Brahmama - home from Italy 6/05
Jun 5th, 2005, 11:15 AM
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Brahmama - home from Italy 6/05
Just checking in - still fighting jet lag, but will post about our trip asap. Since we are budget travelers, I will be especially talking about ways that we cut some costs and still had our best trip of a lifetime. (But I think I say that everytime!)
In a nutshell:
We left Galveston on the Galaxy (Celebrity Line) on the 7th of May. After the cruise we spent 5 nights on the Amalfi Coast and then 6 more night in and around Rome. So we were gone about 28 days. I'll concentrate in my trip report just about the 11 nights after the cruise. If you want to know more about the 16 night cruise, just let me know. I'll be glad to answer questions on here - or privately : [email protected]
More later,
Carol
In a nutshell:
We left Galveston on the Galaxy (Celebrity Line) on the 7th of May. After the cruise we spent 5 nights on the Amalfi Coast and then 6 more night in and around Rome. So we were gone about 28 days. I'll concentrate in my trip report just about the 11 nights after the cruise. If you want to know more about the 16 night cruise, just let me know. I'll be glad to answer questions on here - or privately : [email protected]
More later,
Carol
Jun 5th, 2005, 05:25 PM
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Hi Ira,
(And yes, I owe you bigtime for the suggestion about Praiano.)
We disembarked in Civitavecchia - port for Rome. We had Claudio Caponera (www.limoinrome.com
[email protected])pick us up and take us (and 4 others) to Rome. We were dropped at Termini and there we TRIED to check our cruise luggage, but there was at least an hour wait. The line snaked on and on. So we bought our tickets and boarded the train for Naples with all that luggage. (not fun) However Termini is a great place to get the tickets. There are ladies in vests standing around the ticket machines, who speak English and answer questions. So that was easy.
In Napoli, we had a driver waiting for us - but not the one that we had hired. We found the "left luggage" in the Naples station and just took one smallish bag with us. Traffic in Naples around the train station is unbelievable! About an hour to go a few blocks, but then we got on highway and zoomed on to Praiano - with wonderful views. I sat in the front - but didn't get carsick.
La Sirena in Praiano more than met our expectations. I especially was struck by the gorgeous ceramic tile everywhere on the property. What a lovely place. It was hot and we were really glad to get in our room and get rid of the baggage. We are (sigh) overweight and lazy Americans and not used to climbing 60 steps up and down - but we did it! It was worth it to us to stay here, but Geocarmine kept apologizing for the steps. He said that the young people complained about them much more than the "ahem" older people. We stayed with him 5 nights and loved it all. We had a great breakfast everyday, and my favorite treat were the hot apricot croissants - we had those on two days, coffee cake, and rolls on the other days. Great caffe latte for me - cappuchino for Will. Fresh OJ and a myriad of cheeses, meats, fruits, breads and yogurt.
The AC was going to be turned on from June through September, but we just kept the doors open to the balcony and slept very good every night.
Every day - after breakfast we climbed up the stairs and caught a bus - usually to Amalfi. We would eat a lunch out, and then return to La Sirene for a siesta. Then shower and on for the evening.
One day we went from Amalfi to Ravello where we saw the gorgeous Villa Cimbrone. We also had a short lunch at Hotel Maria - outside with that gorgeous view right in front of us.
Another day we bussed to Positano, walked down and took the ferry back to Amalfi.
We didn't get to Capri - maybe next time! We spent a lot of time sitting on the terrace and looking at the view. It was spell-binding.
We found a little ristorante/pizzeria down the road from our B&B called El Pino. We had met some Canadians who had an apartment right across the road from it and recommended it highly. One day for lunch we had the casa red wine, complimentary crostinis, mixed salad, one pasta, one pizza, side orders of french fries and arugula, and lemon profiteroles for dessert. Complimentary lemon cello. The total bill was 22.50 Euro. Great buy and a great view right on the Med.
We really hated to leave the Amalfi coast. I'll continue this later as we made our way to Castel Gandolfo.
(And yes, I owe you bigtime for the suggestion about Praiano.)
