Mango7

First, thank all of you who lent me their support and suggs--It was a great trip! I didn't get robbed or ripped off, thank goodness, although I did witness a group of rednecky people storming off from one of the outdoor cafes at the Pantheon. The little gypsy kids struck this time and got this womans cash and cards(I heard her say this). We were on guard big time after this. The subway was ridiculous...People were plastered against each other and I knew if I didnt hide things well they'd clean me out!

I will only touch on highlights here, but Me and the wife stayed at the Express Holiday Inn in San Giovanni and were very happy with our stay there. It only took 10 minutes to get to everything on the bus. We did get busted by the fare police once, but we had the cards but didn't stamp them. He was nice about it though!

Gelato and Cappuccino- We overdosed on this stuff daily! Our staple for Gelato was San Crispino. The grapefruit was so fresh and authentic tasting. The wife liked the pear. The Philipino servers always smiled when we came in
There was a mini mall on the right of Via Del Corso that has a nice Espresso bar that served the best and cheapest cappuccinos (1 euro!).

Food- She ate spaghetti al pomodoro the whole trip loaded with chili peppers (She's Thai). My diet consisted of Pizza, bruschetta, and a pasta cream-sauce dish. I really over did it on this trip, I must say. The 4-euro cokes are a joke over there!

Museums/Churches- We touched on many of them, but our favorites were #1) Duomo in Firenze and #2) Santa Maria Minerva(?)(celestial canopy), and #3) the Pantheon. We did the Roma Antica tour with ContextRome and it was nice, but not nearly as good as I expected. Our tour guide was very good. Unfortunately, one of the group members(from NYC) had to advertise how knowledgible he was most of the duration of the tour. All he did was state facts to the guide, and then the guide would acknowledge that, yes, he was correct. Overall, it was certainly NOT worth the nearly $200 for the tour.
Next we did the Vatican tour which was OK, but pretty accelerated and incomplete. We blew off the Sistine chapel and went to the Cupola. What a mistake.. We were gasping for air at the top of the stairs! I'm not big on heights, so I was pretty uncomfortable up there. St Peter's was very nice. We were pretty churched-out after a few days!

Florence- One of my favorite cities! I love the Duomo and its colored marble. Such an awesome town!

Italians- I noticed that while you are walking around town, there will occasionally be someone who stands directly in your path, or, they will see you coming from their periphery and move directly into your path!! This drove me crazy with anger. I wanted to ask the person if they were an idiot! Since it was rare that I ever saw an Italian person get angry, I just let it go...

Mango7

One big negative about the trip that had nothing to do with Italians or other tourists occurred on the last night (New Years Eve). It turned out to be a beautiful evening and we had a nice dinner at a Pantheon cafe. It was about 9pm and we just at some Gelato at Blue Ice (Crispino was closed!). Throughout the trip I was amused by the Rattlesnake eggs (Magnetized hematite ovals that sound like a katydid when tossed in the air) that were being sold by the walking vendors. My wife wasn't too crazy about them, but nothing big I THOUGHT. Finally, got up the nerve to buy one (I saw an attractive woman buy one earlier, so I didn't feel too touristy buying one). Boy was this a mistake, because my wife went crazy with anger over me buying this thing. She told me that I knew she hated these things (not true). I couldn't believe she was going to ruin New Year's over this damned thing! Sure enough, she did!! Didn't talk to me the rest of the night. I told her she had a mental problem and needed to put things into perspective. There was NO good reason for her to do this! Went to bed at midnight... In one of the greatest cities in the world for New Years celebration..I felt like my eyes were going to tear-up as the firework explosions whipped into a frenzy as we laid in the dark room. I was in disbelief for the remainder of the trip.
I briefly wondered about our future together! (only very briefly).

Anyway, we're back and had an amazing trip all in all. I dusted off the espresso machine and fired it up a few times today Bought some pizza and Parmagiano Reggianno cheese too!

Will write more if anything comes up. Thank you all again for your help!! It was amazing nonetheless.

Regards,

Kurt

cwoolner

So what did you do with the egg?! lol

Thanks for the tip on the doumo in Florence... I'm planning a trip there (Venice, Florence, Tuscany and Rome) and that's a "good to know".

hdm

cwoolner,
The Duomo in Florence is the 'inside-out' church -- that is, every inch of the outside is covered with exceptional sculpture while the inside is rather plain, as churches of that era go. However, be sure to go into the Baptistry, which is directly opposite the front of the Duomo. It shouldn't be missed. The entire inside is covered in incredible mosaics of the bible stories.

Also, be sure to take a pair of binoculars or opera glasses -- small, light ones you can easily tuck into a pocket or purse and carry them with you pretty much all the time. Much of the art is high up and you'll really appreciate being able to see the detail. This was the best advice I was given before we went to Italy a few years ago and now I take them everywhere I travel.

Mango7

Haha. I almost gave it to this homeless guy on the way home, but I decided that I would use it on her when she gets on my nerves!

