Two Dip-$hits go to Italy! Amalfi Coast, Rome and Bologna
Oct 23rd, 2014, 01:55 PM
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Two Dip-$hits go to Italy! Amalfi Coast, Rome and Bologna
We once took a comically disastrous trip to the Florida Keys. It was disastrous almost entirely due to our own errors. Plus being in the Florida Keys, we were surrounded by lots of other dipshits as that is the nature of the Florida Keys. We labeled that trip “Two Dipshits go to Florida”. And every trip since, no matter how successful, we use this phrase out of good humor.
This trip was sort of a delayed honeymoon but it didn't feel much like a honeymoon because we married back in April and have lived a whirlwind of buying a house, moving to a new city, buying a car, two job changes and major home damages caused by a freak emergency weather event all on the heels of a big, stressful wedding. So we felt like "old marrieds" by the time we left for Italy, and we were very ready to get the heck outta Dodge.
I got loads of help planning this trip here on Fodors. So I'm writing a report to give back and maybe someone will find something helpful in it for their planning. I told myself I was going to take great notes, but of course I did not. Here is what I did get.
Our Itinerary: 6 nights Praiano, 5 nights Rome, 4 nights Bologna. All apartment stays.
Flew Detroit to Naples via Amsterdam then Bologna to Detroit via Paris. All flights on time, smooth as could be. Tight connection times were no problem, and our luggage was first on the belt! Used Guemar travel for transport from NAP to Praiano, then from Praiano to Napoli train station. No complaints, would hire again. The driver on return had quite a lead foot, which DH got a kick out of.
*Sea, Sun & Bus-Foot on the Amalfi Coast*
We did a whole lot of nothing during our stay in Praiano and it was great. First things first on arrival, popped the bottle of Prosecco I requested in advance and shared on our HUGE, glorious terrace. Settled in, relaxed a bit then went out for pizza and salad at Trattoria San Gennaro, great pizza in my opinion. Picked up some more wine on the way home, nightcap on the terrace and off to bed. Day two we slept in then ran up to the market for supplies: fruit, coffee, milk, honey, bread, ham, buffalo mozzarella, arugula, oil & tuna, my standard shopping list. Came back and laid out on the terrace for much of the day. Then a late lunch/early dinner at Che Bonta, it was fantastic! Started with appetizers of mixed mussels & clams and melon with ham. Then I had the standard salad of the coast, mixed pale lettuces, arugula, corn, tomato, mozzarella and tuna. I see this salad on menus all over the coast. DH had ravioli in pomodoro sauce with prawns. Everything was delicious, we were both very happy with our meals and the bread basket was the best we had on the whole trip. Back to the apartment to do a whole lot of nothing. DH ran back up to Che Bonta later at night and brought home two pizzas. They were not as good as lunch.
Third day - us old goats finally get up and do something. Took the bus to Positano, walked down to main beach & hopped on shuttle to Arienzo. Spent a couple hours there, I had some fruit and DH had a sandwich. Water was fine for swimming but I didn't get all the way in. Then back to the main beach and up to the terrace at Bucca Di Bacco for spritz before our cooking class. Nice terrace, good drinks. Cooking class starts with three other couples, we made pasta and gnocchi with pesto and tomato sauces, and eggplant Parmesan. We also made cream puffs with lemon cream - this was my favorite dish. The staff was great, the head dude running the show was personable, with good humor, a likable guy. After class we all sat down at a long table at the edge of the covered patio with a late afternoon view of the beach, very nice setting. We sat across from a sincerely charming couple from Australia that were on the tail end of 6 weeks throughout Europe. After a long, leisurely dinner we started to make our way back to the bus for home. I stopped at one of the shops selling those cotton dresses because I LOVE that fabric. I wasn't in much of a mood to shop though and ended up petting the staff pooch instead, I missed my dog a lot already by then.
