We are devouring Rome reports....so just waiting.... No pressure....

OK "LoveToRome"!

Living where we do in central Pennsylvania, we can fly overseas from many different airports: WDC, PHL, Newark, Harrisburg, Baltimore, even JFK if need be. This time, based on price, we left from Washington Dulles and had an uneventful trip down. I had done some research and had found that the Dulles Crown Plaza Hotel would allow us to leave our car there for $40 a week, a real bargain. We left our car in their garage and jumped into their free shuttle to the airport. By the time we survived an hour at the check-in area, the long security lines and getting through the airport to the gate, it was already well over 2 hours and boarding had just begun. I’d hate to see what would have happened if we had run into any snags. The flight was fine and on time.

June 29
We arrived into Zurich at 8 a.m. I love that airport. Exit, cross a tiny street and voila! The train station! I had spent hours reading and deciding what type of Swiss rail cards to purchase and finally settled on Half Fare cards which were easy to buy at the airport. (Had I decided sooner, I think I could have bought them before leaving home for a better price.) We had to go to a special office (a few doors to the left of the ticket counters downstairs in the Zurich train station) to buy the passes and tickets for our ride to Grindelwald and then for the 4 legs from Grindelwald into Italy, and the woman was very helpful. [I’ll jump ahead a little on this point. She was helpful, but I unfortunately realized a couple of days later that she had inadvertently forgotten to apply the pass discount to one set of tickets because there was so much going on with our complicated transactions. Once I realized, I went to the station in Grindelwald, showed all my tickets and receipts and the agent there refunded me the difference. That was quite a relief!]
I recorded that the Half Fare cards each cost 110 CHF and the tickets from Zurich to Grindelwald were each just under 40 CHF. Adding up our total ticket costs, including some mountaintop travel, we each saved only about 8-10 Swiss Francs. Not a lot, but it bought us some extra chocolate!

Back to the train station…I’ve reported before that the luggage carts can be wheeled directly onto the escalator at the Zurich train station. They stay put, but we love seeing how people try to hold on to them for dear life when going down. We calmly stood behind our laden cart, the real pros. (We’re not always pros as you will see, so we have to enjoy it when we can. ) We had the choice of running for the next train or waiting for the following one so we chose to wait and get something to eat. We love the food store (might be called Migros) on the top level of the station and went on up to check it out. We then discovered a Bretzelkoenig stand and bought pretzel and baguette sandwiches. Really very good. Once it was time for the train, we boarded, chose some seats and, despite the rain, enjoyed the scenery as we approached Berne, Interlaken, and then Grindelwald.

Note – when choosing seats, check above for a card to see if they are reserved. We didn’t think to look and after a bit some people came and showed us we were in their seats. We had to move and as the train was more crowded then, it was harder to find seats together. Luckily we took the advice of many on Fodors and we each had a carry-on piece of luggage so moving about was a lot easier than it would have been had we been using larger sizes.

Of all the towns in the BO, Grindelwald is my least favourite. It is too crowded and far too many cars for my taste. Too many souvenir shops.

I'll take Wengen any day.

Hard to believe you only saved 8-10 CHF with Half-Fare Card. I usually save about 250 CHF.

Tschuss,
Pepper von Snoot

I didn’t know what to expect in Grindelwald. I had heard that it is dreadfully touristy with many busses and fumes, and mobs of people, but what we arrived to was a cute alpine town just past the end of the railroad tracks between some mountains with one main street of small shops. There was a parking lot with 2 busses and no hoards of tourists to be seen. (We had an extra treat the next day. It had cleared up and the same street had a gorgeous backdrop of the Alps which made it even more enchanting.)
We headed to the right from the back of the station and quickly came upon our hotel – the Bel-Air Eden.

http://www.hotel-belair.ch/index.php?userlang=en

The owner seemed a bit gruff, but instead of our expected family room with a double bed, bunk beds and 1 bathroom, he gave us 2 double rooms directly across a tiny hallway from each other, so complain? No way! The rooms were a bit plain, but spotlessly clean, comfortable and a lot roomier than we had expected. One of the rooms had a large complete bathroom and huge cupboard which locked, and the other had a tiny bathroom with toilet and shower, with the sink in the room. Each room was advertised to have Wi-Fi but we were only given a code for one room. My son wasn’t too happy about that but at 39 CHF a pop, we told him to come to our room to use my iPad. I had booked a room with balcony on the south side facing the Alps and now we had 2 rooms with balconies for the price of the family room. Again, it was overcast, but we looked out to a stunning view of chalets and open fields with no buildings between us and the view.

Hi von snoot - it appears we were writing at the same time! Thanks for adding to my trip report.

I agree, I love Wengen too, but Grindelwald was also charming, especially when it cleared up and the Alps appeared. We didn't care about the shops when we could look up and see the mountains! We just ignored the shops we weren't interested in and went directly to the chocolate shop! It wasn't too crowded (and the shops were mostly empty) as I said above, although since Wengen is car-free, I agree that I would expect more cars in Grindelwald. We didn't see as many as I had been expecting, so that was a plus. We were either lucky or you were unlucky, or most likely, something in the middle.

For people interested in doing what I will soon be writing about, Grindelwald was a great base, but Wengen would work too and is very charming and Swiss. We stayed in Lauterbrunnen on our last trip and loved it there too - a good choice for that particular trip and what we had planned.

It is too bad we didn't come out more ahead on the Half Fare card, but it would be misleading to make any assumptions without knowing how many train trips one makes before deciding whether it is a worthwhile investment or not. Obviously for PVS, it made a lot of sense. He must have ridden many trains. We did not ride as many so would have been fine even without any pass, but as I said, we are always happy to have some extra money for chocolate...especially Swiss chocolate! It's good to do your homework before buying a pass - decide on the train trips to be taken, check the prices, explore all of the passes and get the one which saves the most.

Hey LuvToRoam - are you going back to Rome? If so, I hope I finish in time since Rome is at the end!

September 5th we are on a jet plane outta here (Waukesha, WI-flying out of Chicago direct to Rome). We have decided to park ourselves in Rome for our entire vacation...17 glorious days. We have rented the apartment we rented last year on our weather/strike abbreviated trip to Rome. We get useful tips from just about every trip report we read. Our weekly hour ride to Moms house just flies by as we read the reports I print out of the escapades of fellow travelers (and travel lovers).

Thanks for starting the report...be sure to finish soon as we leave for Rome in 2 weeks!!!

Will do Klondike! That gives me some incentive to keep on going! Are you going anywhere else after Rome?

luv - which apartment do you rent? You'll see we stayed on via Governo Vecchio and loved it!

This might be a good place to talk about the best travel tip I ever followed. Because European hotels don’t often have many electrical outlets, I bought a 240V power strip to be able to charge our various iPods, iPhones, ipads and cameras at once. All we needed was one outlet and we were set to go. In one place in Italy, there was no extra outlet, so we unplugged a lamp, used its outlet, and plugged the lamp into the power strip to be able to turn it on. Here’s what I bought:

http://www.amazon.com/VCT-USP600-Worldwide-Universal-Protector/dp/B0036ZE6V0/ref=sr_1_cc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1310275682&sr=1-1-catcorr

Be careful to check that whatever you plug into this is good for 240V. Camera and phone chargers should have 220 or 240 written somewhere on them, so check first. However, we did plug in a small rechargeable battery charger without thinking to check first. After a while the light went out so maybe we burned it out. Sure enough, it only said 120V. The batteries worked anyway, but we’ll be careful to check from now on.

Anyway, we set it up and looked like Mission Control with all the wires and chargers!

Moving along…We always take a 2 hour nap the first day in Europe and our first day in Switzerland was no different. This works great for us in combating jet-lag and making it through the first day. It’s hard to get up afterwards, but we did and got out into the town for a walk to the other end. It was still dreary, but the rain had stopped. We passed a beautiful church at the far end and explored its cemetery for a while before heading back. We checked out some of the shops and decided we were too tired for a big dinner so we got some food at the Co-op, ate dinner on our balcony with our view, and played some games we had brought along while listening to some far-off cowbells.

June 30
Wow – the thunderstorms last night were amazing. The thunder and its echos were really loud. How did my husband sleep through it?

A wonderful breakfast buffet was waiting for us when we went downstairs. Breads, cheeses, cereal, cold cuts, fruit, etc. My kids are always happy when breakfast is included, and given the prices in Switzerland, so were we that they could eat an unlimited amount each morning. It was another chilly, overcast day so we started with a morning walk through town. We didn’t get far when we saw the roads being repaved and the efficiency was unbelievable so we stopped to watch for a while. The first vehicle chopped up part of the road as it slowly made its way down the road, while another tiny one followed closely with a big spinning brush to fill in the ruts and sweep up the mess. You’d never see that back home! It would takes weeks, maybe months!

That afternoon, we walked to the other end of town once again and went to the Pfingsteggbahn – the cable car up to Pfingstegg at 1391 meters, up in the clouds. We bought a booklet of tickets to the Rodelbahn, a little toboggan ride down a metal track, twisting and turning around trees and cows for 736 meters. We had a hand break to slow the sled, but it was possible to go pretty fast. The view of Grindelwald, other villages and mountains was beautiful.

From there we hiked a bit and found a spot to watch at least 10 hang gliders take off in intervals, catch the currents and sail around the mountains, and finally glide way down the valley into Grindelwald. It was quite a process to launch each one. We took the cable car back down, walked back and decided to go to the Derby Hotel Restaurant for dinner on the way back. I opted for the potato rosti with a fried egg on top and it was delicious. On the way out, we ran into a friend of my son’s in the other end of the restaurant (!) Turns out he was on a tour with a music group and they were there having dinner. The chaperons were very suspicious that some adults were talking to their group until they realized that we really did know this young man. Our hotel was across the street from this hotel so my son hung out with his friend for a while then met us back in our room. Small world!

July 1 - Grindelwald
Today started our longer days, and luckily, the weather finally started to clear up. After breakfast and our trip to the Co-op to pick up chocolate (had to keep up our strength you know ), we started the 25 minute walk through some pretty, residential areas to Grund where we caught the ‘longest cable car in Europe’ up to Mannlichen. We passed over chalets, wood piles carefully stacked for the winter and of course, cows. Loved those cowbells! We followed the signs to the Panoramaweg, the flat trail that skirted the mountains all the way to Kleine Scheidegg. We’ve taken this walk before and love how serene it is. The views, the wildflowers, the cows in the distance, the huge group of tourists behind us that threatened to overtake us every time we slowed down. Well, that last part wasn’t our favorite part, but didn’t take away from the beauty of it all.

At one point, there was a rock garden, complete with many stacks of rocks. These rocks were piled up one at a time into skinny towers, some a stack of small rocks, others with larger rocks. We saw several more the rest of the day at random spots along the trail, but could never find out if or what they meant. Does anyone know the significance of these stacks?

