Budman's Trip Report to Ireland
Oct 14th, 2004, 04:18 PM
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Budman's Trip Report to Ireland
The Flight. Flew Newark to Rome on Alitalia. This was a Delta code share and I could use my miles toward my Continental FF account. When I got to Newark to check in with Alitalia, they had my wife and I sitting in different sections of the aircraft. The ticket agent said there was nothing together so I had to check at the gate to see if they could get a couple of seat together.
I was not a happy camper since I booked this flight and reserved the seat assignments months in advance (20 B&C for both segments). Luckily, there was a Delta agent at the gate, and I put on my sad face and whined to the agent, so she put us in bulkhead seats, Row 14. Yippee. They must save those seats for families. I was now concerned about the return flight seating. Will explain later. It worked out fine.
Arrived Rome on time and walked to Passport Control. It was a hike from the gate, and we walked into a freakin zoo. There was one line for EU people and 4 lines for the rest of the cattle. There was no order, no lines, and everything was total chaos. Welcome to Italy. Took us over an hour to get thru Passport Control, The only redeeming factor was our luggage was waiting for us at the other end.
Rental Car. We rented thru Autoeurope. I requested a diesel, and it was the best decision I made the entire trip. I got great gas mileage and diesel fuel was about $1.00 per gallon cheaper than regular unleaded. I found out when I got back that I got charged an additional $72.00 to add my wife as an additional driver, and for the road tax.
Off to Orvieto. I decided to take the S2 thru Viterbo to Locanda Rosati. We arrived about 12:30, and we were allowed to check in. Maureen wanted to crash and nap, and I wanted to get something to eat -- so we did our own thing. I tucked her in and went out to a little place about a block down the street -- Trattoria la Mora.
I forgot my menu/language translator book, and nobody in the restaurant understood English. I managed very well, convincing them that I wanted what the guy next to me was eating (a huge grilled pork chop), and some wine and water. They brought me a litre bottle of red house wine, a litre bottle of water, then the chop with some spinach. I didn't drink the whole bottle of wine, but I guess I could have, so when I asked for the check, you could just picture the smile on my face from ear to ear when I saw that the wine only cost me 2 Euro. I thought to myself that if this is any indication of things to come, I'm really going to enjoy Tuscany. The entire meal, wine and all cost 10 Euro, including copato (sp) (every place we ate at seemed to charge this fee -- kinda of like a set up of bread and place setting).
Additionally, I knew Maureen would be hungry after her nap, so I somehow got them to make a to-go order of linguine with a red sauce. She really enjoyed it.
I was not a happy camper since I booked this flight and reserved the seat assignments months in advance (20 B&C for both segments). Luckily, there was a Delta agent at the gate, and I put on my sad face and whined to the agent, so she put us in bulkhead seats, Row 14. Yippee. They must save those seats for families. I was now concerned about the return flight seating. Will explain later. It worked out fine.
Arrived Rome on time and walked to Passport Control. It was a hike from the gate, and we walked into a freakin zoo. There was one line for EU people and 4 lines for the rest of the cattle. There was no order, no lines, and everything was total chaos. Welcome to Italy. Took us over an hour to get thru Passport Control, The only redeeming factor was our luggage was waiting for us at the other end.
Rental Car. We rented thru Autoeurope. I requested a diesel, and it was the best decision I made the entire trip. I got great gas mileage and diesel fuel was about $1.00 per gallon cheaper than regular unleaded. I found out when I got back that I got charged an additional $72.00 to add my wife as an additional driver, and for the road tax.
Off to Orvieto. I decided to take the S2 thru Viterbo to Locanda Rosati. We arrived about 12:30, and we were allowed to check in. Maureen wanted to crash and nap, and I wanted to get something to eat -- so we did our own thing. I tucked her in and went out to a little place about a block down the street -- Trattoria la Mora.
