Well, I can't believe it has come and gone. Years in the planning and then all of a sudden it's over!!! The memories, however, will last forever - and what great memories they are! We had an absolutely unbelievable time - everything (well, mostly!) was wonderful. A great big 'thank you' to all who helped with input and advice - and especially a big thanks to Sally Watkins who helped put it all together. I found Sally's name on this forum and also the InItaly & SlowTrav site and was skeptical at first since I had no idea who she was but have to say the trip wouldn't have been as fabulous without her help.

I started jotting down notes to post for a wrap-up report and it ended up as 7 pages. Thought that might be a little much for this forum so posted it and photos online if anyone cares to see it: http://www.hightide.com/travel.html.

Hi,

Thanx for the post and the pictures.

I just read your trip report. Told with such wit and humor,great job.

Hi Hightide,

I enjoyed your report. Your day of cooking class sounds like soooo much fun. I am sure you will return.

hightide - An absolutely FANTASTIC trip report!!! Your photos are wonderful, and if someone could teach me how to "memorialize" a trip as well as you did.....

Thanks for the effort and the link!! Best wishes, Dave

Thanks, happy to share it cuz it was such a memorable trip! The key is to take a little memo pad and jot down names, places, keywords - you can 'fill in the blanks' later but the notes help jog your memory. I've tried writing in a travel journal but that takes more time and I keep putting it off then have to catch up on 2-3 days. The memo pad is quick and easy to keep current. Is so much fun to relive the trip while writing the trip report too! Another tip: Thought of this the last day, will do it next time to help with spelling, locations, etc. AS SOON as you enter a restaurant, get their card, then write what you order on the back. Wish I'd done it from the start since there were a lot of meals and dishes and types of wine that I can't remember the name of or where we had them. Just have to go back, huh?

Great report, hightide. We just returned from Rome, Tuscany, Sestri Levante and Venice and my journal is so pathetic!! No time to write when you're having so much fun! Business card idea is great...hope to use it next trip which will be Amalfi Coast and Sicily.

Hi hightide,

loved your report! We just got back May 24th and are starting to plan the next one. Some of your hotels sounded great so I printed your report to save for reference. Thanks for wonderful information.

An excellent trifecta: Super website, great report, outstanding photos!
I especially enjoyed that photo of the buildings outside of Montepulciano! I took the same one!

Wow !!
You have made my day. What beautiful pictures and report. Cant wait to go back. You reminded me of everything I love about Italy. The people, the art, the food and wine.
As the saying goes.....
"You may have the universe,
If I may have Italy."

Thanks, you have given me some great ideas for our next trip to Italy!

I am having trouble pulling report , please advise how I can view.

I think I am having trouble pulling up the site.

Thanks, looking forward to the pictures..

hightide,
Great trip report! You gave me some good ideas for our trip in October. Were you photos digital? You took some beautiful shots!

Thanks,
deb

Have recently gotten the bug to return to Italy so decided to check back into this forum and saw my old post (this one).

After I posted it I didn't go back very much to check on responses and now in re-reading it notice there are some questions that were posed that I never answered. Sorry about that.

If the posters are still out there, here are answers:

Fairsat: Sorry you're having probs pulling up site, try this new link: hightide.com/travel (click on Italy trip report)

abqdeb: yes pics were digital. I love taking pics but in no stretch of the imagination have mastered the art. That's why I love digital (click-delete-click-delete)I figure anyone who takes 700 pics can come up with at least a FEW good shots! hehe Current camera is a Canon powershot s330 that I got as a freebie in Vegas. Also partial to my first digital, Olympus D340 (a real dinasaur but easy to use) Can't remember which I used to take the Italy pics with...

In all honesty didn't 'recently get the bug to go back'...wanted to go back from the day we returned....

Hightide --
I am planning a 2 week trip to Italy with my husband this August to celebrate 8 years of marraige. I just read your trip report, and it got me so excited! We are going to Venice, Florence, Capri, Positano & Rome. I am wondering if we shouldn't bother with Capri, but good friends of ours say we should stay there. Thank you so much for the trip report and the pictures. I hope to keep a journal as well.
Amy

Hi Amy (that's my sister's name so I like you already!),

Congrats on your upcoming anny & trip - I'm SOOO jealous! (Of the trip!)

I would hate to discourage anyone from going to Capri because if you're that close you really should see it. And if you're staying overnight it's a totally different place than what the 'day-trippers' see. Check out all the fun sites about Italy and Capri and go with your gut...

You didn't mention Siena but if you're going in Aug., consider going there and experiencing the centuries-old, world-famous Palio horse race - from what I hear it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I think it's held on Aug 16 (check the date). You might want to touch base with Dario via email (the tour guide we used - he's a hoot, his link is on the report). His 'noble contrada' won the Palio this past year and he's a veritable treasure trove of info!

Have a WONDERFUL time and let me know if you have any other questions, will do my best to answer...

Chow Dahling...

I read about the horserace, but we don't arrive in Italy until the 21st. Still, I think we will do a daytrip to Siena. I remember one of my art history teachers in college raving about Siena. And I would love to visit a vineyard as well -- how did you hire Dario Castagno? We were thinking about renting a car, but maybe we'd be better of hiring a guide.

We have 3 nights in each city (except Capri -- 2 nights) I could always change our Capri hotel to 1 night and increase Positano to 4 nights. Our friends raved about Capri, but they were there several years ago -- I seem to keep finding negative reviews on this site.

Anyway, thanks again for the advice. And I will hopefully be posting my own "dream trip" trip report.

Too bad you'll miss the Palio, oh well, maybe next time - DO go to Siena though, it's fabulous. You can contact Dario via email to make arrangements, his email is [email protected]. If I'm not mistaken, he also does tours from Florence to the same area (Chianti region - tour includes vineyards!)

I wouldn't necessarily recommend renting a car for the Florence / Siena area, especially if you hire Dario. But of course I'm a wuss and the traffic and madness made me crazy. Driving in Siena and Rome just about did me in!

As for number of nights in Capri, if it was me, I'd do one night in Capri and the rest in Positano - we were in Positano three nights and would have loved one more night and day, didn't get to see Ravello due to shortness of time.

Looking forward to your report!