Just Back From Italy Wedding and Honeymoon!!! LONG Review of Trip
Sep 16th, 2004, 12:20 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Apr 2003
Posts: 341
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Just Back From Italy Wedding and Honeymoon!!! LONG Review of Trip
We got married in Positano on our trip, so our itinerary is a bit choppy due to wedding prep. So don't wonder why we were all over the place on this trip! Also note that we have already been to Rome and Florence so you wonder why we did not spend more time there. Here's the overview of our trip!
Day One: Arrive in Rome and train to Florence. Hang out in Florence. Hotel Hermitage - our second stay here. We love this hotel. Cost was 220 euros per night including breakfast on their beautiful rooftop terrace. Our room had a large jacuzzi tub/shower. Very clean....views of the Arno river. Great location and very clean. Love shopping in the Piazza Mercantile! Dinner at Aqua Alle Due back in Florence. GREAT MEAL!! We HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS ONE! Reservations are a must. It is about at 10 min walk from the Ponte Vecchio towards Santa Croce. Get the Assagio (5 small pasta courses - they were all excellent). They also do an Assagio for the Secondi's...we did not have any, but others at our table did and they said it was wonderful. The Assagio for dessert had 4 small dessert samples. Also pretty good. Prices were good here 32 euros for 1 pasta dish, 1 pasta assagio, 1 dessert assagio and wine for 2.
Day Two: Day trip to Lucca. Lucca was pretty laid back. We didn't care for it that much. Definately not touristy. It took about an hour and 15 min by train from Florence. Regional trains - only second class seats available. Dinner at Bucca Dell Orafo back in Florence. Small, family run place and reservations needed. Dinner was good. This place is right near the Ponte Vecchio. Very tasty. Two pasta dishes and wine for 2 - bill was 40 euros.
Day Three: Day trip to San Giminagno. Great day! Beautiful city with great views. Climb the stairs to the tower for spectacular views. It requires train to Poggibonsi and a bus from there (15 minutes to San G). Bus schedules REDUCED on Saturdays. Know this before you go. There were not many bus choices back to Poggibonsi and many people had a tough time connecting with a train. We got stuck and had to manage our way back to Florence connecting in Empoli by train to avoid waiting hours for another train. Worth the Trip. Dinner back in Florence at Da Osvaldo. Ask for Marco....he is sarcastic and funny and took good care of us. Dinner for four, including 1 antipasti, 3 primis, 3 secondi's, 2 bottles of wine and biscotti for all - total cost 168 euros. Be sure to get the Biscotti for dessert - it is served with a dessert wine for dipping. Very good!!! I also recommend the Bruschetta, the salad with beef and romano cheese, ravioli and the pork chops! Yummy!
Day Four: Travel to Positano. Took the train thru Rome to Naples. Naples train station is not as creepy as we anticipated. We ended up taking a cab to Positano...115 euros! Ouch! I recommend having your hotel confirm a driver for you..we did that on the return and it only costed 90 euros. It was also better in a Mercedes sadan vs. a cab. The drive took about 1 1/2 hours. Very windy and easy to get nauseated towards the end...beautiful views though. The driver had to drop us off at Piazza Mullini as that is as far down the hill cars can go. We walked about 5 minutes down hill and down some stairs to our hotel Villa La Tartana.
