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  1. I've used my U.S.-issued non-PIN Visa credit cards in Trenitalia ticket machines numerous times in the past year without any problems whatsoever . Lack of a PIN has never been an issue; the "system" evidently detects that this is not a PIN card and thus does not prompt the user to enter a PIN. I've also used the same cards in Italian museums, restaurants, grocery stores, and hotels and have never been prompted to enter a PIN, regardless of the amount (anywhere from just a few euros to several hundred euros). In other words, the card works the same way in Italy that it does in the U.S. I also use the same cards when I'm in the UK; again, they've always worked perfectly well in railway ticket machines without a PIN. Will wonders never cease!😉
  2. Trieste Airport (TRS) is a relatively small facility, served mainly by regional flights to/from other locations in Italy (including Rome FCO) and by a handful of intra-European flights to/from such airports as Munich, Frankfurt, London Stansted, Dublin, and the like. Theoretically it could be a convenient portal if you were starting from one of those European cities, but it does not really make sense if you are coming directly from anywhere in North America. Venice Marco Polo Airport (VCE) does handle some nonstop flights to/from North America (e.g., Delta from JFK, United from EWR -- depending on the time of year), as well as connecting flights from other European airports. Land connections (train or bus) between VCE and the city of Trieste are frequent and convenient.
  3. @blueexpedition29 Just a quick follow-up to John Bull's comprehensive and (as always) excellent advice. I would only add that Winchester has a reputation as something of a foodies' haven, with an eclectic selection of first-rate restaurants -- among them a Rick Stein (seafood), various Japanese, Thai, Indian, and Asian fusion establishments, a few brasseries, and of course some very nice pubs and pubby English inn-restaurants (e.g. the Wykeham Arms). So don't feel you need to rush back to Southampton in order to enjoy a nice dinner -- although the So'ton selections listed by JB are quite tempting! I'm not au currant with the restaurant situation in Salisbury--it's probably slightly more prosaic than Winchester, but a bit of research might nonetheless yield some desirable dining places. (At the more ordinary end of the scale, of course, wherever you go you'll also stumble upon the ubiquitous outposts of major chains -- the likes of Wetherspoons, Pizza Express, and the Golden Arches.)
  4. Google Flights is now my preferred search engine. If I'm not mistaken, it's basically a simplified version of matrix.ita, with a very clean, easy-to-read, intuitive, user-friendly interface. (Google owns matrix.ita, does it not?) Just like matrix.ita, it is not a booking site; rather, when you find a particular flight that suits you, it provides a direct link to the pertinent airline's website, where you can complete the booking. (It also provides links to some third-party booking sites, which I always disregard.) There is a good article/guide on thepointsguy.com website on "How to use Google Flights..." IMO, there is no good reason and no need to use Skyscanner, Booking Buddy, or any of the other "popular" flight search/aggregator/booking websites.
  5. Just to be accurate, for the benefit of floridababa, JeffElizabeth and others: The station you want as your destination in Venice is Venezia S. Lucia. (There is no station called "Venice Central Station.") Currently, the one-way fare for the fastest RV (Regionale Veloce) trains direct from Trieste Centrale to Venezia S. Lucia is 15.55€ (approximately $17 U.S.). The journey, as indicated above, takes just over two hours. The Trenitalia website also shows some trains from Trieste Centrale to Venezia S. Lucia priced at 20.50€, taking three hours or more. You want to avoid that train. (The ticket price is higher, and that journey takes longer, because that train takes a longer, more circuitous route via Udine and Treviso.) Finally, you will also note a few Eurocity trains departing Trieste Centrale. Those trains are generally more comfortable, but taking them requires a change at Venezia Mestre, which is a very busy station with numerous platforms. Finally, one can return to Trieste on a Frecciarossa train from Venezia Mestre. The Frecciarossa is Italy's most modern, high-speed train (unless you count the Italo trains--Italo is a private company, separate from Trenitalia), but the line between Mestre and Trieste is not a high-speed line, so on that route the Frecciarosa does not go any faster than an ordinary Regionale train. Tickets can be purchased at the station with cash (euros) or credit card, either from a machine or at the ticket window.
