belated Italy trip report
 

First of all I want to thank all of you for your input. It was invaluable.

I have never written a trip report and it has been a couple of months since we got back. I just want to share what I think might interest you since I most certainly took advantage of others' trip reports.

We left for 10 days to see Florence, Cinque Terre and Rome. Have been to Rome on a couple of other occasions so we spent only 2 days there this time around.

Our flight on Alitalia went smoothly though I must say I have NEVER sat in a more uncomfortable airplane seat. It was so awful that I actually laid down on the floor (we managed to get bulkhead seats) to get some rest. Needless to say, I was frightened that someone would kick me at any moment but did manage to sleep for a few minutes and not have to continue standing.

We arrived Rome and went directly to Termini where we bought tickets for Florence. These trains ran every 1/2 hour or so. The lines to buy from a live person were interminable and we decided to try our luck at the machines. Some man, very nice, came over to show us how to do it. Turns out that if you want to use cash, there are special machines with another machine that accepts cash to the right of it. Not all of them were equipped to do this. It went smoothly and we used these machines for the rest of the trip. That nice man was someone who hangs out at the station in order to be paid for his help. It was no big deal and we were glad to have the help. Being a New Yorker, I held on to my wallet tightly thinking he would grab it and run but my fears were groundless.

Remember to validate your tickets before you get on the train. The validating machines to do this are all over the platforms.

The trip to Florence was smooth. It was the only train we took that actually left and arrived on time. The trains were consistently late - sometimes as much 1 1/2 hours waiting on the platform. Then that much time being late at the other end. Luckily, it didn't matter except once. More on that later. It was just great not to have to be anywhere at a particular time.

I regret not having more time in
Florence. We were there for 4 days and could have easily spent another 4 days there.

Stayed at Palazzo dal Borgo HOTEL ARILE which was wonderful. Via Della Scala 6. Just a few blocks from the train station. Immaculate, very helpful staff, well located near Santa Maria Novella, nice outdoor garden with potted fruit trees. Our room was huge. Breakfast was included in the moderate price (off season) of the room and while it was ample, it was just OK. Ask for a room with a view. We looked out over Spanish tiled rooftops and the Santa Maria Novella church. It was not a spiffed up hotel but felt just right and was easy walking distance from everything without being in the midst of the crowds.
There was a bulletin board downstairs with listings of operas, concerts, etc. and the staff was more than willing to make calls and make arrangements.
They called the Ufizzi the Accademia and the Capelle Brancacci for us. We e-mailed for them to do this a few weeks ahead of time and they gave us the reservation numbers.
The Accademia had 2 lines. One for people with and one for those without reservations. We were really glad that we had to wait on the shorter line.
We never made it to the Ufizzi because we were at the San Lorenzo market. There is an indoor, stupendous food market that has a few little places to buy and eat lunch. That's where we were when our time to go to the Ufizzi came up. I just did not want to rush the experience - something highly uncharacteristic for me. Will make it there the next time.
The following are the places we did see and I won't go into how rapturous these places are:
The Accademia,
Capelle Medici,
Santa Maria Novella,
Capella Brancacci-there is a film to see before you actually to into the chapel and it was worthwhile),
Santa Croce,
Ponte Vecchio-didn't ring my bells,
The Duomo and the Baptistry,
The pieta in the Duomo Museum,
My favorite was the San Marco Monastery with the Fra Angelico frescos

The restaurants we liked best were on the other side of the Arno:

Dante - P.zza Nazario Sauro,12/r had the best pizza I have ever eaten bar none and I have eaten a whole lot of pizza in my time

Cammillo Trattoria Borgo S. Jacopo, 57r We got a table without a reservation but I would recommend making a reservation 055 212427

Tried to eat at Olio & Convivium but they were closed for a private party. This place looked so warm and inviting and old and gracious. I want to go back just to have a meal in that atmosphere! It's at Via Santo Spirito, 4 tel. 055 26 56 267

All 3 of these restaurants on along the same street but the name of the street changes as you go along. We just tried our luck and were amply rewarded at these delicious establishments. Others we went to are not worth mentioning.

Just walking the streets was a delight. There were craftsmen's shops all over and you could just stand outside and watch the people making shoes, door knockers, leather books, etc. It was a town of craftsmen everywhere you looked.

By the way - prices were incredibly cheap. I bought so much stuff that Ihad to buy a bag to take it all home since I only took a carry-on bag. I expected prices to be sky high and they were totally not!!! Stationary, journals, leather goods, gorgeous woolen scarves, photo albums, even reading glasses were so stylish and reasonable with workmanship you knew the craftsmen were proud of. Those little Pinocchio wooden dolls that are sold at every tourist shop were beautiful too. Those shops were like a magnet for me once I realized how affordable they were.

