Having stayed at the Palazzo Ravizza in Sienna ,I would highly recommend the hotel.Great , accomodating staff, central location, free parking if you have a car and very good breakfasts.

If in Tuscany the end of October look at http://www.montalcino-tuscany.it/sagra_del_tordo.htm

Henry

OK, count me in as another Phoenix resident going to Italy in October!!!!

My trip is from Oct 6-16th, but I'll be in Salzburg until the 10th. I've got everything booked, hotel and plane. I'm staying at La Calcina, based on Suze and Maitaitom's glowing recommendations.

Glad to see I'm not the only one that's been planning this for awhile.

Family of 6 flying into Rome and out of Venice in November. Booked flights...using Swiss Air into Rome and out of Venice - $865.ish pp. But -Swiss has a companion special right now that is buy one get one. Had to purchase the tickets with a American Express card and use Am Ex points...30,000 points per free ticket. Worth it I think.

We have also booked our Rome Hotel and Venice apartment and am working the Venice hotel now.

Good luck!

•We are going to Italy from San Diego on miles. With American if you fly Oct. 15th you use 40,000 vs 60,000 before the 15th.
•They allow a city stop over. So we are staying in London for 3 days, but may extend that. Then fly from London City Airport to Milan
•We have an apartment for a week in Venice and another apartment for a week in Spello.
•Next we need to decide on Cinque Terre, Como (may be to cold), or somewhere like Luca.
•It sounds like Auto Europe is a good place to rent a car, after Venice. I can't wait. I love the planning

I think one of us industrious Fodorites should approach Fodor's with a contract for Fodor's merchandise, eh??? :) I reckon' I can find an orange bandana somewhere (but it won't be UT orange, as I've got an Aggie in the family!)hahaha

I am still having trouble with Venice and Rome hotels. :( I've got everything else booked. Paris for one night/two days at the Hotel Hospitel (how unique!). Two nights in Venice, waiting to hear back from Corte 1321. Booked in Florence one night at Hotel Casci. One night in Siena at Hotel Chiusarelli. Still waiting to hear from two hotels in Rome (sigh). And then one night on the way home, in Paris near Orly, at the Hotel Alixia. Our first day in Italy is 18th, leave Rome on the evening of the 24th. Also have my air booked from Paris-Venice and Rome-Paris. (how come we can't get that kind of cheap fare here in the US???). Anyway, I'm still taking ideas for Venice and Rome hotels, since the 20+ hotels I've inquired have either not responded, or are booked. In Venice, we want something central, clean and easy to get to from vaparetto. 200 bucks a night is our goal (not Euros, dollars). In Rome, Piazza Navona/Campo di Fiore first area choice. Again 200 bucks/night, central and clean. (bigger bathrooms a plus). :) So..if anyone can ONCE MORE run a few suggestions. Please don't send me back to Tripadvisor! That just frustrates me to no end. If I get a referral, then I'll look that hotel up specifically on Tripadvisor for reviews. But trying to find what you want in a hotel/where/price range is just so laborious there! :( Thanks all! Going to get my orange bandana!

PS CORRECTION..in Venice, "easy to get to" does not mean we couldn't handle the often-described Venice maze..it meant CLOSE to the vaporetto. :) :) :)

Sarge - we're staying at the B&B Fellini. We stayed there last time we were in Rome and enjoyed it. It is close to the Trevi Fountain (backs up to the Presidential Palace) and a couple of blocks from Barbarini (sp?) Square where there is a metro station and a taxi stand. Even though it isn't as central as some other areas, we found it was within easy walking to everywhere.

oops - Barberini Square

Fly KLM Vancouver to Amsterdam and stay for four nights, fly to Rome for six nights. Going with my husband rather than my usual girlfriends, and I think we'll search out maritime museums, etc. to keep my sailor hubby happy.

sarge56 - I , too, am having a difficult time securing venice reservations. We are also looking for 3 nights lodging around $200 night. Does anyone have any suggestions??
La Calcina is booked, as is La Rosa di V.
I'm having trouble finding anything that is reasonably priced and looks decent. Suggestions are welcomed!

We're not going until November but I have had some luck getting responses from Hotel Marconi, Hotel Flora and Hotel Rialto. We need triples so none are $200.00 though. Go to www.initaly.com ...they have some Venice hotel options and their listed rates are less than what the hotels are offering if booked directly through the hotel! If you look on their website you can see pictures and rates for each hotel they offer.

Not sure if this is helpful but give it a try.

dperry I just went to VRBO and there are a few apartments I saw avaiable in October with only a 3 night min. if you are interested in this type of accomodation. It may be worthwhile to at least check it oug.

oops I meant check it out (not oug)

Sarge, I stayed at a very pleasant hotel on Via Nazionale in Rome - a short walk from the Termini Station, called Gea Di Vulcano. I found them on Venere, and found positive comments on TripAdvisor.com. It's walking distance to the Colosseum, and the Trevi Fountain. They also include a nice breakfast and gave great dining recommendations. I'm heading back in October myself, and plan to try and stay my last two nights there again. Check it out!

Thanks to all who supplied suggestions. I am finally booked at Corte 1321 in Venice and Hotel Giardino in Rome. Couldn't have done it without yous guys. :) Grazie!!

Hi Everyone,
I am coming to this thread very late--just found out we were going in late June and have been planning like mad ever since. Discovered this site about a month ago and have been reading and studying "Fodorite-Italy 101" voraciously eversince! We will be in Italy from Sept 21 to October 4: Rome/4 nts, Siena/4 nts, Venice /1 nt, Florence/2 nts and back to Rome/1 nt and then home. Thanks to all the kind-hearted people here, I feel confident that we will have a terrific trip! :>

I'll be in Italy in October 1-15.

We are starting in London, and got RT tickets for $780 (all taxes included) from San Francisco. Prices seem to be staying relatively higher this year? Flew to London this past March for $530 RT.

Just finished booking Rome Apt and Venice Hotel and Florence B&B for the trip. Venere.com is great for research, but be aware the hotel's own website often has cheaper rates!

In one case Venere was cheaper than the hotel itself. Go figure.

Good luck and have fun.

VRBO is good for apartments.

bookmarking

Have not read the 98 responses. I am assuming you are renting a car for the trip. If you are going to Rome first I suggest you pick up your car the day you are leaving Rome. I also suggest you get one of the plastic Michelin maps (GPS is not always accurate) of Italy as a paper one tears after a while.