2 very old people go to Italy

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philelltt

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I'd like to give a recount of our journey to Italy from Australia and relate it to my partner Hugh. He turned 82 during this trip in June/July.

Our decision to come to Italy was based on the following factors.

We've been to Italy numerous times and both speak Italian well enough to get around easily. Italy has a healthcare agreement with Australia. You'd need your Medicare card to use an Italian public hospital. Luckily we've never had to, but it is nice to know it is there. Naturally we have travel insurance also. (Bankwest Mastercard has no age limit on the credit card travel insurance)

There are a range of airlines serving Italy from Australia. Our government rates Italy as "safe". The weather is good during June and July. There is plenty to do and see. We have friends here. Holiday housing is quite good value. Costs are quite reasonable. The social structure is very well organised.

We left Adelaide using Singapore airlines, stopping a night in Singapore, another night in Frankfurt then on to Bologna with Lufthansa. We bought the economy tickets about 11 months before we went. As soon as we had bought them, the price went up $100 which probably means Singapore airlines put only 2 or so tickets for that routing at that price. The ticket price continued to rise month by month for that itinerary, so we got a bargain at $1560 return.

On many of their flights Singapore Airlines have one less row of seats across the cabin compared to Emirates etc. (9 seats across instead of 10 across in the 777) So the seats are wider. Nice. Also they have excellent service . Hugh booked wheelchair assistance. That worked a charm. At each airport there was someone to give personal assistance to make sure we got to where we should be. The bag was checked through to Bologna and sure enough, it arrived on the same flight (Lufthansa Frankfurt/Bologna) as we did.

In both Singapore and Frankfurt we booked hotel rooms with adapted bathroom. For the same cost as an ordinary room, you get a bigger room and a huge bathroom with walk in shower.

Frankfurt is prone to price rises during trade fairs. The hotel room we booked near the airport went up triple the price we paid , so it pays to book early. I noticed the reviews of hotels on Tripadvisor to often be biased. Perhaps the reviewers were jetlagged or upset. In both stopovers we booked Mercure hotels and glad we did.... despite the reviews.

Bologna airport is quite small and crowded, but easy to negotiate. You can use a bus into the city and transfer from there, but we used a direct bus from the airport to Ferrara. We chose to stay in Ferrara as it is flat , interesting and has connections to many other places for weekend trips away. Tourists rarely come here.

We've booked an apartment for the duration of our stay . It is a 1960's style apartment and furnished as if in a time warp. On the other hand, it is spacious, has a spare bedroom for our guests, a wonderful kitchen and lovely sitting room, and air con.Monthly rental with Air bnb cost about $40 a day all up. It is close to the town centre, but in a quiet street. In a "nice" area. It is however, upstairs and there is no lift. So Hugh is careful to make sure he has everything he needs before we set out.

We enjoy concerts and got to see a lot, as it was the final student performances of the famous music conservatorium here. The concerts are held in gorgeous palaces and entry is free of charge.

Ferrara is an interesting town. The city centre is divided between a rabbit warren of medieval alley ways and magnificent renaissance palace lined streets... exactly as if a stage set for Rigoletto. There's a huge castle in the middle of the city.

To celebrate Hugh's birthday , I took him for a few days to Venice. We booked a decent hotel at Mestre ages ago using points, so in effect it cost next to nothing. Since booking that room, I notice prices have risen through the roof and there are no reward points rooms available.

Hugh is able to get into many places for free as he has certification in Italian for disability, and is able to explain to the ticket office. I get in as his partner. This saved huge amounts of money in seeing museums in Venice in particular.

As for transport, generally I booked that as soon as we knew the strike schedule. Luckily this year we avoided any strikes. Italian railways has a quota for seniors. You apply for a code number and an account. That can mean travel in first class carriages can the same price as economy. You can guess which we chose.

