zeta

Hi,
You may have seen many different post from me over the past year, trying to plan for my trip to Italy this coming May of 2007. I have been trying to get all sorts of info. in preperation for this trip and I thank everyone who has sent the info. Also, it has been truely helpful reading other post in regards to preparing for my trip. I have narrowed a general itenary, but still need a little advice, here goes...

Friday - Arrive Venice 4:30pm
Saturday - Venice
Sunday - Venice
Monday - Leave Venice via train
Stop in Bologna for a few hours
sight see/lunch
Arrive Rome approx. 6:30pm
Tuesday - Rome
Wednesday - Rome
Thursday - Rome
Friday - Leave Rome via train
(time undecided)
Arrive Amalfi Coast
Saturday - Amalfi Coast
Sunday - Amalfi Coast (My Birthday)
Monday - Amalfi Coast
Leave via train to Rome in late
evening
Tuesday - Depart Rome 11:55am

Other than arriving in Venice at 4:30 on Friday May 4th & departing Rome at 11:55 on Tuesday May 15th the schedule can be changed. Here are some of my and my families concerns.
1)Will we have enough time in Venice?
2)Should we skip Bologna all together?
3)Is two days in Rome enough?
I feel the need to elaborate on #3. My Mom has spoken to a friend who has been to Italy who said two days is enough in Rome. She aslo heard that Rome is dirty from another person. I have heard the latter, but I still feel we are safe with three full days. Wednesday in Rome we are trying to get tickets for the papal audience and also plan to explore the Vatican. Another thought would be if we feel we have had enough of Rome we could do a half day tour out of Rome to the Tuscan country side or something such as that on Thursday. Unfortuanately this friend of my Moms has told her not to bother with Tuscany, but I refuse to believe that is good advice.
- We would like to stay in Positano while visiting the Amalfi Coast, could anyone reccomend a nice hotel (maybe not exceeding $400 anight)
- If anyone could reccomend restaurants in all areas that would be great. We are looking for very good Italian food on the less expensive side may $12 - $18 per person for a dinner.
- Also, things do to in each area would be great as well, here are a few interest
Museums, Churches, Wine, Opera, Relaxing at Beaches, Outdoor adventure, up for most anything, so if there is something you could think up that I haven't mentioned that would be great.
Sorry for this extremely long post, I need something to show to the family.
Thank you so much!

kbrennan

2 days in Rome is just a taste - you will want more. Rome is not dirty - it is just ancient - lots and lots of layers and some accumulated grit! A day trip to Tuscany from Rome is not really possible, but if you really want to leave the city, go to Pompei or Ostia Antica.
I would not stop for a few hours in Bologna, but I just do not care to deal with suitcases and hurried sightseeing.
Lots of fine restaurants in Rome with reasonable prices - they all have menus posted outside so you can check out the prices. Many great places around Piazza Navona (cheaper as you drift away from the Piazza) and towards Campo diFiori.
Start reading guidebooks and ask your group just what they want to see and do. KB

sandi_travelnut

Type in "rome restaurants" (without quotes) in the search field to find previous threads.

HowardR

You're listening to the wrong people! Two or three days enough for Rome? Are you kidding? Only a couple days in Rome because it's a dirty city? C'mon...It's one of the great cities of the world! Would you spend a mere two or three days in New York or Paris and feel that was enough?
I'll give your mother's friend the benefit of the doubt and assume she means don't bother with Tuscany on this trip!
Bologna is one of Italy's underrated gems, but I wouldn't bother on this trip for a brief stop.