We arrived into Kleine Scheidegg to see a St. Bernard. How quaint! I looked for the alpenhorn player (there was one there the last time I was there and I was able to give it a try and produce a pretty good sound), but he wasn’t there that day. When I turned back, there was that big group of tourists posing around the St. Bernard for a group picture. OK, the dog was a prop, not so customary after all, but it had been fun for a minute. We bought some ice cream at the Movenpick stand and continued out the other side of Kleine Scheidegg up the Eiger Walk. We got to a man-made lake of sorts and DH and I continued up the Eiger Walk while the kids waited by the lake. They had had enough. The Eiger Walk was pretty steep but we pushed on up to a little hiking hut museum – the Mittellegi Hutte - near the top, where we sat on some rocks to just take in the view. We were above the tree line now and could see the glacier on the Eiger mountain and the end of the tracks where the train entered the mountain to continue on up to the Jungfrau. We sat and watched the trains coming and going through Kleine Scheidegg and up into the mountains. We hiked back down, collected the kids and headed for the Rostizzeria for some bratwurst, rosti and apfelstrudel. The same guy was there who was there in 2006, but to get him to talk I had to use a secret weapon – I told him I saw his picture in a Kleine Scheidegg brochure and from then on he was all smiles.

On the way back to Grindelwald by train, we met a tour group from India. They were on a typical whirlwind tour, staying in hotels away from the main sights and jumping from place to place each day. They were jovial group and a lot of fun to talk to. We loved hearing about India and their impressions of Europe and the US. They had spent yesterday on top of the Jungfrau…totally engulfed in the clouds...with no chance of adjusting their schedule to catch better weather. What a shame that they hadn’t seen a thing. It just goes to show that when planning time in this region, it pays to add a few extra days to maximize the chances of having a good day for mountain top visits.

July 2 - Grindelwald
Today was the day to go up to First, leaving by gondola from, once again, the far end of Grindelwald. Our Half Fare card gave us a discount on the trip which included the First Flyer and Trottibikes back to Grindelwald. The trip up took us higher and higher above the clouds to a spectacular view of the Alps. Once at the top, we started the hike to the Bachalpsee, a beautiful alpine lake high in the mountains. I’d say that the hike was fairly easy, with a few steep sections here and there. The paths were wide with small rocks, but it was also possible to take some narrow packed dirt trails up the sides of some of the hills. The wildflowers were everywhere. There were the typical types – bluebells, forget-me-nots, daisies, but in addition, some looked like ragged cotton balls, others like balls of thread. Despite the no bikes signs, we did see a couple of people making their way to the lake by bike. There were benches by the lake so it was possible to just sit and look at the Alps’ reflection in the water. The breeze would stir up and the reflection would disappear, then all was calm and the mirror image would return. Enchanting! As the wind picked up more and more, we decided to head back along the same path.

Back at First, we were ready for our Flyer ride. Each person is strapped into a harness with a strappy seat and zip-lines down to Shreckfeld, 800 m below. We waited and waited for the wind to let up, but it only increased until finally, the Flyer was closed for at least four hours. That was a disappointment for everyone waiting on line, but we decided not to wait and took the cable car down to Shreckfeld where we walked among dozens of cow, taking pictures of many of them. From there, we could have taken the cable car down to Bort, another tiny stop along the cable car route, but we chose to hike down. It got steeper and steeper as we progressed, but at least we were on a “paved” road (well, it was flat and wide, obviously for cars, but again had the little rocks embedded in it.) We didn’t see another person the entire way to Bort, but since we were following the cable car route, their shadows passed us by several times.

Bort is not a village, just a stop to get on or off the cable cars or for the restaurant, where we had more ice cream. It is also where we could pick up our scooters – the Trottibikes – for the last leg of today’s trip. These scooters are not motorized, just regular kids-type scooters in varying sizes with hand brakes. There is a path to start out and later we joined the road, all the way into Grindelwald. I wasn’t sure about this once I got on mine, but quickly got used to riding it and it was an exhilarating feeling! So much more fun than riding the cable car back. I highly recommend doing this! Once back at the station, we turned in our bikes, got a refund for the Flyers and went back to the hotel.

Dinner was fondue – possibly the most expensive meal of the trip! Imagine paying $35 per person for fondue! Well, we had to have it and it was delicious. Worry about the credit card bill later became our motto! Switzerland was just amazingly expensive this year.

July 3 – Travel day
We were all up at 5 to catch a 6:19 a.m. train, the first of 5 to get to Lucca, and changing at Interlaken Ost, Spiez, Milano, and Florence. We tried to remember to validate each ticket, but forgot once. A sign in the train said there was a 40 Euro fine if not validated, but it turns out that if you have reserved seats (which those were) then there is no need to validate. We were safe. The next question is that when we tried to validate another ticket, we didn’t see a mark and thought the yellow box wasn’t working. We tried it a few more times until we realized that the machine was making a depression each time. Was it validated? Was it over-validated? Luckily, no one came to check our tickets on that leg. The last train from Florence to Lucca was a Regional train and it was uncomfortable and hot. We were glad to arrive in Lucca.

The first thing I noticed out of the station was a hot pink moped. Wow! They sure know how to show off their motorscooters! We walked 5 minutes to the main San Pietro gate to the city and another few minutes to our hotel, the Universo Hotel. I had reserved a corner room for DH and me, but despite reserving and confirming, it “wasn’t available”. Instead, we got one of the front rooms with a tiny wrought iron balcony overlooking the square. This was the second time the room we reserved was not available on this trip, but no biggie. Room 64 was nice and we did enjoy the balcony.

The reason we selected this hotel in the first place is that jazz trumpeter Chet Baker used to stay here when he was in Lucca. He always stayed in the same room. My son also plays the trumpet and he thought it would be cool to stay in Chet’s room, so we booked Room 15 for him (and my daughter). There were pictures of Chet sitting in the window with his feet propped up on the window sill playing the trumpet. We got a picture of my son in the same pose.

Now it was time to explore. Lucca was a mass of pedestrian streets, mostly a ZLT zone, so there weren’t many cars. It’s surrounded by walls upon which there are biking paths, trees and grassy areas. We stuck to the streets, checking out churches, Tony Cragg’s sculptures (they are really cool looking like piles of discs which from certain angles reveal a face), gelato places, and wandered over to the Guingi Tower, built for the Guinigi family who was one of the most important families in Lucca’s history. As we climbed the 230 steps (I read that – didn’t count!) to the top, we admired the stairwells which were decorated with 15th and 16th century paintings of the history of Lucca and the Guinigi family. This tower is probably most famous today for the trees which grow on top and is said to be the city’s most important symbol. The view from the ‘park’ on top was wonderful and we could see thousands of red-tiled roofs, little patios squeezed between them wherever there was space, the walls surrounding the city and the mountains beyond. As the sun started to go down, everything just started glowing red and was beautiful.

Dinner was eaten outside at outdoor restaurant Centro Storico. I got mixed bruschetta (the 4 types were tomato, pate, asparagus and white), pasta with ham and cream sauce and mussel soup which was incredible. DH got had the 15 Euro special of pesto spaghetti scallopini and salad with 1/4 L wine. This place didn’t accept credit cards, so I walked back to the hotel to get some cash.

Here are my Switzerland pictures from this trip:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150243097700994.320844.627765993&type=3

Great report....thanks for posting. We're going to Italy in May so really looking forward to reading that part -- enjoying Switzerland too as its on my "definitely wanna go" list. your pictures are great, so beautiful, and looks like you guys had a great fun!

Coll - thanks! Where are you going in Italy?

July 4 – Lucca and Pisa

We love hearing the church bells everywhere each time time we go outside!

Nice breakfast buffet at the Universo Hotel. The kids loved the fresh pastries (OK, the adults did too!), and we all enjoyed eating out front overlooking the square.

We picked up a car at Hertz and drove to Pisa for the morning, surprised when we passed an enormous sunflower field. We tried to find the free parking lot in Pisa we had read about, but ended up going in circles so finally just pulled into a lot and paid to park.
We did the typical touristy pictures and then paid a 6 Euro admission to enter the church and Camposanto. I’ve seen the question on Fodors asking about dress to enter churches, and on this day, paper capes were being handed out to people whose shoulders were not covered appropriately. We spent quite a while in the church admiring the paintings, sculptures and ceilings. The raised panels on the outer doors were especially beautiful.

The Camposanto was an early cemetery and now houses frescos, some early tombs, some Roman sculptures and a couple of exhibits of other treasures. The kids enjoyed the carved skulls on the floor stones. After making our way past the hundreds of souvenir stands, we bought the requisite gelato and drove back to Lucca, stopping for some sunflower pictures in the field we had previously passed. Once back in Lucca, we parked outside the walls in a free parking lot (noted on our map of the city) and rented bikes (3 Euro/hour) near our hotel. We rode the paths on top of the walls getting great views both inside and outside the city, rode down some ramps to some churches in the city, and finally rode through some of the pedestrian parts of the town. The bikes were in great shape and we all enjoyed touring like this.

We had dinner at Trattoria Rusticanella 2 da Lucca as recommended by many Fodorites. Outdoor tables were set up in an alley across the street from the restaurant and we had the perfect spot to people watch while we ate. The food was awesome as had been described: DH and I shared cold cut platter, and also had bruschetta, a calzone, and delicious steaks. DD had olive mushroom spaghetti and DS had pizza. We were all happy and full by the end of that meal. If you go, look inside the door of the restaurant and see the huge side of beef waiting to be carved and hanging salamis.

During our ride, we had seen some signs for a free concert given by a choir from Baltimore at the San Martino Church. Since we only live 1 1/2 hours from Baltimore, we went to investigate. They sang the perfect music for that setting and with the echos in this huge church, it was beautiful and sometimes haunting.

Lucca is known for opera so next we went to the San Giovanni Church just about next door to see Romeo and Juliet. The accent was so heavy we couldn’t understand it, but that didn’t matter at all. The costumes, music, dance and especially the setting were beautiful!

It was a busy day, but we never felt rushed. It was easy to fit in all that we had planned for this day, but we were definitely tired by the end.

Hi Kwren,
Our itinerary is kind of whirlwind (so I was afraid to post it here!)

Milan (2 nites) with a day trip to Varenna and Bellagio
Castellina - 3 nites
Montepulciano - 2 nites
Venice - 2 nites

So I'm especially interested in your Tuscany portion.

Hey CollK - I can understand whirlwinds - some people might say that parts of our trip were like that too, but other parts we totally relaxed and spent more time. I'm about to write about our short stop in Castellina...home of my favorite gelato of the trip! We also stayed in the greatest place in Montepulciano! It was our splurge for one night at the end of Tuscany. Stay tuned

Here are pictures of LUCCA, PISA and the view of FLORENCE:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150246704490994.321998.627765993&type=3&l=99b98c3d18

Can't wait to har about the gelato in Castllina and big splurge in Montepluciano. Your pictures are great....Lucca looks lovely!

July 5 – driving to Tuscany

While my husband checked out of the hotel, I walked to pick up the car. I hoped the hotel had alerted the police that my driving in the ZTL was approved for the check-out, but it was still a bit nerve-wracking to drive past all the warning signs.

