ann

Well we are just back from our honeymoon in Italy so I thought I'd post a quick trip report since I found the boards so helpful in my planning.<BR>Our Itinerary:<BR>Florence 3 Nights - Hotel Casci<BR>Chianti 3 Nights - Hotel San Sano<BR>Rome 2 Nights - Hotel San Carlo<BR>Positano 3 Nights - Villa Rosa<BR>We spent our last night in a cheap hotel near the airport which I will not bother to review.<BR>For our trip we flew in and out of Rome since it was central to both portions of our trip. We were on USAirways which was unexpectedly nice. The Airbus 330 was great as we each had our own individual entertainment stations which made the time pass. Once in Rome we took the train into Termini (7.20 EU for 2) to catch our train to Florence (which we made by a whisker). Trip to Florence was uneventful (we were exhausted).<BR>The Hotel Casci is pretty basic but very centrally located and the staff are super nice. They had a nice bottle of sparkling wine waiting for us when we checked in.<BR>Florence was delightful - we had a great time walking around and seeing the sights. We did not go to the Uffizi or the Accademia as the lines were prohibitive (I had been before and my husband wasn't too keen on a lot of museum going so we didn't bother to reserve tickets which is the way to go if these are a must for you). We did hit the museum &amp; church at Santa Croce which we both loved as well as the Bargello - nice second tier sights I didn't get around to last time I was in Florence. We also climbed to the the top of the Duomo which was rewarding but tiring - 493 steps.<BR>(Will cont. later)

Tom

Was there a long line to go up the Duomo? Why didn't you go up the Campanile (Bell Tower) instead? What was the cost? Thanks. Please continue your post; I'm enjoying it.<BR>

Stephanie

We are planning a very similar trip for next summer, please continue!

ann

Glad to hear this has been helpful so far. There was NOT a long line to climb the Duomo but we did it first thing in the morning (right after it opened - around 9 I believe but you can check). Later in the day there appeared to be a lot of people waiting. Doing it early is great to avoid the lines PLUS it will be less crowded going up which is key since the stairway is narrow and curvy and could seem claustrophobic if overcrowded. We didn't even think of going up the bell tower instead - so it wasn't really a choice.<BR>On the the restaurants. Had a quick standing up lunch at Il Fratellini - very good and a long, endless bottle of wine lunch at Il Latini. Il Latini was one of the few Fodors recommended places we ate that seemed to be filled with Italians instead of tourists. The food was hearty &amp; plain but great. My husband and I staggered out.

ann

Continuing on with the Trip Report:<BR>Had Florence Dinners at the following:<BR>Trattoria ZaZa- very good<BR>Le Mosacce - good, but would be a better lunch spot - food was on the table so quickly I felt rushed out<BR>Le Fonticine - also very good, but service a bit brusque<BR>I found the food in Florence very good overall. Pastas and meats were delicious. Only comment is that there are not many green vegetables on most menus - we mainly had salads.

liz

I, myself, just returned from a similar trip last night. one week on the amalfi coast in a fabulous villa in maiori and one week split between rome and florence, with a side trip to rome. I stayed at hotel san carlo in rome as well and was not disappointed. we also ate at ristorante 34, which was a favorite....excellent food and the service was good, which was refreshing.