Michele Rose

I have many questions! It is our first time to Italy. We are flying into Milan since it's the only non-stop we can get. We want to hit the "must-see" things in Rome and Florence (would love advice on moderately priced--assuming there is such a thing--accomodations & great restaurants). After that we're interested in staying N of Rome & seeing more of the countryside. Looking for suggestions on towns & specifics for quant places to stay & eat. Thanks!

Tricia

Have you considered Lake Como and the Lake Region in
No. Italy- If you scroll back in this forum -say even June there is some great info on places to stay and things to do in this area

Mary

Hi Michele--we just came back from 2 weeks in Italy--we did Venice, Florence and then went on a walking tour of Chianti, then on our own went to Siena; from Florence a logical place to go is the Tuscany countryside; I wouldn't miss San Gimignano (we stayed at the L'Antico Pozzo; it was charming and about $80/night--I'm not sure your definition of "moderate"), driving around the Chianti countryside from there is just beautiful. Further south around Siena we enjoyed Siena itself, and also explored the walled medieval cities/towns of Pienza, Montalcino and Montepuluciano. The places we stayed on the walking tour were very nice but pricey (I'd be happy to send you the names if that would fit in your budget). If you like wine there are wonderful vineyards to visit, we especially enjoyed the tour at Badia e Coltibuono--very historic and very interesting (great wine, too!) When we weren't on the walking tour we drove around southern Tuscany which was fine (they just drive very fast and gas is of course very expensive).

The good news is that the American dollar is very strong and we found things like great dinners in trattorias to be very reasonable; we used ATMs everywhere (Cirrus) and got a great exchange rate.

One tip--if you are interested in seeing the Uffizi in Florence it is worth it to fax ahead for tickets (they charge to your Visa); they fax you back with a a time and you walk right in without waiting in the line (which in late September was a 2-3 hour wait). Let me know if you are interested and I'll find the number.

Feel free to ask other questions--you are going to have a great time.

Mary

MICHELLE

My husband & I spent a month's honeymoon this spring all over Italy and it was AMAZING- you will have a great time! Highly recommended by us is the Cinque Terre in Liguria: five beautiful fishing villages connected by a walking path along the Mediterrean and not many tourists (at least when we were there in April). We stayed in La Spezia, a small town just to the south of the Cinque Terre, in a small penzione called Hotel Spezia. (The innkeepers are an older couple who speak not a word of English but are the most kind-hearted people we met, at a rate of about 50 or 60,000 lire for double bed w/o bath.) Florence is a great city, but if you want to get off the beaten track and have a day to do it, there is a tour (in English) called "Italy By Bike", which, no surprise, is a day-long bike trip to Fiesole, past vineyards and olive trees, with the best lunch imaginable! I've got lots of other recommendations, especially for Tuscany, as we spent the most time there, so please email me directly and I'd be happy to share my thoughts about this wonderful country! (I believe I can dig up the phone number for Italy By Bike if you're interested in that.)

Ray

Iam planning a trip to Tuscany with my wife next next Spring.
We plan to rent a car and want to visit the medieval hill-top villages and towns and spend as little time as possible in large cities.
I would be glad if you could suggest an itinery
and any other suggestions that might be useful.

Ray

Ray

Iam planning a trip to Tuscany with my wife next next Spring.
We plan to rent a car and want to visit the medieval hill-top villages and towns and spend as little time as possible in large cities.
I would be glad if you could suggest an itinery
and any other suggestions that might be useful.

Ray

Pam Duchaine

If you decide to go to Siena, I can recommend Le Tre Donzelle hotel and Il Gallo Nero restaurant. Both very close to the Campo.

I returned last week from a trip to Rome and the Sorrentine peninsula. In Rome we stayed in Vecchia Roma for the first time at the Albergo del Sole, $100/night for a double and enjoyed a wonderful dinner for two at Grappolo d'Oro, both very close to the Campo dei Fiori. American dollar is the strongest it's been in years...have a great trip!

Darla Minor

Can you please e-mail me the Uffizzi fax number that you mentioned? That sounds like a great way to go!

Darla Minor

Claudia Alighieri

Dear Michele.
In consideration that you wish to visit Tuscany and countryside surrounding Rome we have some interesting solutions for weekly rentals in farmhouses.
We recommend you also to visit Region Liguria in particular Sanremo the Flowers Capital of Europe famous for its mild climate. It is about 45 minutes far from Montecarlo.
We handle accomodations in villa, apartment , farmhouses.
Don't hesitate to contact us specifying how long you will stay in Italy.
We will prepare for you a list of interesting things to see.
A presto!
Claudia Alighieri
e-mail [email protected]

Eric Wall

It seems that your reply is right what I've been looking for. Am planning a 14 day (incl flight) to Tuscany/Umbria in May or early June and only now am looking at guides. Clearly the key cities are Florence, Siena, Lucca etc. But how would you organize your travels? I like the idea of spending about 2-3 days in each place to roam around. Would also like to travel the countryside/wineries. Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

eric wall

I would very much like to hear your recommendations. Am planning a 14 day trip to Tuscany in either April, May or early June and like to spend time leisurely enjoying the countryside, wineries but hit the cities for more intense sightseeing. Have no need to "see it all" but want a good introduction in some comfortable places.