Next day we lounged around the terrace a bit, nibbled on our home supply. Took a walk down to La Praia for some afternoon cocktails. Didn't swim. I like One Fire better for swimming. After a couple hours we walked back towards apartment, stopped to buy some flowers and then got some gelato at Sibila Cafe, very good. DH picked dinner at La Strada tonight. I had fried zucchini blossoms that were not very good. I then had some kind of pasta with lemon cream sauce - I don't remember it exactly. It was fine but unremarkable. DH had lemon risotto with shrimp in a parmesan cup and that WAS remarkable, quite good. He won this round. We always have a winner and a loser at meals and he took this one. We tried to stop by Bar Le Fioriere for a nightcap but they were closed because it was a slow night. So we nightcapped it up at home on the terrace which was fine with me. Maybe now is a good time to mention that we had clear blue skies and sun every single day of our entire trip. Clear nights on the terrace in Praiano was beautiful with the lights of Positano to our right, the rest of Praiano to our left, the moon & stars above us and the dark sea sprinkled with a few ships stretched in front of us as far as we could see.
Fifth Day - We go again! Off to Ravello. This was the best day while on the AC, and was also the day I contracted the “Bus-Foot” which would last most of the rest of the trip. I’m going to post what I have now and come back to finish because otherwise I’ll never get this report up! A link to photos to come too. Thanks for reading if anyone actually is!
This trip was sort of a delayed honeymoon but it didn't feel much like a honeymoon because we married back in April and have lived a whirlwind of buying a house, moving to a new city, buying a car, two job changes and major home damages caused by a freak emergency weather event all on the heels of a big, stressful wedding. So we felt like "old marrieds" by the time we left for Italy, and we were very ready to get the heck outta Dodge.
I got loads of help planning this trip here on Fodors. So I'm writing a report to give back and maybe someone will find something helpful in it for their planning. I told myself I was going to take great notes, but of course I did not. Here is what I did get.
Our Itinerary: 6 nights Praiano, 5 nights Rome, 4 nights Bologna. All apartment stays.
Flew Detroit to Naples via Amsterdam then Bologna to Detroit via Paris. All flights on time, smooth as could be. Tight connection times were no problem, and our luggage was first on the belt! Used Guemar travel for transport from NAP to Praiano, then from Praiano to Napoli train station. No complaints, would hire again. The driver on return had quite a lead foot, which DH got a kick out of.
*Sea, Sun & Bus-Foot on the Amalfi Coast*
We did a whole lot of nothing during our stay in Praiano and it was great. First things first on arrival, popped the bottle of Prosecco I requested in advance and shared on our HUGE, glorious terrace. Settled in, relaxed a bit then went out for pizza and salad at Trattoria San Gennaro, great pizza in my opinion. Picked up some more wine on the way home, nightcap on the terrace and off to bed. Day two we slept in then ran up to the market for supplies: fruit, coffee, milk, honey, bread, ham, buffalo mozzarella, arugula, oil & tuna, my standard shopping list. Came back and laid out on the terrace for much of the day. Then a late lunch/early dinner at Che Bonta, it was fantastic! Started with appetizers of mixed mussels & clams and melon with ham. Then I had the standard salad of the coast, mixed pale lettuces, arugula, corn, tomato, mozzarella and tuna. I see this salad on menus all over the coast. DH had ravioli in pomodoro sauce with prawns. Everything was delicious, we were both very happy with our meals and the bread basket was the best we had on the whole trip. Back to the apartment to do a whole lot of nothing. DH ran back up to Che Bonta later at night and brought home two pizzas. They were not as good as lunch.
Third day - us old goats finally get up and do something. Took the bus to Positano, walked down to main beach & hopped on shuttle to Arienzo. Spent a couple hours there, I had some fruit and DH had a sandwich. Water was fine for swimming but I didn't get all the way in. Then back to the main beach and up to the terrace at Bucca Di Bacco for spritz before our cooking class. Nice terrace, good drinks. Cooking class starts with three other couples, we made pasta and gnocchi with pesto and tomato sauces, and eggplant Parmesan. We also made cream puffs with lemon cream - this was my favorite dish. The staff was great, the head dude running the show was personable, with good humor, a likable guy. After class we all sat down at a long table at the edge of the covered patio with a late afternoon view of the beach, very nice setting. We sat across from a sincerely charming couple from Australia that were on the tail end of 6 weeks throughout Europe. After a long, leisurely dinner we started to make our way back to the bus for home. I stopped at one of the shops selling those cotton dresses because I LOVE that fabric. I wasn't in much of a mood to shop though and ended up petting the staff pooch instead, I missed my dog a lot already by then.
