cassparker

Italy - June 25th through July 11th, 2004:

Please forgive the format; I typed this on and off over two day?s whenever I could. Hopefully I did not go on too long????

The planning takes months & months involving hours of fun research and work and it seems like a blink of an eye and your home again! I just got the digital pictures back....I don?t think you can take a bad picture in Italy. The warm people, colors, sights and tastes will always be remembered?.

Here is how it went:

6/24/04: Flew out alone to meet up with my partner who was in Veneta already on business for 8 day?s. Car service pick-up at work in Westchester, New York (45 minutes late...nerves) for Delta flight on Thursday night, 6/24 @ 7:55 p.m. Does anyone else hate the Delta Kennedy terminal, a pain in the ---- to get around?

The driver made up time on the road....Got to the terminal early (fine with me), check-in went smoothly so off to burn-up 1 ? hours at the bar, talked to some nice people from NYC going to various parts of the world (Greece/Austria) and then to the gate for boarding. Smooth flight, bad food, older plane with ?old plane leg room? (next to none). I?m 6? 2? jammed into the seat with a 5? 1? woman in front of me with the seat reclined to within 6 inches of my face the entire trip, no sleep.....okay, pass the time with cocktails, book, bad movie (already forgot what is was), daydreaming of first class and then finally breakfast.....what we do to see Italy again!

6/25: Arrived in Marco Polo/Venice @ 9:55 a.m. greeted by sunshine and 85 degrees. After baggage claim, my partner Giovanni met me and we drove to a small town in Veneta, near Soave called Cologna Veneta where his Italian office is located. Stayed there for two nights at a hotel called La Torre ? very nice. Afternoon of the first day we drove to Verona to shop and walk the city. Went directly to Piazza Erbe for a brief rest and, yes, a cocktail to toast the beginning of the trip, people watch, great start. The evening ended walking by the amphitheater hearing the sounds of the classical concert going on inside.

6/26: Drive to Venice. Over the causeway to the parking garage behind the Venice train station by Piazza Roma. This was our third visit to Venice, the first time was in the summer and then again, last year in January. Venice is even more beautiful in the winter....although about half of the restaurants are closed the main benefit is that only a handful of tourists are there at that time of year. We walked and walked, lunch and more walking, in the afternoon the pain in my feet and the blood on my toes told me that I wore the wrong shoes. My sandals cut across my toes and 9 hours of walking caused blisters that turned into cuts.....very pleasant viewing when entering a restaurant for dinner! (L? Baccarra). However, sore feet cannot diminish the joy of exploring Venice again and experiencing the wonderful sights, seafood and wine.

6/27: Sunshine. Check out and drive from Cologna Veneta to Tuscany, about a 2 ? hours to San Gimignano. Oh, one thing that is very helpful is that Giovanni speaks Italian but, sometimes this still does not help! Once we arrived in San G. with only the name of the inn, it took 45 minutes and stopping to ask for directions 4 times to only find the inn was ? mile outside of town on the very road we were on! We stayed for 4 nights at a inn/farmhouse called Il Casale Del Cortone, I found this place through Karen Brown and it was very nice manager Alessandro very helpful. Main house with a large pool in the olive grove and several more rooms in a converted stone barn.

Only two comments, I am always very warm and yes, I like air conditioning when I?m in the hotel room or for sleeping....I know, very American! The room was like an oven with the A/C blowing so softly a fan would have worked better. We could not adjust the A/C, the owner held the A/C remote control. We did not what to be a bother but over the first day it took three visits to get them to leave the A/C on during the day when we were out....minor problem. 2n comment, just an observation; on our previous two trips to Italy I did not experience this ? shower size! Again, I am 6? 2? and out of the three hotels we stayed at, two had square showers that were no bigger than 30? x 30??.very difficult to move.....ahhh, but a small price to pay to visit Italy.

After check-in drove into San G. to see the town, had lunch and walked all over. We did not find San G. as crowded as I have read. During the day yes, it had more people than at night but no more than many of the other hill towns. Back to the inn to shower (I lost count how many times I hit may head on the shower wall). Then back to San G. for dinner at Le Vecchie Mura, I made the reservation via email before I left the U.S. We arrived at 8:30 p.m. and were seated on the terrace by the railing, ordered a bottle of wine and took in the view as the sun setting over the valley. Had a great meal of pasta & grilled boar. What a great way to start the first day in Tuscany.

