Entries with airport tag

Arrival

Naples’ Capodochino airport (enquiries tel 081.789.6111) is a little way northwest of the city centre at Viale Umberto Maddalena. It is connected with Piazza Garibaldi (the stop is next to the Hotel Cavour ) by buses #14 and #15 approximately every fifteen minutes, and the journey takes twenty to thirty minutes; buy tickets (L1500/0.77) from the tabacchi in the departures hall. There is also an official airfield bus, operated by CLP (enquiries tel 081.531.1706), which runs to Piazza Garibaldi and Piazza Municipio every thirty minutes between 6.30am and 11.30pm (6am-midnight in the opposite direction), although it isn’t very much quicker and is double the price (L3000/1.55); however, it does have the advantage of continuing to Molo Beverello, from where hydrofoils depart for the islands. Taxis, too, tend to take almost as long as buses to reach the centre, and cost up to L40,000/20.66; if you do use one, make sure the meter is switched on when you get in . By train , you’re most likely to arrive at Napoli Centrale, situated on the edge of the city centre at one end of Piazza Garibaldi, at the main hub of city (and suburban) transport services; there’s a left luggage office here (open 24hr). Some trains also pull in to Stazione Mergellina, on the opposite side of the city centre, which is connected with Piazza Garibaldi by the underground metropolitana . For train enquiries tel 1478.88.088 (7am-9pm) or go to the information booths at Napoli Centrale and be prepared to queue (daily 7.30am-10pm).

City and suburban buses also stop on Piazza Garibaldi. SITA buses (enquiries tel 081.552.2176) to Salerno pull up and leave from Via Pisanelli, just off Piazza Municipio. CTP buses (enquiries tel 081.700.1111) to outlying towns like Avellino, Benevento, Cápua, Caserta and so on, stop on Piazza Capuana, just north of the Piazza Garibaldi.

Category: Naples

Arrival

Most international and domestic trains pull in at the main Stazione Centrale , northeast of the city centre on Piazza Duca d’Aosta, at the hub of the metro network on lines MM2 and MM3. Quite a few trains, especially those from stations in the Milan region – Bergamo, Pavia, Como and the other western lakes – terminate at Garibaldi, Lambrate, Porta Genova and Nord , all on MM2 (the metro stop for Milan Nord is “Cadorna”), although these often also stop at Centrale. International and long-distance buses arrive at and depart from Piazza Castello, in front of the Castello Sforzesco. Information and tickets are acquirable from the Autostradale bus office (tel 02.801.161) on the piazza, or Zani Viaggi (tel 02.867.131), on the corner of Piazza Castello and Foro Buonaparte. As for arrival by car , the city is encircled by a multi-laned toll road, the Tangenzianale, from which there are links onto the autostradas for Venice and Turin (A4), Genoa (A7), and the “Autostrada del Sole” (A1) for Bologna, Florence, Rome and the south. Milan has two airports , both used by domestic and international traffic. Malpensa (tel 02.7485.2200), 50km northeast of the city, is the main one, connected by direct bus with the Stazione Centrale (every 20 mins 5.20am-10.30pm; 1hr; L13,000/¬6.71) and by the new FNME train, the Malpensa Express (every 30min 6.30am-1.30am; 40min; information tel 02.27.723, www.malpensaexpress.com ), with Milano Nord (the primeval morning and late evening services are replaced by a bus from Via Leopardi, just to the left of the station). It costs L15,000/¬7.75, although Air Italia and Lufthansa passangers are entitled to discounts. Check when you buy your ticket that your airline hasn’t arranged a similar deal. Milan’s other airport, Linate (tel 02.7485.2200), is just 7km from the city centre: special airfield buses connect it with the air terminal on Piazza Luigi di Savoia, on the easterly side of Stazione Centrale (every 20min 5.40am-7pm, every 30min 7-9pm; 20min; L4500/¬2.32). Ordinary ATM urban transport buses (#73) also run every ten minutes from 5.30am until around midnight between Linate and Piazza San Babila in the city centre, and they don’t take much longer; tickets cost L1500/¬0.78 and should be bought before you get on the bus from the airfield newsagent, or, if you have change, from the ticket organisation at the bus stop. Bear in mind, too, that there’s a twice-daily connecting bus service between Linate and Malpensa, a 75-minute journey.