A handy thing we have from Australia is called "Telstra Air" app on the smart phone. Telstra is our phone provider in Australia. They have a reciprocal deal in Italy, Germany, UK, France etc. It means we can use the FON wifi network for no extra charge than what we already pay for internet/phone back home. A free add-on. It works a charm. Pretty well anywhere in any given town I can log into wifi . I didn't need to buy a SIM... it uses the FON wifi network, with a login Telstra provided me.

Here are a few photo links.
I'd like to say this was our ceiling, but no it isn't... it is the ceiling of the library at the Correr Museum in Venice.
https://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=31700db4b2006eea647fc59e015d7918&oe=5BA3AB33

Something really difficult to find is a garden in Venice... with picnic chairs and tables.
I think I found the nearly impossible at the Natural History Museum
https://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=656497564e7c07251c23e1c4e63304df&oe=5BB757D5


And more archways than you could shake a stick at
https://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=086d8be18f3d3d53219c446171669322&oe=5BA19313

One of the things they don't tell you about gondolas is that there is a gondola rush hour and gondola traffic jams.
https://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=11f79fe08c5adad953560f74234a8957&oe=5BBD1BE9

The museums do have elevators. But they are kept hidden and locked up. Hugh knows how to ask nicely. So we could get views like this.
https://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=d2148076fd35aba8c34531f8724016f1&oe=5BA3C1E1

Something that surprised me was how people sat drinking coffee at the cafes at St. Mark's square. It costs a packet and this is what you get.
https://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=e0fc8c11e35acd0234647be390c6a990&oe=5BB2B06A

Luckily the men are handsome
https://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=4371f4483a12e1a616003ebab3b7bb3d&oe=5BB9DD8E


The nice thing about Venice is that you only have to turn the corner away from the crowds and you have it to yourself.
https://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=e0dbb0fc71ff79e06b78fd70df91cb47&oe=5BAB0949

We had a heat wave ... 30+ each day. That's quite warm as the air is humid too. So we bought swim passes to the local pool. That is wonderfully comforting as the procedures, the fitness classes , the endless forms to fill in are an exact replica of Australia.

So people take a break whenever they can
https://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=183db40051a936a88206f7152e863dad&oe=5B9FFFA6

https://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=8f8347b350b155fc07c737ef7860b2e1&oe=5BB5DDA7

We caught the train to Bologna. That was to listen to a concert in the Music museum there. The museum is set in an old palace Renaissance that had been "modernised" with Romantic era wall and ceiling paintings. Here's a photo of Hugh "playing " his walking stick.
https://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=46f35673859021cd134a35285e3be544&oe=5BE7BFEF

The concert itself was largely Purcell... translated into Italian.
https://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=70639210052830fe86d7996119374e76&oe=5BA37C23
Hugh used to sing a lot of Purcell in his time and knows the singer. So we had a bit of a social time afterwards.

Something lovable about Bologna are little corners like this
https://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=0905c5bfb8b7788401a25ac3fe6ce104&oe=5BB9F1FA

and this
https://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=95b73acd24dfeeb6e022751f41b55da6&oe=5B9F93E0

Overall though, what strikes you about the city are how young are the people there
https://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=80b14bce7a5b51f1ca2aeba4bd7d3e17&oe=5BEB5A91

Coming back to the music museum... Hugh asked to go to the toilet. Well, you can't get there from here is the answer. The elevator to the basement only goes there from the offices on the second floor. So, you can walk up the steps from the first floor to the second floor and go down by elevator from there, or walk down the steps to the basement from the ground or first floor. That's where the disabled access toilet nad normal toilets are located. On the other hand, they seemed to be hardly ever used and scrupulously clean.
https://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=3893f7a5600e53361324fc5561cb908d&oe=5BA1411A

The elevator is as usual very well hidden and you have to get permission to use it.... because someone has the key. That's the door to where the elevator is.
https://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=10472ab39116e8c948c73d90df0ff09d&oe=5BA185E6

Here are a couple scenes to remind those of you who are thinking about travelling:
https://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=35475fd1f6994715160ad9623456a85d&oe=5BADA642

https://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=0dc30b7fb07745706f5d177696760b11&oe=5BB39F4B

I wanted to surprise Hugh by taking him to a big event. I looked at the Arena of Verona opera. Yes, we could get in for about 22 Euros each, yes they have some fun operas such as Carmen.... but getting a nice room in Verona near the arena is easier said than done.... and the show starts after 21.00 and lasts 3 and a half hours... so Hugh would be wanting to leave by interval. Like Cindarella's carriage... he's not available after midnight. Then again, I'm not at my best in the wee hours of the morning either.