We disembarked in Civitavecchia - port for Rome. We had Claudio Caponera (www.limoinrome.com
[email protected])pick us up and take us (and 4 others) to Rome. We were dropped at Termini and there we TRIED to check our cruise luggage, but there was at least an hour wait. The line snaked on and on. So we bought our tickets and boarded the train for Naples with all that luggage. (not fun) However Termini is a great place to get the tickets. There are ladies in vests standing around the ticket machines, who speak English and answer questions. So that was easy.
In Napoli, we had a driver waiting for us - but not the one that we had hired. We found the "left luggage" in the Naples station and just took one smallish bag with us. Traffic in Naples around the train station is unbelievable! About an hour to go a few blocks, but then we got on highway and zoomed on to Praiano - with wonderful views. I sat in the front - but didn't get carsick.
La Sirena in Praiano more than met our expectations. I especially was struck by the gorgeous ceramic tile everywhere on the property. What a lovely place. It was hot and we were really glad to get in our room and get rid of the baggage. We are (sigh) overweight and lazy Americans and not used to climbing 60 steps up and down - but we did it! It was worth it to us to stay here, but Geocarmine kept apologizing for the steps. He said that the young people complained about them much more than the "ahem" older people. We stayed with him 5 nights and loved it all. We had a great breakfast everyday, and my favorite treat were the hot apricot croissants - we had those on two days, coffee cake, and rolls on the other days. Great caffe latte for me - cappuchino for Will. Fresh OJ and a myriad of cheeses, meats, fruits, breads and yogurt.
The AC was going to be turned on from June through September, but we just kept the doors open to the balcony and slept very good every night.
Every day - after breakfast we climbed up the stairs and caught a bus - usually to Amalfi. We would eat a lunch out, and then return to La Sirene for a siesta. Then shower and on for the evening.
One day we went from Amalfi to Ravello where we saw the gorgeous Villa Cimbrone. We also had a short lunch at Hotel Maria - outside with that gorgeous view right in front of us.
Another day we bussed to Positano, walked down and took the ferry back to Amalfi.
We didn't get to Capri - maybe next time! We spent a lot of time sitting on the terrace and looking at the view. It was spell-binding.
We found a little ristorante/pizzeria down the road from our B&B called El Pino. We had met some Canadians who had an apartment right across the road from it and recommended it highly. One day for lunch we had the casa red wine, complimentary crostinis, mixed salad, one pasta, one pizza, side orders of french fries and arugula, and lemon profiteroles for dessert. Complimentary lemon cello. The total bill was 22.50 Euro. Great buy and a great view right on the Med.
We really hated to leave the Amalfi coast. I'll continue this later as we made our way to Castel Gandolfo.
Jun 6th, 2005, 01:08 PM
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Hi Statia,
We left Galveston on May 6th and had port stops at Key West, Florida, - Nassau, Bahamas - Gibraltar, UK -
Azores, Portugal - Madeira, Portugal - VilleFrance, France and then Civitavecchia. It was a very smooth sailing and we had a very restful and enjoyable time. It would have been nice to have had it in reverse - as we were totally on the go every waking minute in Italy! I haven't read your review yet, but I noticed you were there in the Northern part about the same time we were in the south. I hope you had a great time and I'm sure you did!!!
Second part of our trip:
We trained back up to Rome - had a delay of two hours due to a WWII bomb found in the area - so we used other tracks - and were dropped off at Tibertino instead of Termini! Never a dull moment. We called the cell phone of our driver who was waiting at Termini and were picked up in just about 10 minutes. We drove to Castel Gandolfo and stayed there 3 nights. Then onto Rome for 3 nights and enjoyed it very much, but it was hot. Our apartment was AC and had an elevator & was quiet so we were very comfortable. We had a driver pick us up and deliver us to FCO for a fixed rate of 41 Euro - Our trip back on US Air was fine - but then in Philly we had to wait about 6 hours for our flight home because of the weather.
And - that's about it! Another great trip . Thanks for all the tips and help from the people on here - what an enormous help for travelers.
