A Ride On An Italian Bike


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Europe » Italy
July 10th 2019
Published: July 10th 2019
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The Italian Job.
My epic Italian trip sees me fly into Milan late evening and spend one full day there. I will then travel by train to Padova and get a connection bus to Abano Terme where I will spend 7 days cycling.
https://www.eurobike.at/en/destinations/bike-tours-italy/abano-terme-based-in-one-hotel-7-days
Thicko from the country.
I am sure the Ryanair self bag check-in system was developed with ease of use in mind. It is quite simple. You weigh your bag, a label prints off and you put the label on the bag.I had to get a gentleman 15 years my senior to go through it step by step. I couldn't even figure out how to put the label on. Am sure he was wondering how I made it that far. To make myself look even stupider I put my bag on a belt that wasn't working.
The advantage of flying Priority with Ryanair is only the 400 other passengers fly priority also, so you end up in a queue anyways. The boarding agent rushed the boarding queue along so as we could join another queue on the stairwell.
Milan at Last
My choice of accommodation is the luxurious 2 star Inn Perfect and it does the job perfectly. Nicely located beside the subway and the Central station is near. The only issue is it's shared bathroom. I may inadvertently make the stay of other guests not so memorable.
I have to give a shout out to Pizzeria Gioia 53. I received a massive Pizza, 1.5 beers and tea for €16:50. Well worth a visit. At that price I will be back later. I must confess, the reason for the extra half beer and tea was to ensure I wasn't brewing a storm down the line and I really wanted to avoid a nuclear fallout back at the hotel.
Milan in a day.
As I only have one full day I got up early at 11am. When you have done zero research, the hop on hop off bus tours offer the best option.
I chose the Open Tours Milan Historic route. They have 3 routes. If you're staying more than one day for €25 you can buy a two day ticket.
Castello Sforzesco
The reason I stopped off here is to change buses. I only took a look around the outskirts . It is an old walled Castle. Nice walk around it. I would love to tell you more about it but I'm afraid we both will have to do a bit of online research.
Sant'Ambrogio and the last supper.
This is an old monastery. That's all I can tell you because I couldn't find it 😉. I did end up at the museum of The Last Supper. Apparently there is a 2 week waiting list to see it. Strangely a lady of senior years had a ticket for one for sale. It felt like one of those scenarios - if it's too good to be true, it probably is. So I left it. She may have been at the airport and recognised me as the thicko at the bag machine. Anyways I don't know much about art and probably would of taken a lot of photos of a fire extinguisher.
The Duomo
This is worth a visit. Due to stingyness I didn't buy the audio set so again you will learn nothing from me.
It is an old cathedral(I think!!). You can tour the roof and get some lovely views of the city. You then can access the cathedral and take a leisurely walk around it. For an additional €8 (€25) you buy a fast track ticket and avoid the queues onto the roof terraces and then the cathedral. During peak hours this is probably a better option. A tip for all you ladies,(that's assuming any are reading) is bring a scarf to cover your shoulders.
A leisurely wander
No better way to build up an appetite than take a leisurely walk through the historic streets of the city.
Next stop Abano Terme.
Given I couldn't find a tourist attraction today it will be a miracle if I even find the right train to Padova and bus connection.



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