Castellanese

Hi,

If I had 4 nights in Rome (your case), I'd spend day 1 roaming around the historic center and Trastevere, day 2 for the Roman Forum and San Pietro in Vincoli, and day 3 in Vatican City. Don't expect to see more with 4 nights because Rome can be overwhelming if you try to see a lot.

patiboo

Your itinerary looks much like ours and it's our second trip to Italy. I could spend a month in Rome alone. Many people advise a 1/2 day for St. PEters and Vatican Museum but we spent an entire day in St. Peters alone. It's wonderful even if you are not catholic. I will be interested to see recommendations for Amalfi coast towns to visit and stay.

lippincottfarm

We've been to Italy a few times over the years. We went to Venice, Rome and Milan last year. Well, Venice was beautiful. I can't say enough about it. Very easy airport to navigate. Buy passes at the airport for the length of your stay. You will take the bus to the vaporettes which will take you to Venice proper. You then walk and take the vaporettes during your stay. We spent three days in Venice and did not see enough. We are going back this year. We went to St. Mark's square, the Rialto market, and a palace which now escapes my brain and walked through the streets into the neighborhoods. At night, there are concerts in various churchs and private buildings. One night we listened to a operatic concert, and another night there was a jazz concert. We stayed at Ca'Pacini Hotel where we ate the first night. The food was great with a cheese platter with a glass of port being the perfect way to send us off to bed. The second night we ate at one of the tourist restaurants overlooking the water. I have to say, it was expensive, but the food was good. The third night we ate at a neighborhood restaurant which served a risotto which I still dream about. I am heading straight to the restaurant on my next stay. Grandma was in the kitchen, mom and dad were cooking and serving and the grandson waited on us. It was nothing to look at, but the food was oh so good. If anyone is interested, I will dig out my receipts. We took the vaporette to the train terminal where we headed to Rome. After bing ripped off the last time by the taxi cab drivers, we took the bus from the train station to the vicinity of our hotel. We then walked to the hotel which was a convent overlooking St. Peter's square. We spent four nights here. I have to say it was unique. The rooms were spartan but oh so clean and very comfortable. I wouldn't recommend it in the dead of summer because no air and no screens on the windows. The mosquitos were bad so after the first night, we had to close the windows. If I had brought repellant, then I probably would have left the windows open, and it would have been very comfortable. We were able to walk or take the buses everywhere except for one night when we ate at a restaurant across town. This trip we went to the main churches, the Colliseum, the Trevi fountain, attended a Papal audience, walked through some of the neighborhoods and just sat in St. Mark's square. Rome is just like any other big city in terms of dirt

wanderer

Rome is not dirty - we had heard the same - noisy, chaotic, dirty and were a bit worried.

We found it to be a vibrant place, full of energy, life and wonderful people. But we were there for 10 days, so we got the experience local life.

It is fast-paced yet, but packed with treasures. With 10 days, we still did not see all we wanted to.

Same with Venice, which we did last year. We also spent 10 days there. We like to stay in one spot and get to know it, blend in with the locals, slow down, enjoy where we are, rather than run from sight to sight.

You will have a wonderful time! Just pace yourself enough to enjoy things.