Carol / Brahmama
We left Galveston on May 6th and had port stops at Key West, Florida, - Nassau, Bahamas - Gibraltar, UK -
Azores, Portugal - Madeira, Portugal - VilleFrance, France and then Civitavecchia. It was a very smooth sailing and we had a very restful and enjoyable time. It would have been nice to have had it in reverse - as we were totally on the go every waking minute in Italy! I haven't read your review yet, but I noticed you were there in the Northern part about the same time we were in the south. I hope you had a great time and I'm sure you did!!!
Second part of our trip:
We trained back up to Rome - had a delay of two hours due to a WWII bomb found in the area - so we used other tracks - and were dropped off at Tibertino instead of Termini! Never a dull moment. We called the cell phone of our driver who was waiting at Termini and were picked up in just about 10 minutes. We drove to Castel Gandolfo and stayed there 3 nights. Then onto Rome for 3 nights and enjoyed it very much, but it was hot. Our apartment was AC and had an elevator & was quiet so we were very comfortable. We had a driver pick us up and deliver us to FCO for a fixed rate of 41 Euro - Our trip back on US Air was fine - but then in Philly we had to wait about 6 hours for our flight home because of the weather.
And - that's about it! Another great trip . Thanks for all the tips and help from the people on here - what an enormous help for travelers.
Carol / Brahmama
Jun 6th, 2005, 01:24 PM
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Brahmama:
Thank you, but inquiring minds would like to know:
Where was your apartment in Rome and, if it's not too brazen to ask, how much was it?
Where did you eat in Rome, which restaurants did you like or not like and, again, dare I ask how much your meals cost?
Where did you find a fixed price for a private transfer for 41 Euro from Rome to Fiumicino?
I, too, am a budget traveler, and every little bit helps, particularly when I spend a week or more every year in Rome.
Many, many thanks in advance!
Thank you, but inquiring minds would like to know:
Where was your apartment in Rome and, if it's not too brazen to ask, how much was it?
Where did you eat in Rome, which restaurants did you like or not like and, again, dare I ask how much your meals cost?
Where did you find a fixed price for a private transfer for 41 Euro from Rome to Fiumicino?
I, too, am a budget traveler, and every little bit helps, particularly when I spend a week or more every year in Rome.
Many, many thanks in advance!
Jun 7th, 2005, 06:44 AM
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Thanks for the update on your cruise across the pond, Brahmama, as well as more of your trip report. Regarding our trip, we actually went back in 2003 but my report got topped last week due to a question from another poster. We are heading back to Italy this fall, though!
Jun 9th, 2005, 11:23 AM
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Ok, I'm back! I apologize for the stop and go. We had some bigtime fires to put out when we got home. Also, I'm not a real "regular" on here and sometimes feel like I should be keeping my mouth shut! But usually I overcome my momentary shyness.
I'll be glad to share my wonderful apartment find with you -
http://www.dolceroma.it/bb-colosseum.htm
We rented the "Roman Forum
quot;and will never get a hotel again! It was the last stop and we needed some comfort. This apartment is AC, has an elevator (!!!) and is quiet and charming. For May, 2005 the price was 120 Euros. We stayed only 3 nights and are planning to return in October for a longer stay. When we arrived, (Claudio drove us here - earlier recommended by me) Natalie's husband was waiting for us. He sat down and showed us maps, reviews, and shared ideas about where to go - great places to eat that were close by, etc. The refrigerator had milk, butter, jam, etc. and various kinds of pastries. There was a very comfortable Queen sized bed (a real bed - not two twins mashed together!) a sitting area, TV, and was decorated by Natalie who is an artist in her own right.
Our favorite neighborhood restaurant was just down the street - Vecchia Roma at 10 Leonina. Prices were very reasonable. (the house red wine was 4 E a liter - I know, I know, but I swear it was good and mild and ver y drinkable) we ate there twice. The last night we had:
1 1/2 liters of red wine (hey, it was our LAST NIGHT!) Water, Complimentary bruschettas, and pan, antipasto misto (it was grilled and HOT) a tomato salad, lasagna, veal saltimbuca, a side of green beans (I was craving veggies). Then we finished it off with fresh strawberries, melon and wonderful cheese for a total of 33 E. We staggered back to the room and told each other how smart we were to find this place.
