NY Times which recommends Lerici, San Terenzo, Fiascherino, and Tellaro. This area is not crowded with tourists, and the drive between the towns is similar to the one along the Amalfi Coast (which is one of Europe's best)! http://travel.nytimes.com/2010/06/20/travel/20next.html *Any thoughts on this? *

Day 7: visit Pisa and Lucca ending in Florence and staying at The Regency Hotel.

Day 8,9: we will be in Florence for 3 nights and tour the city and many surrounding hill towns, vineyards, archaeological sites, etc. I read about staying in Fiesole and I may switch the stay in Florence for a say in Fiesole. *Any advice on this? *

Day 10: we will drive from Florence to Bolzano, with quick stops in Bologna and Trento.

Day 11: head back to Munich to drop the car off and fly out the next day.

**The hotels listed all have parking garage, bathrooms in the room.*

***A great drive (we are not doing it) is from Bolzano to Cortina via the Strada delle Dolomiti. According to Frommer's "One of Europe's most scenic drives rises and falls through the mountains for 110 km (66 miles) between Bolzano and Cortina. Along the route are many vistas that take in dozens of spindly, snow-capped peaks, 18 of them rising more than 3,000 m (10,000 ft)."*

I plan on posting after the trip to let you know what worked or didn't work - with pictures of course. I would love any tips.


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## MB330 (Oct 18, 2005)

I will strongly recommend make reservation to Uffize gallery and other museums in Florence. During summer time wait line can be more then 3 hrs. When in Florence - take a day trip to Sienna and near by small towns and wineries. Here is a pdf file with all info.
In Lucca - rent a bike and get around town on bike :thumbup:



> Day 4: We plan to travel on toward Venice, see Venice a bit, and then spend the night in Padua at the Hotel Galileo.


It's not clear - Are you visiting Venice just for few hrs?


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## P&T (Jun 20, 2010)

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## MB330 (Oct 18, 2005)

P&T said:


> MB330- Thanks! Re- Uffizi I will do that. The bike thing sounds great. I broke my foot a few weeks ago and it should be all healed by then so we'll see. I think the Uffizi is closed Mondays. And I believe the vineyards are typically closed on Sundays. Do you know of a vineyard in particular or one that serves food?


Uffizi info - from my personal experience, vineyards info found when doing research for our next ED.
Regarding Uffizi - one more tip: when enter gallery on go up on 2nd floor, go to first room and wait for english speaking tour and then join this tour for next 2.5 hr. 
In 2001 reservation was $2.5 Euro/person and well worse it - in July, when outside temp go up to 100F waiting for 4 hr - can be challenge.
Another tip - open Google map and create a driving map with all destination that you mentioning in your post - maybe some place need to be drop off or re-thinking.


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## P&T (Jun 20, 2010)

*edited: more comprehensible itinerary (a suggestion from some nice people)*

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## b-y (Sep 14, 2004)

I'm unclear on what was going on above, so I'll stick to one question:

Q: Any suggestions on a good boutique hotel?

A: I'm not certain what constitutes a boutique hotel in Germany, but a good, smaller but still central option in Munich is the Cortiina. (Note the odd spelling.) Use search for a few comments from past years.


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## P&T (Jun 20, 2010)

Thank you so much, b-y. I'll check it out. I also heard of one called the Leonardo Boutique Savoy Hotel - it looks really trendy but perhaps it could be fun. Has anyone heard of this hotel? It's 2 km from the city centre. 
http://www.leonardo-hotels.com/Leonardo_Boutique_Savoy_Hotel_Munich  I read something about obtaining an "Environment Badge" if you are planning on driving in the center of Munich. If anyone knows anything about this, I'd love to hear.
(The thing that happened above was nothing. I am new to forums and originally posted in all the wrong places and I communicated my itinerary poorly - I was quite abruptly schooled by a few members. I won't make that mistake again.)


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## MB330 (Oct 18, 2005)

Don't take personally *anything* from any internet public forums! :tsk:

Hotel recommendation for Florence.


> GOLF
> VIALE FRATELLI ROSSELLI 56
> I-50123 FLORENCE
> ITALY
> Private court yard parking place, locked gate. Nearby train station, easy on/off highway. Very good.


