lawofgravity

First off, thanks for all the advice I've received on this board. There was mounds of information but you've all been a great help in making my trip a lot less hassle free. My partner and I just returned from a hectic 2.5 week tour of Italy. It was an adventure we'll never forget.

The highlights:
1.Climbing the Duomo in Florence and the breathtaking view. Also,nothing could have prepared me for the utter brilliance of the facade of Santa Maria del Fiore

2.Uffizi Gallery, Bottichelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera are worth the price of admission. Note: the colours aren't as brillant as you see in posters,advertisements even though both have been restored.

3.Getting lost in Venice's streets. Around every corner is something new. Loved walking into shops and peeking around.

4.Watching Piazza San Marco flood at midnight. Don't know why, but trying to dodge and jump around the puddles, just as the plaza was about to flood, was extremely romantic.

5.Borghese Gallery in Rome. I couldn't believe the compelexity involved in Bernini's sculptors. Look at Daphne's expression as she's turning into a tree, just as Apollo catches her.

6.Micheangelo's Moses, hard to find San Pietro in Vincoli, but well worth the effort for seeing this amazing work.

7.Scavi tour, felt chills walking through the necropolis. Yes, the graffiti wall is once again opened and St. Peter's bones are on display, even though you have to squint to see it.

8.Pompeii, we were there closing time and practically had the whole place to ourselves, just at sunset. It was eerie walking those streets with no one around you.

9.Montepulciano, just because it's Tuscany.

10.Vernazza and the Cinque Terre. Even in March, it was still overrunned with American tourists, but hiking the trails was amazing. The Manorola-Corniglia trail was closed, so we hiked the tortuous #6 path. The views from the the top, though were magnificent.

Hate to list them but there were a few

Lowlights:

1.Rome, noisy,crowded, dusty, polluted, and quite frankly, drabby. Subways are always, always crowded, no matter what time of day. Couldn't wait to leave. I didn't throw a coin in the Trevi, which means I'm not coming back. Fine with me.

2.Italian food: I know I'm going to get killed for this, but after a week of Italian food, I got sick of it. Coming from a multicultural city like Vancouver, I missed different types of ethnic cuisines. I craved Japanese sushi, Vietnamese pho noodles, Indian curry, Greek souvlaki etc.

3.Vespers, vespers, vespers

4.Tourists who couldn't be bothered to speak italian. It ticks me off that English speaking tourirsts can't show the slightest courtesy and at least try to greet Italians in their language.

Regrets:

1. Didn't see David in Florence, had to choose between Accademia or Uffizi.

2.Seeing more of Tuscany. We were planning to stay one night in San Gimignagno, but the travel day was a Sunday, when bus service was limited. We didn't realized how limited it was, when we missed the one bus that day.

3.Not shoppping for more goodies. There was so much I wanted to buy, but space limitations kept me from maxing out my credit card.

4.Amalfi coast, although Cinque Terre made up for it, I still wished I could've seen the Blue Grotto in Capri.

Once again, thanks all for making our trip to Italy a fantastic, memorable adventure.

SantaChiara

Hi, lawofgravity. I enjoyed your synopsis. Thanks for posting.

Lorac1127

I totally agree about the Botticelli masterpieces.

But so sorry that you didn't enjoy Rome. We just loved Rome. I'm curious...what part of town did you stay in?

Welcome back.

rex

Also curious about your Rome stay - - how many days? at the front of your trip or no? I consistently advise against "two days in Rome" on arrival - - a recipe for hating it, in my experience.

Nice and enthusiastic, telegraphically written report...

Best wishes,

Rex

Kavey

Sounds like a great trip overall, nice report. Thanks.

ellenem

<< 2.Uffizi Gallery, Bottichelli's Birth of Venus and Primavera are worth the price of admission. Note: the colours aren't as brillant as you see in posters, advertisements even though both have been restored.>>

I've visited the Uffizi both before and after the restoration. The year after the restoration, the Botticelli's colors were amazing to behold. Then, the next year the bulletproof glass was installed, adding a green tint and obscuring the pure colors of the paintings behind. A real tragedy for the sake of safety.