Where do I start on the hotel??? Wonderful! We had room #48. Spectacular View!! Very clean room, ceremic floors and bath. Small shower. Bathroom newer and spotless. Room was neat with simple furnishings but offered a small refrigerator (Great for wine and happy hour snacks!!!). Room cost only 150 euros per night including CB served on your balcony every morning with linen table cloth and all. Breakfast is simple, but stock up on salami and cheeses at the local deli (only 5 min walk) and add it to the great rolls they provide. Perfect! Carmella at the hotel is the BEST! She will do anything for you. She helped us a ton with all of our wedding issues and such. They even sent us 2 dozen pale pink roses on our wedding day! She will make any arrangements you need and speaks excellent english. Dinner was at the Covi Dei Sarceni Hotel. A bit stuffy, but great service and an excellent meal. Dinner for two with 2 primi's, 2 secondi's, 1 dessert and wine for two was 112 euros. Get the chocolate souffle!!! I also recommend the Steak in Verde Sauce and most of all the chicken with Balsamic! Excellent~
Day Five: Wedding stuff.....photographer, flowers, paperwork. We did take the bus from Positano to Amalfi. It took about 30 minutes. Take the bus at least once to appreciate the driving and the spectacular views. Once was enough ont the bus...we took the boat back! More relaxing, but more expensive. Dinner tonight in Positano at Da Vincenzo's. It was about a 15 minute walk up the hill. Nice dinner and good prices. 1 antipasti, 2 primi's, 1 dessert and wine for two was 40 euros. Reservations recommended for a table outside.
Day Six: More wedding stuff. Lunch at La Pergola. Outside overlooking the beach. Ok especially if you want to be at the beach.
Day Seven: Off to Capri. Took the boat at 11am - cost was 26 euros round trip per person. Smooth 30 minute ride there. Capri was great. Visit the Garden of Augustus. Shopping was good. Very pretty and clean.
Dinner back in Positano at Valle dei Mullini - the worst meal we had on this trip!
Day Eight: Morning boat to Sorrento - 10am. It took about 35 minutes. Smooth, easy trip. Visit the gardens along the water for great views. Lunch was at the Sorrento Inn. WONDERFUL! Indoor dining only, but very charming and excellent food. Get the Vedura alla Grilla (grilled veggies). They were great. The pasta and gnocchi were wonderful too! The restaurant had good A/C too and that was nice on a hot day! We then took the boat back to Capri. It only took 20 minutes by hydrofoil - cost 9.50 euros per person one way. Go to the TI office in Capri and get the maps they provide. There are some great hikes on the map! The grottos were beautiful!
Day Nine: Wedding day....got married at the town hall in Positano. Spectacular. Wonderful lunch at La Sponda at the Siruenese Hotel. Great service and excellent food. The salad with beef was great. The salad with buffalo mozzerella was wonderful! Pricy....2 antipasti, 1 pasta and 2 entrees plus an expensive bottle of champaign was 217 euros. (the champagne was 90 euros..it was our wedding day...what the heck???). Dinner later at Caffe Positano (owned by Villa La Tartana). Reserve a "balcony table" upstairs. One little table on a small private balcony by yourselves. Very romantic. Good food. We didn't eat much...1 pasta dish each and a small dessert 27 euros.
Day Eleven: Off to Umbria! Had a driver take us from Positano to Naples - train station. Tips on the train station....there is a tourist office in there where they speak english and can sell you train tickets. You will avoid the lines and the locals lingering around by purchasing your tickets here, plus saving the hassle of trying to speak Italian to the ticket vendor. As you walk in the station, walk straight back to the LEFT corner of the room. There are some sliding doors that will open into another area. About 30 or so feet to your left, you will see a booth with red trip along the top and it does say "Travel Office and Ticket" on it. Buy your tickets there. Better than the main ticket booths. Another key thing, the tourist lounge is a great place to wait (and safe...it was for eurostar passengers). There is no sign though...you have to know where to go. It is located to the right of the sliding doors you walked through...there are some smokey glass doors with "DO NOT ENTER" signs on them. Walk up to the door and a man will come out. Show him your ES ticket and you are in. We felt very safe in there and there are chairs and tables to relax at. We took the train to Spoeleto. About an hour from Rome. You must take a bus or cab from the train station to our hotel - the San Luca. The hotel was very nice and was 150 euros per night (4 star hotel) outside the main old city. Barbara was so helpful! Breakfast was very nice and included. Our room had a bathtub, clean, newer bathroom and was very clean overall. Walk around the old town..not touristy at all. Mostly locals. Charming, and romantic. Very historic. The Ponte Torre was beautiful. The hotel can provide a map and tell you what to see in the city. Do the walk all the way around the castle....a nice, scenic stroll. Dinner was at La Torretta. This was one of the best meals we had! The chicken with balsamic was Excellent! The steak with a truffle sauce was wonderful. Get the Pasta Spoletina...with peppers and tomatoes - a little spicey but the best pasta I had on our trip! We highly recommend. We had 1 antipasti, 2 primi's and 2 secondi's along with wine for 2 and the cost was 73 euros.