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## P&T (Jun 20, 2010)

*Wiki Italy suggested itineraries*

The entire Wiki site is helpful and I love the popular destinations forum. :bow Great job guys! b-y, you recommend Meran and now I am looking into changing this entire portion of our trip. Great tip about the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua. I hadn't thought of that. Anyone doing this must visit the Wiki. Maybe I can add some things after our trip. The area that the NY Times recently wrote about is not in any of the guide books I have (nor on the maps within the guidebooks) so perhaps info on those towns would be of use.


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## b-y (Sep 14, 2004)

P&T said:


> I read something about obtaining an "Environment Badge" if you are planning on driving in the center of Munich. If anyone knows anything about this, I'd love to hear.


These are required in the central districts of major German cities. You will get one with your new BMW. Read about the _Umweltzonen_ in this section of the Wiki.

Can't help with the Savoy. But I leave Mon. evening and will be in that area on Wed. & Thur. If I have a chance, I'll take a look and report back. I have never stayed in Schwabing, but there are good restaurants as well as the University and easy walks to many key sites--museums, the English Garden, etc. Just from the pix and descriptions, the "Comfort" room looks a bit too small by my standards, but the "Deluxe" room seems OK.


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## P&T (Jun 20, 2010)

MB-330 RE: Venice
That is correct, just 4 hours or so. However, I am now investigating this Meran tangent per b-y's recommendation on Wiki. Our itinerary is a bit schizophrenic because my husband and I have very different priorities.....but, we'll work it out. He is getting his toy, after all.


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## b-y (Sep 14, 2004)

MB330 said:


> Don't take personally *anything* from any internet public forums! :tsk:
> 
> ....


That is good advice. We all have different personalities, and they often emerge in odd ways online. In general, I'm basically clueless about personal traits, writing style, etc. (or so I'd like to believe), and--as a result--I try to answer questions directly. Sometimes this is good and often it misses the more interesting stuff. :angel:


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## P&T (Jun 20, 2010)

*b-y checking Savoy*

b-y, if it's easy for you that would be fantastic and so nice of you to even offer.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

P&T said:


> Thank you so much, b-y. I'll check it out. I also heard of one called the Leonardo Boutique Savoy Hotel - it looks really trendy but perhaps it could be fun. Has anyone heard of this hotel? It's 2 km from the city centre.
> http://www.leonardo-hotels.com/Leonardo_Boutique_Savoy_Hotel_Munich
> )


The hotel on the Amalienstraße is right off the Leopoldstraße more or less. I have a close friend who lives on the Amalienstraße a drop closer to the Leopoldstraße and it´s probably where I would want to live if I lived in München again.

Regarding the hotel, since a deluxe rooms is 22 qm, which is not that big, and the comfort rooms are smaller, I would definitely book a deluxe room.

As a visitor and non-resident, in the past six or so years, I´ve been alternating between the Mandarin Oriental, the Vier Jahreszeiten, and, more recently, The Charles. I prefer a downtown location when visiting and many places are accessible by foot.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

P&T said:


> The entire Wiki site is helpful and I love the popular destinations forum. :bow Great job guys! .


Thank you. While the wiki has a lot of content written by b-y and myself, it is a completely democratic institution (just like a Biergarten). Everyone should feel free to edit and add things (and many people do:thumbup: - which is even better).


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## kenhamm (May 29, 2008)

I want to second the Mandarin Oriental in Munich, pricey, but wow, what a great hotel. One of my top 5 of all the hotels I have had to good fortune to stay.


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## kenhamm (May 29, 2008)

P&T, I must say, you are tenacious , you got hit pretty hard on your first two attempts at posting, good for you for staying with it...btw, your altered style on this post is very readable although I had no problem with the other ones LOL. Now, have fun planning and have a great time when you arrive, I travel to Germany several times a year and have done European Delivery 2 times before with a 3rd right around the corner, you are going to love it, there is nothing that compares to picking up your BMW and touring around Europe, I especially love Germany! Have fun, let us know how it goes and send lots of pics. Oh, and stay at the Mandarin, that way I can live vicariously through you.


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## b-y (Sep 14, 2004)

Just to add a personal note about the central hotels...This trip we are returning to the KVJ. We stayed once at the Bayerischehof and didn't like the room. Although I know better than to generalize from samples of one, we switched to the KVJ. We probably stayed there 5 times or so and it was very nice. A few years ago I decided to spend the extra $100 per night (then) and try the M-O. I think we stayed there the last 4 times. We liked it better because of the exceptional service. But this time all their standard rooms were sold out, and they would have been twice the nightly price of the KVJ, so we decided see how we would do with the change, returning to the KVJ. (All three are Amex PTS.)