We drove past Florence on the way to Tuscany with a quick stop at the Piazza Michelangelo for a view of the city. Parking was terrible – completely full, but I noticed a car drive between a break in some chains alongside an open area, and followed them in to park. When you see cars all over Italy squeezed in between 2 cars and parked perpendicular to the curb, it doesn’t seem so bad to find parking any way you need to. I have to admit that I kept my eye out for the ‘polizia’ while we were admiring the view, but we were safe. The view was spectacular overlooking the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, the Arno River and the Tuscan hills beyond. There was a small statue of David, and of course souvenir stands. Finished with this quick detour, we continued back on the winding roads out of this area and back to the highways.

We had decided to take the scenic Route SR222, the major wine route, south through Chianti on our way to southern Tuscany. Lush green rolling hills topped with olive groves and vineyards surrounded us. The region is known for their medieval towns and wineries. Wineries outside the official boundaries of Chianti started making their own wines without adhering to the official Chianti making rules, so in 1924 a consortium was established. The official wineries which are part of this – they make 80% of the Chianti Classico produced today - use the black rooster as their symbol, which we saw displayed at many of the wine shops. We didn’t have time to stop in Greve, host of the Chianti annual wine festival, although I had read about the Cantine and would like to visit it in the future. Buy a ‘Winecard’ for a preset amount, insert it in the slot corresponding to the wine you would like to sample and wine is automatically dispensed. Sounds fun! See a video of it here:

http://www.lecantine.it/cantineUtente/degustazione.php

We did made quick stops in Radda in Chianti (a wonderful hilly town which grew around the pretty and simple San Nicolo Church, with cobblestones streets and a few souvenir shops. We also went into an art gallery underground in beautiful vaulted rooms) and Castellina, an elongated town with stone streets and a long uncrowded pedestrian area with a lot of wine shops. So much to see – next time we’d like to visit the fort, the Via della Volte (tunnel street overlooking the valley) and the burial chambers in the countryside. [NOTE - my personal vote for the best gelato of the trip was in Castellina at the Enoteca le Volte. So creamy, just perfect, so many flavors! This opinion was the source of many discussions as we progressed through the vacation, but I was never swayed! Castellina was worth the stop just for that! The lady behind the counter was so nice to offer to take a picture of us in her shop, and directed us out the back door to see a pretty painting just opposite.] Driving later, we passed a hotel with many swimming pools and separate levels of pool chairs all lined up…and not a single person to be seen.

We entered Tuscany as we circumvented Sienna and soon stopped in Buonconvento, another tiny town surrounded by high walls and the main gate of imposing wooden doors. Quick walk through, a stop at a food store for snacks (where we saw some legs of prosciutto, lots of cheese and an interesting frozen seafood section) and we continued on. The change in the scenery between Chianti and Tuscany was unexpected and striking with predominantly shades of gold taking over instead of the lush green. Not what I expected at all. Striped fields of wheat, but even moreso, miles and miles of sunflower fields! Up hills, down the other sides, sunflowers as far as the eye could see. It was breathtaking! (My husband was very patient with all the stops for the perfect sunflower picture!)

We arrived easily at our agriturismo, Fattoria Fregoli, outside of Pienza. Our turn was easy to find because it was one of the only roads which happened to have a blue sign to another town. (Helpful after dark on the winding roads!) Guess what! Yet again, the room we had reserved 8 months in advance and had confirmed a month prior to this was not available! Adventures checking in seemed to be the theme of the trip! In a large hotel, this was not such an issue, but in a small farmhouse with only 4 apartments which all had different arrangements of rooms, it seemed more important. We were lead to an apartment we had not booked by the owner’s cousin who didn’t speak English (the owner was not around). I tried to show her the paper confirming our choice, but she just continued on. The absolute funniest part of the trip started there and then. An Italian woman who spoke both English and Italian jumped in and tried to explain and show the cousin our written confirmation for “our” apartment, talking to both of us at once. Another who spoke French and Italian, also showed up to help, simultaneously speaking French to me and Italian to the cousin. Finally a German person tried to get involved. Everyone was talking at once in all different languages, arms waving, to a person who was intent on taking us to the "wrong" apartment. Why didn't she understand at least one of these women??? The woman finally said she’d ask the people in “our” apartment there to move (oh, that was the problem – they double booked or some such thing!), but when I heard that, I immediately said NO we’ll take the other one. I wasn’t going to ask someone else to move. We said OK to the new apartment (complete with little tower bedroom and spectacular views, but no where to sit except at the kitchen table) and loved it, even though we had initially wanted the one on one level with living room and couches. We went with the flow and it worked out fine. We even started joining the Italian lady who first started helping us by the pool over the next few days. Anyway, the apartments were decorated in gorgeous antiques, some hand-painted, and everything was so comfortable. Beams on the ceilings, tiled floors, beautiful bathrooms. I’ll post pictures because you have to see to appreciate! I can’t recommend this agriturismo more and would stay there again.

We settled in and went into Pienza for dinner. Pienza is on top of a hill (and is known for its Pecorino cheeses), but is mostly flat within the walls and perfect for walking around. We decided on Baccus l’Osteria. The hit there was the papardelle with boar sauce. Yum! We recommend desserts there as well and had a fun time talking to other people and the servers.

Back at the farmhouse, the pool was lit up in pale blue – glowing in the otherwise complete darkness.

Here are our pictures of our drive through CHIANTI, into TUSCANY and of our agriturismo, FATTORIA FREGOLI:


https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150258194680994.325565.627765993&type=3&l=a68f5a1d2e

Great pictures.. now I'm really getting excited for our trip. I hope the sunflowers will be blooming for us (5/21 - 5/26) but maybe we'll be there too early.

Sounds like you definitely had some bad luck with your hotel reservations! And that's too funny when everyone was speaking different languages and tried to help. It reminds me of an old "I Love Lucy" episode.

Yummy gelato and wine dispensaries -- those are my favorite things (along with pizza and pasta of course!). So excited to visit Chianti!

Just started reading and have "traveled" with you through Switzerland. Wonderful report and fabulous photos! Thank you for posting them, as we have been discussing which destination for next trip and are considering Switzerland. I'm happy I looked at every single photo! Found myself grinning and feeling the joy of your adventures, especially all your downhill rides! And those cows are beautiful, by the way.

I Love Lucy...exactly!!!

We're not done with the "fun" check-ins, you'll see! Would anyone ever think we could have an issue with every single one in the same trip?!

I think those cows were hamming it up for the camera! They were almost purring they were so happy!!

I'm so glad people are enjoying my trip report and pictures - thanks for commenting!

The pictures of the sunflowers are amazing!

thanks bxl!

Thanks so much for sharing your lovely pics! I'm enjoying your report!

July 6 – Tuscan countryside

We had an amazing breakfast buffet with homemade tarts, cakes and pastries, cereal, yogurts, and ate outside on the patio, although the common room was also set up for the meal. DH was happy that espresso was being made and the kids loved the nutella tart. There were many birds flying around because they had built some nests under the eaves near the breakfast area, but couldn’t get there with the guests in their way. After eating, we strolled through the property and saw their antique sunflower machines which separated out the seeds from the flower. Those are not used anymore because of the size of their sunflower operation – the flowers are sent out to make oil. There were many different seating areas around the farmhouse surrounded by lavender or other flowers and beautiful views of the Tuscan landscape from every direction, the fields mostly filled with golden wheat sparkling and swaying in the breeze.

Our olive oil press tour was changed to tomorrow so today was spent touring:
first Bagno Vignoli with its thermal water spring in the center of the town (the Romans used to go there for vacation) and then St Antimo Abbey to hear the monks chanting (wow!). While distances don’t look so far on the map, these two towns took quite a bit of time to reach due to the winding roads up and around various towns perched on hills. (I recall it took an hour from Bagno Vignoli to St. Antimo so plan accordingly if you are doing this drive.) Coming around a bend and first seeing St. Antimo was breathtaking. We never would have imagined a site like that! There are only a few times a day that the monks chant, and pictures are not allowed. They file in, sit in pews opposite each other and start chanting. It wasn’t full of tourists and was definitely worth the trip.

Next, we drove past San Quirico and on to Montalcino, famous for Brunello wine. We did the wine tasting at the Enoteca Wineshop at the Fortezza while the kids climbed to the top of the fort. At the Enoteca, you choose how many wines and which level to taste and pay accordingly. It was hard to choose our favorites – we liked them all. Finally, we circled around to Sant’Anna in Camprena, an old monastery and where the movie the English Patient was shot. It is now a pretty and rustic agriturismo, but was too simplistic for our tastes. We parked between some olive trees and toured the grounds and walked around inside the halls (no one was around to tell us whether we could or not – it seemed completely deserted). The interior courtyard was pretty with lemon trees growing in big pots. We returned home and ended the afternoon with a swim in the infinity pool.

We had dinner back in Pienza on a patio at Terrazza Val d’Orcia. The view was spectacular, and the food even better. The gnocchi with butter and sage was light as a feather and melted in the mouth. The spaghetti with boar sauce was once again a hit. We ended our day at the gelato shop leaving of Pienza and were treated to the end of a beautiful Tuscan sunset on the way back.

Your agriturismo looks lovely.
We visited Buonconvento briefly on our last trip with our guide, who provided many details. We could see the closed in arches of the former stables at the ground floor level of the homes (from the days everyone had horses), and the narrow slots in the outer walls provided a secure place to fire cross-bows over the former moat. It was a quiet, friendly village for a coffee stop. Buonconvento means 'good welcome' or 'good reception.'
Really enjoying your report.

Very much enjoying your TR and pictures! Glad that you had such a great trip!

Thanks for the details elnap - we didn't have a guide, but that would have been great. You'll see in one of my pictures that there are bikes inside one of the buildings - a great way to point out to our kids that even though we walk around as tourists, that people still live in these towns. I wish I had known to look for the stable arches. Guess I'll just have to go back!

Glad you are enjoying the TR jmct and joannyc! Only a few more days until Rome!

If anyone is interested, this is the website for our farmhouse:

http://www.fattoriafregoli.it/html_en/home.html

BTW, Lucca, Florence, Chianti are all in Tuscany - you didn't enter Tuscany once you hit Siena, you only entered the Siena province of Tuscany.

Enjoying your trip report - thanks for writing it up.

July 7 – Tuscan countryside

We had an olive oil tour scheduled for this morning, but it was changed to this afternoon, so my daughter and I decided to go out in search of the Vitaleta Chapel. This little chapel is pictured on so many calendars and we had see it in the distance driving in, so I figured how hard could it be to find it?! Famous last words. We saw it again in the distance, and started circling around the vicinity, but didn’t seem to get any closer. Finally, we tried a tiny road and finally came upon a sign directing us in the right direction. Success! Well, for a minute of celebration, that is. There was a locked gate across the road. We parked at the edge of the road and walked for about 10-15 minutes until there it was! Just like in the calendar between some cypress trees. We got pictures from both sides and went back to the car. We hadn’t driven far until we came upon some vineyards so we stopped again, hopped the 2-wire “fence” to get some close-ups of the grapes, which were ripening quite nicely. It would be so much fun to be here when they were harvested – maybe someday.