6/28: Sunshine. Up early and headed out for the drive over the hills from San G. to Volterra, beautiful drive only about 35 minutes. We thought we would stay near San G. the first full day so I choose a town close by, Volterra for out first visit. What a beautiful town and fantastic location with stunning views. Stayed the day and returned to the inn before going out to dinner. The inn?s owner Alessandro suggested a local place outside of town for lunch - about 3 miles (can?t remember the name). From the appearance, we did not expect much, small, customers eating under a arbor on the side of the road, plastic chairs..... But the food, we had procuietto & melon, tagalelle & boar, grilled lamb and sautéed venison and horse. The horse was a first for me but, wonderful, tender and delicious!

6/29: Sunshine. Up again early for the drive down to southern Tuscany and see several towns, Montalcino, Pienza, S. Quirico d?Orcia and Montepulciano. All beautiful, some sleepy, some more beautiful, some touristy. But again, the sights within and the drive in-between the towns were wonderful. The wine was delicious and the pecorino from Pienza were fantastic (purchased two wheels to take home)! We had lunch in Montalcino at a place called Il Giglio, very nice cafe on a side street and dinner at Montepulciano at Il Cantuccio and, as usual another wonderful experience. One note, I am typing this from memory, I should have kept better notes on what we did each day, with visiting so many small towns in two days what we did in each town gets jumbled together.

6/30: Sunshine (we were so lucky - we were in Italy for 16 days and the sun shined in a cloudless sky each day). As usual, up early for the drive to Senia (only about 40 minutes). Found parking easy (@ underground parking/Santa Caterina). Parking was at the based of the city so the road went steeply up to the Porta. A 5 minute walk up the hill that came out around the corner from Il Campo. We were there on July 2 and the Palio was scheduled for the next day. Even though we missed the race, it was great to see the city prepared for the event. The dirt was laid, bleachers were erected and all over the city we saw people wearing their regional scarves (we watched the coverage the next night on TV). We did some shopping and found a place to eat (can?t find the card for the name), a beautiful little place near Il Campo, we ate downstairs in a stone vaulted dining room - the service and food were fantastic. For dinner (back in S. G.) went to Restaurant Dorando, beautifully presented and excellent service, highly recommended!

7/1: Check-out of San Gimignano for the 2 hour drive to Assisi to stay for one night. Slightly lost but managed to find our way to the Hotel Umbra directly off the Piazza del Commune. Loved the location, service was very friendly, room overlooked the valley, A/C worked strong, room & bath good size and easy parking provided. Only one comment, the carpet looked like it needed replacement. Assisi is a wonderful town and San Francesco, viviting the tomb and the beautiful streets are a must see. We wondered the town stopping for drinks then lunch at Albergo Ristorante Umbria (great), located down an alley off the Piazza del Commune and then dinner at a café (can?t remember the name) directly opposite the piazza fountain, ate on the 2nd floor balcony (nice location, food good).

7/2 ? 7/4: Check-out and leave Assisi for the 2 ? hour drive to Rome, actually Ostia, located on the western side of Rome. Giovanni has many of his immediate family in and around Rome. We stayed with this cousin and girlfriend in Ostia for three days of sightseeing Rome and socializing with relatives & friends. I can never get tired of seeing Rome, wondering the streets, the café?s, seeing Vatican City again, cafe's the piazza's and the people. Even though I do not speak Italian, we all had a great time......

7/5: Back in the car for the 3 hour drive to Positano. Regarding the Italian drivers, it?s great that on the Autostrada the right lane is for trucks, the middle lane is for cars who do not want to drive as fast and the left lane is for passing/fast drivers. If a car comes from behind in the left lane you are considerate and move to the right and also the Italian drivers do not have any attitude....I wish we drove like this in the U.S., much easier and more considerate.