While I usually like well-run guesthouses and small inns in the countryside, we often splurge for luxury hotels in the major cities. All of Munich, Berlin, and Dresden have great examples, and the prices are generally far below London, Paris, or NYC.


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## fishskis (Dec 18, 2004)

Regarding Florence hotels, some people think the Regency is a little out of the way; you may want to check the location and see if you are ok with it. The Lungarno is a great option; super location near Ponte Vecchio, stylish and classic, part of a group of about four or five hotels owned by the Ferragamo family, very tasteful and fantastic service. If you consider it, try to get a room facing the river; some rooms can be smallish, but are still well designed and functional. (I also believe both The Regency and The Lungarno are part of Amex Platinum Fine Hotels).

If you want to stay in Fiesole, and budget is not a concern, The Villa San Michelle is a pretty special place. I would much rather stay in Florence, however. 

Have a great trip.


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## MB330 (Oct 18, 2005)

P&T said:


> MB-330 RE: Venice
> That is correct, just 4 hours or so. However, I am now investigating this Meran tangent per b-y's recommendation on Wiki. Our itinerary is a bit schizophrenic because my husband and I have very different priorities.....but, we'll work it out. He is getting his toy, after all.


My advice ( and this is up to you) take out Venice from this trip. You always can get back by flying in. But driving all the way there just for 4 hr. :tsk:


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## rallanr (Apr 30, 2009)

My wife and I did a Venice/Florence trip a few years ago (not an ED unfortunately, that's still in our future). Florence was great and 3 days gives you enough time to see the major sites. We didn't see Fiesole but did do an afternoon and evening in Sienna which is wonderful as well, especially as a historical contrast to Florence. Personally I'd stay in Florence as it's a pretty easy to walk to all the major attractions. I'd second the suggestion to either skip Venice or make it a longer stay as well. It's such an interesting and wonderful place that a few hours just doesn't do it justice. There is easily as much to see there as in Florence and in fact it's a place definitely I'd go back to (before Florence although it was wonderful as well) because even after a few day there I still didn't see everything I wanted to.


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## P&T (Jun 20, 2010)

*Venice and hotel rec's*

RE: short visit to Venice. I will definitely re-evaluate this. My calculations were 2 1/2 driving hours to Venice from Rovereto based on Via Michelin. We wanted to see a bit of Padua the following day. Perhaps we should go straight to Modena area and spend more time there instead. Thanks, rallanr and MB330
RE: all the hotel recommendations. I will check out all of these great rec's. In Munich, I would like the MO but we are only there a short time. I know it's nice. I usually like to try to find less expensive accomodations for short stays. Thanks, Jspira, for all the tips   
All of this is so helpful.


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## P&T (Jun 20, 2010)

RE: *Hotels: *
Munich - I need to keep hunting. Although I love the M.O. I just can't do it. The Charles looks great but I still want to try to get something closer to 200 Euros. Florence - I am going to stick with the Regency. S. Brundu has been extremely wonderful to us. He is giving us the top floor suite with a terrace balcony because of the Amex PTS perk.
RE: * Drop off: *
On our final day, the plan is to drive from Bolzano to the car drop-off, spend the night in Munich, and fly out the next morning. How early will we need to leave Bolzano? I think it's about 4 hours but we are not clear on the logistics of the car drop-off. I am still researching but any insight would be most appreciated.
*Question: *
In your opinion, is it better to spend time in Ferrara or Parma?
*Another Question:*
Any caveats to spending time in La Spezia? Cinque Terre?
Thanks again everyone for your time. I have a feeling we will be doing E.D. over and over again. I am due for my next car as well. Hmmmm, what should I get? A 335 diesel?


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## MB330 (Oct 18, 2005)

During our ED we stay in Holiday Inn North (so as many other)

You can't visit Cinque Terre for 4 hr!!! 
Take a full day .


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## boothguy (Feb 1, 2007)

P&T:

Your itinerary seems far too ambitious to me, unless your idea of "seeing" someplace is like the Griswolds at the Grand Canyon in the National Lampoon's Vacation movie.