We had time before our olive oil tour so we decided to just drive around to see what we could find. Stopped for some pictures of DD on a hayroll, then we realized that the entire countryside was changing before our eyes. I think every farmer was out harvesting his wheat. So much activity on every field and hillside. So many hay rolls and cubes of hay! The colors were astounding as they all reflected the sunlight. Every hill sparkled and every one seemed to have different plowing patterns. It was really quite beautiful.

We ended up in Montichiello, hoping to get “Tuscany’s best gelato” (according to Fodors), but were disappointed when we arrived at La Porta and it was closed. We walked through the deserted town a bit, enjoying the architecture – imagine finding a Tuscan town with no souvenir shops! – and stopped for ice cream at a tiny place just outside the gates. We realized it was getting close to the tour time, so we drove back and approached Pienza from the back. It really is perched way up on top of a cliff. Interesting to see that perspective.

When we got back, the tour had been canceled – the agriturismo presses its own olives and sells its olive oil, but it turns out a family member was sick so the owner was at the hospital instead of the press.

So it was the perfect day to go swimming and soak up the beautiful views. The pool was freezing, but with the sun and scenery I quickly forgot about that. The pool had a Jacuzzi section and my Italian friend was there. All was right with the world. I noticed some machinery approaching and swam over to watch the field next to the pool being plowed. All that beautiful sparkling wheat was being cut down before my eyes. As I said, all of Tuscany was out working and the landscaped changed in just a few hours.

After a few hours, it was time to explore some more. This time we headed out towards La Foce. This is the site of a famous zig-zag road we’ve seen on some calendars and it was recommended to drive up it and continue on over the mountain…a broken line white road on the map. We got to the top and stopped to admire how far we had come and continued on. The roads became rocky with potholes and we hoped our car would not be jarred into bits. The land was desolate with big rocky outcroppings and the road became narrower and narrower. We felt like we may have been going the wrong way but there had been no choices. Finally we came upon a huge herd of sheep huddled together facing inwards in a big circle beside the road. We stopped for pictures, then all of a sudden a few little sheep heads popped up (how cute!) and then suddenly the entire herd ran away at once to the other side of the field, where they parked themselves “butt to butt” once again exactly as before, just farther away. The roads continued to worsen until we eventually started a decline and spotted a main road in the distance.

Once down, we decided to head back via Chianciano Terme and Montepulciano. On the way, I felt something sharp on my back and realized that a bee had stung me. I had been stung once before and was hoping that I wouldn’t have a reaction when all of a sudden my shoulders and back starting seriously tingling. I mentioned it to my husband and he said, let’s stop and see how you feel. I told him we had better keep going to see if we could find a hospital sign…just in case… because this tingling was getting worse by the minute. He started driving like I was in labor (I remembered that 80 mile per hour trip where I feared for my life) and I told him to slow down. We finally did see the big H sign in Cianciano, but by then the tingling was slowing down (the worst part lasted about 15 minutes) so I decided I was going to make it. My husband, I wasn’t so sure!

We left Cianciano Terme and headed for Montepulciano, not to go into the town since we would be back the next day, but went for the San Biagio Church perched on the side of its hill. It was built in the 16th century in the shape of a Greek Cross and is quite well-known. We went inside and it was so serene. Continuing back via Pienza, we stopped at a Co-op for bread and cheese, fruit, dessert for the kids as this was the night DH and I had planned to go to the widely recommended Pienza restaurant Latte di Luna. (It’s good that we had made reservations yesterday – it was completely full tonight) On the way, we went into some cheese shops and saw so many types of Pecorino cheese that it was mind-boggling. There were all sizes and colors, different shapes, some wrapped in leaves and others coated with what looked like straw.

Latte de Luna was at the far end of the main street and was surrounded by walls of plants. We had the house wine and various courses, but the stand-out here for us was the wide pasta with truffles. OMG!

After dinner we strolled slowly around Pienza and it seemed that the whole town was out. My favorite picture was of Girls Night Out – a picture of 4 Italian grandmas just sitting and chatting on simple folding chairs in front of a stone wall. They were so cute as they said I could take their picture. Another wall had 2 tiny chairs, one pink and one blue, just waiting for their tiny occupants. We had gotten to know the gelato man so even though we were pretty full, we stopped by for one last cup on the way out.

July 8 – Montepulciano

We enjoyed our last breakfast at Fattoria Fregoli talking to our Italian friend and then went to finish packing. We bought olive oil from the owner, chatted a bit then checked out. (That oil is delicious, and was even used by one of the restaurants we had been to in Pienza.) It was so hard to leave this place – it was so relaxing and beautiful, but the most amazing hotel was yet to come.

We drove to Montefollonico and walked around a bit. This may have been the least touristy place we saw. We ran into an American who had been renting a villa within its walls and shared some vacation stories for a while. They even hired a chef to cook for them one night. I could get into that! It was then time to go to Montepulciano.

So we followed the directions the hotel had given us to get to the hotel’s parking area. Go up a hill, turn a few times, go through a parking garage and out the other end, and then we just couldn’t find the tiny lot, no matter which way we turned. We drove back and forth, no luck. After ½ hour, I got out of the car and hiked up into the town to see if I could get some more info from the hotel – those directions had seemed so perfect and detailed and we were at the very end of them, that we just couldn’t understand why we were not finding it. The hotel was locked up tight (here we go again – more adventures in checking in!) and I got nowhere fast. I finally gave up and went back to the car, defeated. We parked in the garage we had driven through, but found we had no change to feed the meter.

Anyway, we decided to make the best of things and all trekked up to the hotel. We rang the bell over and over, to no avail. The hotel had asked me what time we would arrive and I wrote back, ‘around 3, but we might arrive earlier if the day went well’. His answer was, ‘OK’. Well, it was earlier, but he hadn’t told me he would only be there at 3 since that was the time I had stated. I guess this was my fault in a certain way, since I didn’t realize that no one manned the hotel 24/7 and that we needed an appointment to get in. He could have mentioned that I should call if it was earlier, but oh well. (I was not my fault about the parking instructions though.) We were getting used to things not working out at check-in and we were feeling a bit parched by now, so of course, gelato sounded perfect. We found a place, but the man wouldn’t give us change for the meter. I explained I needed small change for the ‘parcheggio’, and he just wouldn’t help us out. I asked again, and he decided to be funny (NOT!) and gave me change in 2 cent pieces. Totally useless. We were sorry that we bought gelato from him, but it was good…of course.

We turned into beggars at that point and went into a shop by the hotel and begged the shopkeeper to make change for us. She was so nice and did it! Halleluja! On the way out, we noticed the main door of the hotel opening as someone was leaving. We happily slipped in and realized that it wasn’t a hotel at all. It looked like some pretty classy apartments with people’s names next to a couple of big heavy doors. Hmmm! There were some stairs, wide short marble ones, 2 stories to the 'hotel' (the ceilings were realllllllly high so it felt like more than2) and there was the door surrounded with marble with sign that said Palazzo Carletti. This was it!

http://www.palazzocarletti.com/en/index.html

Only no one was home.

OK, we only needed to wait another 1 ½ hours until 3:00 (we hoped) so we fed the meter and started our tour of the town, which of course we were going to do anyway. Naturally there were ‘Twilight’ souvenirs, New Moon T-shirts and even special Twilight menus, due to the movie ‘New Moon’ being filmed in this town. Piazza Grande was worth exploring with the church from Twilight and the Town Hall. We saw bakeries with beautiful artistic cakes and pastries, a funny shoe store, numerous cute alley ways, an outdoor restaurant where the tables for 2 were lined up next to a wall, each with its own little awning, and my favorite shop, Mosaico. Those pictures which looked like gorgeous oil paintings were all hand made with mosaics. I found out the next day that the smallest one cost 750 Euros. I think that was about $1000 when we were there, so I had to settle for a couple of pictures with my camera.

Finally it was 3:00, we went back to the hotel and…got rung in!

Things were looking up!

July 8 – continued - Palazzo Carletti and Osteria Aquacheta, Montepulciano

We finally go into the Palazzo Carletti and from the looks of things, Palazzo was the correct word!

First order of business – parking! We showed Cristian, the owner of the Palazzo, the directions we had received and he said they had been updated. The part that was missing was … IGNORE THE DO NOT ENTER SIGN! Really? It would have taken us 3 instead of 30 minutes because once you go up the hill past the dreaded sign, there was the lot!!! We laughed all the way back down to the car. Given the staircase we had to climb just to get back to the hotel, you can use the central shallow steps or the side ramps, we took out the things we needed just for one night and left all the rest in the car. Now that’s the way to travel light! I think there was a way to drive to the door if you needed to, but all these stairs are not for the faint of heart.

I absolutely cannot think of a cooler, more wonderful hotel that we have ever stayed in! The Palazzo Carletti is an old family palace and occupies the one floor. The key system is unusual (for us) in that to enter the building, the hotel or room, just wave the key in front of an electric eye mounted by each door. The key is also inserted in a slot inside the room entry to enable the lights. The lobby is beautiful. High frescoed ceilings and a gorgeous view. The 5 rooms have A/C, free Wi-Fi for two devices, a large flat screen Internet TV (which could be used for Wi-Fi for a third device), a snazzy Italian espresso maker, free movies in at least English or Italian, a free mini-bar which includes a half bottle of wine, a beer, a variety of juices and sodas, and some snacks. We were surprised that 15 minutes of international calling were also included. We called overseas from our room just to say hi.



All the rooms/suites are different so I will describe ours, the Suite Nerrazini. 

First impression was awe. The frescoed ceiling was about 15 feet high (which explains why the stairs seemed to go on forever) and painted a la Michelangelo (well, maybe not QUITE as good!). What a way to wake up. Our view was of the side of a building but with such a beautiful room, who needed a view! We had a tiny spiral staircase leading up to a loft with a bed and a couch (or in our case, 2 beds), perfect for our two teenagers. The loft also had a flat screen TV. Back to the main room... Beautiful furnishings, gorgeous rug, exquisite decorations throughout. What looked like a long wall of panels actually opened to the mini-bar, an enormous closet, and the bathroom. The bathroom! It was beautiful, but the best part was the lighting over the tub. The website shows the tub bathed in soft pink light. What it doesn't show is that the light slowly changes colors. (it can also be turned off, but we enjoyed the light show.)

Room Tip: Read the website descriptions - all the rooms and bathrooms are different, and they show exactly what you will be getting in each. Getting your luggage into the hotel is something to think about, but once there, it's paradise, and our accommodation highlight of the trip…elegant and luxurious. To have stayed more than one night!

So we got to the hotel and were so happy there that when the kids said they were tired and wanted to veg a bit, we all decided to watch a movie. Me? I was luxuriating on the bed, enjoying everything around me. We tried the drinks from the mini bar and were refreshed for our dinner, one of the main reasons we decided to stay in Montepulciano for a night.

Osteria Aquacheta was only a short walk from our hotel, but we strolled a bit before our reservations (which I made online way in advance to be sure we got in.) Another son is a saxophone player so we were amused by the Sax Bar which had real saxophones as the beer taps.

