Roco

When your tour includes Breakfast every day in the (same) hotel, paint me a picture of what I might see if it is an Italian buffet breakfast. Also, what time is one expected to appear alert and starving for such a spread? Remember now, this is an all inclusive "tour"...and I truly don't have a clue what will be on that table. Help, please.

Rex

Some variation of:<BR><BR>Coffee (much smaller and stronger than you are used to - - not far removed from espresso - - they might honor your request for cappuccino, or you can typically ask for Cafe Americano -- will be simply bigger and diluted with hot water - - but perhaps still only 3 or 4 ounces) and maybe tea or hot chocolate as alternatives.<BR><BR>Juice - - could be decent, might be terrible, almost like Tang.<BR><BR>Bakery items - - not too often sweet - - might be simple (crusty) rolls - - hopefully fresh, unless your tour has cheapened down) - - with butter, jam, honey, etc. Sometimes cakes. Almost never a bagel, nor "toast", nor pancakes, waffles, donuts, etc, as you know them.<BR><BR>Cold cuts and cheese - - elegant to none at all.<BR><BR>Cereal and/or yogurt - - rarely more than one or two VERY simple selections - - corn flakes, for example. Skim milk (latte escremato) almost unheard of; in rare cases mezzo-escremato (half-skimmed, i.e., "2%") available.<BR><BR>Occasionally, eggs boiled - - maybe upon request only - - tre ("tray")minuti (mee-noo-tee) or sete ("say-tay")minuti, if you need to communicate with a non-english serving person.<BR><BR>Hour served? - - surely it will be clearly communicated by someone serving your tour.<BR><BR>Best wishes,<BR><BR>Rex<BR>

xxx

What type of hotel are you staying in? The last time I was in Italy, our hotel offered coffee, cappuccino, tea or hot chocolate and an assortment of plain white rolls and slightly stale sweetrolls. The juice was like Tang.<BR>The trip before that all we were offered was coffee, etc, and plain rolls with butter and jelly. Another trip at a nicer hotel there was a large breakfast buffet with everything you could imagine. You could probably check out the hotel's website for more info.

Hiho

Most tour groups (and all of the large bus tour variety) stay at large hotels, and I think these would have a larger spread than just drinks and rolls. would include a variety of meats/cheeses/etc. Also, most tours - especially the "big bus" ones, often start their days early, partiuclarly when they are journeying to another city. Thses tour breakfast are often at 7 or 7:30, so people can be ready to leave by 8 or 8:15. On days when you are staing in the same city, breakfast is typically at 8, so you can be ready to roll at 8:45/9.

Pauline

Roco,<BR>I guess it depends where your hotel is. <BR>In my Rome hotel (Atlantico), last year. Hot (surprisingly) coffee, assortment of cereals, luke warm hard boiled eggs, (I was late getting to breakfast, okay) FRESH orange juice, cold cuts, fresh fruit, ie kiwi fruit, strawberries, apples, bananas, cheese, butter, jam, honey, bread rolls, toast, yoghurt.<BR>Nothing at all like I normally have for breakfast at home, here in Australia. Very filling, depending on what YOU choose to eat. Different, yes, but not totally different..

Roberta

Had a great buffet in plain-Jane hotel in Verona: orange juice, pitchers of hot coffee and hot milk to make caffe latte, corn flakes,fresh hard rolls, "cornetti" filled with jam, almond paste, lemon curd, nutella or plain; plain yogurt (the best I've had)served in a bowl rather than pre-packaged.<BR><BR>In Rome, a more elaborate spread aimed at a more international clientele: scrambled eggs, ham, cheeses, fruit, rolls, fruit flavored yogurt in containers, american style coffee <BR>

gail

Depends on quality/expensiveness of hotel. My son went with group on student tour to Italy and stayed in lower tier hotels - breakfast included every day at 6 different hotels was essentially the same - coffee, Tang, hard non-sweet rolls, sometimes a little cheese.

ab

I know it's redundant, but breakfast probably does depend on your hotel. In Rome, we stayed at the Intercontinental (4-star), and in Taormina, the San Domenico (5-star). Both hotels served truly beautiful buffet breakfasts with wonderful salamis, cheeses, fresh fruit, baked items, and delicious coffee (cappuccino if you prefer). Next to the orange juice (not Tang)stood a bottle of champagne if you desired!

GAC

It mostly depends upon the hotel. For example, at the superior-four star Hotel Excelsior in Naples (a five star long time ago), you could easily consume 10,000 calories at their extremely generous buffet breakfast on the beautiful rooftop dining area, which included such delicacies as Neapolitan sfogliatelle and Sicilian cannoli.

anj

when we stayed in rome, we stayed a hotel run by the "jolly hotel" chain - just "okay" accomodations - but my gosh, the breakfast buffet tables were stacked to the max. to add to the other comments - i saw lots of small packages of nutella and jellies. i would usually stash a couple of the hard rolls with some cheese in a napkin and put them in my purse - a couple of days we bought some fresh tomatoes and put those in the rolls, too - and sat out on a square and had them for lunch!

Jim

I highly suggest getting away at least one morning and having breakfast at one of the local "bars." If you stand at the bar, as most locals do, it is not very expensive, and you'll get a great capucino and often much better rolls or pastries than at the hotel.<BR><BR>Also a chance to interact with the locals, and get away from your tour group for a minute.

roco

Thanks so much for all of the "perfect" answers. I have never had a cup of coffee in my life---nor have I ever been to Europe, so a tour it has to be!!<BR><BR>I like the suggestion where I should go to a 'stand-up bar' and GET AWAY FROM THE TOUR GROUP! I already want to get away from it--and the tour is NOT until November!! Since I don't drink coffee, I just may have a shot of Amaretto or Port in lieu of the requisite coffee. This should make the tour bus tolerable!<BR>Who needs food? Besides, if you mingle with the locals in Italy, maybe I can get in on all of the "hugging."

Donelle

My husband and I just returned from a stay at one of the Leonardi Hotels---Hotel Daniela...breakfast consisted of rolls, sweet pastries, assorted meats and cheese, cereal, tomatoes, fruit, coffee, juice, and little packages of toast. It was delicious and quite filling every morning beginning at 7am. By the way, thanks to all who replied to my initial request for side trips for this surprise visit for my hubby..was a trip of a lifetime!

tom

stale rolls, strong coffee, the smell of diesel and the whine of a moped.

Kay

My daughter stayed at the Bauer in Venice and although there was a lovely buffet, those on the AX tour did not get to partake. They got bread rolls and coffee. If you see a lavish spread, make sure you don't have to pay extra for it, otherwise you might be surprised by the bill. When my room includes breakfast, I ask when I make my reservation whether it is a continental breakfast (basically bread) or a full buffet breakfast.

Toni

I took a tour of Italy last November...Some of the hotels were (4) star others were lower-tier...Every hotel had nothing but coffee, juice, hard rolls and what was considered pastry...If you can afford it, run out and get your own breakfast...That's what I did...