Day Twelve: Day trip to Assisi. This was an easy train ride. Some require connection in Foligno, others are direct. It only takes 30 minutes to get there from Spoleto. The city was charming. Visit the basilica. Lunch was excellent at Locanda Del Podesta. Gnocchi alla Sagrantina was very good. Get there before the lunch rush...they had to turn people away because it was full! Mostly locals....not many english speaking people there. Lunch for two - wine, 1 pasta and 2 primi's 24 euros. Dinner back in Spoleto was at Il Tempio Del Gusto. Charming, romantic place. Make reservations. They had a typical umbrian/tuscan rustic decor...very romantic and a bit ekletic. They had great food. The hotel made reservations for us and told them we were honeymooning. We were lead to a table with a beautifully wrapped longsteam rose from our hotel. When we ordered our food, the antipasti came and then, they brought out another dish that we did not order.....compliments from the chef! The chef came out of the kitchen and congratulated us and told us to enjoy! It was like a risotto made with grains instead of rice....excellent and creamy! Then, the main entree came...the chef came back and served us bringing out each plate covered with a silver serving lid....and presented the food to each of us....then after dinner, they brought a full plate of cookies out! The dinner was wonderful. Again, I highly recommend the risotto thing...and the pasta spoletina. The Best!!
Last Day: Traveled to Rome. Spent the day revisiting Villa Borguese, Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain (of course we had to toss the coin in...we were there last May and it worked last time!!!).
I hope this helps someone in their planning. It was a wonderful, memorable wedding/honeymoon trip. Thank you to all of you for helping with tips along the way. We just wanted to return the favor!!!
One other tip....we stumbled on a website with restaurant reviews.... www.rediff.com. This was helpful in finding some of our great restaurants.
Ciao and Buone Viaggio!!!
Day One: Arrive in Rome and train to Florence. Hang out in Florence. Hotel Hermitage - our second stay here. We love this hotel. Cost was 220 euros per night including breakfast on their beautiful rooftop terrace. Our room had a large jacuzzi tub/shower. Very clean....views of the Arno river. Great location and very clean. Love shopping in the Piazza Mercantile! Dinner at Aqua Alle Due back in Florence. GREAT MEAL!! We HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS ONE! Reservations are a must. It is about at 10 min walk from the Ponte Vecchio towards Santa Croce. Get the Assagio (5 small pasta courses - they were all excellent). They also do an Assagio for the Secondi's...we did not have any, but others at our table did and they said it was wonderful. The Assagio for dessert had 4 small dessert samples. Also pretty good. Prices were good here 32 euros for 1 pasta dish, 1 pasta assagio, 1 dessert assagio and wine for 2.
Day Two: Day trip to Lucca. Lucca was pretty laid back. We didn't care for it that much. Definately not touristy. It took about an hour and 15 min by train from Florence. Regional trains - only second class seats available. Dinner at Bucca Dell Orafo back in Florence. Small, family run place and reservations needed. Dinner was good. This place is right near the Ponte Vecchio. Very tasty. Two pasta dishes and wine for 2 - bill was 40 euros.
Day Three: Day trip to San Giminagno. Great day! Beautiful city with great views. Climb the stairs to the tower for spectacular views. It requires train to Poggibonsi and a bus from there (15 minutes to San G). Bus schedules REDUCED on Saturdays. Know this before you go. There were not many bus choices back to Poggibonsi and many people had a tough time connecting with a train. We got stuck and had to manage our way back to Florence connecting in Empoli by train to avoid waiting hours for another train. Worth the Trip. Dinner back in Florence at Da Osvaldo. Ask for Marco....he is sarcastic and funny and took good care of us. Dinner for four, including 1 antipasti, 3 primis, 3 secondi's, 2 bottles of wine and biscotti for all - total cost 168 euros. Be sure to get the Biscotti for dessert - it is served with a dessert wine for dipping. Very good!!! I also recommend the Bruschetta, the salad with beef and romano cheese, ravioli and the pork chops! Yummy!