JenniferW

lawofgravity, why were you taking the subway? We walked everyhwhere in Rome since everything is within walking distance....something tells me if you had stayed in a different section of Rome your trip would have been much better.

lawofgravity

Thanks everyone for the welcome back. As it turns out, the hotel was great. We were staying near the train station and were upgraded to a fantastic room, overlooking an inner courtyard. Peaceful and quiet. We were there for four nights and had a comfortable sleep each night. The problem was once we stepped out of the hotel and the noise and dust/pollution hit us. Walking to the colosseum, it was extremely hard for me to breath and I'm a reasonably fit person. I also found the streets and neighbourhoods generally uninteresting to walk around. That's probably because we came to Rome after Venice, where there was something of interest around every corner. There was a letdown factor after the peace and quiet of Venice's streets compared to the noise and traffic of Rome's. IMHO, I would much rather visit NYC or London for a big city. There's just a vibe in those two cities that I didn't feel in Rome.

Ellenem: I didn't realised that bulletproof glass can affect the colours that drastically. When I saw the sign that it had been restored, I was saying to myself, "They sure didn't get their money's worth" You're right about the green tinge.

JenniferW: We took the subway only when time and distance was a factor. A total of five times, I believe, at different times of the day. Each time, we were literally stuffed into the car.

StCirq

Thanks for the report, lawofgravity.

For what it's worth, I agree with you about Rome. I don't have any respiratory problems, but I find Rome to be dirty, hectic, and lacking in adequate transportation. I've been there three or four times and no doubt will go back, but among the major European cities I've visited - and that's a lot - it just doesn't cut the mustard with me, despite the fact that I very much appreciate and have enjoyed its cultural offerings.

dita

Visited Rome twice and love it more each time. IMPORTANT travel tip, LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION. I've stayed by the spanish Steps each time and there's never enough time to do everything. Roaming Rome, the fountains, gelato breaks, wine/cheese breaks, espresso/coffee or simply just watching the locals is fascinating.
Not to mention seeing the Coliseum , St Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum. Like I said not enough time , so many amazing things to take in. Great restaurants/food.....enough said. You simply missed out or stayed in a really bad place. Plan better next time. I'm from NY with all the foods of the world and whenever in Italy, whether it's Rome/Tuscany, the Lake Region, Southern Region or Venice, you just have to enjoy the moments and have wonderful the cuisines are BECAUSE when you get home you can always get back to your same old routine. What not enjoy one of the best cuisines in the world OR better yet , do good research and hit great restaurants, cheap and pricey, don't matter, it's all good and absolutely DELICIOUS !

Lorac1127

Well said dita....our location in Rome was fabulous. And not only because it was close to many sites, but mainly because the neighborhood was charming, small local shops, cafes, bakeries, amazing churches and best of all, autos are restricted.

I hope this mens we will adore Venice when we arrive in two weeks!

ellenem

lawofgravity,
Yes, locaton IS a factor for enjoying Rome. I've been a number of times and stayed in a number of locations. Hotels near Terimini really do put you in the noisy fuming bustle. Give Rome a second chance and stay closer to the old center--Piazza Navona, Spanish Steps. . . still bustling but traffic is less of an issue.

archeologist_3

I'll be visiting Rome in August and need to book a hotel room. Dita and Ellenem, what hotels near the Piazza Navona or Spanish Steps do you suggest (keeping budget in mind)?

Thanks in advance, Ang

angnmatt

Oops... my computer automatically logged me in as my finace in above messege. He is archeologist, I am Ang.

I apologize if his other posts offended anyone, he's a bit protective of me

bardo

I hope you meant "Vespas" - motor bikes and not "Vespers" - evening prayers. Otherwise, nice report. Am also curious as to your circumstances (time/location) in Rome as it is my favorite city.

sera

I love Rome, and never go to Italy without stopping there for a visit. Perhaps because I've lived in NYC I'm inured to chaos and dirt.

That said, other people love London and Florence, and I'm not a big fan of either.

upperwestside

I'm from NYC - Brooklyn, to be exact (yes, I realize the inconsistency with my screen name - the one I wanted was taken, so I just chose my favorite neighborhood in the city), and I HATED HATED HATED Rome. I have been throughout Europe, and am very accustomed to noise, dirt, and brusque individuals, but short of a third-world country, can not imagine a less desirable place to visit. And the rudeness was just unacceptable. I honestly have no idea why people love this city - it has some great things to see, but as a city, it's the pits.

ira

Hi upper,

As the Italians say, "chacun a son gout".