Looking forward to more, as I'll be in Sorrento in July. You say this is Part I...please post your entire report here on this thread to keep it all together.

Part II:

Day 4

I forgot to mention that on Day 3 we also walked through the Piazza del Popolo and Santa Maria del Popolo. This piazza is one of my favorites in Rome, partly because the center of the square is free of vehicles. Unlike St. Peters, the Piazza del Popolo is more on a human scale.

On Day 4 (Wednesday 3/15) we spent the day in Palestrina. (see www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestrina). David dropped us off at the top of the hill (being the oldest part of the town). A little ways down the hill is an excellent archeological museum which includes the Mosaic of the Nile. This mosaic is a stylized map of the Nile valley as seen by Egyptian artists of the 1st century BCE). That night we had dinner at Amadeo’s. This was a fixed price full-course dinner (20 Euros per person – the most expensive and best meal of the trip).

Yay, I found it!

Did you find that you especially did not mind staying in Palestrina because you had been to Rome once before? I say that because I really loved wandering the city at night. However, it does sound lovely to relax in the "country".

To LCBoniti:

Yes, I think part of the reason we enjoyed staying in Palestrina was that we had already spend a vacation in Rome. In addition, staying outside of Rome may appeal to those who are not "city" people.

Part III-

Day 5

Tivoli was our destination for the fifth day of the trip. David transported us and another couple staying at the B&B for a 30 Euro charge per person. We visited the Villa d’Este and the Villa Adriana (Hadrian’s Villa). The fountains of Villa d’Este are a marvel of hydraulic engineering. Hadrian’s Villa has Roman ruins that are better preserved than anything in Rome except for the Pantheon. We found that as the day went on, we were better able to imagine what Hadrian’s Villa must have looked like. Dinner in Palestrina was at Papa’s.

Day 6

On Friday 3/14 we spent another day in Rome. First, we walked from the Spanish Steps to Piazza Fontanella Borghese. Every day, antique print and book dealers set up shop in this piazza. We bought a Renaissance-era reproduction map of Rome (unframed) after some bargaining with the dealer. Next, we walked back to the Spanish Steps and visited the Keats-Shelley house. Keats died in this house after moving to Rome as part of a treatment plan to deal with his tuberculosis. After another stop at Old Bridge for gelato, an amazing thing happened. We were strolling through St. Peters square when I noticed a familiar face – it was our best friends’ daughter who was visiting Rome on a break from her semester in Florence. From St. Peters we walked up Janiculum (Giancolo) hill for a spectacular view of Rome. We continued down the other side of the hill to the Trastevere neighborhood. It was refreshing to be in this relatively car-free medieval district. We stopped at Santa Maria in Trastevere and enjoyed the mosaics. As we approached Viale di Trastevere, we decided to take the “H” bus back to Termini (to catch the train to Palestrina). After finding the nearest bus stop, a women patiently explained to us (in Italian) that the “H” bus did not stop there. A nearby newsstand worker overhead the conversation and told us that the next “H” bus stop was at the Tiber river. At the end of a long day, we appreciated these random acts of kindness. Dinner that night was at the Antica in Palestrina (under 30 euros for a light meal).

Part IV

Day 7

On Saturday 3/15 we traveled from Palestrina to Sorrento via Rome and Naples. Cost-saving tip: took the IC Plus train from Rome to Naples instead of the Eurostar or AV trains. Savings = 12 euros per person each way. The IC plus train took two hours from Rome to Naples compared to 1.5 hours for the fast train.

The Circumvesuviana train from Naples to Sorrento was, as others have described, comparable to a big-city subway/elevated train ride. The Naples train station was a bit tricky, in that men in blue jackets would come up to us and hassle us about where we were going. We have heard that these men are trying to scam travelers for money in return for assistance with luggage, etc. We tried to ignore them by not making eye contact. The Circumvesuviana trains leave from the Garibaldi station, which is downstairs from the main Napoli Centrale tracks. It was somewhat difficult to get our suitcases down the stairs to the Garibaldi station. In return for these hassles, the fare from Naples to Sorrento was a cheap 3,30 Euros.

We arrived in Sorrento in the middle of the afternoon. Our B&B (Il Roseto) was halfway between two Circumvesuviana train stations. On the way in, we got off at the main Sorrento station and walked to the B&B. After settling in, we walked around Sorrento, and then had dinner in the old part of town at the Ristorante Giardiniello. Sorrento has only one main street, so it is relatively easy to get oriented to the town.

Day 8

Today was perhaps the highlight of our trip – a visit to Pompeii. We were glad to be staying in Sorrento, so that we could get to Pompeii on a half-hour Circumvesuviana ride. Even so, we could have easily spent two days at Pompeii – perhaps one day without the guidebook to just let it all sink in, and another day with a guidebook.