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## P&T (Jun 20, 2010)

*Boothguy*: that is hilarious and you are so right (I love when Chevy Chase bobs his head twice - taking in all the splendor of the Grand Canyon). But the issue is that my husband has a very short attention span when it comes to art and architecture. If it were up to him, we would simply drive every road in Italy/Germany that we could for 10 hours a day - for all the days we are able. I am surprised he conceded to spending 3 days in Florence as it is (I had to really fight for that one). The kids are in camp for only 2 weeks and until we are "sans les enfants" on a more permanent basis, this is how it has to be. Well, they will come with us next time but that's another story. My husband and I have to travel together which means major compromise. Personally, I would spend at least a week in each stop on our itinerary. I hate that we are going to be the typical Americans rushing through town. But this itinerary is a work in progress so perhaps I'll be able to win a few more arguments and get him to agree to less driving.
*MB330*: Thanks for the tip and I hope we get more than four hours on the coast ;-) Lerici looks interesting and my husband may be happy with the coastal drive.
*Any women on this forum?*: It seems like I'm the only one. Anyone else having itinerary compromise issues? Also, any tips for surviving the Autobahn??? I'm scared to death to be on that thing.


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## P&T (Jun 20, 2010)

*Driving Music*

I have a feeling we will not be able to get European radio or satellite. Does anyone know? I guess I need to load up the i-pod. Thoughts? Experience?


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

P&T said:


> I have a feeling we will not be able to get European radio or satellite. Does anyone know? I guess I need to load up the i-pod. Thoughts? Experience?


I usually listen to local radio stations (Radio Bartok in Hungary has a great classical program, for example) when driving, even when I'm not completely fluent in the language.

If you are getting the iPod 6FL option, don't forget to get the BMW Y-Cable from your CA before you leave (this is provided to you at no charge). You will need this for the iPod to function properly.


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## b-y (Sep 14, 2004)

P&T said:


> RE: *Hotels: *
> Munich - I need to keep hunting. Although I love the M.O. I just can't do it. The Charles looks great but I still want to try to get something closer to 200 Euros....


Just for your info, Amex PTS got us the room at the VJ for EUR 240.45 /nite with gifts & upgrades.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

P&T said:


> *Any women on this forum?*: It seems like I'm the only one.


There are a few, incl. *Via Perturbio *and *Skywalkerbeth*



P&T said:


> Anyone else having itinerary compromise issues? Also, any tips for surviving the Autobahn??? I'm scared to death to be on that thing.


Just think of the fact that the word Autobahn means Highway. Nothing to be scared of.

A


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## P&T (Jun 20, 2010)

To b-y: I will likely end up choosing the VJ but I just wanted to cover all bases. Sometimes Amex PTS is great and sometimes not. We have some time so I am here with a broken foot and cannot be out hiking with my family.......this has become my new hobby. Hopefully the foot will be healed in another 3 weeks. (We leave in 4.) I will definitely post the final itinerary and pictures when it's complete. Your help has been fantastico!


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## P&T (Jun 20, 2010)

To JSpira: Thanks again! But I'm still scared of the "highway." 140 mph? I am terrified. Especially if we will have to be one of the slower vehicles as we break in the new engine. I might feel better if we could be going as fast as the others. I was in my twenties when I was on it last time and I don't think it bothered me then. Funny how we change.


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

For driving on the Autobahn and Autostrade, keep in mind that you should always be in the right lane except when passing. 

Believe it or not, you will probably find traffic that is moving far slower than you want to (think Trabi :angel).

Also, once you pick up the car, don´t forget the 12-hour rule. Very important.:thumbup:


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## P&T (Jun 20, 2010)

To JSpira: (I love the Trabi's.) I have been looking around and cannot find the answer to this question: What is the 12-hour rule?


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## P&T (Jun 20, 2010)

*Getting Around: European Delivery cute videos on Youtube*

My husband just found these videos on Youtube and they are adorable. I didn't know if anyone had seen them. Our family really enjoyed them. :thumbup::thumbup:


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

P&T said:


> My husband just found these videos on Youtube and they are adorable. I didn't know if anyone had seen them. Our family really enjoyed them. :thumbup::thumbup:


Except that they are not videos of an actual European Delivery...


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

P&T said:


> To JSpira: (I love the Trabi's.) I have been looking around and cannot find the answer to this question: What is the 12-hour rule?


The 12-hour rule, simply put, states that the member must post a Foto of the new Auto within 12 hours of delivery.

It is said that doing so brings good karma in terms of quick redelivery and no mishaps on one´s trip. A lot of people have ignored the 12-hour rule and posted how bad things befell them. They swore never to ignore it again.