We had been to Positano and the Amalfi coast in January ?03, we wanted to return to see what it was like in the summer. In January ?03 we were to stay in Amalfi at the Santa Caterina ($240.00 per night) but a week before we left they called and said that they only had our reservation and one other so, regretfully they were closing for repairs. Disappointment turned to much happiness when the Santa Caterina said they were transferring us to Le Sirenuse in Positano for the same rate (we had a ocean-view suite for $240.00/night!). Back to this trip, arrived and our hotel Villa Franca which has a commanding view from the top of Positano. We had a Superior room with ocean view (220 Euro/night). Beautiful hotel, nice room/bath (finally a normal size shower!), nice bar, very good breakfast and a rooftop pool & bar which has 360 degree views of Positano, the mountains and the sea.....great to sit in the pool enjoying the views and having a drink! Also, the hotel provides an all-day shuttle down to town and back every half hour. In the five days we were there we only used it twice.

After check-in we were off to town. About halfway down to town we had lunch at Café Positano, outdoor café on the bend in the road that had a beautiful view of the entire coast, food was good, try the seafood salad! Shopped while walking down, bought some beautiful dress shirts handmade in Positano, some pants and a few pieces of ceramic. When we finally got to the beach it was hot so we took a swim and the sea was so warm but, bring or buy water sox, on the beach and in the water are large round rocks making getting out of the water difficult. Back for a shower and change for dinner, decided to drive up to Montepertuso (about 15 minute drive above Positano) for dinner. A rustic, local place called La Tagliata with friendly staff serving almost only meats grilled on the open fire with a beautiful view looking to Positano below. We let the server choose our meal/wine for us, delicious antipasto of local dried meats, olives, grilled vegetables and tomatoes followed by pasta with shredded boar and then to an assortment of grilled meats (beef, veal, lamb), delicious.

7/6: Today we decided that it was time for a rest. So we made appointments for later that afternoon for massages at Villa Franca (great) and spent the day at the rooftop pool. Read, enjoyed the great views, drinks in the pool (great pool bartender) and talked with many people. Found two couples that came from the New York area and one from NYC (we are meeting up this coming week for dinner). Afternoon massage break and then shower, drinks in the lobby and then dinner. Dinner this day was halfway down the main road to town at a place called Mediterraneo, very pleasant, not fantastic but good.

7/7: On the road for the 45 minute drive to Ravello. Beautiful drive high up in the mountains above Amalfi and the coast, easy parking directly below the main Piazza. Beautiful location, small town, peaceful Piazza & Dumo, some nice shops with great ceramic. Decided to make the 10 minute walk to Villa Cimborne stopping along the way at a nice café for some water (it was about 90 degrees that day). Made it to the Villa (5 euro entrance), well worth it to see the beautiful gardens, paths, arbors and at the end a stunning view on the edge of the cliff of the coast below. Within the Villa?s grounds a small café offers a nice place to rest. Just a few minutes from the Villa on the left, we had lunch on the terrace at Hotel Villa Maria (beautiful view of the mountains and coast). Another restaurant that was added to the list of ?never a bad meal on the trip?. After lunch drove down to Amalfi to walk around. I have heard many people on this post mention that Positano is touristy, we did not find it very crowded, it has a great village feel. But Amalfi was packed with tourists, noise, buses and traffic, even though it was enjoyable to shop we were very happy that we chose again to stay in Positano.

Returned to Positano, shower and change for our walk to Le Sirenuse for drinks at the Champane Bar. The bar is located on the terrace looking out over the town and beach. The drinks are slightly higher price then other places but it is worth it. At dusk, the candles, pillows, comfortable couches, snacks provided, view and wonderful service (as always) makes it very memorable. We stayed there about for about two hours chatting with other guests and then went further down the hill for dinner at Restaurant Max. We highly recommend Restaurant Max, great service, nice location (dine either inside out on the patio) and the food is wonderful (try the stuffed zucchini flowers, delicious!).

7/8: The morning was spent shopping for several people at home and, of course for us! Since the temperature was reported to be 100 degrees in the sun, we had lunch (again at Café Positano) and headed back to the hotel to join some people we met for a few hours at the pool. After a shower and change, on to drinks in town and then on to dinner at La Tagelleta. The restaurant is located (looking down at the beach) on the far left side built into the rock cliff. The place is open-air, terraced within the rock with white columns and soft white curtains. The view is great, looking down on the beach, food was very good with service by many waiters (some friendly some in a rush). But overall, it was a very nice evening.

