We did the Florence Alitalia great deal in March this year. We stayed at La Gioconda. It was a great location - close to everything. The rooms were small but very clean. The woman who runs the hotel and the people at the desk were very helpful. The only thing you should know is that there is no elevator and to get to our room, we had to climb over eighty stairs. We were there for ten days so we got quite a workout.

We took two day trips and went by train both times. We went to Lucca and rented bicycles for the day - it was wonderful to ride around the walls and down into the old city. We also went to Pisa one day. The train station is a long way from the leaning tower so we took a local bus from the station and then walked back through the town.

Have fun in Florence. I loved it even more than Rome or Venice. Be sure to check the Zine archives for restaurant listings. We had some wonderful meals at places recommended by Ziners.

We are still undecided about going on another Alitalia trip this year. We have enjoyed them, but the prices have increased substantially over the past 3 years, and they are not the great deals they used to be.

Penny & Bob Toronto, Ontario