  6. None of this is at all surprising or unusual. Travelers should not expect to find mini-fridges, safes, closets, or phones in budget hotels in the UK as a matter of course. This applies not only to Moxy hotels but also to rooms in such ubiquitous budget chain hotels as Premier Inn, Ibis, and Travelodge. It's a commonality across all of these brands, and probably some others of which I have no experience. (In lieu of closets and standard drawers, rooms invariably have an open area with a few hangers as well as open shelves -- the benefit being that guests are unlikely to leave any clothing or other personal items behind when everything is in plain sight.) In Premier Inns, and (I don't quite recall, but probably most other chain hotels), hairdryers are provided in the bedroom itself--but never in the bathroom. Per UK safety regulations, electrical outlets are not permitted in bathrooms, although (again, my memory is a bit hazy, because I've never consciously looked for this) there may be an outlet for electric razors. And don't go looking for a washcloth/facecloth (called a flannel in the UK) in the bathroom of any hotel in Britain, regardless of the price of the room or how upscale the hotel may be. It's not that housekeeping forgot to leave one for you; it's that they are considered personal items and are just not provided. Just a cultural difference. However... In your room you will invariably find an electric kettle, cups/mugs, a few assorted teabags, instant coffee sachets, and tiny milk/cream thingies. Nobody needs fridges, safes, landline phones, etc etc, but you absolutely do need your tea!😉😋
  7. @NCteacherlovescruising ~ To an extent, that is true. Just to be clear (so you know before you apply for the card, and thus avoid any unexpected surprises): There are a number of significant benefits associated with the Chase Sapphire Preferred card (and the more "premium" Sapphire Reserved card, which generally is useful only for very frequent fliers/travelers who want/need special perks, and which carries a hefty annual fee.) In addition to a couple of standard charge methods (i.e, with money!), there are two ways to book with points using the Chase Sapphire Preferred (or Sapphire Reserve) card: 1. Through Chase's Ultimate Rewards travel portal. With the CSP card, your existing points are multiplied by 1.25, thus almost magically increasing your purchasing power. Thus, for example, 10,000 points ($100) on your card are valued valued at 12,500 points ($125). This method is much the simplest to execute, though not always cheaper than using method #2. However, be aware that in using the Ultimate Rewards travel portal, you are booking through a third-party website. (If I recall correctly, it's actually an Expedia booking platform). So the usual caveats about third-party bookings applies, though I would trust the Chase/Expedia platform far more than the sort of [fly-by-night] third-party agencies you find via some travel search engines) 2. By transferring points from your Chase card directly to one of Chase's partner airlines (and/or to partner hotels)--or, to be more precise, to the airline's loyalty program--and then booking directly on that airline's website. Transferring points to the airline is fairly straightforward, though you will first have to register for the airline's frequent-flier/loyalty program. Moreover, method #2 requires more research to determine whether using this method for your particular desired flight is actually cheaper than method #1 or, indeed, cheaper than actually charging the flight to your credit card via the UR travel portal. (I've not detailed that method and its potential advantages, since your original question has to do with paying with points/miles; but in some instances, it can be advantageous to use that method--which you would have to use anyway if you haven't accumulated enough points to cover the cost of the flight.) Also, be aware that Chase does not partner with all major airlines, and thus it may not be possible to transfer your Chase points directly to your preferred airline. For example, Delta is not a Chase partner; if you wanted to use your Chase points toward a Delta flight, you would have to first transfer your points to the Air France - KLM "Flying Blue" program; you could then book your Delta awards flight via the Flying Blue platform, since Delta is part of the Sky Team alliance that includes Air France and Delta. Finally, although points are always transferred at a 1:1 ratio, you have to calculate the value of each point on your particular airline's program. As I said, this booking method takes more work and research; for many people, it's enough to make your head hurt.🤔😕 (And on top of all this, some other conditions also apply...) For more information, see The Guide to Chase Transfer Partners on the nerdwallet.com website linked in post #6 above. Additionally, there are quite a few articles/reviews/comparisons of various travel credit cards on other financial information websites as well as video reviews and explanations on YouTube. (NB -- Disclaimer: The information provided in this post does not claim to be complete and definitive, nor is it intended as a recommendation for any particular credit card. Always do your due diligence and read the fine print on the credit card issuer's own website! As we say in the trade, Your mileage may vary.)