We got to Aquacheta and were seated at the first seating. The owner is a gruff looking man, but I got him to smile before he caught himself and put his dour expression back on for a picture. This place is fun. We ordered the famous Tuscan Beefsteak Fiorentina for three of us. The owner came over and discussed what we wanted then went off to the kitchen which we could easily see from where we were sitting. He went over to a huge piece of beef and using a cleaver, hacked off a monstrous steak, which he then brought over on a piece of butcher paper for our inspection. This steak is served rare, which we weren’t sure we would like, but we wanted an authentic experience and absolutely loved it. We had wine and bruschetta as well, but it was the steak we were there for and we weren’t disappointed. Our bill was written on the brown paper covering the table: 72 Euros for the steak, 88 for the entire meal.

After dinner, we strolled around the entire town, which was mostly free of tourists, saw the gorgeous sunset and decided it was time for a bit of dessert. Just off the main square was Restaurant al Quattro Venti. We got panna cotta, lemon sherbet in a scooped out lemon, and the kids got tartuffo, balls of multiple layers of ice cream. The perfect end to a wonderful day!

hazel - I didn't realize that Chianti was part of Tuscany. No wonder I liked it so much!

kwren - your hotel looks fabulous! Too funny (but maybe not at the time!) that you had so much trouble checking into your various hotels - Murphy's Law I guess. Thanks for sharing all the details about the town and restaurants - can't wait to see it all.

CollK - it really was funny! Just wait till Rome. We barely batted an eye we were getting so used to it! (wine helped!)
Where are you staying in Montepulciano?

Well I can't wait to hear the rest! We're staying at the Albergo Il Marzocco -- from what I can tell the rooms are fairly plain but they have balconies and the views are supposedly very nice. It definitely won't be as palatial as where you guys stayed. Sounds like a really special place!

In Castellina we're staying at the Palazzo Squarciaulpi and wondered if its the same place you noticed as you drove out of the village. I think its located right at the edge.

Hopefully we'll have more luck with our checkins and reservations then you guys. I'll let you know how it all goes when we get back.

Thanks so much for a wonderful report with pictures. Loved all the views and the little details that you noticed. Glad you included pictures of your rooms. I laughed at the picture of your son imitating the trumpeter in the window and your comment about how it was too bad that he didn't have his trumpet with him. However, I bet you were glad not to be lugging one around! I am looking forward to the rest of the story!

Hi CollK - your 2 hotels mentioned above look wonderful too. A great view is worth almost anything! I hope you have that balcony in Montepulciano. I'll want to hear all about them both and see pictures too! The one we saw with the pools was not in Castellina - I think is was between there and Siena. I can't think of the name right now, but if I do I'll add it to a post.

Irish - thanks! And, yes, I was happy not to lug a trumpet around...but it would have been DS doing the lugging!!! (We have done the instrument lugging thing in Europe before though. My second son was invited to play his saxophone at a wedding reception in France...on his 14th birthday! He played a good while and everyone was dancing and cheering, and then they all sang Happy Birthday to him and the bride gave him a b'day present in front of everyone. What a wonderful experience for him - and of course for me, who had to accompany him! )

We left Montepulciano (and were reminded how easy it was to find that parking lot) and headed for the A1 towards Rome. However, we exited at Orvieto where we planned on spending the day before taking the train to Rome. We had rented a Fiat Doblo and despite how ugly we thought that box of a car was, we were really impressed with this car. It never rolled backwards when we were shifting into first gear on a steep hill, very important in all these hill towns. It really served us well.

First stop in Orvieto – Hotel Pincchio with whom I had communicated beforehand about storing our luggage for the day, for 4 Euros a piece. It was good to drive there before returning the car as it was up a bit of a hill. Not bad walking unless you might be pulling suitcases in 90 degree heat. We left our luggage and drove back to Hertz in plenty of time to drop off the car before it closed an hour later, at 1:00. Hard to believe, but yet again, a problem occurred (and not even related to check-in, unless you count checking in the car.) The four Hertz parking places in front of the office were full and there was no one in the office to tell people what to do with the cars. We waited along with another person and she said the agent had gone out for coffee a while ago! By 12:45, the place was a mob scene, but to be honest, by now we were getting used to how things work in Italy! People were parking anywhere, in front of stores with frustrated shopkeepers yelling to get the cars out of there, down the street. It was about then that the agent returned to about 15 people all trying to return or pick up a car before the office closed. We returned our car fairly quickly since we were near the head of the line and took off for the funicular, across the street from the train station.

Bought tickets, got on a funicular, got to the top and took a bus to the main square. It was all very organized and smooth. There was a tourist office in the square so we went to buy tickets for the Underground tour. Unfortunately, the first available time for an English tour was for 3:00, which we thought might be cutting it too close with a 4:30 train to Rome, and which we explained to her. She asked us to wait and soon took pity on us and added us to the next English tour leaving in 10 minutes...which was already full. Very nice!

The Etruscans spent about 2500 years digging out a system of caves in the rock, or tufa, under Orvieto. It was built for protection from invading armies. See an army, go underground. Many of the richer families had an entrance directly from their homes and over the years some built columbaio – areas for pigeons to roost. The more pigeons a person had, the richer he was, and he was richer for selling the pigeons as food. There were also mills, wells, olive presses, wine storage areas, and ceramic workshops. It was unlike any other tour we’ve ever taken and was really an interesting hour-long history lesson about the people of this area.

Afterwards, we visited the Duomo with its breathtaking stripes and gold-and-mosaic facade, the bas-relief doors, and went for gelato at Pasqualetti at the back left corner of the church. The décor in that place was great and there was an area with tables. We walked the streets looking at medieval souvenirs and pottery, listened to a guy play the accordian, had more gelato and caught the bus and funicular back down. No problems picking up the luggage or getting train tickets and before we knew it, we were on our way to Rome!

We arrived into Rome’s Termini train station and hailed a taxi to via Governo Vecchio, a narrow cobblestone street bustling with cafes, shops and people. Our taxi drove steadily and parted the mobs like an ice cutter plowing through an Antarctic ice field. Our plan was to arrive an hour before we were to meet the Sleep in Italy representative in case of delays. We were early as planned so decided it was time for our first Roman pizza. Luckily for us, there was a café (Mimi e Coco Vinoteca) directly across the street from the door to our apartment, so we settled in, stashing the luggage inside, and proceeded to order. We finished up by 7:00, the time we were supposed to be let into our apartment and watched the door and crowds for the man with the key (can you guess what is coming?) We waited and waited, but no one came. Finally, we asked if we could use the café’s phone to call Sleep in Italy. The waiter’s response? “Don’t worry! It’s normal!” and walked away. We wondered what to do when a woman sitting nearby offered to let us use her cell phone. We called the owner who was as nice as could be and said she would track down the person meeting us. She even called back (luckily that woman with the cell phone was still there) to tell us he would arrive in ½ hour. So we did what any self-respecting person in a bind would do…we ordered more wine! An hour passed. We waited some more and ordered dessert. If we had to wait, this was certainly the way to do it – eating and drinking on the streets of Rome! Finally, over an hour and a half after the arranged time, the man arrived, we collected our suitcases, and were let into our apartment. He was full of excuses, claimed he was waiting at the airport, said he was waiting for us to call, said he didn't understand the emails, said the office gave him the wrong info, blah blah blah. He looked at the emails I was holding and they were pretty darn clear - no mention of the airport, etc. so he stopped with the excuses - there was nothing he could say and he knew it. (The owner had different excuses than he did – they should have gotten their stories straight). Anyway, we were full, happy to be in our cute apartment and ready for Rome. ☺

After settling in a bit, we walked over to Piazza Navona, about a 2 minute walk, and what excitement! Street performers, kids running around, artists using spray paint to create cool pictures of the Colosseum with planets, cafes, people selling strange flashlights, musicians, and of course the beautiful fountains. After the calm of Tuscany, imagine how this all assaulted our senses! The true meaning of culture shock, but it was an exciting end to a great day!

OK everyone...here are my pix of Tuscany - part 2 - including Montepulciano. Enjoy!

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150258611150994.325676.627765993&type=3&l=dadcabc941

Pictures of ORVIETO:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150600502830994.380078.627765993&type=3&l=3922d43f7f

Oops - that last entry should have said: July 9 - off to Orvieto and Rome

yay! Have been eagerly awaiting your report. As you will know from previous posts we will be staying at the same apartment in Rome so with this information on the 'relaxed' checking in process, I will prepare the family, especially my DH, as he has been know to be slightly impatient... Can't wait to hear more and see how the kids enjoyed Rome, what they liked the most etc...

hey kcnewby! Good to hear from you again! I was reading the UK Tripadvisor site and we were not the only ones to have this problem as it turns out. On the other hand, I also looked at the Sleep in Italy list of staff members and the guy who let us in is not listed. Maybe he was fired. Can always hope! Anyway, of all that I have read, everyone was eventually let in so relax across the street if need be, keep an eye on the door and have some wine and pizza! You couldn't have a better lookout point, but if there is a new guy, I bet he'll be on time. It will all work out.

Most importantly, you'll love the apartment. We're going back in June and looked into staying there again, but it was booked so we rented a different apartment through a private owner a bit to the west. I'm excited about that one too. We'll have to share notes after both trips.

I'm working this week so the report will be a little slower, but I'll get through it. I also haven't done anything at all with my Rome pictures yet, so those will take time too. Wish me luck!

kwren - can you please post a link to the apt. you rented in Rome? On our last trip there we stayed at the Navona Suites on Via Governo Vecchia and I loved the location, but next time I'd like to rent an apartment.

Hazel1 on behalf of KWREN, this is the apartment: https://www.sleepinitaly.com/en/show-governo_vecchio-navona-pantheon-roma/appartam.php?id_appartam=345 or the Trip Advisor link: http://www.tripadvisor.com/VacationRentalReview-g187791-d1447802-Governo_Vecchio-Rome_Lazio.html
Hope that helps. I'm looking forward to staying at this one too, many great reviews...

Thanks, kcnewby. It looks really nice and I'm going to file it away for future reference. Have a great trip & good luck on all your check-ins!

July 10 – Rome

Loved our apartment: Sleep in Italy Governo Vecchio. See it here:

https://www.sleepinitaly.com/en/show-governo_vecchio-navona-pantheon-roma/appartam.php?id_appartam=345

A bit more about the apartment. It was in a great location, on the (mostly) pedestrian street via Governo Vecchio near the Piazza Navona, the cat sanctuary, Piazza Campo dei Fiori and the market, with lots of busses a very short walk away and a maze of tiny streets. There is a food store on the same street, a cafe just across the street, and plenty of restaurants, boutiques and gelato shops nearby. I can't recommend the area more highly.
The building had an elevator, tiny as many European elevators are. The apartment: there were 2 bedrooms with comfy beds, one room being a small loft with 2 twin beds up some fairly steep stairs. We had 2 full bathrooms and there was plenty of hot water although if I remember correctly, there may have been some bursts of cold water. A tiny washer up some spiral stairs from the master bath worked great and there was even laundry detergent when we were there. (That's not a guarantee I think) The kitchen was well-equipped although the refrigerator was tiny, and the living room was roomy. Paper towels were provided, but no toilet paper except a tiny bit so be prepared! (I think it depends on what the previous people leave behind). The AC was great, although if you had all the units on at once, the circuit breaker would blow so we came up with a rotation of running only 2 units at a time to keep it all cool. It would also blow if running 2 units plus a small kitchen appliance or the washer. No big problem for us. The circuit box was in the hall by the front door and easy to reach and flip the switch.
Would we stay there again? Yes!