Category: Milan / Milano

Pegli

Genoa - GenovaNear the airfield west of Genoa is the industrial suburb of Sestri Ponente , a grim collection of blast furnaces, smelting works and housing projects. Local trains and the slow buses #1, #2 or #3 from Piazza Caricamento pass through here to PEGLI , and the romantic Villa Durazzo-Pallavicini , which is set in lavish grounds landscaped in nineteenth-century fantasy style (gardens Tues-Sun: April-Sept 9am-7pm; Oct-March 9am-5pm; L7000/¬3.61). The villa now houses the Museo Civico di Archeologia Ligure (Tues-Thurs 9am-7pm, Fri-Sun 9am-1pm; L6000/¬3.10), where items unearthed from cave burials in the hills along the west coast include the skeleton of a “Young Prince” with seashell crown and ceremonial dagger.

Category: Genoa - Genova

Listings

Genoa - Genova

Airlines Alitalia, via XXII Ottobre 12 (tel 1478.65.642); British Airways (tel 1478.12.266); Delta (tel 1678.64.114); Meridiana (tel 0789.69.300). Banks Plenty are clustered next to Stazione Principe in Piazza Acquaverde, along Via Balbi, and on Via XX Settembre.

Boats Alimar (tel 010.256.775, www.alimar.ge.it ) and Cooperativa Battellieri (tel 010.265.712, www.battellierigenova.it ) offer 45min tours by boat around the port, departing from alongside the aquarium (every 30min, regular 10am-5pm; L10,000/¬5.16). Alimar also do romantic tours by night (July & Aug regular 9pm). Both companies run plenty of summer excursions west and easterly along the Riviera (generally L15-25,000/¬7.74-12.90 one-way), departing either from the Aquarium or from Calata Zingari next to the Stazione Maríttima. Routings along the orient coast are also operated by Golfo Paradiso, based in Camogli (tel 0185.772.091, www.golfoparadiso.it ), whose boats depart from Calata Mandraccio, just south of the Bigo.

Bookshops Feltrinelli, Via XX Settembre 233, has some English-language paperbacks, but Di Stefano ( www.distefano.it ) at Porto Antico and Via Ceccardi 40r, has a better selection.

Car rental Europcar (airport tel 010.650.4881); Hertz, Via Casaregis 76 (tel 010.570.265; airfield tel 010.651.2422); Maggiore, Corso Sardegna 275 (tel 010.839.2153; airfield tel 010.651.2467); Sixt, Via Montevideo 111r (tel 010.313.024); Swiss Rent, Via Canevari 191 (tel 010.882.248).

Consulates UK, Piazza Vittoria 15 (tel 010.564.833); USA, Via Dante 2 (tel 010.584.492).

Doctor Call 010.354.022 for a doctor on call; First Aid emergency is on tel 113.

Ferries Any of the shipping agencies under the arcades along Piazza Caricamento can give current details of the long-distance ferries departing regularly to Bastia (Corsica), Olbia or Porto Torres (both Sardinia), Palermo (Sicily) and further afield to Barcelona, Tunis and around the Med. Main operators are: Corsica Tours, Piazza Dante 5a (tel 010.593.301, www.corsicaferries.com ); Grimaldi, Via Fieschi 17 (tel 010.589.362; www.grimaldi.it ); Moby, Ponte Asseretto (tel 010.252.755, www.mobylines.it ); and Tirrenia, Ponte Colombo (tel 010.275.8041).

Flight information tel 010.601.5410.

Football Genoa’s premier side, the sporadically successful Sampdoria, play at the Luigi Ferraris stadium, up behind Stazione Brignole. They share the stadium with the city’s other major team, Genoa – founded in 1893 as the Genoa Cricket and Athletic Club, originally for British expatriates only. Bus #12 from Piazza Caricamento, and bus #37 from Stazione Principe, Piazza Corvetto and Stazione Brignole, both pass near the stadium; or you can achievement it in 15-20min from Brignole.

Hospitals Ospedale Galliera, Mura delle Cappuccine 14 (tel 010.56.321), is the city’s most central hospital, situated just south of Piazza Vittoria, while Ospedale Evangelico, Corso Solferino 1a (tel 010.55.221) is English-speaking. For an emergency ambulance, call 010.5551.

Internet access Amazingly, Genoa had no public access points at the time of writing, but word had it that a cybercafé was due to open on Via Ravecca in the old town.

Parking There are a dozen or so central car parks, all of which cost L30-35,000/¬15-18 per day; the largest is beneath Piazza della Vittoria (open 24hr). The old quarter is barred to traffic.

Pharmacies Ponte Monumentale, Via XX Settembre 115r (tel 010.564.430) and Farmacia Pescetto, Via Balbi 185r (tel 010.246.2697) are both English-speaking and open 24hr.

Police Carabinieri tel 112; Polizia tel 113; coastguard police tel 010.267.451. Genoa’s police HQ is on tel 010.53.631.