Day Four: Travel to Positano. Took the train thru Rome to Naples. Naples train station is not as creepy as we anticipated. We ended up taking a cab to Positano...115 euros! Ouch! I recommend having your hotel confirm a driver for you..we did that on the return and it only costed 90 euros. It was also better in a Mercedes sadan vs. a cab. The drive took about 1 1/2 hours. Very windy and easy to get nauseated towards the end...beautiful views though. The driver had to drop us off at Piazza Mullini as that is as far down the hill cars can go. We walked about 5 minutes down hill and down some stairs to our hotel Villa La Tartana.
Where do I start on the hotel??? Wonderful! We had room #48. Spectacular View!! Very clean room, ceremic floors and bath. Small shower. Bathroom newer and spotless. Room was neat with simple furnishings but offered a small refrigerator (Great for wine and happy hour snacks!!!). Room cost only 150 euros per night including CB served on your balcony every morning with linen table cloth and all. Breakfast is simple, but stock up on salami and cheeses at the local deli (only 5 min walk) and add it to the great rolls they provide. Perfect! Carmella at the hotel is the BEST! She will do anything for you. She helped us a ton with all of our wedding issues and such. They even sent us 2 dozen pale pink roses on our wedding day! She will make any arrangements you need and speaks excellent english. Dinner was at the Covi Dei Sarceni Hotel. A bit stuffy, but great service and an excellent meal. Dinner for two with 2 primi's, 2 secondi's, 1 dessert and wine for two was 112 euros. Get the chocolate souffle!!! I also recommend the Steak in Verde Sauce and most of all the chicken with Balsamic! Excellent~
Day Five: Wedding stuff.....photographer, flowers, paperwork. We did take the bus from Positano to Amalfi. It took about 30 minutes. Take the bus at least once to appreciate the driving and the spectacular views. Once was enough ont the bus...we took the boat back! More relaxing, but more expensive. Dinner tonight in Positano at Da Vincenzo's. It was about a 15 minute walk up the hill. Nice dinner and good prices. 1 antipasti, 2 primi's, 1 dessert and wine for two was 40 euros. Reservations recommended for a table outside.
Day Six: More wedding stuff. Lunch at La Pergola. Outside overlooking the beach. Ok especially if you want to be at the beach.
Day Seven: Off to Capri. Took the boat at 11am - cost was 26 euros round trip per person. Smooth 30 minute ride there. Capri was great. Visit the Garden of Augustus. Shopping was good. Very pretty and clean.
Dinner back in Positano at Valle dei Mullini - the worst meal we had on this trip!
Day Eight: Morning boat to Sorrento - 10am. It took about 35 minutes. Smooth, easy trip. Visit the gardens along the water for great views. Lunch was at the Sorrento Inn. WONDERFUL! Indoor dining only, but very charming and excellent food. Get the Vedura alla Grilla (grilled veggies). They were great. The pasta and gnocchi were wonderful too! The restaurant had good A/C too and that was nice on a hot day! We then took the boat back to Capri. It only took 20 minutes by hydrofoil - cost 9.50 euros per person one way. Go to the TI office in Capri and get the maps they provide. There are some great hikes on the map! The grottos were beautiful!
Day Nine: Wedding day....got married at the town hall in Positano. Spectacular. Wonderful lunch at La Sponda at the Siruenese Hotel. Great service and excellent food. The salad with beef was great. The salad with buffalo mozzerella was wonderful! Pricy....2 antipasti, 1 pasta and 2 entrees plus an expensive bottle of champaign was 217 euros. (the champagne was 90 euros..it was our wedding day...what the heck???). Dinner later at Caffe Positano (owned by Villa La Tartana). Reserve a "balcony table" upstairs. One little table on a small private balcony by yourselves. Very romantic. Good food. We didn't eat much...1 pasta dish each and a small dessert 27 euros.