Oops kcnewby. I wrote my entry, posted and then noticed your post! Thanks!

July 10 - continued - Rome

So…on to Rome!

I had booked a special tour online for the subterranean and third levels of the Colosseum so we were on the move fairly early today, picking up some pastries along the way. First we passed through the Piazza Venezia and admired the white marble National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II, the monument built to honor first king of unified Italy. It is also called the “Wedding Cake”, but I read that many Romans call it the “Typewriter”. Wow! Amazing architecture, statues, columns, and chariots and gladiators on top. I also read that all distances from Rome are calculated from this point. (useless trivia) Anyway, we snapped a few pictures, but that was about it. Maybe when we go back in June, we’ll explore it further. I read that there is a panoramic elevator and that there is a good view from the top. In any case, we got a great view of it from the top level of the Colosseum.

We continued walking down the long road to the Colosseum with it becoming ever more impressive as we approached. We met the Ticketaly guide quite easily and we went into the Colosseum, passing the very long line of people who had not planned ahead. It became even more exciting when an employee pulled out a special key to unlock a gate to let us pass into an empty area just beyond a crowded area. A few people tried to follow us, but they were sent away. There we received a bit of a history lesson and then we all descended to the lower level beneath the Colosseum. We saw where the animals were kept, saw passageways where gladiators waited to go out, got explanations on how the entire lower level could be flooded to allow boats to rise up for some shows, and how their primitive elevators were used to transport props. We could also see some water which turns out to have been the end of some flash flooding from the previous week which actually closed down this tour. We were lucky to have missed that week.

The tour continued with the typical tour of the main level and then another gate opened for us and we climbed to the deserted upper level. Once again, some people tried to follow us up and were disappointed that they could not accompany our group. At the upper level, we were shown some pictures of what the Colosseum looked like with a huge awning stretched over to the top to provide shade for the audience. We were given some time to wander around before descending back to the crowded area. We had a great view of the Arch of Titus.

As I stated before, we had a great view of the Victor Emmanuel Monument from up there. I was taking a picture when all of a sudden, hundreds of white balloons were released and floated off in the sky. The guide said that people do that for a wedding. It was beautiful. We looked out towards the forum and saw 3 bride and groom couples being photographed amidst crowds of onlookers. It was quite the festive atmosphere.

Our tour continued to the Forum, where we were all fading fast because it was getting quite hot. The guide quit a bit early, but I have to say that I think the crowd was not disappointed. We walked around Palatine Hill after that and visited a palace and the House of Livia and Emperor Augustus. There was a small museum in the ruins where sculptures that are unearthed from the villas are now housed.

We booked this tour, called the Dungeons and Upper Level Tour and Forum through
Tickitaly.com . I just looked at the website and it looks like, unless I am missing something that the only way to do all of this now is as a private group. We did not do this – we were in a group of about 20 – 25 people.

We picked up some sandwiches for lunch and then continued on our walking trip to the Trevi Fountain, Pantheon and back to the Piazza Navona. We spent some time at each admiring the sights and people watching. It was hot so we made our way back to the apartment for a rest.

That evening, we went to the restaurant Fiammetta, around the corner from the Genii Hotel not far from the Piazza Navona (it had been recommended on Fodors and we were not disappointed). We had the absolute best gazpacho of our lives. The saltimbocca was delicious, and the kids’ spaghetti was good, but they voted for gelato so we skipped dessert there and bought gelato after walking along the river past the Castel Sant’Angelo all lit up. The river was like glass giving perfect reflections and showed the beauty of nighttime Rome.

Long day - sorry this entry will be so long!


July 11 – Rome

Apparently we tired out the kids so DH and I left the apartment alone to explore Campo dei Fiori this morning. The market was still being set up as we arrived so it wasn’t too crowded yet. The fruits and veggies were so fresh and inviting, but there were also plenty of other types of stands as well: pastas, spices, olive oils, balsamic vinegars, limoncello (with tasting!), T-shirts, and even a table with every type of coffee maker imaginable.

We lingered for quite a while, bought some T-shirts but found that we just couldn’t tear ourselves away from the market. We found a café at the end of the square and settled in with some coffee and tea to watch the activity of the market unfold as stands were set up and people browsed. My favorite was a tiny lady all in black who spent at least 45 minutes at one stand just squeezing the fruit and vegetables and then tossing aside the ones – most of them – which didn’t meet her standards. She squeezed. She tossed. She inspected. Finally…she bought. We also watched a small pump which ran non-stop. People came to drink, wash their hands, throw water on their faces, rinse buckets of olives. At last a small dog was there, just lapping the flow mid-stream. A simple pump with so much of daily life. After 2 rounds of hot drinks, we meandered through the market again. We stopped to observe a man demonstrating and selling a set of spiral veg slicers and juicers. Quite the personality and very entertaining! I bet her was surrounded by a crowd all day.

We tore ourselves away, bought some breakfast for the kids and cannolis for us – the BEST I’ve ever eaten – at Il Fornaio, a bakery around the corner from the Campo, and headed back to the apt where I did some laundry in the miniscule washer.

We didn’t intend to walk 10 miles today, but we did. We checked out a couple of places for lunch, but they were closed, so we meandered through the maze of streets near the apartment until we were enticed into one – Ecce Bombo - by a man on the street who was there just to pull in customers. Now of course I know not to frequent these places, but the food on the tables looked delicious and Italians were dining there so we went for it. Of course pizza, pasta and wine were ordered and all were outstanding. I ordered an antipasta platter with veggies, cold cuts and an artichoke with butter sauce to die for. I would definitely order that again. If you look at my pictures, you’ll see it was also very pretty. The only thing there that left a bad taste in our mouths was at the end of the meal the man in the street came over and asked us to add a tip to the bill because it had not been included. We were suspicious, but since we did not purposely look at the menu for this info, we added some, but thought we were probably taken advantage of. I’m sure they laughed about it, but we just chalked it up to the cost of the vacation. Next time, we’ll say no, and leave some change on the table…unless I get some comments to the contrary here

Gelato stop at Blue Ice – my son’s vote for the best gelato of the trip. Some of us disagreed, but did think it had the prettiest gelato of we had seen to that point.

Our walk took us through the Piazza Navona, so different in the daylight, up the Corso – the famous ritzy shopping street - to the Piazza del Popolo, and up the steps to the right into Pincio Park. On the way, we noticed more guys walking along with accordians. I really didn’t expect that those would be so popular. Back to Pincio Park…I was hoping for a great view and we got it. Looking out and seeing so many domes peeking out from the sea of rooftops was wonderful. My son (finally) bought some sunglasses (he had forgotten his at home and had been looking for some every day since then). It was a hot day, so it was nice to be in a park with trees overhead and a bit of a breeze. Some Segways whirred by. Birds were singing. We became revitalized. On the way back towards the Spanish Steps, we investigated a row of busts on columns which lead up to a red carpet and the Casina Valadier Ristorante, pretty much out of view from the main path. We almost missed this little section of the park and it was one of our favorite spots of the day. I take it that the restaurant is what draws people to that section of the park, but I wonder if people take the time to wander the surrounding grounds. There was a huge assortment of statues, the likes of which I’ve never seen before and perfect for kids and adults alike. There was a huge snail, a melting clock, a lifesize scooter held by a giant hand, colorful brightly-colored Lucite type figurines, and on and on. The fountain of running water was welcome as we filled up our water bottles. (Never go anywhere without them – you can always find running water in Rome.)

We left the park and descended the Spanish Steps and continued on to the Capuchin Crypts, located in the Capuchin Church of the Immaculate Conception on via Veneto. A short history can be found at:

http://www.cappucciniviaveneto.it/cappuccini_ing.html

This crypt was full of delicate artwork which upon closer inspection, was made of the bones of over 3000 monks. Even the chandeliers were made of bones and it amazing how beautiful the place was. If you go, go UP the right hand outer stairs at the front of the church to a doorway at the right side of the building. That’s the entrance and there is a small donation requested. Definitely worth the trip.

We walked back via the Trevi Fountain again and just past, a man with 3 parakeets approached my son and popped those little birds right on his shoulder. I got my money ready, and after a picture, there was the outstretched hand waiting for it. That guy sure was surprised that I had some ready for him. I got a picture of DD too. It was also surprising how docile those birds were given all the crowds.

Did I mention we walked 10 miles? Time for a shower and a nap!

At dusk we left to see the cat sanctuary at Torre Argentina, a block of below-street-level excavations which is now home to hundreds of stray cats. There is an office on site and they arrange to feed, vaccinate, spay/neuter and adopt out the cats living there. The best time to see the cats is when it cools off so they are out and about within the ruins. We saw about 50 cats this night, some out on the sidewalk rubbing on peoples’ legs and purring. [More trivia – Torre Argentina was where Julius Caear was stabbed by Brutus in 44 BC.]

Lastly for the day, we continued on to Trastevere for dinner. We wandered around for a while, but most of the restaurants were packed with people crowded both inside and around the outside menus. One which we had passed up for that reason and which was on a quieter street (via dell Fratte de Trastevere) stood out to us, so we went back and waited for a patio table (turns out that I had written it on a list of places to go from Fodors). The name was Popi Popi and the patio was pretty and surrounded by a row of bushes. It was late; the kids were exhausted. 2 weeks of vacation was starting to catch up to them. DS even said he wanted to go back to the apartment, but of course that was not possible. We were too far away. We tried to distract him, but nothing worked as well as what was about to happen. While we waited outside, someone started leaning on a car horn for a solid minute. Mind you, cars were parked just on the other side of the hedge just a few feet from some diners so it was really loud. As the horn blared, people’s heads kept popping up to see what the fuss was about. Other started to congregate on the street to watch what was about to unfold. The horn stopped as a huge argument ensued with waiters running to the car and gesticulating toward the people dining on the patio. A woman jumped out of her car and started screaming back. At least a half dozen men and this lady were all screaming at each other at once. The hands were flying! Suddenly it was apparent to us that another car had parked in such a way to prevent her from backing out of the tiny space. 3 or 4 of the men went to one side of her car, bounced on the bumper a few times and actually hoisted this car up in the air enough to lift it up and slide it over so she could leave. She had a few more choice words for everyone then zoomed away. Wow! Then out table was ready!

Dinner was wonderful. We tried zucchini flowers stuffed with mozzarella and anchovies, suppli (deep fried rice balls with a center of mozzarella) and olives stuffed with some sort of meat. DD had the longest pasta I’ve ever seen with a cream sauce with ham and peas. The best meal was the spaghetti carbonara with bacon. OMG! I never tasted anything so good. A great place for dinner. Probably about 1 am we started the walk back home and dropped into bed.

July 12 – Rome

Oops! I thought our Vatican tour was at 11, but when I woke up and double checked (a bit too late), it was really at 9:00! I thought about waking everyone up and rushing them to get ready, but it just didn’t seem worth it after going to bed around 2 a.m. so I let them sleep. Turns out everyone was thankful not to go on a 4 hour tour and were happy to catch up on some sleep. Sometimes you just have to let things go. We made made an alternate reservation through the Vatican office for Thursday and it was easy to get tickets last minute.