7/9: We were suppose to check out of the Villa Franca this morning but we really wanted to stay an extra day so the afternoon before we asked the manager and the owner if they could help us out. They said that it was possible but we may need to change rooms, in the end they were very helpful and friendly and did some shuffling so we could remain in the same room.

After breakfast, we drove down the coast (20 minutes) to see what Sorrento was like, after searching for parking we walked to the city center/Piazza. To be honest we really did not like Sorrento that much, maybe we missed the better parts but we found it to be noisy, crowded, city like and full of non-discript shops....not much to see compared to Positano so we spent the morning walking. While walking Giovanni needed to re-charge his cell phone and we went into a Tabacchi and purchased additional phone time. While he was doing this I stood outside waiting, looking around I noticed the small Piazza planters in front of the store and realized I was right in front of the ?Sorrento Web Cam?. I saw the camera on a balcony railing (2nd floor) and waved?..I totally forgot about the webcam or I would have brought a sign. We were ready to leave for lunch back in Positano but a building and sign caught our eye. We remembered that people by the pool said they ate at Il Buca in Sorrento, and luckily we stumbled onto it. Fabulous food, incredible service in a beautiful stone vaulted dining room, this more than made up for the morning in town.

After lunch drove back to Positano for a swim and a change for dinner. We wanted a nice meal for our last night in Positano so we decided to go back to Restaurant Max. But first, we had arranged to meet a couple from the hotel for drinks. We met them at ?Music on the Rocks?, a fun place located in a cave under La Tagallta (left side of beach). The place is fun with one side upon to the sea with couches and conversation areas and a dance floor for later in the night. Then onto Restaurant Max for another delicious meal and of course wine and more wine which ended a great stay in Positano.

7/10: Up early to check-out for the drive back to Rome/Ostia. Arrived back in the late afternoon to find out that Giovanni?s family had planned a family BBQ that night. We ended our stay in Italy with a homemade pizza dinner for 20 with homemade wine.

7/11: Up even earlier this morning to get to the airport for our 12:10 p.m. flight to Kennedy airport. Full flight but everything went smoothly and finally got back to the house 16 hours after we departed Rome.

Now it is back to the gym to loose the 8 pounds I gained.....but every pound was worth it!

The beauty of Italy never fails, the food, the people and the country always draws us back. Even before our plane landed we sketched out where we want to go next ? Lake Como, Florence, Cinque Terre and Sardinia. Hopefully soon??????

Many thanks to all the Fodorites for your opinions, recommendations and just the enjoyment of reading about Italy.

Best,

John (?Cassparker?)

JeanneB

Wow, John...what a wonderful report! And the format's isn't bad at all.

We're planning a similar visit to Tuscany in February. We've worried about driving back to our base town at night after dinner/wine (2 ladies). We chose Siena as our base specifically because there would be more restaurants to choose from, assuming we'd be there for dinner every night. But I hate that it eliminates so many choices in other towns. From reading your report, I'm wondering if we're being overly cautious about driving at night.

cassparker

Jeanne,

Between the hilltowns the roads are curvy country roads. Easy to drive but if you are having wine and it's dark then it may be safer to stay in Siena.

But, you could venture out in the morning (if you have a car)to different towns walk, have lunch (with wine) then walk off the food & wine and then drive back to Siena for dinner.

Enjoy planning -

John

Statia

Thanks for the report, John. Sounds like you had a very nice trip!

awbaker

Hi John! Thanks for the lovely report. How did you get the 220 euro rate for a superior room at Villa Franca? Their web site shows superior rooms are 240 euro? Just curious. Also was Cafe Positano above Villa Franca, or between VF and town?

BowenLinda

Aaaah, what a wonderful report, John. I especially enjoyed your comments about San Gi, Volterra, Siena and towns further south for that is exactly where a friend and I are travelling to this autumn.

Thanks for your trip report,

Linda

cassparker

Awbaker -

I had a type-o, your right, we paid 240 not 220 euro, thanks.

Regarding Cafe Positano location, it is directly below Villa Franca. Walk either down the road or take the stairs directly to the left of Villa Franca's front door and they will bring you out at the cafe.
John

kismetchimera

Thanks for the great report John..I gained few pounds just reading about your delicious meals..

Your itinerary is almost like the one that i plan for my trip to Italy next year...minus Tuscany..

Ciao, AM