lippincottfarm

We've been to Italy a few times over the years. We went to Venice, Rome and Milan last year. Well, Venice was beautiful. I can't say enough about it. Very easy airport to navigate. Buy passes at the airport for the length of your stay. You will take the bus to the vaporettes which will take you to Venice proper. You then walk and take the vaporettes during your stay. We spent three days in Venice and did not see enough. We are going back this year. We went to St. Mark's square, the Rialto market, and a palace which now escapes my brain and walked through the streets into the neighborhoods. At night, there are concerts in various churchs and private buildings. One night we listened to a operatic concert, and another night there was a jazz concert. We stayed at Ca'Pacini Hotel where we ate the first night. The food was great with a cheese platter with a glass of port being the perfect way to send us off to bed. The second night we ate at one of the tourist restaurants overlooking the water. I have to say, it was expensive, but the food was good. The third night we ate at a neighborhood restaurant which served a risotto which I still dream about. I am heading straight to the restaurant on my next stay. Grandma was in the kitchen, mom and dad were cooking and serving and the grandson waited on us. It was nothing to look at, but the food was oh so good. If anyone is interested, I will dig out my receipts. We took the vaporette to the train terminal where we headed to Rome. After bing ripped off the last time by the taxi cab drivers, we took the bus from the train station to the vicinity of our hotel. We then walked to the hotel which was a convent overlooking St. Peter's square. We spent four nights here. I have to say it was unique. The rooms were spartan but oh so clean and very comfortable. I wouldn't recommend it in the dead of summer because no air and no screens on the windows. The mosquitos were bad so after the first night, we had to close the windows. If I had brought repellant, then I probably would have left the windows open, and it would have been very comfortable. We were able to walk or take the buses everywhere except for one night when we ate at a restaurant across town. This trip we went to the main churches, the Colliseum, the bridge of angels, the Trevi fountain, attended a Papal audience, walked through some of the neighborhoods and just sat in St. Mark's square. Rome is just like any other big city in terms of dirt. No dirtier or cleaner than the others. It just is more ancient. I didn't find it to be too dirty. From Rome we took the train to Milan where we only spent two nights. Not enough to see much in that we spent one day at Lake Como which was beautiful. I say leave Bologna for another trip and take the time to see more in Venice or Rome. As for cheap food, there is a restaurant within minutes of St. Peter's square which is cheap and good. As you are looking at the steps at St. Peter's, exist St. Peter's from the left. You will walk through the tunnel underneath the road. As you exist the tunnel steps, look to your left. There are several restaurants. The one you want is in the middle. There are no tables inside but tables right outside of the restaurant. We called it the pork restaurant. They serve the most delicious pork sandwiches, with homemade wine which hits the spot. They also serve pizza. An older woman who always has a smile on her face owns the restaurant with her husband. Next to this restaurant is another restaurant which is more upscale. We ate here on Sunday night when most others were closed. It was more expensive, but the food was also good. I noticed it was attended by alot of locals. To the right of the steps were several other restaurants which were not that good. They catered to tourists mostly. So my motto is stay to the left. We did Tuscany and Florence on another trip. I say you have your plate full with Venice, Rome and the Amalfi coast. I don't remember the name of the hotels we stayed at on the Amalfi coast, but we were with a goup of fellow graduates from my college and were high rolling it during that trip. I'm sure our hotels were over $400.00 per night back then (nine or ten years ago), so I'm not of any help here. You won't even be able to see all there is in Venice and Rome, so I say side trips are too ambitious. you will have a great time.

ira

Hi Z,

A little more rushed than I would like, but very doable.

If you will be staying near Positano, I suggest that you take the train from Rome to Salerno and the ferry to Positano.

The ride along the coast is very pretty, and the ferry is more comfortable than the Circumvesuviana/SITA bus via Naples.

zeta

Thank you everyone for your helpful info. After reading all your post and dicussing trip with the fam. this is what we have coming up with.

5/4 - Arrive Venice 4:30pm
5/5 - Venice
5/6 - Venice
5/7 - Depart Venice in Afternoon
Arrive Rome in Evening
5/8 - Rome
5/9 - Rome
5/10- Rome
5/11- Depart Rome in Afternoon
Arrive Amalfi Coast Late Afrnoon
5/12- Amalfi Coast
5/13- Amalfi Coast
5/14- Amalfi Coast
Depart for Rome in Evening
5/15- Depart Rome 11:55am

lippincottfarm - I would love to know the name of the restaurant in Venice you loved so much, no rush though, I still have four months. Also, we have been looking into a convent in either Venice or Rome - the one you mentioned in Rome, will it be too hot with not air the first week of May?

We will cut out the side trip to Bologna and all hopes for a visit to Tuscany - this trip anyway.

Some interest in the Amalfi Coast are visiting Pompeii and Vesuvio, visiting Capri, & Sorrento or other small towns. Will there be enough time for all of this? We want to be able to relax while we are here.
I know I still need to do more research all together, but again I welcome any suggestions or advice!
Thanks so much!

kellbell

I honeymooned in Rome and Positano in May 2004. We spent the first two and a half days in Rome and our last day in Rome and it was not nearly enough! Our itinerary included one night on Capri and three nights in Positano (stayed at Villa Rosa which we loved and highly recommend). In hindsight, I would have rather used our night in Capri as an extra night in Rome and just done a day trip to Capri from Positano. We were very happy with our decision to stay in Positano and do a day trip to Amalfi and Ravello. In hindsight, we would have spent less time in Amalfi and more time in Ravello.