We went to Campo dei Fiori for some food for tomorrow’s trip to Pompeii then took Bus 64 to St. Peters Basilica for our 3:15 Scavi Tour. We checked in with the Swiss Guard (it seemed funny to see one on a phone instead of at attention) but were too early so we just wandered around the area and went into a few shops.

Once it was time, we were let in with no wait and congregated with a few other people at the Scavi office. We were taken down a staircase past a sliding glass door and were in front of a model of what we were about to see – an excavated Roman street with homes, vaults and mausoleums where Romans used to celebrate the lives of family members after their passing. We ended at the tomb of St. Peter, his bones partly visible from a little gold trimmed chapel or from a hole in the wall from the other side of the tomb. We were directly under the dome of St. Peters basilica. On the way out, we passed through the crypts where recent Popes are entombed and the guide let us briefly pass into a roped off area for a closer look. We're so glad we took this tour! Imagine walking through history and standing at the foundation of the Catholic Church.

We exited into St. Peters where we were awestruck by the immensity and the artwork. Unfortuntely, there was a Mass going on so we couldn’t approach the alter.

We took the bus back, rested up, and had an early dinner at Da Baffeto on via Governo Vecchio, the “best pizza place in Rome”, according to the Italian lady who helped us at the farmhouse. Once we saw the lines stretching all the way down the street, we thought she must be right and vowed to try it before we left. Unfortunately, we were disappointed. The waiters were rude and unsmiling. The worst part was the pizza. The crust tasted like cardboard and was burned all around the edges and on many spots on the bottom. I looked around and everyone's pizzas were like that. I don't recommend it and it has very mixed reviews.

We went out for gelato to make things better and turned in early – tomorrow would be another long day!

This is fab! Thanks K. Exactly how I thought reading this report would be like. With all your tours did you do groups? I have seen mixed reports as to whether it's best to do mixed groups or private tours, what do you think? How were the kids with the tours? Would you have preferred another way?
Keep writing, I am enthralled......

enjoyed your report-- and really appreciate your reports of the 'misses' as well as the 'hits."
kawh

The agriturismo sounds wonderful! Bookmarked for next time

Grazie all!

Now that I am writing about the 'misses', they seem to have become the 'hits'!!!

I'm working on some pictures now, but the site isn't cooperating, so when it does, I'll be able to post Part 1, then back to the report. (Need some visuals to break it up ) Finally, on to Pompeii and Naples, then our last full day! Our trip was 18 days - lots of writing! Thanks for sticking with me!

***Before I forget, 2 places in Rome that my kids enjoyed in the past:

The Pasta Museum: (Maybe I'll take DD there this June to follow up on the cooking classes of the previous week.)

http://www.museodellapasta.it/index.php

Another my son liked was the Crime Museum, a bit west of Piazza Navona: (He liked the 'instruments of torture and execution'!)

http://www.museocriminologico.it/index_uk.htm

Both are tiny and didn't take much time, but were fun (if you call torture fun!) and interesting.

kc - didn't mean to skip your questions...
we've done a combination of do it yourself, group tours and audio guides.
DD likes the audio guides, DS is more analytical and says it depends. He said he wouldn't want a group in Pompeii because it would take too long and would be too repetitive, so I guess you'd have to gauge what you are seeing and what you want to get out of it.

I considered a private tour, but they are very expensive. I'd love to try one someday - I think that would be the best.

Well, I'm still having problems with my picture site so instead, I'll continue with my report...


July 13 – Pompeii and Naples

We got up at 5:00 and were amazed at the difference in the lively bustling via Governo Vecchio. Everything was closed up tightly with no café tables, no mopeds, no crowds! So peaceful!

We caught Bus 64 to Termini, where we transferred to the metro to the Tiburtina station, all the while enjoying the artistic graffiti. The bus station was across the street. We passed a small group of people dressed colorfully standing at the outskirts of the station and continued to the building marked Tibus, where they directed us to Stallone 6-9 (to the left facing that building) to wait for the Marozzi Bus to Pompei. While waiting, I noticed 2 of the girls in colorful clothes and no luggage slowly walking through the crowds and stopping by a small group just past us. All of a sudden, they took off running at high speed the way from which they came. I figured they had just pickpocketed someone or had gotten caught trying. Next a group of nuns arrived, chatting away – just a day out with the girls. A monk soon arrived to wait for a bus and waited patiently near the nuns. Was he slowly getting closer to them? Did he have a pick up line at the ready? No, just my imagination. The bus arrived and we boarded and departed on time, 7:00 a.m. Although we reserved the first 4 seats on this bus a month ahead of time, it was filled up by the departure. The trip was incredibly easy and had one unexpected (for us) stop at an Autogrill for 15 minutes. The food looked delicious, but we had sandwiches and drinks with us so only bought chocolate and snacks.

Easy to book here:

http://www.marozzivt.it/script/biglietteria.aspx?tipobigl=marozzi#

We arrived at ‘Pompei scavi’ at 10 am before most of the crowds and before the worst temps of the day. Here’s a helpful hint: Bypass the restrooms outside the gates. If you wait until you get inside the gates, there is no fee. We rented the audio guides and were ready to go. I had also rented the series ‘I, Claudius’ before the trip and that really helped put things in perspective and bring everything to life.

We decided to walk to one of the farthest points to get some walking out of the way, started at the Villa of Mysteries and worked our way back. The frescos were well preserved at this villa, as was a large wine press, since this had been a working farm. On the way back, we stopped to look in a chained gate at the Villa of Diomedes when all of a sudden a man with keys appeared, unlocked the padlock and beckoned us in. It was a bit unnerving to have that padlock snapped shut behind us, but we figured he looked harmless enough. The man proceeded to give us a personal tour of the villa and gardens, explaining everything in Italian. He was so sweet, we didn’t have the heart to tell him that we weren’t understanding anything so I started to “translate” what he was saying based loosely on maybe one word I may have understood, such as ‘cold’ when he was showing us a baths. Every time I "translated", he smiled more and more so I kept on going. The funniest part was that my family hung on my every word! He insisted on taking our picture in the garden and then opened the gate. We tipped him well – how often do you get a personal tour in Pompeii?! and continued on. The kids’ favorite parts of Pompei were the fast food shops, the stepping stones to cross the streets, the Beware of Dog mosaic, the plaster casts of people and dog, and the Forum. Then they wanted to see the Colosseum, way on another side of the ruins, even though it was far away. With the walk in the heat and the dust of the streets, we were parched. Two things saved us: following the tip to use umbrellas for shade and stopping at every running fountain to fill our water bottles. I’d recommend passing on the Colosseum if it’s a really hot day. That Colosseum wasn’t much to write home about.

After 3 ½ hours, we returned the audio guides, bought some drinks outside the gate and trudged to the train station for the ride on the Circumvesuviana train to Naples. We were expecting the worst with all that we had read about pickpockets, but the train was fairly empty. I’m sure it’s more lucrative to pickpocket during the crowded times with more tourists on board. The most exciting thing was a sax player accompanied by a tambourine.

To go to the Archeological Museum, get off at the Garibaldi Station (Central Station) [we didn’t realize they were the same and went to the next stop looking for Central Station. We should have gotten off at Garibaldi, so we had to go back] It was easy to pick up the metro to the Cavour stop for the Archeological Museum from there, but first, amazingly, there was a stand giving out free bottles of iced tea! We each had 2 or 3 bottles after being out in that sun for so long. (I’ve read since then that MAYBE your train ticket will also allow on the metro, so check that out – you might be able to save some money.)

At the Cavour stop, follow signs to the National Museum. You’ll see what looks like an inside entrance with statues but that was just a metro exhibit. You have to go outside and you’ll see a huge pinkish brick (or stone? I forget) building. That’s it.

I specifically wanted to see the Pompeii and Herculaneum mosaics (the largest one, the Alexander Mosaic depicting Alexander the Great defeating the Persians and recovered from the ash of Pompeii, had 1.5 million pieces), frescoes and artifacts and loved that area. We also saw a huge sundial where the sun entered from a tiny hole in the wall, monumental Greek and Roman sculptures, and the ‘Secret Cabinet’ with Roman erotic items. We saw the Farnese Bull, the largest sculpture ever recovered from antiquity, carved from one block of marble. The other thing we wanted to see was the model of Pompeii as it used to look like before Vesuvius erupted. It was blocked off by a guard preventing entry, but I managed to persuade him to let us in. It was a huge room with a tabletop model with the tiniest detail of the city and we were the only ones in there! We spent a lot of time locating the places we had been. Pompeii was a lot larger than I had realized.

We left the museum and walked towards the train station via San Biagio dei Librai, which turned into via Forcella, basically a long narrow street with colorful shops, churches and some apartment buildings. We passed a place selling mini French fry pizzas. Go figure! A walk was recommended in the Rick Steves book to get from the museum to the train station: ”Spaccanapoli, literally "split Naples," is a perfectly straight street that dates from ancient Greek times. It leads through the colorful heart of the old city.” (We don’t know if that’s what we were on or not, but it was our best guess. It sure was colorful and sort of matched the description, mentioning the bakery we will stop at, although if you look at an overhead street view of Naples, there is another street leading away from the museum and really splits Naples in 2 – if just didn’t lead to the train station.)

We passed some places selling every type of pasta imaginable and located the recommended Scaturchio bakery, one of the oldest patisseries in Naples, to have the famous Napoli pastry sfogliatella. Delicious! Crunchy filo(?) layers on the outside with creamy filling. We continued on and saw a sign advertising a ‘friggitoria’. What the frig is that??? Steve Ricks mentions one area where there was laundry hanging from windows so we looked up and saw more than we had imagined. It was actually sort of pretty!

At the other end of this long street, we turned right onto via Pietro Colletta and 2 blocks on the left was the Pizzaria Trianon, which was also recommended somewhere. (Another one a block away was da Michele Pizzeria, selling only 2 types of pizzas, but that one was tiny and full, so with our schedule, we went to the bigger place.) It’s one of the oldest pizzerias in Naples so it was a good recommendation - we weren’t disappointed. It was fun watching our pizzas being made and slid into the wood-burning oven covered with thousands of tiny tiles. I’ve read that pizza in Naples is normally “wet” in the middle and this was no different, but the crust was still crispy and how delicious! One we ordered had ham, mushrooms and cream and was out of this world.

Next stop – gelato! (No surprise there ) How convenient - across the street from Trianon was Gelateria al Polo Nord, the oldest gelateria in Naples. There’s a picture of Steve Ricks in there with the owner so I suppose he’s the one who recommended that place as well. Very good. It was a 10 minute walk to the train station and a few more hours back to Rome.

It was definitely not too much to see both Pompeii and this museum in one day and then get back to Rome. Both highlighted the other and provided detail the other lacked. I recommend both, even as a one day trip from Rome, and we all thought the best way was to go to Pompeii first. We liked seeing the city, then what had been removed after the eruption (and also avoided some of the heat that way!) I don't think we could have understood the significance of these pieces if we had been to the museum first.