Day Eleven: Off to Umbria! Had a driver take us from Positano to Naples - train station. Tips on the train station....there is a tourist office in there where they speak english and can sell you train tickets. You will avoid the lines and the locals lingering around by purchasing your tickets here, plus saving the hassle of trying to speak Italian to the ticket vendor. As you walk in the station, walk straight back to the LEFT corner of the room. There are some sliding doors that will open into another area. About 30 or so feet to your left, you will see a booth with red trip along the top and it does say "Travel Office and Ticket" on it. Buy your tickets there. Better than the main ticket booths. Another key thing, the tourist lounge is a great place to wait (and safe...it was for eurostar passengers). There is no sign though...you have to know where to go. It is located to the right of the sliding doors you walked through...there are some smokey glass doors with "DO NOT ENTER" signs on them. Walk up to the door and a man will come out. Show him your ES ticket and you are in. We felt very safe in there and there are chairs and tables to relax at. We took the train to Spoeleto. About an hour from Rome. You must take a bus or cab from the train station to our hotel - the San Luca. The hotel was very nice and was 150 euros per night (4 star hotel) outside the main old city. Barbara was so helpful! Breakfast was very nice and included. Our room had a bathtub, clean, newer bathroom and was very clean overall. Walk around the old town..not touristy at all. Mostly locals. Charming, and romantic. Very historic. The Ponte Torre was beautiful. The hotel can provide a map and tell you what to see in the city. Do the walk all the way around the castle....a nice, scenic stroll. Dinner was at La Torretta. This was one of the best meals we had! The chicken with balsamic was Excellent! The steak with a truffle sauce was wonderful. Get the Pasta Spoletina...with peppers and tomatoes - a little spicey but the best pasta I had on our trip! We highly recommend. We had 1 antipasti, 2 primi's and 2 secondi's along with wine for 2 and the cost was 73 euros.
Day Twelve: Day trip to Assisi. This was an easy train ride. Some require connection in Foligno, others are direct. It only takes 30 minutes to get there from Spoleto. The city was charming. Visit the basilica. Lunch was excellent at Locanda Del Podesta. Gnocchi alla Sagrantina was very good. Get there before the lunch rush...they had to turn people away because it was full! Mostly locals....not many english speaking people there. Lunch for two - wine, 1 pasta and 2 primi's 24 euros. Dinner back in Spoleto was at Il Tempio Del Gusto. Charming, romantic place. Make reservations. They had a typical umbrian/tuscan rustic decor...very romantic and a bit ekletic. They had great food. The hotel made reservations for us and told them we were honeymooning. We were lead to a table with a beautifully wrapped longsteam rose from our hotel. When we ordered our food, the antipasti came and then, they brought out another dish that we did not order.....compliments from the chef! The chef came out of the kitchen and congratulated us and told us to enjoy! It was like a risotto made with grains instead of rice....excellent and creamy! Then, the main entree came...the chef came back and served us bringing out each plate covered with a silver serving lid....and presented the food to each of us....then after dinner, they brought a full plate of cookies out! The dinner was wonderful. Again, I highly recommend the risotto thing...and the pasta spoletina. The Best!!
Last Day: Traveled to Rome. Spent the day revisiting Villa Borguese, Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain (of course we had to toss the coin in...we were there last May and it worked last time!!!).
I hope this helps someone in their planning. It was a wonderful, memorable wedding/honeymoon trip. Thank you to all of you for helping with tips along the way. We just wanted to return the favor!!!
One other tip....we stumbled on a website with restaurant reviews.... www.rediff.com. This was helpful in finding some of our great restaurants.
Ciao and Buone Viaggio!!!
Sep 16th, 2004, 12:59 PM
#3
Join Date: Jun 2004
Posts: 777
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Mgfit: Are you sure of that web address: www.rediff.com? That takes me to a web site in India.
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
chrisamg
Africa & the Middle East
5
Jun 8th, 2006 02:22 PM