Instead I found the perfect thing. A re-enactment of Emperor Napoleon and Empress Josaphine arriving in Modena. You've probably heard of Modena for the balsamic vinegar. It is also the courtly town where the Este family moved to after Ferrara. So there is a huge Ducal palace, a UNESCO town square and a fab. art gallery. Perfect. And the show was happening of a day. So we wouldn't have to spend overnight there.
https://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=27a5bfe73d9f836e70b03689529600da&oe=5BE83CC4

As a cultural aside... you've probably heard that Italians tend to talk with their hands....
https://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=855b7bed2263041b0127a116d4d61e17&oe=5BE02911

An extraordinary thing is that we've visited a palace nearly every day this trip. We tend to do a burst of sightseeing each morning then have the middle of the day off. Then something fairly informal of an evening.

And we've learnt how to do selfies.
https://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=f8dbd59ac26960b435043e8b60c0ae06&oe=5BA5D176
 
Fantastic.Gives me more hope that we can travel for a bit longer-rapidly approaching 72.
 
We caught a train from Ferrara to Padua in order to see the Scrovegni Chapel. I had booked tickets using a category where one can purchase tickets for one Euro each.

No matter our age, the looks of wonder as people see this art work always generates a feeling of a shared humanity.
https://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=a2ac113405974976c02a89b50364492d&oe=5BE3F89A

Hugh knows someone who who once danced with the Prince of Wales or some-such and we were whisked away to do a behind the scenes tour of art restoration.
https://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=e37dacac710e92f28b9dd95a52854017&oe=5BD3624B

Whilst we haven't been able to do things we did in Ferrara that we might have 25 or 30 years ago , it has been a revelatory time in Italy. We've seen such art treasures in Venice, Ferrara, Padua, Modena, Bologna, Urbino and Ravenna. We've come to a better understanding of what UNESCO world heritage listing means.

And after 5 weeks in Ferrara , it came time to put on our travelling clothes and be off to Germany, Singapore and home.
https://scontent-mxp1-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=5c879d561bce1b20882d5935e86cc0c1&oe=5BE4C9EE

Probably the first point of contact with Germany for us who live on different continents will be Lufthansa and Frankfurt Airport. So long as you accept that Lufthansa is a 5 star airline and that the Frankfurt airport is a world class airport, all will be fine. Don't question that.


On our trip to Italy we stopped near to Frankfurt airport and met up with a pal from USA. She had used Lufthansa from USA and was trying to connect to get to another point in Europe. Unfortunately her EU flight was cancelled at the last moment , whilst she on the flight from USA, so she didn't know about it until she arrived. She had to spend on an overnight in the area of the airport and received a 20Euro voucher as she hadn't contacted them to make arrangements . It was presented as her fault.

Something similar happened to us when we were leaving Bologna on a Lufthansa flight up to Frankfurt. We went to Bologna airport very early in the afternoon as I had booked into a lounge and wanted to relax. It was pandemonium at the Lufthansa checkin area. Even Ryanair was peaceful and orderly in comparison. It turned out that our flight that evening had been cancelled and a schoolgroup of Italian kids was booked on the afternoon flight.. The Bologna check-in staff had only just been told of the cancellation and no-one had received confirmation or any advice. Anyhow by a miracle they got us onto the afternoon flight departing almost immediately, and off we went . It seems weather was to blame for the flight cancellation. Even though it was a lovely sunny day.