Firenze is really a cool place. I forgot to add that I went to the Accademia to see the David statue. It was funny to hear the ladies screaming at the guys who tried to take photos. I was able to take a few close-ups without a flash. They look wonderful! I also liked the discontinued Michelangelo statues in the beginning of the museum. He had a really good brain for spacial orientation and proportion.

The shopping in Florence is excellent as well! Very high end stores in some places.

The cars in Italy are pretty nice. Saw a million-dollar Enzo Ferrari zip by us in Rome, then a new 430 Ferrari inching through near the Trevi Fountain. Very cool indeed! The Alpha Romeos and Smart cars were nice too! Such a charming place

Kurt

cwoolner

hdm - that is very good to know. As I read the Italy travel guide I became overwhelmed with all the must see churches... and while I don't mind seeing a few, I don't want my whole trip to be made up of them! But this one sounds very cool indeed! Good tip on the opera glasses, never would've thought of that!

Mango - You and your wife could use the egg as a "I'm upset with you" artifact. You can leave it out for the other so you know the other is upset and you don't have to say anything! lol
Where was the best shopping at?? Do you remember what time the shops closed?

Funny you say that about the cars - that's how I felt my first time to London. I had rolls of pics (before everything went Digi) of all these phenomenal cars!!

Mango7

C-
There are many different shopping areas, but the one area that I remember well is Borgo S. Lorenzo street, which is part of (and off) the front of the Duomo Piazza, if you will. Oops. I just remembered the highest-end shops are just east of the Piazza D. Signoria area and surrounds. This town is surprisingly Chic. I thought I was going to a sleepy historic town that time forgot. WRONG!!

Kurt

Mango7

Yes, I could use the eggs for symbolic reasons. I forgot to mention that I am going to start avoiding her on New Years. I reminded her (that night) that back in New Year's 2001 she screamed at me at the same time (10pm)for not ordering her margarita with salt! go figure!

JeanneB

I hope Mrs. Mango doesn't read Fodor's!

Sound like you had a good time, though. Rome...I loved it, too.

traveler100

Mango,

Love your report and sense of humor. I myself always have one major meltdown on a trip (I mean I think I literally lose my mind!) so now I know what my husband goes through when it happens...you are a "good egg" hee hee.

SeaUrchin

I had to laugh at your saying she had a mental problem, I don't know why that strikes me as so funny. I think it reminds me of an argument I had with my teenage son when our family was touring Europe. He was upset with me for some reason and said I had a mental problem and I said he did, we kept this up and didn't realize a French couple were listening. I still laugh over that too (hmmm, maybe I do have a ...no....ha).

fishee

What? I'm totally confused, what was her objection to your purchase of this "egg"? Is she anti-egg? or against inanimate objects pretending to be eggs? Did she think you wasted money? Was there some religious significance to the egg that you were desecrating?

Could you explain this, it's rather fascinating.

cafegoddess

Mango7

I am so glad to hear you had a good time, but I am sorry to hear about the big misunderstanding on New Years Eve.

Do tell why she objected so strongly with the Rattlesnake eggs. Just curious.

Much Aloha,
M

Dukey

TTT

TravelFreak168

Mango7 :

How did you get off the fare police?
We had the same problem, but we just paid the fine. did you get off lightly?

Thanks.

Mango7

Thanks for your replies! Yes, the egg thing is a mystery. Throughout our Rome tour we would occasionally see these Indian guys throwing the eggs up and the chatter they produced, much like an orthoptera insect like a Katydid. I found it amusing since I have always liked insects or amphibians (The eggs could sound like a tree frog too). It was also funny because I'm sure it irritated uptight people as well.
I told my wife that I wanted one and she said "why?" and did not seem to be upset by it. Perhaps it was the little boy in me that wanted one. I guess she really didn't think I'd actually buy a pair.
I will admit that she gets freaked out easily when it comes to insects or anything that has an ordered array or pattern to it much like a mass of ants or goosebumps on the skin. I'm guessing it is related to something of this nature. Any Psychologists here?
I did do something funny with the eggs though. They are very strong magnets so that if you hold one in your fingers, the other one will stick to the opposite side of your fingers. They are really powerful. I did this to her and she screeched aloud when the magnet wouldn't let go of her fingers! It was hilarious. Please keep in mind my wife is from East Thailand and grew up in an environment that was devoid of anything technologically oriented. Perhaps this is the reason. But, she does have a Master's degree now and is pretty intelligent otherwise.

Regards,

Kurt

Mango7

Thanks again everyone.

TravelFreak- I'm not sure why the Fare Police didn't force us to pay a penalty. I guess our attempt at looking clueless really worked, or he was just a really nice guy (He DID look like a nice person). After that we were more careful, but we did take a few more chances because we couldn't find a place that sold tickets.

Kurt

cafegoddess

Mango7,

Where is your egg now?

Mango7

Eggs are sitting right next to me surprisingly

Kurt