Next day we lounged around the terrace a bit, nibbled on our home supply. Took a walk down to La Praia for some afternoon cocktails. Didn't swim. I like One Fire better for swimming. After a couple hours we walked back towards apartment, stopped to buy some flowers and then got some gelato at Sibila Cafe, very good. DH picked dinner at La Strada tonight. I had fried zucchini blossoms that were not very good. I then had some kind of pasta with lemon cream sauce - I don't remember it exactly. It was fine but unremarkable. DH had lemon risotto with shrimp in a parmesan cup and that WAS remarkable, quite good. He won this round. We always have a winner and a loser at meals and he took this one. We tried to stop by Bar Le Fioriere for a nightcap but they were closed because it was a slow night. So we nightcapped it up at home on the terrace which was fine with me. Maybe now is a good time to mention that we had clear blue skies and sun every single day of our entire trip. Clear nights on the terrace in Praiano was beautiful with the lights of Positano to our right, the rest of Praiano to our left, the moon & stars above us and the dark sea sprinkled with a few ships stretched in front of us as far as we could see.
Fifth Day - We go again! Off to Ravello. This was the best day while on the AC, and was also the day I contracted the “Bus-Foot” which would last most of the rest of the trip. I’m going to post what I have now and come back to finish because otherwise I’ll never get this report up! A link to photos to come too. Thanks for reading if anyone actually is!
Oct 23rd, 2014, 09:56 PM
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I guess I am an old fogy, but why anyone would label themselve so derogatorily boggles my mind. If you consider it humorous we must give you the benefit of the doubt, but if anyone called me that I would take serious offense.
Oct 24th, 2014, 11:04 AM
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Thanks everyone!
Dayle - Yes, I was there in the first ten days of October. I love Praiano, it was my second stay there. I like it because it's not overtly touristy, not heavy on resorts and tourist shops, it's not crowded. It doesn't offer the ease of coming and going that some other villages do but I don't generally come and go too much while I'm there. If I had plans to move about more I'd look to either Positano or maybe Atrani. I saw your remarks on a post asking if anyone has stayed in Praiano and I feel the same way
Nukesafe - Okay then, I won't call you a dipshit...but maybe and old fogy Seriously though it shouldn't be offensive, I've only called myself that. It's called self deprecation which is a pretty popular form of humor, and midwesterners are famously self deprecating. I do not take myself too seriously, especially during travels.
I'll finish up the Amalfi Coast leg this afternoon and work on pictures over the weekend.
Dayle - Yes, I was there in the first ten days of October. I love Praiano, it was my second stay there. I like it because it's not overtly touristy, not heavy on resorts and tourist shops, it's not crowded. It doesn't offer the ease of coming and going that some other villages do but I don't generally come and go too much while I'm there. If I had plans to move about more I'd look to either Positano or maybe Atrani. I saw your remarks on a post asking if anyone has stayed in Praiano and I feel the same way
Nukesafe - Okay then, I won't call you a dipshit...but maybe and old fogy
Seriously though it shouldn't be offensive, I've only called myself that. It's called self deprecation which is a pretty popular form of humor, and midwesterners are famously self deprecating. I do not take myself too seriously, especially during travels. I'll finish up the Amalfi Coast leg this afternoon and work on pictures over the weekend.
Oct 24th, 2014, 11:58 AM
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Why shouldn't it be offensive to read that title?
Fodor's clearly prohibits it -
<b>"Profanity and other vulgar, obscene, and sexually suggestive and/or explicit content or language (no matter how creative the spelling)"</b>
Fodor's clearly prohibits it -
<b>"Profanity and other vulgar, obscene, and sexually suggestive and/or explicit content or language (no matter how creative the spelling)"</b>
Oct 24th, 2014, 12:14 PM
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1. Nukesafe did not say it was offensive to read the title. He/she said they would be offended if they were called that name.
2. I have seen a much more vulgar title that appeared to be no problem and I have seen plenty of curse words inside threads, some with usage of symbols and some without.
