Antonio Galloni

The bus to take to Siena is a blue bus, similar to a Greyhound bus in the US. It goes non stop from Florence to Siena in 45-60 minutes. Antonio

I think Friuli is one of the most underappreciated regions in Italy. Trieste is beautiful, especially at night. If you have a car, be sure to explore Grado, a small seaside resort with nice wine bars and great fish restaurants (sadly I can't rememebr where we ate there), Aquileia, famous for its Roman ruins, and Cividale, which is actually closer to Udine. In Trieste, you will be near one of the premier winemaking areas in Italy, the Collio. There is an immense variety of first class wines (mostly white) that come from the Collio. There are also numerous wine routes in the towns of Capriva and Cormons. A great place to eat is La Subida in Cormons. Here you will be able to sample the traditional, Austrian-influenced cuisine of Friuli, in a lighter style with rustic yet elegant surroundings. Also exceptional is Le Dune, in Mariano del Friuli, near Gorizia. The specialty is seafood. We usually order the antipasto, which consists of about ten small courses. You can then proceed to pastas and secondi, but the antipasti are more than enough for a wonderful meal. Nice wine list too. Best, Antonio

Unless you are really patient, I would highly discourage you from renting a car to go from Florence to Bologna. Both cities are highly congested. In Florence you have many one way streets that can be a nightmare if you don't know your way around. Bologna is often besieged with trade show traffic. The train is definitely the best way to go. The bus to Siena from Florence is convenient and cheap, it leaves from a terminal off ot the side of the train station. A car is essential if you want to see the countryside outside Florence, which is beautiful. Outside Florence are several fashion outlets. If your wife like Prada, take her to the Prada outlet in Montevarchi, 80k south of Florence and near Arezzo. Warning: you will be there for a while. I have never enjoyed Lucca. I find it overly tourisy and completely lacking in charm, especially compared to the other nearby towns, which are still heavily touristed but much more pleasant. Lucca is good if you want to go to the opera at nearby Torre del Lago. Best, Antonio

Does it need to be Trieste in the city, or will you have a car? What kind of ambience-elegant or casual? Antonio

Trentino and Alto Adige are sometimes lumped together as one region, but they really are two very different and unique places. Trentino feels very Italian, until WWI it was the northern border of Italy. You will see many monuments to the war in this region. Alto Adige, which is also called South Tyrol, was annexed by Italy after the war and retains a distinctly Austrian feel. People will speak to you first in German, then Italian. The locals have also retained their unique language called Ladino, which is impossible to understand for outsiders. As you leave Verona going north on the A22 highway you pass the northern part of the Lake Garda shore and then enter Trentino. The highway is lined with apple orchards, and vines, breathtaking scenery in itself. In Trentino, I always love taking a walk in Trento because the city center and the castle are so beautiful. There is a wonderful restaurant in the center called Le Due Spade that serves a very elegeant interpretaton of the local cuisine. It is a small place so you must book ahead. As you go north there are also many wine routes along the towns of Termeno and Caldaro to see along the way. You then arrive in Alto Adige which is one of the real jewels of Italy. The main town is Bolzano, which is charming. Two hotels I like there, the Laurin, which is traditional, and the Grief, which is very modern. A nice place to eat is Vogele, which offers simple but good renditions of the local specialties in a beautiful setting. Book a table in one of the upstairs rooms. Bolzano has very nice castles to visit and also the Ice Man is worth a visit. In Alto Adige the cuisine is very Austrian influenced and you will see things like, speck, various kinds of dumplings, deer, and other items you don't see anywhere else in Italy. In fact, Alto Adige has some of the best food in the entire country. Wines can be outstanding as well, you can PM me if you'd like more details. Make sure you try the Lagrein Taberhof from the Cantina Produttori S. Maddalena. From Bolzano you have several choices. Merano is a gorgeous town with stunning views. A very nice restaurant there is Sissi, excellent food and one of the most extensive and well priced wine lists in the entire country. Or you could go see the towns up in the mountains like San Cassiano, La Villa, and Colfosco, which are famous for skiing. Had two fabulous meals there recently. Colfoso-Stria, super cuisine, small but well chosen wine list, definitely worth a visit. San Cassiano- Hotel Ciasa Salares, for a truly memorable meal, have lunch at the hotel restaurant, La Terrazza. Views of the mountains, you can eat outside, and one of the most extensive winelists in all of Italy. They also have a list of "bio-dynamic" wines that is larger than the winelists of most regular restaurants. The fancy restaurant in the hotel is called La Siriola, but I haven't been there yet. It has one Michelin star and offers more fanciful cuisine, and of course great wines. Also at Corvara is La Stua di Michil, in the La Perla hotel, another very famous place. You should call ahead to make sure that these places are open, because the area is very seasonal. Lastly, you can continue north on the A22, Bressanone is a lovely elegant town to see. Nearby there is also the Abbazia di Novacella, an abbey you can visit that also produces very rich and elegant wines, especially famous for its aromatic white. Have a great trip. Antonio