If your question is not answered below, please e-mail us and we’ll add yours.

HOW DO YOU PRONOUNCE POGGIO?
Po-Joe. 🙂

WHAT AIRPORT AND WHAT TIME?
Malpensa (MXP) is the main Milan airport and has direct flights from JFK, Newark, Miami and (seasonally) Atlanta and Chicago.

We can pick up groups of eight to twelve arriving or departing together at no extra charge. We can arrange transportation to the villa outside of the group arrival and departure times for about 50 euros per person each way.

There are two other airports that serve Milan, as well, mostly from within the EU: Linate (LIN) and Orio al Serio (BGY). BGY is essentially Bergamo but is about the same distance to the villa as Malpensa.

The villa is about 1.25 hours from MXP and about an hour from BGY (Bergamo Orio al Serio) and LIN (Linate).

 

TRAVELING BEFORE OR AFTER YOUR VILLA WEEK
Our favorite site for trip planning is http://www.rome2rio. It shows ALL the ways to get from Point A to Point B (and cost).

Traveling BEFORE your week at the villa is a great idea! You can fly into another airport if you’d like, and out of Milan. This also gives you an opportunity to de-jetlag a bit before your week at the villa.

If you travel elsewhere after your stay at the villa, but you are flying home from Malpensa, you might want to consider staying at hotel near the airport the night before your departure to avoid the hour-long trip to the airport from Milan early.

If you are traveling by train before your Poggio Verde stay, the easiest pickup station is Monza. If you are traveling by train after your week at the villa we can help you with arrangements to be dropped off at Monza or Milan (Porta Garibaldi or Stazione Centrale).

If you would like some ideas of places to go before or after your trip feel free to ask Gretchen or Judith. The best site to check for hotels and restaurants in any city is the Michelin Guide.

Some of our closer favorites for a few days before or after: Stresa (on Lago Maggiore, close to Malpensa), Piemonte (wine country)!, Switzerland (St Moritz area), Alto Adige, Veneto, Dolomites, Tuscany (Val d’Orcia or Florence), Venice.

TRIP HEALTH INSURANCE
Poggio Verde requires all participants confirm that, in the case of a health emergency, you have either insurance or the means to return home as needed.

If your credit card or airline doesn’t provide trip cancellation insurance, we recommend World Nomads or Travel Guard, which hass medical and trip cancellation insurance. If you’d like to see more information about trip insurance, click here for an article from Forbes that might be helpful.

ROOMS
Click here for interior photos, including the rooms in the villa and the Residenza.

WI-FI / INTERNET
The wi-fi in the villa is very good but it slows down a bit before and after dinner when everyone’s on it. You will be given the passwords upon arrival. If the villa is full, we encourage visitors to refrain from using wi-fi to stream movies in their rooms. 🙂 Please download media onto your devices ahead of time.

ADAPTERS and CONVERTERS
Adapters are available at the villa but if you have your own, go ahead and bring them.  Curling irons and heating pads MUST have switch that toggles back and forth to 220 volt from 110 volt and back again. Those power outages are no fun…). Converters (the big clunky things) are not needed, just adapters.

HAIR DRYERS
Each bathroom has a hair dryer.

LAUNDRY
There is a washer and a dryer in the villa and one in the Residenza but they are European size (small) and have very long wash cycles so we don’t plan to use them much. Laundry service can be arranged on the mid-week cleaning day – check with Gretchen or Judith. Bring a zippered laundry pouch if you anticipate wanting to wash a few things so your items can be kept together.

CELL PHONES
Call your carrier, let them know you’ll be in Italy and ask what you need to do, if anything, to make and receive calls. Most companies have a variety of plans to choose from to keep you connected while you’re there. (Verizon’s international people are very helpful: 1-800-711-8300).

Your phone will essentially be using the American network to make calls. So call American phones as you normally would, with area code and number. To call Gretchen or somewhere in Italy, you would hold down the “0” key (zero) until it turns to a plus sign (or dial 00), then dial 39-335-813-4309 as it is an international call, the same as from home.

iPhones and iPads work the same as at home – whenever you are connected to wi-fi, your FaceTime and texts to another iPhone are free.

COMMUNICATION
If the group has a mix of Android and iPhones, we’ll use WhatsApp to communicate. Download the app  before you come and we’ll get a group text set up.

You will be provided a printed list and a link to an online google doc with your host and your group’s phone numbers and email for contact purposes before and during the trip.

CREDIT CARDS
Bring a card with a chip if you have one as they are more common in Italy than in the US. United Explorer and Capitol One cards do not charge euro/dollar conversion fees, just FYI. It’s a good idea to call your credit card company before you leave and let them know you are traveling and where so they don’t deny your first charges in Italy!

CASH
It’s a good idea to bring some euros with you. You can pick some up at your bank or AAA (no fee for members) before you come. (Wichita travelers: Intrust and Commerce Bank in Wichita have euros and the charge is minimal.)

ATTIRE
There is no particular dress code. Pack light, though, and come ready to enjoy yourself and be comfortable. Layers and scarves seem to work well for most travelers. If you are there with the Wencels your photo is likely to be snapped numerous times. 🙂 To get ideas of attire from previous travelers, check our Flickr albums – they are arranged by date so you can find an album from around the time of your own trip.

Bring a collapsible umbrella if you have one – it does rain on occasion in sunny Italy. Tennis shoes are perfectly acceptable footwear – the important thing is that your shoes be comfortable. Dinner at the villa is among friends, of course, so dress as you would if going to a friend’s house for dinner. 🙂 If you have purchased a beautiful new scarf or shoes or other attire on the trip, feel free to wear them to dinner so we can all appreciate them.

SHOPPING
And speaking of new shoes, scarves, clothes, etc., Bellagio has some very nice shopping for silks and linens, as does Como, and of course Milan. Bergamo also has some nice shops. 

HOUSEKEEPING
There is a mid-week cleaning of the bathrooms and a towel change. If you or your group would like more frequent housekeeping service, we can make arrangements.

WEATHER
Click here to get an idea of what the forecast or average temps and weather are at different times of year at the villa. (Change the month at the top of the page as needed).

SUNRISE/SUNSET
If you’re curious when the sun is rising and setting when you’re at Poggio, you can click this link.

TIPS
There is no expectation for tips at the villa. If you are particularly pleased with the service of the housekeeper, chef, kitchen help, driver, etc., feel free to tip but it is not expected. All other tips in restaurants, etc., are taken care of.