Enough for now. I'm wondering if anyone will read this and get useful information for their own trip. Let me know if I should keep writing, if I am going on too much or if you have questions that I might be able to answer.

Keep writing--it's all useful!

Did I miss what time of year were you traveling?

Personally, I give the edge to Capella Brancacci over San Marco...

Definitely keep writing!

Leely 2: What thrilled me about the monastery was walking down the hallways, peeking into the cells and the element of surprise at what you were about to see. I loved the regal simplicity of it all.
The art work at the Capelle Brancacci was more beautiful - I agree with you there.

We left at the end of October and came back in time for the election.

One of the things that was so surprising to me was how much English was spoken there. I am a person who likes the challenge of using my dictionary and sign language to communicate. It can be really frustrating but I love the challenge and the reward of trying to use the native language. It's also some of the things that enhances my experience of being in a foreign place.
Every menu was translated.
Every foreigner, no matter where they came from, China, India, Finland, etc. ordered their food in English. It was unreal! I never knew that English was this persvasive and didn't remember it being that way on other trips. While it was great to know what we were about to eat, it was too simple too.

I had been looking forward to making a day trip to Lucca because I read that there was going to be an antiques/flea market and a Puccini festival there. We took the train out. Man, was I mad when I found out they pushed both of those events to the next week-end in order to accommodate a comic book festival. Even the woman at the information bureau wasn't sure what was going on and why.

Lucca was OK. There was a promenade where lots of people were strolling and cyclists out for a ride. The promenade was built right up on the ramparts of the city. Like a big sidewalk all around the perimeter of the town. It was lovely to walk up there and look down into the city. We were there on a Sunday so a lot of the stuff there was closed. I regretted giving up a Florence day.

Lucca was pretty spiffed up. I liked the older feeling of Florence better. It was hard to distinguish the differences in age between the houses within the walls as opposed to the ones outside of them. Besides, I was so disappointed that what I came to see wasn't happening.

We went to Cinque Terre because my daughter was in Italy 8 years ago on a photo shoot - she was doing the lighting for a photographer doing a shoot for Campbell's soup. They spent 2 weeks driving all over Italy. She loved Santa Margherita Ligure more than any other place so we decided to go there. We decided, however, to make that a side trip since we didn't want to spend the extra hour on a train when it came time to leave for Rome.

After obsessing for ages about which town to stay in, I chose Riomaggiore and the Hotel La Baia de Rio. The hotel had an amazing view on top of the world! We stayed in the Marco Polo suite which had a large terrace overlooking the town and the sea. The room itself was large, no breakfast provided. The bathroom had a teeny, tiny shower but the view more than made up for it. Also, there is a kitchen, stove, fridge but it wasn't really equipped with all you would need to cook a simple meal. I missed having my coffee first thing in the AM. There was, however, a small and delicious restaurant just a few yards up the hill.

The proprietor of the place is not on the grounds but we were given a cell phone number to call and needed to call them to let them know which train we would be arriving on. Well, this is a very hilly town - they all are there. Riomaggiore has an elevator to take you part way up the hill which closes down at 7:45. Our train was REALLY late and we missed the elevator and arrived when it was night out. Not knowing where we had to go, etc. The lady in charge of the hotel actually came down to the train to meet us and help us find our way in the dark. It was necessary for her to do that since we would have never found it on our own. Still, it was nice of her.

Riomaggiore is GORGEOUS!!!!! Built up, up, up with groves of orange and lemon trees terraced in the hills all around. It makes my heart ache at the beauty of it. Ther is a small town with restaurants and some simple shops. The little grocery store had the most beautiful produce ever. It was so amazing that I actually took photos of it. I didn't expect cases of delicious cheeses, salamis, pastas. It seems that this area is the birthplace of pesto and I brought a few jars of their pesto home. They have long ago been eaten and were delicious.

One of the things to do there is to hike to the other towns. Unfortunately we had 3 days of unrelenting rain. All ferries going from town to town closed down and the hiking paths were closed down too. The sea and the trails were dangerous. This was so regrettable but...maybe again someday.

Did do the day trip to Santa Margherita Ligure. My daughter described a fishing village where the fishermen came home with their high boots and fish. I never managed to find that part of the town. What a shame since that was the whole reason we went there in the first place.

From there we took a bus to Portofino. It is every bit as beautiful as I expected it to be. No wonder the rich and famous go there. The streets we climbed were strewn with olives that had fallen off the many trees. Very cool. Most of the town was shut down though because it was not the season but I am really glad to have seen it.

That's it for now. More another time. Thanks for wanting to hear about it.

Great report! Keep it coming. I like your writing style very much. Looking forward to my trip this Spring!

Goldiept, I understand about the cells of San Marco. It is an experience.

I haven't been to the Cinque Terre in eight years, so it's great to read about it. It is stunning, isn't it?

Great writing. Cinque Terre sounds like it is worth a visit.

