One Hundred Miles

It's worth trying to catch the end of the summer sales this week. Bargains are certainly to be had not least because the exchange rate of lire to pound is still so good. As the Florentines push off out of the city in August, there is no one around to scoop up the last bargains. For designer-wear, scour the chic shops (Prada, Gucci, Armani et al) around Via Tornabuoni and Via della Vigna Nuova. Mark-downs are often much more generous than those in Britain.

As of April 24, the Canadian Airlines Canadian Plus and American Express Membership Rewards partnership has ended. The partnership allowed Membership Rewards members to transfer points to Canadian Plus miles. According to our contact at American Express, the contract between the credit card company and Canadian Airlines was ironed out months ago and set to go through the end of 2002, but Canadian wanted to negotiate changes. Perhaps larger conversion increments than the allotted 3,000 points were the point of contention. Plus, effective May 1 each time Membership Rewards points in Canada are transferred to a participating frequent flyer account, a fee of 3,500 Membership Rewards points will be assessed. Canadian may have not been pleased with this development as well. Canadian walked out of the negotiations on April 20, severing the partnership. Canadian Airlines was recently taken over by Air Canada. Canadian Plus and Air Canada's Aeroplan program are supposedly not effected by the change, however the Canadian Plus program seems to be in a constant state of upheaval. This development won't serve to assure members that all is well with Canadian Plus.

One of the most important factors to look for in a hotel, if you are spending any time in Florence in the summer, is outside space. If you have deep pockets, you couldn't do better than the Torre di Bellosguardo, a four-star villa hotel perched on a hill to the south of the city with a fabulous view over the steaming masses below. Formal Italian gardens and a pool make a magical setting, and the bedrooms are furnished very much in keeping with their 16th-century origins with, of course, the addition of all the usual comforts you would expect from a hotel at this price.