Post office Via Dante 4 (Mon-Sat 8.10am-7.40pm; staff at window 15 speak English). Sub-post offices are at both train stations, open same hours.

Taxis Radio Taxi Genova tel 010.5966.

Train information tel 1478.88.088.

Travel agents CTS, Via San Vincenzo 119 (tel 010.564.366 or 010.532.748); Giver Viaggi, Via XX Settembre 14 (tel 010.570.1241 or 010.585.010); Nouvelles Frontieres, Via Brigata Bisagno 19r (tel 010.553.6474).

Category: Genoa - Genova

Listings

Florence - FirenzeAirlines Air France, Borgo SS Apostoli 9 (tel 1478.84.466); Alitalia, Piazza dell’Oro 1 (tel 1478.65.642); British Airways (tel 1478.12.266); Garuda, Via Palagio degli Spini 1 (tel 055.337.1201); Lufthansa, Via Lamberti 39r (tel 055.340.838); Meridiana, Lungarno Vespucci 28r (tel 055.230.2416); SAS, Lungarno Acciaioli 8 (tel 055.238.2701); TWA, Via Vecchietti 4 (tel 055.239.6856); United, Via Vecchietti 4 (tel 055.289.460). Bike, scooter and motorbike rental There are 17 Bike Points ( Punti Bici ) around the city (all Mon-Sat 8am-7.30pm) where the council provides bikes for a nominal L1000/¬0.52 per day in exchange for a photocopy of your passport, although you must bring the bikes back in the evening. Central locations are: Piazza Stazione, the Mercato Centrale, Piazza Cestello, Porta Romana, Piazza Strozzi, Via della Ninna beside the Uffizi, and Piazza San Marco. One of the best commercial outlets is Florence by Bike, Via San Zanobi 120r (daily 9am-7.30pm; tel 055.488.992, www.florencebybike.it ): near bikes are L4000/¬2.06 per hour or L20,000/¬10.33 per day; 21-gear mountain bikes start from L30,000/¬15.49 per day; electric scooters are L60,000/¬30.99 per day; and a two-person 125cc touring scooter is L120,000/¬61.97 per day. They have discount weekend rates, and lower prices for students. Other similarly priced outlets include Alinari at Via Guelfa 85r (tel 055.280.500) and Via dei Bardi 35 (tel 055.234.6436); and Motorent, Via San Zanobi 9r (tel 055.490.113).

Books Aside from the chain bookshops Feltrinelli, Via Cavour 12r, and Seeber, Via de’ Tornabuoni 68r, good general outlets are Paperback Exchange, Via Fiesolana 31r ( www.dada.it/paperback ); BM Bookshop, Borgognissanti 4r; and After Dark, Via de’ Ginori 47r. City Lights, Via San Niccolo 23, concentrates on Beat literature and organizes plenty of readings; Il Viaggio, Via Ghibellina 117r, specializes in travel books, guides and maps; The Cinema Bookshop is at Via Guelfa 14r; and Libreria delle Donne, Via Fiesolana 2b, is a women’s bookshop.

Car rental Avis, Borgo Ognissanti 128r (tel 055.213.629), and at the airfield (tel 055.315.588); Europcar, Borgo Ognissanti 53r (tel 055.236.0073 or tel 167.013.942, airfield tel 055.318.609); Hertz, Via Maso Finiguerra 33r (tel 055.239.8205, airfield tel 055.307.370); Holiday Autos, Via Palagio degli Spini 1 (tel 055.337.1201); Italy by Car/Thrifty, Borgo Ognissanti 134r (tel 055.287.161, airfield tel 055.300.413); Maggiore/National, Via Maso Finiguerra 31r (tel 055.210.238 or tel 1478.67.067, airfield tel 055.311.256); Program (lowest regular rate), Borgo Ognissanti 135r (tel 055.282.916); Sixt (airport tel 055.309.790).

City tours Enjoy Florence (toll-free tel 800.274.819) run travel tours from the Thomas Cook office at Lungarno Acciaiuoli 6r (Mon-Sat 10am; L30,000/¬15.49; takes 3hr). Gentle small-group 3-hour cycle tours are run by Florence by Bike, Via San Zanobi 120r (tel 055.488.992, www.florencebybike.it ; leaving regular 9.15am & 3pm; L45,000/¬23.24).

Consulates Netherlands, Via Cavour 81 (tel 055.475.249); South Africa, Piazza Saltarelli 1 (tel 055.281.863); UK, Lungarno Corsini 2 (tel 055.284.133); USA, Lungarno Vespucci 38 (tel 055.239.8276). For the Rome embassies of Australia, Canada, Ireland and New Zealand .