3. I can't believe that people as well traveled as some of the folks on here are that easily offended. It can't be possible. To dislike my style does not equal offense. I've seen plenty of bullying on this forum and I'm not bullying, not insulting, not trolling.
Can't you just not click on it? Is everything that passes by your eyes any given day to your exact liking? I don't understand this.
2. I have seen a much more vulgar title that appeared to be no problem and I have seen plenty of curse words inside threads, some with usage of symbols and some without.
3. I can't believe that people as well traveled as some of the folks on here are that easily offended. It can't be possible. To dislike my style does not equal offense. I've seen plenty of bullying on this forum and I'm not bullying, not insulting, not trolling.
Can't you just not click on it? Is everything that passes by your eyes any given day to your exact liking? I don't understand this.
Oct 24th, 2014, 12:20 PM
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>Can't you just not click on it? Is everything that passes by your eyes any given day to your exact liking? I don't understand this.<
Give up trying to understand.......at any given time, SOMEONE will be offended, especially here at Fodor's! I personally think the title is light hearted and poking fun at yourselves.
Sounds like you had a great time.
Give up trying to understand.......at any given time, SOMEONE will be offended, especially here at Fodor's! I personally think the title is light hearted and poking fun at yourselves.
Sounds like you had a great time.
Oct 24th, 2014, 01:58 PM
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Thanks raincity and tenthumbs - if I had iphone emoticons I'd put in the unity fist here.
So we head off to Ravello via Amalfi. Some nice views on the way up. We walked through the square and up a pretty, stepped walkway to a quiet area and settled on lunch at Villa Fraulo, I had ham & cheese crepes, they were very good but a little richer than I wanted at the time. DH had prawns that he liked very much. We split a side of grilled vegetables & they were the standout. They served our prosecco in coupe style glasses which you don't see too often, loved them. Other than us, there was only one other table of 2 seated. Nice terrace, beautiful views, quite tranquil. Great service. After lunch we looked for the bathroom & ended up in the spa that lead to a small infinity pool. Pretty nice & elegant interiors at this hotel, it had a peacefulness to it and all the staff greeted us very politely & warmly. I would consider this hotel if staying in Ravello. This lunch set the tone for our walk in the park at Villa Cimbrone. This was just a beautiful couple hours. It was not crowded, we had the Infinity Terrace all to ourselves for a few minutes. Weather was as nice as could be. My DH does a very good, somewhat exaggerated impression of Rick Steves and he read much of the paper guide aloud with some ad-lib as we walked through the various spaces, lots of giggles. For no reason in particular I tried to psych him out at one moment, I kinda jumped in a startled way and let out a gasp. He said, "What, what!?" And I said, "There's a big rooster behind you" (rooster was just the first thing that came to mind with no other significance). He spun around and saw I was fooling with him. Not three minutes later we turned a corner and saw a half dozen roosters! They were all pecking around inside this little contained hedge. So now I think I should try this psyche out again but with a unicorn! Because really, these grounds were so pretty, almost fantastical, that I felt like a unicorn really could fly by me at any given moment. We had a very enjoyable time at Villa Cimbrone.
I had read in reviews that Villa Maria plays great music so I made a mental note of this spot. Some reviewers mentioned 60's french rock & roll, some motown, some classical, some jazz. We stopped in for a drink before leaving Ravello and they were playing classical versions of Beatles songs which was just fine. DH had a spritz and I ordered an "Amalfi spritz", I can't remember the ingredients but mine was yellow instead of orange. Similar taste to the standard but a little different, I liked it. We had a table at the edge of the terrace with views out to a valley and the sea. We had a second round before taking the two buses back to Praiano. On the first bus I was seated behind the side door and not paying attention when my foot got caught in the door as it opened at one of the stops. I started yelling "My foot my foot!" Then everyone started yelling! My DH jumped up & tried to strong arm the door but HE WAS PUSHING THE WRONG WAY!! I started yelling "Wrong way wrong way!" Then everyone started yelling "Wrong way wrong way!" He pulled the other direction & my foot was freed to some applause and without too much trauma (or so I thought at the time). It was an exciting couple of minutes! Lesson learned! I think it scared my poor DH a lot more than me & I think he was really embarrassed. I told him that's because it wasn't his foot, if it was his foot that was compromised in a mechanical door any embarrassment would quickly go right out the window. There was a huge moon hanging low right over Amalfi, would have been a great picture but I forgot to pack my camera. iPhones just can't get night time pictures. Home, showered and to Vivaro's for dinner.