(Logistically, this is very simple since the BMW Welt has WiFi and you can comply without even leaving the Welt. Of course it´s hard to go anywhere today where there is no WLAN so...)


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## MB330 (Oct 18, 2005)

P&T said:


> My husband just found these videos on Youtube and they are adorable. I didn't know if anyone had seen them. Our family really enjoyed them. :thumbup::thumbup:
> 
> [/U]


Sales person Hans accent remind me this video (posted by user with russian accent :rofl


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## bimmer_fam (Apr 16, 2007)

P&T said:


> Any caveats to spending time in La Spezia? Cinque Terre?


I would advise to park at one of the train stations (we've parked at the Levanto station) and take a train to one of the towns of Cinque Terre, then walk the path between a few of the towns (or all of them  ), take train back, etc. It's also nice to take a dip in the sea on a hot day after all the walking. Oh yeah, and try seafood there, it's outstanding! :thumbup:


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## boothguy (Feb 1, 2007)

JS is dead right about that odd faked ED in the video above. It's clearly a clip from some sort of travel show and they set up a phony "delivery" for story purposes. The giveaway is the license plate on the 650 - blue means a locally-licensed car. If it had been a real ED car, the plate would have had a red export tag. The car was probably a press fleet loaner, given for "promotional consideration".

So P&T: I don't usually do this, but I'll put an oar in the water. Your itin would seem to be over-ambitious by about half, with the possible exception of your three-day stay in the Florence area. You simply can't do what you're planning in the time you're allocating. To each his own, of course, but you're literally going to be driving past the places you're listing because you're going to be so radically behind schedule. Unless you're up and gone before the sun is up, and you're getting to your hotels about ten, you're not going to get to really experience anything until you slow down (presumably) when you get to Florence. It's going to be like trying to get a drink from a fire hose.


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## MB330 (Oct 18, 2005)

P&T said:


> I am in need of more counsel. We plan on leaving Bolzano the same day we drop off the car. I still don't know exactly where the drop-off is in relation to downtown and the airport but I will figure it out. It's 3 hours from Bolzano to Munich. My husband wants to go back into the city for the night thinking we'll get to take in a little of Munich. I think there is no time for this and I want to go back to Germany for the specific purpose of spending time there on another trip. To me the thing to do is go from the drop-off to the Kempinski Airport hotel. Our flight is at 11:40 the next morning. Help?? :angel:
> 
> If I'm not pushing my luck for your counsel, here's another question: Does anyone use Rolf for getting from the car drop-off to their hotel? Or is it easy to get a taxi at the drop-off? :dunno:
> 
> JSpira, thanks for the encouragement. I have never done these forums and threads and it's so great. I'm sending you a big, warm, smile through the net! Sorry I was such a ninny in the beginning. Hopefully I'm just a little less of one now.


Link to drop of map on Google Map


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## P&T (Jun 20, 2010)

*Cortiina question*

Guten Tag my wonderful advisors! I have a res at the Cortiina but I just read that it's next to the police station. I am imagining this is not a good location and will be noisy. Do you know? Or shall I ask for a specific room? Also, I read that they park your car down the street in public parking. Is this correct? I have a reservation for parking.
If I swithch to the Holiday Inn I think it will be too difficult for us to see the city centre.....as we are breezing in and out on this trip - and will also be tired I'm sure. Any thoughts? Should I stop being cheap and just go with the Charles? Bis morgen. 
(p.s. Don't worry, I am going to give back and post everything when we go  You have all been really great)


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## beewang (Dec 18, 2001)

JSpira said:


> For driving on the Autobahn and Autostrade, keep in mind that you should always be in the right lane except when passing. ...:


Sorry.. But Homie don't play that.... * I ALWAYS drive on the Left*.... as I am ALWAYS passing


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## JSpira (Oct 21, 2002)

P&T said:


> Guten Tag my wonderful advisors! I have a res at the Cortiina but I just read that it's next to the police station. I am imagining this is not a good location and will be noisy. Do you know? Or shall I ask for a specific room? Also, I read that they park your car down the street in public parking. Is this correct? I have a reservation for parking.
> If I swithch to the Holiday Inn I think it will be too difficult for us to see the city centre.....as we are breezing in and out on this trip - and will also be tired I'm sure. Any thoughts? Should I stop being cheap and just go with the Charles? Bis morgen.
> (p.s. Don't worry, I am going to give back and post everything when we go  You have all been really great)


Getting downtown from the Holiday Inn isn't complicated - and it's in a great area of Munich (Schwabing) which you may want to stroll through anyway.