Our innkeeper recommended a restaurant in Sant Agnello, which is the town just east of Sorrento. We had a nice meal at Ristorante Peppino, which reminded my wife of her Italian grandmother’s home cooking.

On the way to dinner, my wife tripped on the sidewalk and strained some muscles in her back. The sidewalks on Via Corso Italia are very narrow (and in some spots non-existent). This injury caused her discomfort, but she was able to walk without difficulties.

Day 9

This day was spent walking around Sorrento. Sorrento has a picturesque old section, highlighted by Via San Cesareo, a pedestrian-only shopping mecca. There is a lemon grove garden where you can get a free sample of limoncello (the local lemon liqueur). Sorrento sits on a bluff overlooking the sea – the best view is from Villa Communale. We walked down through an ancient Greek gate to Marina Grande, a fishing village. We ate again at Ristorante Peppino.

Sorrento was pretty, but it is definitely a resort town with shopping as the main activity. The tour buses were already arriving, and I shudder to think how crowded the town must be during peak tourist season. We found the people to be less friendly than in other parts of Italy we have visited. Our theory was that the locals hardly have any respite from the hoards of tourists, so they develop a callous attitude. On the other hand, it was only March, and the tourist season had barely started. When we arrived in town, we asked a couple of locals if we were headed in the right direction to reach Corso d’Italia (the main drag). The first two people refused to help us. The people working in the stores and restaurants seldom made eye contact, so it felt somewhat awkward to greet them with our usual “Buon giorno”.

Our B&B, the Il Roseto, was very nice, especially for the price of 65 euros a night. Michele and his family were polite and helpful. The rooms were clean and in good repair, although not overly large. The breakfast was close to the best that we have had anyplace in Italy.

Thank you for continuing your trip report. I'm sorry your wife hurt her back. Hopefully it did not prevent her from enjoying the rest of the trip.

I really loved Pompeii. Had you been before? We had a guide who did a wonderful job of making the city live, helping us appreciate the people who lived and died there. Very moving.

I was intrigued that you stayed at Il Roseto. We're there early May--albeit at a much higher rate. We're looking forward to our stay here. We're definitely interested in a trip on the Amalfi coast. Don't know whether the ferry is a reasonable alternative, but if it is, sounds like a good option vs the bus. Did you find that the bus was ever too crowded to catch, or did you walk back and forth to town by preference? BTW, do you remember what you paid for dinner at the two restaurants mentioned?

janjanjan,

My 2 visits to the Amalfi Coast were in March and Sept. The SITA buses in March were a pleasure. In Sept they were a nightmare. May should be somewhere in between.

We did not visit the Amalfi Coast. Dinner was around 30 euros for two - Antipasti, pasta, salad and house wine.

Day 10 and conclusion

We walked to the Sant Agnello train station (about 400 meters) and took the Circumvesuviana back to Naples, and the IC Plus train back to Rome. The taxi seemed like a good option for getting from Termini to the Hotel Golden. Unfortunately, we were asleep at the switch, and paid 17 euros for the ride instead of the more appropriate amount of around 12 euros. Marco at the Hotel Golden commiserated with our problem, and told us that we had apparently been charged the rate for after 10 PM. The Hotel Golden is a two star hotel in a five star neighborhood, located on Via Marche near the Porta Pinciana entrance gate to the Villa Borghese. We had the “small” double for 100 euros, and it was reminiscent of a Manhattan hotel room. The mattress was quite hard, which was not good for my wife with her sore back. The Hotel Golden starts serving breakfast at 7:30 AM, which barely allowed us time to catch something to eat (we had a 10:20 return flight leaving from FCO).

After settling in, we decided to walk around Rome one more time, since we don’t know when we will return. The city pulsed with energy, as it was possible to follow the Holy Week crowds from one point of interest to another. A stop at St. Peters revealed thousands of chairs set up in the basilica, blocking the inside view of the great dome. Asian street vendors along the Via della Conciliazione hawked textile goods to passersby. A film crew had set up some 60s – era cars along the Tiber. A whiff of roasting chestnuts wafted up from a street corner. The rhythmic tone of an ambulance pierced the air. Piazza Navona teemed with life, as the warm evening brought out people for the evening passeggiata. The Pantheon stood still and solemn, and Trevi Fountain lit up for the evening just as we approached.

Trip Conclusion and Summary

The weather was excellent. It only rained for one day (on our arrival day in Rome). The daytime temperature was in the 60-70 degree range, with one day around 50. Nighttime temperatures were in the 40s.

This trip cost about 10% less than our trip to Italy in February 2004, even though the exchange rate was about 18% less favorable this time. We spent much less on lodging, due to the fact that we stayed in B&Bs except for the last night. Food was cheaper since we ate a number of meals in smaller towns instead of Rome.

We had a routine flight home on March 19th, connecting to the airport in a car arranged by the Hotel Golden (40 euros). This was our third trip to Italy in the last four years, so we will probably branch out and see other places. We hope to return to Italy someday…