So we head off to Ravello via Amalfi. Some nice views on the way up. We walked through the square and up a pretty, stepped walkway to a quiet area and settled on lunch at Villa Fraulo, I had ham & cheese crepes, they were very good but a little richer than I wanted at the time. DH had prawns that he liked very much. We split a side of grilled vegetables & they were the standout. They served our prosecco in coupe style glasses which you don't see too often, loved them. Other than us, there was only one other table of 2 seated. Nice terrace, beautiful views, quite tranquil. Great service. After lunch we looked for the bathroom & ended up in the spa that lead to a small infinity pool. Pretty nice & elegant interiors at this hotel, it had a peacefulness to it and all the staff greeted us very politely & warmly. I would consider this hotel if staying in Ravello. This lunch set the tone for our walk in the park at Villa Cimbrone. This was just a beautiful couple hours. It was not crowded, we had the Infinity Terrace all to ourselves for a few minutes. Weather was as nice as could be. My DH does a very good, somewhat exaggerated impression of Rick Steves and he read much of the paper guide aloud with some ad-lib as we walked through the various spaces, lots of giggles. For no reason in particular I tried to psych him out at one moment, I kinda jumped in a startled way and let out a gasp. He said, "What, what!?" And I said, "There's a big rooster behind you" (rooster was just the first thing that came to mind with no other significance). He spun around and saw I was fooling with him. Not three minutes later we turned a corner and saw a half dozen roosters! They were all pecking around inside this little contained hedge. So now I think I should try this psyche out again but with a unicorn! Because really, these grounds were so pretty, almost fantastical, that I felt like a unicorn really could fly by me at any given moment. We had a very enjoyable time at Villa Cimbrone.
I had read in reviews that Villa Maria plays great music so I made a mental note of this spot. Some reviewers mentioned 60's french rock & roll, some motown, some classical, some jazz. We stopped in for a drink before leaving Ravello and they were playing classical versions of Beatles songs which was just fine. DH had a spritz and I ordered an "Amalfi spritz", I can't remember the ingredients but mine was yellow instead of orange. Similar taste to the standard but a little different, I liked it. We had a table at the edge of the terrace with views out to a valley and the sea. We had a second round before taking the two buses back to Praiano. On the first bus I was seated behind the side door and not paying attention when my foot got caught in the door as it opened at one of the stops. I started yelling "My foot my foot!" Then everyone started yelling! My DH jumped up & tried to strong arm the door but HE WAS PUSHING THE WRONG WAY!! I started yelling "Wrong way wrong way!" Then everyone started yelling "Wrong way wrong way!" He pulled the other direction & my foot was freed to some applause and without too much trauma (or so I thought at the time). It was an exciting couple of minutes! Lesson learned! I think it scared my poor DH a lot more than me & I think he was really embarrassed. I told him that's because it wasn't his foot, if it was his foot that was compromised in a mechanical door any embarrassment would quickly go right out the window. There was a huge moon hanging low right over Amalfi, would have been a great picture but I forgot to pack my camera. iPhones just can't get night time pictures. Home, showered and to Vivaro's for dinner.
Oct 24th, 2014, 09:04 PM
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You are cracking me up, I love the rooster story.
Wasn't Ravello just gorgeous? I loved it. We had a very nice lunch at Villa Maria.
Oh the foot story made me laugh too, especially your husband being embarrassed, that would be my husband too!
Waiting for more...
Wasn't Ravello just gorgeous? I loved it. We had a very nice lunch at Villa Maria.
Oh the foot story made me laugh too, especially your husband being embarrassed, that would be my husband too!
Waiting for more...
Oct 24th, 2014, 09:31 PM
#19
Couldn't resist your title, good thing as I'm loving your report! Isn't Ravello magical? But worried about your foot, I often limp on trips (am doing so right now, in fact), and know it's no fun).