If you do go to Capri, which I think you should as a day trip, I would recommend spending more time in Anacapri, particularly on Mount Solaro. I personally was a bit disappointed that Capri had so many stores that we have here in the states, as opposed to more quaint local boutiques. It felt more commercial than I expected it would. But we loved Anacapri and the views.

We did not do Pompeii, which I regret.

I completely agree with Ira about the train from Rome to Salerno and then the ferry. We took the train from Rome to Naples and then a ferry to Capri and the next day a ferry from Capri to Sorrento so we could "experience" the SITA bus from Sorrento to Positano. The bus is quite an experience! If you have any aversion to heights, I don't recommend it.

You will love this trip. I cannot wait to have an excuse to go back! Happy Planning!

Dayle

Hi Z,

Your revised itinerary skipping Bologna sounds just right. You will have just barely enough time in each destination for a nice taste!

With 3 days on the Amalfi Coast, I don't think you have time to visit many of the towns. 1 day for Pompeii, 1 day for Capri, 1 day for your stay town, relaxing. Just enjoy where you are and don't spend time fighting crowded SITA buses trying to get somewhere else, although May won't be bad.

In Praiano, I loved Ristorante Il Brace. In Capri, wonderful grilled seafood lunch at Villa Verde.

Rome is just too big to try to hunt down recommended restaurants (just my opinion). As a rule of thumb, avoid eating near main tourist sites. Check the menu ahead, know the Italian words on the menu and go for it. I've nearly always found excellent places that way. Also asking for a rec from your hotel is usually good too. Make it clear that you want authentic, local food -- somehwere they would go!

In Venice, I loved Al Covo, but it's very exspensive and dinner only.

You're going to have a wonderful time!

Buon viaggio!

kellbell

I went back to some of my old posts to find the names of the restaurants we ate at in Rome. I agree with Dayle in terms of not eating too near tourist attractions. In fact, our favorite restaurants are ones that we stumbled upon ourselves just by exploring.

Here's from my old post in 2004:
The place is on a winding street near the Piazza Navona (I agree, Piazza del Popolo is more interesting to hang out at) called Montevecchio (I have to verify in my travel journal). The place is called Osteria del Pegno. Very charming and the owner was great! Our bill was under 50 euro for a bottle of wine, our antipasti (caprese -- best tomatoes and buffalo mozzerella!) and two pasta dishes (I had the agnolotti with saffron sauce. . . amazing with a hint of orange). Best biscotti we had all week, too, again with a hint of orange. We loved it! We also ate at a little wine bar off the the Spanish Steps called Tamar. Good food. No english on the menu, which was fun for our last night in Italy!

annabelle2

Hi Zeta

I like your plan of arriving in Venice and then moving on to Rome. Venice is on a smaller scale and has that dreamy other-worldly quality that is perfect, for me anyway, when I am jet lagged. Please make sure you wander the tiny back alleys and squares (esp early morning and late night) away from San Marco to get the feel of this amazing old city.

I love Rome, but it took me several visits to "fall in love" with it. It CAN be overwhelming, as I realized on my last trip, seeing it through the eyes of a friend who was on her first trip to Italy; the enormity of sights, sounds and history in Rome was intense for her. Walking distances can be far, it can be hot and there is noisy traffic. Re: the comments about it being dirty, it doesn't seem nearly as dirty as most US cities I visit, but it is old, dusty and there is a lot of graffiti (at least most of it is interestingly political). I guess that can be construed as "dirty."

Try not to cram too many "must sees" into Rome and allow time to wander, sit in cafes and eat gelato, have coffee or an aperitif. People watching is the best!

As mentioned above, Rome is full of good places to eat, but when we were craving unique salads, we liked the little chain of "Insalata Ricca"; one is near Piazza Navona.

Make sure you do a night walk of Rome, to take in all the lit-up monuments and fountains. Rick Steves actually has a pretty decent one outlined in his guidebook.