  8. You're right. I see the exact same results using that method. ... Which gave me another theory, which I tested and found correct: Say you put in a departure time of 09:00, for example. Well, here on the east coast of the U.S., which is six hours behind the current time in Italy, the Trenitalia "adjusts" that time six hours ahead to 15:00 (i.e., 3 p.m., Italy time). Again, that's very curious, as that "problem" never occurred when I was using the Trenitalia site a few months ago. Back then, whenever I put in 09:00, the site showed me trains that were departing at the "real time" (i.e., the local time in Italy) of 09:00 and later. So, the "glitch" evidently has something to do with the time setting of your computer (and mine)--the Trenitalia site "reads" my 09:00 as 09:00 EDT, not 09::00 CEST, and factors in/"translates" (???) the time difference, showing trains that depart at the "same" time in Italy (i.e., 15:00 CEST and beyond). Clearing cookies or allowing Trenitalia to place functional cookies might solve this "glitch." But as I say, this situation did not arise at all when I booked Italian train tickets from the U.S. a few months ago. Go figure.🤔 Edit: I see that cruisemom42 and euro cruiser have provided a fuller explanation confirming my theory--although the glitch evidently stems from faulty Trenitalia website programming and not from our own computers! 😉
  9. I just checked the Trenitalia site out of curiosity, putting in some random dates, and got the same results as you reported. Very odd--I might be wrong, but I would assume it's a temporary glitch. One hopes the problem will be corrected in a day or two. (Or maybe not?...) I used the Trenitalia website extensively for train journeys in Italy this past spring and never encountered this problem. Edit: I just checked random dates for this route on thetrainline.com website, and found plenty of morning trains, just as you did on the Omio site. As I general rule, it's almost always best (and least expensive) to purchase train tickets directly from the particular train operator's own website (in Italy, Trenitalia or Italo) rather than from a third-party booking site. In a couple of rare instances, however, I have used the Trainline website without any difficulty either on the purchase end or the rail journey itself. Your mileage may vary, as they say.
  10. Sure! Why not? How else are you going to get to the Basilica of Sant'Ubaldo atop Mount Ingino? 😁 However... you do know that the "cable car" is basically a tiny open cage in which you stand, and that holds only two people... 😵🥴 Here's a preview: For what it's worth, Gubbio is one of my favorite towns in Italy.
  11. Ah, yes, that's the place--how could I forget? In business since 1777, Enoteca Bischoff stocks over 1,500 different wines. A convenient, easy-to-find location at Via Mazzini 21, just two blocks from the Canal Grande, in the heart of Trieste.
  12. Well, right off the bat, if your second statement is non-negotiable, you won't be able to fly any of the three airlines named in your first statement, since none of those airlines provide "direct" (I assume you really mean non-stop) flights from Rome to any airport ("whatever airport"?) in the US. (Incidentally, for what it's worth, just off the top of my head, I expect TAP's airfare would be the cheapest--if cost is your top priority and if you're willing to change at Lisbon.) In any case, I would heed FlyerTalker's advice to book open-jaw (aka multicity) outbound and return flight(s). The usual flight/airfare search engines will reveal a variety of open-jaw flight combinations in and out of various airports on both sides of the Atlantic.
  13. I second envy4's suggestion of the Pam supermarket -- my home-away-from-home supermarket in Trieste. There are several SPAR shops in Trieste, including one in the Trieste Centrale complex and another in Piazza Unita d'Italia, though I've not examined their wine selections, which (from memory of seeing the wine & spirits section as I navigated my way through that particular aisle) are likely quite limited. I'm not aware of any Carrefour stores in Trieste. And I wouldn't bother with the Aldi shop on Via del Coronea.
  14. Trains from Trieste to Venice Mestre (and beyond) run throughout the day--generally one an hour, if not more often at busy times. The majority of these are standard Regionale Veloce trains; tickets are priced at a flat fee regardless of departure date/time, and do not need to be booked in advance. The direct service takes just under two hours; there are several other trains which operate on a different line via Udine, and take around three hours (and cost a bit more). Unfortunately, apparently there's only one Frecciarossa train per day--evidently the one and only train that showed up in your search. I believe that Italo also operates one high-speed train per day. In any case, on this route the "high-speed" train only gets you to Mestre about 12 or 15 minutes faster than the standard Regionale trains. As mapleleaves says, it is likely that all the departures for your September date are not showing up in your search because the timetables have not yet been finalized. However, if you do a search for a random date next week, for example, you will get a pretty good idea of the Trieste>Mestre trains that should be available in September.
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