Ok, any questions - I'll be checking back and glad to answer anything.
Oh yes, Eloise, the car to the airport was arranged by Walter who met us the first day. He called right then and made the reservation. The car came about 15 min early.
We did throw our coins back in the Trevi again and are already planning our October trip.
we do love rome......
I'll be glad to share my wonderful apartment find with you -
http://www.dolceroma.it/bb-colosseum.htm
We rented the "Roman Forum
quot;and will never get a hotel again! It was the last stop and we needed some comfort. This apartment is AC, has an elevator (!!!) and is quiet and charming. For May, 2005 the price was 120 Euros. We stayed only 3 nights and are planning to return in October for a longer stay. When we arrived, (Claudio drove us here - earlier recommended by me) Natalie's husband was waiting for us. He sat down and showed us maps, reviews, and shared ideas about where to go - great places to eat that were close by, etc. The refrigerator had milk, butter, jam, etc. and various kinds of pastries. There was a very comfortable Queen sized bed (a real bed - not two twins mashed together!) a sitting area, TV, and was decorated by Natalie who is an artist in her own right. Our favorite neighborhood restaurant was just down the street - Vecchia Roma at 10 Leonina. Prices were very reasonable. (the house red wine was 4 E a liter - I know, I know, but I swear it was good and mild and ver y drinkable) we ate there twice. The last night we had:
1 1/2 liters of red wine (hey, it was our LAST NIGHT!) Water, Complimentary bruschettas, and pan, antipasto misto (it was grilled and HOT) a tomato salad, lasagna, veal saltimbuca, a side of green beans (I was craving veggies). Then we finished it off with fresh strawberries, melon and wonderful cheese for a total of 33 E. We staggered back to the room and told each other how smart we were to find this place.
Ok, any questions - I'll be checking back and glad to answer anything.
Oh yes, Eloise, the car to the airport was arranged by Walter who met us the first day. He called right then and made the reservation. The car came about 15 min early.
We did throw our coins back in the Trevi again and are already planning our October trip.
we do love rome......
Jun 9th, 2005, 11:37 AM
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Thanks, Carol, and I'm sure you'll enjoy your October visit to Rome! (Wish I could go back in October...!)
I'm a bit confused with Walter and Carlo and the airport transfers. If you see this and hava a contact for him/them, I'd be very grateful for the information. But please don't spend an age looking for the information if it's not at hand.
I'm a bit confused with Walter and Carlo and the airport transfers. If you see this and hava a contact for him/them, I'd be very grateful for the information. But please don't spend an age looking for the information if it's not at hand.
Jun 9th, 2005, 12:19 PM
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http://www.dolceroma.it/bb-colosseum.html
That is the contact for both the apartment and the taxi to the airport.
Walter and Natalie are a husband and wife team that operate the Dolce Roma apartments of which "Roman Forum is the smallest"
(carlo) Claudio Caponera is the man that arranged for our transfer from the port to the train station. He also picked us up at the station when we returned to Rome. He took us on a day tour and then dropped us at the apartment in Rome. I highly recommend him too. (www.limoinrome.com
[email protected]
sorry that I was confusing!
when is your next trip?
That is the contact for both the apartment and the taxi to the airport.
Walter and Natalie are a husband and wife team that operate the Dolce Roma apartments of which "Roman Forum is the smallest"
(carlo) Claudio Caponera is the man that arranged for our transfer from the port to the train station. He also picked us up at the station when we returned to Rome. He took us on a day tour and then dropped us at the apartment in Rome. I highly recommend him too. (www.limoinrome.com
[email protected]
sorry that I was confusing!
when is your next trip?
Jun 9th, 2005, 12:39 PM
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Carol, thank you so much! I'm copying the information to my travel files immediately.
My last trip was in May; my next trip is only going to be May 2005 -- boo-hoo-hoo!
Enjoy Rome in October, and thanks again!
My last trip was in May; my next trip is only going to be May 2005 -- boo-hoo-hoo!
Enjoy Rome in October, and thanks again!
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