Exchange Banks are concentrated around Via de’ Tornabuoni and Piazza della Repubblica, and some open for a few hours on Saturday. There are dozens of exchange kiosks, most with none-too-favourable rates or commissions. Try American Express, Via Dante Alighieri 22r (Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm, Sat 9am-12.30pm; tel 055.50.981), or Thomas Cook, Lungarno Acciaiuoli 6r (Mon-Sat 9am-6pm, Sun 9am-2pm; tel 055.289.781 or tel 167.004.488).

Flight information For flights from Florence-Perètola (Aeroporto Amerigo Vespucci), call 055.306.1702 (international) or tel 055.306.1700 (domestic). For all flights from Pisa (Aeroporto uranologist Galilei), call 050.500.707, or go to the Air Terminal check-in desk on platform 5 of Florence’s Santa Maria Novella train station (daily 7am-5pm; tel 055.216.073). You can buy train tickets here to Pisa airfield (plus a service charge of L2000/¬1.03) and check your bags in too. The cutoff time is 15min before the train leaves, and you must still allow a minimum of 35min at the airfield end before your flight departs in order to get through passport control and security. Advance check-in is not acquirable if you’re flying with Ryanair.

Football Florence’s soccer team, Fiorentina, is one of Italy’s most glamorous sides. They won the Italian cup in 1996 and came close to a league championship in 1999. Games are played on alternate Sundays (except in June & July) at Stadio Artemio Franchi easterly of Campo di Marte, served by the special match-day bus #52 from the train station. Tickets start at L30,000/¬15.49, but you should consult the tourist office in advance about availability.

Gay and lesbian life Florence’s history is scattered with some of history’s greatest gay and bisexual artists (Michelangelo, Leonardo and Botticelli, among others). The support group Azione Gay e Lesbica is at Via San Zanobi 54r (tel 055.476.557). Of the handful of gay- and lesbian-friendly bar/cafés around town is the arty, relaxed Piccolo Caffè , Borgo Santa Croce 23r (daily 5pm-1.30am). The key men-only venues are Crisco Bar , Via S. Egidio 43r (Mon & Wed-Sun 10pm-late) and Tabasco Disco-Bar , Piazza S. Cecilia 3 (Tues-Sun 10pm-late). The women’s bookshop Libreria delle Donne, Via Fiesolana 2b, has contacts and information for lesbian visitors. Yag , Via dei Macci, is a gay-friendly cybercafé and bar.

Internet access Florence has dozens of cybercafés, all of which charge around L6000/¬3.10 per thirty minutes, and all of which knock L1000/¬0.52 off if you can show student ID. Long hours, from mid-morning until late at night (slightly truncated on Sundays), are common. Check out Internet Train , Via Guelfa 24a, Via Oriuolo 40r, Borgo San Jacopo 30r, Via de’ Benci 36r, or Via Giacomini 9 ( www.internettrain.it ); The NetGate , Via San Egidio 10r, Via Cavour 144r, Via dei Cimatori 17r, or Via Nazionale 156r ( www.thenetgate.it ); MeridiaNet , Borgo San Frediano 5r (tel 055.264.5507); Odus Intercomm , Via del Porcellana 20r ( www.odusintercomm.com ); Webpuccino , Via de’ Conti 22r (tel 055.277.6469); or, if you prefer an iMac, IntoTheWeb , Via de’ Conti 23r (tel 055.264.5628).

Laundry Wash & Dry is in several central locations (Via Ghibellina 143r, Via Nazionale 129r, Via della Scala 52r, Via dei Serragli 87r, Via dei Servi 105r, and Via del Sole 29r), all open regular 8am-10pm.

Left luggage There’s a staffed counter at the train station (daily 4.15am-1.30am; L5000/¬2.58 per piece for 12hr).

Lost property The city office, Via Circondaria 19 (Mon-Wed, Fri & Sat 9am-noon; tel 055.328.3942) receives property handed in to police (tel 055.4977) or the railway police (tel 055.212.296). If you lost items on a train, call 055.235.2190; at Vespucci airfield tel 055.308.023.

Medical facilities There’s a first aid station on Piazza Duomo. The Guardia Medica Turistica, Via Santa Rosa 13 (Mon-Fri 8am-2pm, Sat 8am-1pm; tel 055.228.5789), it charges L25,000/¬12.91 for a consultation. IAMAT, Via Lorenzo il Magnifico 59 (tel 055.475.411), has English-speaking doctors on call, day or night (L150,000/¬77.47). Otherwise, the Ospedale Santa Maria Nuova, Piazza Santa Maria Nuova 1 (tel 055.27.581) has a 24hr emergency room. The Associazione Volontari Ospedalieri (tel 055.425.0126) are volunteers on 24hr call who help foreigners in medical difficulties by providing advice and interpreting.