Don't miss Pompeii if you like ancient ruins; I finally made it there on my last trip and it out-met my expectations. We spent almost a day there; plenty of time for my companions but I could have added even a few more hours.

If you like hot thermal springs and a relaxed pace, the island of Ischia is an alternative to Capri...not crowded until the summer and we found it laid back and friendly. We took small hikes, ate great fresh food and soaked in hot springs that ran into the Mediterranean. Very mythic!

Your trip sounds great and Italy is a perfect place to celebrate a birthday (I did!).

AngelFace

A few notes on the Amalfi coast:

I have never been anywhere that compares. It is absolutely gorgeous. My advice would be to skip Sorrento. Go directly to Positano. Possibly stay in Praino like we did at Hotel Tritone (www.tritone.it). It cost 2 arms and a leg but worth it! Not so much the rooms but it's grandeur built into a cliff. Amazing. Praiano is between Positano and Amalfi which is a great location to see both and take the boat to Capri from Positano. I heard alot of good about Ravello but did not make it and personally with the time you have, don't recommend rushing. You just need to take it in. Food seems to be fresh and amazing even at "sandwhich shops" (panini). Good for you!!!! ENJOY!

ps. I stayed at Residenza Cellini in Rome. Small, personal, elegant, wonderful. Check it out.

One last thing, I think Rome may be considered dirty because the air may be affected by the diesel from the cars. Just a thought. I noticed it alot. But like the others, did not find it "dirty". It is a city and crazy and fascinating all at once. The Amalfi coast is a nice contrast to it. A good balance! Again, enjoy!

lippincottfarm

Hi Zeta, here is the info on the restaurant I liked in Venice. The name is Trattoria Ai Cugnai. The address on the card is S. Vio 857, 30123 Venice. The phone number is 041 52.89.238. It is closed Monday. It is not too far from the Peggy Guggenheim (excuse my spelling) museum. If I remember correctly, we got off at the Accademia stop and walked back one or two streets, made a left toward the museum and you will pass it. The name of the convent is Institute Marie SS Bambina's acceptance House. It's address is Via Paolo VI 21. It is in Vatican City and overlooks St. Peter's square. May will not be too hot. The middle of June was ok. I think the end of June, July, August would be miserable. The rate last year was $60.00 per person per night. The deck overlooking St. Peter's square was awesome, and I do mean awesome. You are almost eye level with the statues which go around the square. It had wireless internet and a tv room with CNN and the sports channels. The only down side was no food. It looked like the nuns were eating very well, but you couldn't buy a meal package; I asked. You can bring food and alcohol in however. We drank wine everynight on the deck. It is a gated area, so it is as safe as one could possibly be. They confirm you belong there before they will buzz you in.

ira

Hi Z,

Have you considered flying home from Naples instead of Rome?

>.. visiting Pompeii and Vesuvio, visiting Capri, & Sorrento or other small towns.<

If you stay in Sorrento, you will be able to take one day for Capri, one day for Pompeii and one day to travel the AC.

You might want to take the ferry to Positano and the bus back.

Enjoy your visit.

kybourbon

Your itinerary doesn't make sense to me because you are going to Rome twice (backtracking wastes time). I would either fly or train from Venice to the Amalfi Coast and end the trip in Rome. That will save you a day of travel/locating hotel/checking in and out/packing/unpacking.

You can fly Venice/Naples on Alpieagles and take the Curreri airport shuttle bus to Sorrento or train (overnight train available if that interests you) Venice/Naples or Salerno and on to your hotel on the coast.

romalover

I'm also confused by the backtracking but I applaud your choice to give Rome a little more time, it's such a vibrant city. I agree that except for a special dinner, it's much better to eat when you are hungry and at wheverer within a few minutes walk. Like everyone says, try to avoid the places that has a visual line to the main touristist attractions, but anything on an off-street or behind could be worth trying. Looking at the clienete might not help since Rick Steves has made some pretty decent choices very "touristed".

Perhaps tell us where your hotel is in Rome and people can suggest a nice restaurant for dinner in the vicinity?