Still sorting through pictures but will start the trip report and build as I go. If I am posting too many pics, let me know and I will post less
Basics - Family of 5 with kids 18 - 23, flying from Florida,
Flights Miami to Milan - 5 in business, 55k each and around $270 in taxes each on Air France. Converted 200k amex bonus points to 260k AF miles. Separate check-in lane in MIA, very quick, good flight,AF food and service so much better than Delta or United flights we have taken. 3 hr layover at CDG. AF lounges were well suplied with sufficient room in both MIA and CDG. Pour your own drinks, good food selection
Itinerary - 2 nights Milan, 3 nights St Moritz, 3 nights Zermatt, 3 nights Florence with day trip & 1 overnight in Venice, 4 nights Rome with day trip to the island of Ponza
fly home from Rome to Miami, Air France with connection at CDG. WIfe and I in business, kids in economy 155k AF points earned with AF card and transfer or another 60k amex points
AMex Biz NLL offfers flowed last year 150k biz platinum x 2 and 100k/90k biz gold offers restored my love of the game while I sit in 5/24 jail. After recovering $200 dell credits *2 per platinum and the airline fees, the gold cards cost me more than the platinums. Use dell credits for wireless ear buds and made money ont he sale on FB marketplace for new, unopened bose noise cancelling earbuds. Banked over 500k total amex points for around $700 in annual fees after subtracting dell credits and airline incidental fees (United gift cards in $100 increments still worked)
three days before departure, my 21 year old daughter tells me that the British consulate in NY quit expediting student visa applications and her passport, with the visa stamped in, wouldn't make it back in time for her to make the trip. In between urges to inflict something, not sure what, on my daughter and wife for keeping this from me until it was too late to try and make something happen I scrambled to cancel tickets, rail passes, seat reservations, prepaid tours, etc that my daughter would not be experiencing. Thank you NY British consulate, she sent in the information in 3 days after she received it from the college in Uxbury and apparently 37 days wasn't long enough for them to process her student visa application. So our family of 5 became a family of 4. AF was kind enough to redeposit my miles and taxes, much props to them, and the EURail refunded her 7 day pass, the local seat reservations and food deposits of the Glacier Express were non-refundable.
We purchased a 7 day EUrail pass that entitled us to 7 days as many miles as we could book. We then had to purchase seat resrvations on certain high speed or occupancy trains. Those are purchased separately from the EUrail pass. Tooka me a bit to figure out that whole system. We spent $1700 for first class cabin passes and another $900 or so on seat reservations and meals on trains
Train trips
Milan to Torino Italy by local train, then bus
Torino Italy to St Mortiz - Bernina Expresss, slow scenic ride uphill and through the Alps to St Moritz. this was one of 7 days of pass
St Moritz to Zermatt - Glacier Express, 9 hour train trip, relatively slow, absolutely gorgeous scenery along the route. Seat reservations and advance dinner orders are suggested. day 2 of 7
Zermatt to Florence day 3 of 7
Florence to Venice roundtrip days 4 and 5 of 7
Florence to Pisa roundtrip, same day - day 6 of 7
Florence to Rome - day 7 of 7
masks were required on the trains and on the water busses in Venice, everywhere else was optional
We spent two nights in Milan Hilton on points. 2 rooms, 134k points total was good value with diamond status getting access to executive floor for sodas, beer, juices, etc. Breakfast bar was surprisingly good. $10euro per person daily city tax so $80 euro bill at checkout.
Landed, got a 48 hour local rail ticket, took train to hotel and walked the neighborhoods and visited the local palace that was converted into a grouping of small museums. The following day, we had reservations and visited the church where the last supper painting is on display. Didn't know that the painting is a fresco on a wall in a relatively modest dining hall and one of few paintings that Michaelangelo would paint. He was a sculptur, and felt that painting was beneath him. The few commissions he accepted were as a favor to the church. A known homosexual, lived to 89, was not well liked by anyone. Contemproray and antagonist of di Vinci. and visited the Milan Cathedral, the duomo di Milano, begun in 1386 and not finished until the 1960's. Did the roof top tour also and then visited the restoration museum that houses many pieces and parts from the church and old stained glass windows that were replaced over the years as the church went through reformations. Transit was via local train/subway that wasn't difficult to navigate. Small grocer adjacent to the hotel, maybe two blocks to the rail depot, Good sized rooms for Europe. Would stay there again
Only needed cash for restrooms
Lots and lots of high-end fashion shopping in Milan and Venice had the most upscale shopping centers
Milan images
20220813_105831 by
bluewaterfever, on Flickr
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bluewaterfever, on Flickr
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bluewaterfever, on Flickr
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bluewaterfever, on Flickr
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bluewaterfever, on Flickr
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bluewaterfever, on Flickr
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bluewaterfever, on Flickr
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bluewaterfever, on Flickr
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bluewaterfever, on Flickr
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bluewaterfever, on Flickr