SkyEurope Inflight Magazine - 5 Great Mini breaks

5 Great Mini breaks

Words by Catherine Richards Golini

5 great mini-breaks

From Milanese fashion to Roman fountains, Venetian art to Neapolitan pizza, make the most of your Italian mini-break with our essential weekend guides

one: ROME

WHY NOW? The city’s third film festival takes place from 22–31 October, featuring screenings, exhibitions, retrospectives, concerts and of course, a host of top drawer international celebrities. Also, with the summer’s stifling heat over, autumn is the time to discover Rome on foot.

THE PERFECT WEEKEND: To get your bearings, take a bus tour (www.viator.com)

Then enjoy a coffee in Campo dei Fiori, home to a colourful morning market, before strolling north to the evocative Piazza Navona, home to Bernini’s famous Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi. Then to the awe-inspiring Pantheon, 2,000 years old and the best-preserved Roman structure in the city. After lunch, art lovers should head to the Galleria Doria Pamphilj (Via del Corso, www.doriapamphilj.it, 10am - 5pm daily). Rub shoulders with the beautiful people and eat at Dal Bolognese (Piazza del Popolo 1-2, +39 06 361 1426). Work up an appetite for a gelato at San Crispino (Via della Panetteria 42, +39 06 679 3924) by walking from the Spanish Steps to the Fontana di Trevi, beautifully illuminated at night.

HOTEL: Hotel Le Petit (Via Torino 122, www..romeby.com/hotellepetit, doubles from €95) BEST VIEW: Dine with a panoramic view at La Terrazza, at the Hotel Eden (Via Ludovisi 49, www.hotel-eden.it).

two: VENICE

WHY NOW? Venice is at its best either side of summer, minus the sticky heat and the crowds. Crisp, bright days are common, though mist and showers just add to the romance.

THE PERFECT WEEKEND: Begin your morning in St Mark’s Square, home to Harry’s Bar and the city’s basilica. Take the lift to the top of the Campanile for a fabulous view, then tour the grandiose Doge’s Palace – book the day before for the Secret Itineraries tour. Hop on vaporetto (water bus) No.1 along the Grand Canal to the 16th-century Rialto bridge, and from there it’s a short walk to the morning market (not Sundays). Lunch at nearby Osteria al Garanghelo (Calle dei Botteri, +39 041 721 721), then cross the bridge and get lost en route to the city’s greatest art collection, the Gallerie dell’Accademia (www.gallerieaccademia.org). Lovers of 20th-century art should visit the Peggy Guggenheim Collection (www.guggenheim-venice.it). While away an evening with cicchetti, plates of tapas-like nibbles, at the historic Cantina do Mori (Calle Do Mori, San Polo 429, +39 041 522 5401).

HOTEL: Hotel dei Dragomanni (www.hoteldragomanni.com, doubles from €190)

BEST EXHIBITION: George Barbier, Art Deco artist and designer, at the Fortuny Museum (Campo San Beneto).

three: MILAN

Pinacoteca di
Brera inside and
outWHY NOW? Milan’s fashion week may be over, but this is a city that buzzes all year round. The autumn rain is rarely a distraction as the best of Milan is found inside its shops, bars, restaurants and galleries.

THE PERFECT WEEKEND: Breakfast with a creamy cappuccino in any neighbourhood bar or for a blowout Sunday brunch try the historic Bar Magenta (Via Carducci 13). Early risers should head to Milan’s oldest art gallery, the Pinacoteca di Brera (Via Brera 28; closed Mondays), which opens at
8.30am. From here, stroll east towards Via Montenapoleone for window shopping in the glitzy Quadrilatero d’Oro district and enjoy a light lunch at Il Foyer at the Four Seasons Hotel (Via Gesù 6-8). Or go west to the great Castello Sforzesco and admire Michelangelo’s last work, the unfinished Rondanini Pietà. Milan’s Happy Hour scene is the best in Italy. Try the cool Brera district or the laid-back Navigli quarter.

HOTEL: Hotel Brunelleschi (www..milanhotel.it, doubles from €150)

BEST SIGHT: Leonardo’s Last Supper at Santa Maria delle Grazie (Corso Magenta, buy tickets ahead on +39 02 8942 1146 or at www.cenacolovinciano.org).

four: TRIESTE

Piazza dell’Unita
d’Italia WHY NOW? The world’s biggest sailing regatta, the Barcolana, takes place on 12 October, while foodies will enjoy Sapori del Carso, a celebration of regional cuisine (18 Oct–9 Nov).

THE PERFECT WEEKEND: Breakfast in one of the city’s Austrian-style coffee shops.

For great views take a trip on the Opicina Tramway (from Piazza Oberdan) up to the Carso plateau, or climb to the 15th-century San Giusto castle. For lunch head to Il Buffet da Siora Rosa (Piazza Hortis 3) for traditional Trieste fare. Book lovers can then amble through the city following the Joyce trail, while art lovers should head to the Museo Revoltella (Via Diaz 27).

HOTEL: Grand Hotel Duchi d’Aosta (www.grandhotelduchidaosta.com, doubles from €140).

BEST TRIP: Take the ferry to Muggia, facing the gulf of Trieste.

five: NAPLES

WHY NOW? Because if you’re lucky, you’ll get sunny, mild days, and if you’re not, there’s plenty to keep you busy in this chaotic city of contrasts.

THE PERFECT WEEKEND: If you wake to a blue sky, leap on the Circumvesuviana train west to Herculaneum or east to the larger Pompeii. Otherwise head to the city’s Archaeological Museum (Piazza Museo 19). Naples is the home of pizza so try one at Di Matteo (Via Tribunali 94) and after lunch wander into the Duomo cathedral, home to the blood of San Gennaro which is said to liquify twice a year. Unwind over a coffee and a rum baba at the nearby Caffé Gambrinus, which overlooks the expanse of Piazza Plebiscito, though for peace head up to lush Vomero on the funicular from Piazza Duca d’Aosta. For plush dining with great views, take a taxi to D’Angelo Santa Caterina in Vomero (Via Aniello Falcone 203, +39 081 578 9772) or the cosy Amici Miei (Via Monte di Dio 78, +39 081 764 6063).

HOTEL: Hotel Real Orto Botanico (www.hotelrealortobotanico.it, doubles from €75)

BEST BUY: Pick up a quality umbrella at Mario Talarico, in business since 1860 (Vico Due Porte a Toledo 4/b).

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