The very annoying thing was because of that, that we only had about 10 minutes to enjoy the lounge. I don't think I'll pre-book a lounge again. Bologna airport has no airbridges, so as Hugh is a special assistance customer, it involved a lot of ups and down, ins and outs. But I was determined we would use that lounge.. and we did, if only to gulp down a prosecco.

Once the plane doors were shut, the Lufthansa flight crew played a tape to apologise to us that they had no information about connecting flights at Frankfurt airport, and how they weren't sure when we'd leave, and wished us a pleasant time flying with Lufthansa. And so we waited on the tarmac an hour or so as air traffic controllers in Frankfurt were only allowing a 40 flights an hour to pass over the alps. Perhaps this might have something to do with Lufthansa flight cancellations. After we arrived in Frankfurt, I got a text message to say our evening flight had been cancelled and we should contact the airline. Little did they know we were already there.

Hugh had booked wheelchair assistance for each time at Frankfurt airport , and that is exactly what we got. Frankfurt airport is somewhat of a maze. Some customers are wandering around frantically whilst others are in a frightful rush to get somewhere important. It is best not to interact with either. Some may be lost there for years....

The wheelchair assistance workers cut through all that and deliver you safe and sound to ground floor , door 5 where you can go to the train station or the bus stops. Another night at an airport hotel.

As it is holiday season in Europe, the checkin area of Frankfurt airport is mayhem. Fortunately there is special little area set aside for those needing extra assistance. This is where you go if you are old, have kids or are sick, and they will do the rest to get you to your gate.

We chose a lunch time departure from Frankfurt to Singapore, as we reasoned that our body clock would tell us that we would arrive in Singapore 12 hours later, ready to go to bed, even though it would be morning Singapore time. . It was an A380. Yes they are better than the 777 as the Economy seats are a little bit wider, but also there is a rather large area down the back where you can stand and stretch. We noticed that 2/3 of the plane was for first/business class and only 1/3 for Premium Economy/Economy.

By the way, we had put in a bid for Premium Economy upgrade. ($280 each person , each way) but not successful. Then again, all the Premium Economy seats were taken. I wouldn't necessarily say , having seen the PE product that I'd bother to bid again, as Singapore Airlines Economy is good enough.

I used points to book into a hotel in Singapore. We were there from 7 am till 11 pm and didn't really want to stay in the airport. Hilton Garden Inn has reviews where people were allowed to check in early. And yes, for us that was true. Overall though, if I was paying my own dollars, Singapore can be quite a pricey hotel market for what you get. Anyway, our plan was to sleep all day in order to be fresh for the night flight back to Adelaide.

It is worth noting that Singapore Airlines serves drinks on that flight, but food waits until breakfast somewhere over the middle of Australia at about 3am. The drinks served are beer, juices and a wine that perhaps might be better as a hair tonic or cleaner. Whilst they don't advertise it much, Singapore airlines will serve you a decent drink, just for the asking.They do that after everyone else has gone to sleep. And that's quite romantic as you watch the glow of the midnight sky above Java ... and planning another adventure.
 
Thank you philelett for a terrific report. It sounds like you had a great trip. There are so many good ideas in your report that I can use.
The photos are great too.
 
One of the things I forgot to mention is that after booking the airfares, Hugh visited the local Singapore Airlines office. He showed a letter from the doctor and they allocated us seats on all sectors. Free of charge. This should guarantee an aisle seat in the forward economy cabin.
 
Thanks very much for the TR. It looks to have been a fabulous trip.
 
What a fantastic, detailed report. With a lot of insights and tips for travel from a different perspective. Thanks so much for posting this. Glad it was a good trip.
 
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You are both clearly very savvy travellers and know how to have a good time too! I can only hope I have one iota of the joie de vivre you two have when I'm Hugh's age. I have parents with a special love for Italy . I think they may benefit from some of your advice and will show them this TR. Next time you travel, please keep us updated with a similar report. Many thanks.
 
Thanks for sharing your trip report. You planned your trip well and made the most of every opportunity. Well done!
 
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