Yes, keep writing!

I am grinning from ear to ear knowing you are out there and actually enjoying this report. How cool is that????! Thanks, you all.

By the way, did I mention that I saw those little pinnochio figures they sell all over the place in a very high end Madison Avenue jewelry shop? I have one hanging from my window. If people only knew that fancy store paid $10 for their x-mas decorations. It was beautiful.

We met a couple in our Riomagiore breaksfast spot who recommended going to Monterosso for dinner at the Belvedere for their seafood special. How could we resist? In the pouring rain we took the 10 minute train ride and found the restaurant easily. The place was almost empty. We were seated way at the back. I asked for a table by the window but they refused saying they were all tables for 4. I said "it's pouring and this place is so empty", "sorry" said the head waiter who I went to next -"all the tables are reserved." I was doing a serious seethe. If we had been home, I would have probably stalked out of the place but...we ordered the seafood special. (another example of the snippityness in this part of Italy)

The waiter came out lugging - I am not exaggerating, a crock from his hips to his chin! It was very heavy. He had a hard time tipping it over to get the food out. There was Lobster, octopus, calamari, fish, clams, mussels,you name it. It was pretty good but not great. Certainly enough to feed 6 or so. Took the rest home and heated it in the room the next night for dinner and left the rest for the lady who ran the place.

By the way, the bread all over was pretty bad. They don't use salt but it's a good way to save some calories!

As far as train delays go - they always announce how late they will be and then give you updates. At least it was good to be warned.

It was so sad to leave Cinque Terre. The towns are so authentic, quaint but sophisticated too. Men sitting around under awnings just shootin' the breeze and dressed real old time. Their old faces with a dignity and their eyes full of life. The pace is slow and the environs spectacular. I'd go back in a heartbeat especially since the rain prevented us from doing all we would have liked to.

Took a train to Rome and planned it so we changed trains in Piza. The station has a luggage hold. We left our bags and took the 15 minute walk to the Leaning Tower. There are so many images of this around that I expected it to look tacky. It was anything but. It was beautiful and somehow delicate, like a tall wedding cake. There is a museum right on the square there. In the lobby there is a film all about the various projects done to right the lean in the tower. It was really interesting. If you were willing to stand, you didn't have to pay entrance to the museum to see it. I highly recommend this film.

It was amazing how involved the Italians were with our election. Every day the front and inside pages of the newspapers were full of articles about Obama and McCain. The TV had hour long panel discussions on the French, German and Italian stations about our election. It blew me away. People talking about it on the streets and in restaurants. An elderly waiter in Piza clasped his hands together and waved them as if in prayer (when he realized we were American) and chanted Obama over and over again. It gives me the chills when I think about it. Took a photo of this man because I didn't want to forget the moment.

Took the train to Rome and stayed at a hotel near Termini. We were in Rome for the week-end. We wanted to be near Termini so we could easily leave in the early AM for our flight and stayed at the Columbia Hotel. It had a beautiful rooftop garden, lovely breakfast, accommodating staff but the room was claustrophobically small. Didn't think to ask for a bigger room but we didn't spend much time there anyhow.

Walk, walk, walk. I love that city. It is so old and luscious and beautiful like Sophia Loren. My main goal was to go to a lot of churches. Had a looooong list from fellow Fodorites but hardly got to any of them. The one I did see and love was San Luigi dei Francesi between Pantheon and P. Navona.

The Pantheon and many other places were closed because it was a bank holiday. What the heck is a bank holiday anyway?

The hotel made reservations for us at the Borghese Gallery. The lines were long no matter what. You had to check- even your pocketbook-on another line, but it went pretty quickly. You cannot get in without a reservation. How can I possibly even tell about this place? There aren't enough superlatives so I won't bother. Got a couple of books to look through at home.

Found a hotel near there that I will go to if I ever get there again. Didn't see the rooms but it is across from the Gardens and has rooms with a view overlooking the trees. Called Hotel Eliseo. It looked like it should cost a lot of money but it was reasonably priced.

The city was MOBBED. Couldn't get near Trevi Fountain or other sites. P. Navona had some construction so some of the fountains had scaffolding around them.

Didn't eat anywhere exceptional. I was there 6 years ago and ate at Franco ar vicoletto in the San Lorenzo section-Via dei Falisci, 1a-2. tel 06 4957675. An affordable seafood restaurant with a prix fixed menu where they just keep bringing the food out. You don't order. It's in a funky neighborhood and off the beaten path. I'd go again just for the experience.

On the other trip, we went to a couple of operas in churches and loooved that but didn't find any this time around.

It was a great trip. My boyfriend and I got along really well which is not always the case when we travel since our styles are different.
What a shame it was over so soon. Nice to write about it and have a chance to relive it a bit.

Happy trails to all of you and please let me know if I can answer any questions you might have about any of these places.