Parking The only legal street parking is in a blue space (max 2hr, 8am-8pm). Firenze Parcheggi (tel 055.272.011, www.firenzeparcheggi.it ) controls all city car parks, including the 24-hour guarded car park “Parterre” at Piazza della Libertà; with a chit from your hotel you pay L15,000/¬7.75 for 24 hours here, and get free cycle rental plus a voucher for L5000/¬2.58 off a taxi ride. The most central parking is on Piazza Brunelleschi, northeast of the duomo (L2000/¬1.03 per hour). There’s free parking south of the river at Piazzale Michelangelo – watch out for a long-running scam whereby bogus parking attendants direct you into a free space, thus implying there’s a charge (there isn’t). If you’ve been towed, phone 055.308.249 and be prepared for a cash fine of L150,000/¬77.47.

Pharmacies Comunale della Stazione inside the train station (tel 055.289.435); Molteni, Via Calzaiuoli 7r (tel 055.289.490); and All’Insegna del Moro, Piazza San Giovanni 20r (tel 055.284.013) are all open 24hr daily.

Police Emergency: Carabinieri tel 112; Police tel 113. The tourist police are at Via Pietrapiana 50r, off Piazza de’ Ciompi (tel 055.203.911). The city police (emergency tel 055.36.911) are at the train station, Palazzio Vecchio and Via delle Terme. The Questura police HQ, for passport problems, reporting thefts and so on, is at Via Zara 2 (tel 055.49.771).

Post office Central post office is at Via Pellicceria 3 (Mon-Sat 8.15am-6pm; telegram office open 24hr; poste restante at counters 23 & 24). Other post offices are at Via Pietrapiana 53, Via Cavour 71r, and Via Barbadori 40r.

Taxis Radio taxis are on tel 055.4798, tel 055.4242 and tel 055.4390. Main stands are the train station and Piazza della Repubblica.

Train information tel 1478.88.088.

Category: Florence - Firenze

Listings

Brindisi

Car rental Europcar at the airfield (tel 0831.413.817). Exchange To buy/sell Greek drachmas, refrain the numerous exchange offices in town and stick to the banks, who shouldn’t clobber you with exorbitant charges – though they might need persuading to deal with you. Banco di Napoli and Credito Italiano are both on Corso Garibaldi. The exchange office at the Stazione Marittima is open on Saturdays until 9pm, and the one at the main train station on Sundays, too.

Police station (tel 0831.543.111). Post office Main office on Piazza Vittoria (Mon-Fri 8.30am-1pm & 3-6pm, Sat 8.30am-noon).

Taxis (tel 0831.597.901).

Train information (tel 0832.668.233).

Category: Brindisi

Arrival, Information And City Transport

Bologna

Bologna’s train station (enquiries tel 147.888.088, 7am-9pm) lies on the edge of the city centre at Piazza delle Medaglie d’Oro, near Porta Galliera; all long-distance buses terminate at the bus station , next door on Piazza XX Settembre. Bus #25 connects the train station and Piazza del Nettuno, the city centre. The airport (enquiries tel 051.647.9615) is northwest of the centre, linked to the train station by the Aerobus (L7000/¬3.62), which runs approximately every twenty minutes and takes around twenty-five minutes if the traffic is reasonably light. There are tourist offices at the airfield (daily 8am-8pm; tel 051.647.2036), at the train station (Mon-Sat 9am-7pm; tel 051.251.947), and a main office in the Palazzo d’Accursio at Piazza Maggiore 6 (Mon-Sat 8.30am-7pm, Sun 8.30am-2pm; tel 051.246.541, www.comune.bologna.it/bolognaturismo ).

Once you’re in the city centre, the best way to get around is on foot: a leisurely stroll downtown beneath some of the 25 miles of porticoes that link together the compact centro storico is most appealing. Buses (enquiries tel 051.245.400) are fast and frequent; tickets cost L1800/¬0.93 apiece from tabacchi , newsstands or ticket machines and are valid on as many buses as you like within one hour (or buy a Citypass, valid for seven journeys, for L14,000/¬7.23). You can get information from the booth at the junction of Via Delle Lame and Via G. Marconi or the “Via Libera” office at Piazza physiologist 4c (daily 7am-8pm; tel 051.290.290). For taxis , call 051.372.727 or 051.534.141.

Category: Bologna