If there are specific things you want to do downtown, stay downtown at the Charles - keep in mind they use public parking across the street.

The safest bet parking wise is the Holiday Inn.


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## P&T (Jun 20, 2010)

*Almost finished planning*

Hello friends. If you recall I slowed my trip down a bit to spend 3 days in Emilia region. I toyed with the idea of staying in Ferrara but I have decided on Bologna. We will stay at the Grand Hotel Baglioni. Is there anything I should know about this hotel? Has anyone had any experience with staying there? Thanks again!


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## boothguy (Feb 1, 2007)

Don't know the hotel, but they're rated by guests at an 8.7 on Venere.com - a site that's been quite reliable in the past.

Nice city - nice area, and as stated earlier, you won't be getting trampled by the very people you came to Europe to get away from. I think you'll enjoy it. Do you plan a visit to any of the famous spots in nearby supercar country?

_Prego_..


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## b-y (Sep 14, 2004)

P&T said:


> Guten Tag my wonderful advisors! I have a res at the Cortiina but I just read that it's next to the police station. I am imagining this is not a good location and will be noisy. Do you know? Or shall I ask for a specific room? Also, I read that they park your car down the street in public parking. Is this correct? I have a reservation for parking.
> If I swithch to the Holiday Inn I think it will be too difficult for us to see the city centre.....as we are breezing in and out on this trip - and will also be tired I'm sure. Any thoughts? Should I stop being cheap and just go with the Charles? Bis morgen.
> (p.s. Don't worry, I am going to give back and post everything when we go  You have all been really great)


That "police station" is actually a fairly quiet sub-station, usually with a few green & white BMW police cars parked outside. My wife and I regularly walk by at night as it is across from Kull, one of our favorite restaurants, and I have never heard any noise or commotion. Possibly the rowdy crowds at the Hofbrauhaus, a block away, make some noise some of the time, but I doubt you would hear any of that from your room. I guess it is possible there will be a police siren late at night, but the M-O is right there and I don't remember being bothered by noise.

I generally schedule the drop-off to avoid having the car in the downtown area, so I can't comment on the parking.


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## P&T (Jun 20, 2010)

Boothguy: I think my husband must see these car museums although I want to dissuade him. I would like to to pay my respects to Pininfarina - I'm not a big car person but I do love his designs. 
b-y: Thanks for the info - I feel a lot more comfortable about the choice. We are staying there for 1 night when we arrive and when we leave for home, we will stay at the Kempinski airport. Incidentally, we decided on the Park Laurin in Bolzano. How is/was your trip? I suppose I should go check your post now and I shall. 
Thanks again! I can't wait for this trip!


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## lbgardner (Jul 12, 2010)

P&T said:


> This will be an 11-day loop through northern Italy down to Florence excluding the Como area but including a bit of the west coast.
> Rovereto, Venice, Padua, Verona, Modena, Cinque Terre, Lucca, Pisa, Florence and surrounding towns, Bologna, Bolzano
> Hotels listed have parking garages
> 
> ...


Any follow up to your trip. We are planning a shorter version for September.


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## P&T (Jun 20, 2010)

Hello, Ibgardner. There is another thread I started....I think it's called "Delivery Taken - Munich, Bologna, Florence" or something like that. I have posted some info there and I plan on posting a more detailed account of our trip soon. The itinerary you see here on this thread was far too ambitious. We ended up going from Munich for one night, to Rovereto for one night, to Bologna for 3 nights, Florence for 3 nights, Bolzano for 1 night, and the Kempinski at the airport in Munich for 1 night (where you can get a great massage!) Bologna was a dream and we are so happy we went there. We will have to do the coasts (Cinque Terre area on the west and Venice on the east, etc.) another time. Germany was way better than we thought and we want to spend more time there next time. 3 days for the major cities in Italy was perfect. The driving was beautiful especially in Northern Italy and on the 222 in Tuscany. If you have any specific questions I'm happy to answer them. As my husband and I found, learning as we went along was sometimes nerve-racking but it was fun and we couldn't have known to ask certain questions before we left. The main thing to know is that in the major cities in Italy, be informed about the ZTL (no traffic zones) special routes to hotels, and picking hotels that are less central and, therefore, more easily accessible by car. But, feel free to ask me anything.
Driving is such a great way to commune with the Europeans. It's a totally new perspective doing it this way. You're going to love it.


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