Only one more full day to go!

I think it's working now so here is part 1 of my ROME pictures:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150612192035994.381560.627765993&type=3&l=c925c640fd

Great photos, thanks for sharing.

I'm back from a trip to Virginia (using a Groupon!) and can concentrate on finishing up...

My pictures for ROME PART 2:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150611400445994.381436.627765993&type=1&l=c0a4645c04

July 4 – Rome

Well, today I woke up with a rash on both my legs from sock height up. Apparently I am allergic to volcanic ash and this will be known henceforth as my ‘ash rash’.

DD and I decided to do a couple of real quick visits before our family activities. We went to the cat sanctuary where we knew we could catch either the tram #8 to Trastevere or Bus 30 to Church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin to see the Mouth of Truth. The tram came first so we went a couple of stops and walked the rest of the way to the Santa Marie Church known for its mosaics. As we approached, I remember thinking, “darn, I wish that car wasn’t in the way – it’s spoiling my picture!” When we got to the door, we weren’t allowed in as there was a funeral going on. Oops! That was the hearse I had been complaining about. We admired the front of the church and went back to the tram.

Back at Largo di Argentina, we caught Bus 30 which arrived with perfect timing and went over to the other church. There was a short line, maybe about 5 minutes, and a small donation to be able to walk to the Mouth of Truth and have one (and only one) picture taken with your hand in its mouth. (My daughter didn’t actually get all of me in the picture, so they did allow one extra try, taken by the attendant.) The legend is that if you are a liar and put your hand in the mouth, it will be bitten off. Thank goodness, I still have my hand!

We zipped back to the apartment and picked up DH and DS because we had reservations for the Vatican (if you buy the tickets online, there is a 4E fee), stopping at a nearby bar to buy porchetta sandwiches. Took Bus 64 to the Vatican, walked down a long street and walked right in. No line at all! We rented audio guides and entered the courtyard where there is a huge round globe (?) in the center. Then, 1400 rooms and so much artwork! I recommend picking and choosing what to see! We admired the map room and Raphael room the most, although the room and halls with statues and sculptures were amazing too. Then on to the Sistine Chapel. It was a mob scene! We waited near the benches until a few spots opened up and finally sat down to be able to lean back and look up. It looked so much brighter and more colorful than what I had remembered! Come to find out, it had been cleaned and restored and what a difference! One little spot had been left alone to see the previous coloration. The atmosphere was serene with the exception of the guards continually yelling to quiet down and stop taking pictures. It was fun to watch them approach people and check their cameras. We spent a total of 2 hours in the Vatican, and my kids reminded me that they were glad we didn’t go on that 4 hour tour that we missed.

We went back to the apartment to pack and wait for the Sleep in Italy guy to show up to check the apartment and return our security deposit…and waited, and waited. (Does this sound familiar?!) By 7:15, an hour and a quarter later, he still hadn’t shown up. Here we go again, and on our last night in Rome! ☹ Since we were to celebrate our 27th anniversary, we left the kids in the apartment, gave them directions to the Taverna Parione on via Parione just around the corner and left. The plan was to have drinks and then the kids would join us, but of course that didn’t happen. In the meantime, we ordered prosecco and spritz with bruschetta with artichoke, oil and garlic. We finished that, and had some limoncello and cheese bruschetta. Finally, I went back to the apartment, picked up the kids, went back to the restaurant and called and left some messages for the guy and the owner. We didn’t mind so much except for our money!

I ordered spaghetti with mussels and wine and it was delicious. Dessert was even better. The limone sorbetto was so creamy and smooth, honestly the best sherbet I’ve ever had and the chocolate mousse wasn’t far behind. The kids went back to the apartment and DH and I took one last walk around Piazza Navona.


July 15 – Arrivederci Roma!

We got up at 6:00 hoping that the Sleep in Italy guy might stop by with our money, but no such luck. We knew we could just leave the keys on the table and close the door behind us. Roma Shuttle picked us up on time and drove right by a pyramid that I had wanted to see. That was a coincidence. The driver tried to talk to us in Italian the entire time and we were sorry that we hadn’t learned more before the trip. The trip to the airport went unevenfully, as did boarding and flying home on United.

I hope that you enjoyed this report and that some of the info proves useful. It was nice reliving the trip and I’m ready for my next trip to Italy for the week long cooking school in Carunchio and 3 days in Rome in June!

Once I got home, I emailed Sleep in Italy, explained what had happened and they said that the guy had ripped up our check. I wrote back and asked if they were sure about that, and they said, ‘of course, he is very reliable!’ I wondered in what world that would be given our two experiences with him (or without him!). We put a stop on the check just to be sure.

My pictures of POMPEII and NAPLES:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150617091670994.382356.627765993&type=3&l=208e7537a8

Thanks for reading!

Brava! Loved it! thankyou so much.... Now I cant wait for our trip only 51/2 months to go I have taken many notes and will definitely steal your ideas
Sounds like the Vatican tour was better the way you did it rather than the long tour. I think we will do the Catacomb and Colosseum tours.
My gosh! Im dreaming of the food already, started dieting today.....

Whew! It was long wasn't it! I guess that's what happens with an 18 day trip!

5 1/2 months will go so fast for you, and the 2 1/2 months for our trip back to Italy will too! I know how you are feeling. I'm so excited about our week at the cooking school and 3 more days in Rome. I'm spending way more time planning the the 3 days in Rome since everything else will be planned for us. Watch for a shorter trip report!

I'd love to hear what else you are planning to do in Rome - maybe we'll use some of your ideas too

Thanks for sharing your trip! I enjoyed reading the story of your family's adventures and following along with your pictures.

I'm glad you enjoyed the report Irishface!

I'll be writing a (much shorter) report on Rome and Carunchio later this summer!

Thank you for the excellent report. My husband and I took our family of 6 to Sicily, Positano, finishing up in Rome in 2009. We would love to take in Lucca next time around. Your report is very helpful and I appreciate how much time it took. May I ask if we were to go again and bring our then 9 month old grandson, is Lucca child friendly? Is driving in the area perilous? I don't know if much could beat driving in Palermo or winding our way to the Amalfi Coast, BUT, better to ask!
Thanks again!

Hi momnan - I'm glad you enjoyed my report, and even got all the way through it! I like your persistence!

We had no problem driving around Lucca (you can't drive IN it for the most part other than arriving at your hotel to drop off luggage). I wouldn't be worried about having a car there - just find the free parking lots outside the walls and be careful of the ZTL.

As far as it being child friendly, it seems that Italians welcome kids anywhere. I didn't notice things like booster seats in restaurants, but then again, my kids were 18 so I wasn't looking for things like that. I think I read in a post though that some people bring seats which clip onto the tables so maybe you would want to try to search for some threads on that.

There are so many pedestrian areas it would be easy to walk with a stroller and not worry about traffic. Also the parks on top of the walls - good for a stroll.

There was a lot of biking in Lucca and I imagine that it wouldn't be too hard to rent a bike with a child's seat attached, however, once you would find a hotel you like, maybe you should ask them to give you the name of a bike rental shop near them and email to find out for sure.

I started to think about things for kids to do there, but at 9 months, I don't think you need to find many of them. 9 month olds don't have many touring preferences! More importantly, how does the child travel? Being prepared for that and also just for the day to day times awake would be paramount to the enjoyment of your trip. Snacks, toys, favorite stuffed animal - those would be the top of my list.

If you have other questions, please ask!

What I always say is... "If I have to be with the baby [or whoever it might be], I might as well be with the baby in [insert name of city]"

So helpful kwren- thanks ever so much!

momnan - I found this post that might be helpful (although it's a few years old) if you are interested in bike riding:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g187898-i832-k2349661-Bike_Rental_with_4_year_old-Lucca_Province_of_Lucca_Tuscany.html

It doesn't seem that it would be a problem to find a bike to accommodate the 9 month old.

And here's another more recent:

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=1950438

We rented from Chrono Bikes (according to our pictures!) and our bikes were in great shape.

Great report kren. Thank you for taking the time and posting it.

Great report, thanks for sharing.

I'm curious when you are you going on your cooking vacation? I bought the same groupon and I'm in the June 10-16 group.

Glad you enjoyed the report jamierin and johnny.

HEY Johnny!!!! Can you believe it! We're going for the same week! Now this is exciting! We're also going to Rome for a few days after it ends.

We are flying out from JFK on the 9th. How about you?

too funny! We're (my mum and I) flying out on the 6th from Ottawa and flying back on the 17th.

Shoot - hit enter too soon

It's my 1st trip to Italy and I go between OMG! panic and OMG! squeee!

We went last summer - as you saw from my above trip report - and loved it! I can't wait to get back there and cooking, wining and dining for a week! Wow. The excursions should be fun too. I hope this deal is as good as it sounds, but I talked to the people at Groupon and they said they were shocked at the response this trip got.

Only 4 weeks and we'll be there!
I'm going with my husband and daughter.

When I was booking, I went back and forth several times with one ot the travel reps and he said they were floored at how popular the groupon was.

Have you gotten your itinerary yet?

I think we arrive in Rome around 11 am. I haven't heard yet when they will meet us.

I also haven't heard what time they'll take us back at the end of the week. I need to know that so I can arrange a time to get into the apartment we're renting.

Have you gotten anything?

No, nothing, I'm getting a little antsy. I need to make sure we're back at the airport on Sunday at the right time.

They take us back on Saturday not Sunday, so you will be OK no matter what the time. I'm going to write them them today though to see if they have more info for us.

Were you able to travel from Grindewald to Jungfraujoch? If so, did you need to make advance reservations?

We didn't need advance reservations, darnestown. We bought train passes and tickets the first morning that the weather was nice. I recommend going as early as you can for 2 reasons: you never know when the clouds will roll in and the crowds roll in too!

We didn't go up the Jungfrau this trip, but did the last time we were here, so here is where I wrote about it (scroll down just a little bit to July 27 to read my entry):

http://www.fodors.com/community/europe/trip-report---lauterbrunnen-salzburg-paris.cfm

I highly recommend this trip!!!

I just started reading this report and spent hours looking at your beautiful pictures. Many thanks. One little note: some years ago we had the same problem in Orvieto. No agent
at the Hertz office. wonder if it's the same person - Looking forward to your next trip!

Thanks Gwen for the nice comments. They help me look forward to writing my next trip report. As a matter of fact, we leave next Saturday for Italy again! (my sons aren't happy that they are relegated to being the house sitters instead of going with us)

This trip will be really different for us...it's the Groupon trip on top of the remote hill town I mentioned above for a week of cooking classes and excursions. We booked it quite a while ago and I can't believe we will finally be going!

I'll write it up under a separate thread.

Johnnyomalley, you said you would be there the same time as us and you were waiting for the itinerary. Did you receive it? I'd love to hear from you before we leave, but if not, we'll see you there! I'm sure you're as excited as we are!!!

Hey johnnyomalley...it was wonderful to meet you and your mom in Abruzzo. What a great cooking vacation at the Palazzo Tour d'Eau!

Great trip report, kwren - thanks for posting!