I forgot my menu/language translator book, and nobody in the restaurant understood English. I managed very well, convincing them that I wanted what the guy next to me was eating (a huge grilled pork chop), and some wine and water. They brought me a litre bottle of red house wine, a litre bottle of water, then the chop with some spinach. I didn't drink the whole bottle of wine, but I guess I could have, so when I asked for the check, you could just picture the smile on my face from ear to ear when I saw that the wine only cost me 2 Euro. I thought to myself that if this is any indication of things to come, I'm really going to enjoy Tuscany. The entire meal, wine and all cost 10 Euro, including copato (sp) (every place we ate at seemed to charge this fee -- kinda of like a set up of bread and place setting).
Additionally, I knew Maureen would be hungry after her nap, so I somehow got them to make a to-go order of linguine with a red sauce. She really enjoyed it.
Oct 14th, 2004, 04:23 PM
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After our short naps & showers, we set off to Orvieto. I asked the receptionist at Locanda Rosati to make us a luncheon reservation at I Sette Consoli, since it seems to be a popular Fodorite place for lunch. Locanda Rosati is about a 5-7 mile drive from Orvieto. It would not be convenient to stay there without transportation, in my opinion.
On the drive to Orvieto, since Locanda Rosati was up on an adjoining hill, there were some great places to pull off the road and take some Kodak moments of Orvieto -- it was a wonderful sight to see and some of the first picturesque scenery of our trip.
The receptionist gave us a map of Orvieto and told us to enter the city from the opposite side of the funicular. We drove up into the city and parked in a paid area right near the Duomo. Only cost a couple of Euro for the 2-3 hours we were there.
Among the shopping/walking around (what a great little town -- not to be missed), we strolled down to I Sette Consoli to check out where it was located and to brouse their menu that was posted outside. We looked at their 5-course tasting menu (40 Euros per person without wine) which was in both Italian and English, and Maureen said to me -- I'm not eating deer, pigeon, rabbit, or squid (they were 4 of the 5 courses). I didn't have a problem with eating those things, but the menu stated that everyone at the table had to have the 5-course menu -- Maureen could not order ala carte, so we cancelled our reservation.
Back to the Locanda for dinner -- 4 courses with all the wine, grappa, and limoncello you could want. It was served family style, and there were about 15-20 other people there that we could share our experiences with -- Since we were just starting off, we got some great info from the folks. The first 2 courses were different types of pasta. When I went back for seconds on each, Maureen said, "Oh for a person who doesn't care for pasta, look at you." The main course was rosemary chicken in a nice sauce with creamed carrots and onions. It was fresh and delicious. Cost per person was 27.5 Euros.
We checked out the following morning. I had absolutely no headache from the wine and limoncello. The wine was his own vino de tavola that he ordered from a local winery, and the limoncello was wonderful!! I gave him a bottle of my Bud-brew 2002 super tuscan that he said he liked and had shared with his friends in Orvieto.
We left our luggage in the reception area while we went back to Orvieto. Took the underground tour. It was very interesting and well worth it. You can get tickets for this at the tourist office directly across the square from the main entrance to the Duomo. It was about a 45-minute tour. You had to make a reservation to get a tour in English -- given about every couple of hours or so.
Finished up shopping and headed back to the Locanda for lunch at Trattoria la Mora. Don't remember what we had, but it was very reasonable. I held back on the wine because I had to drive to Montepulciano after we collected our luggage.
We decided to take the A-1 from Orvieto to Montepulciano. It was just a short distance and cost 2.1 Euros for the toll.
On the drive to Orvieto, since Locanda Rosati was up on an adjoining hill, there were some great places to pull off the road and take some Kodak moments of Orvieto -- it was a wonderful sight to see and some of the first picturesque scenery of our trip.
The receptionist gave us a map of Orvieto and told us to enter the city from the opposite side of the funicular. We drove up into the city and parked in a paid area right near the Duomo. Only cost a couple of Euro for the 2-3 hours we were there.
Among the shopping/walking around (what a great little town -- not to be missed), we strolled down to I Sette Consoli to check out where it was located and to brouse their menu that was posted outside. We looked at their 5-course tasting menu (40 Euros per person without wine) which was in both Italian and English, and Maureen said to me -- I'm not eating deer, pigeon, rabbit, or squid (they were 4 of the 5 courses). I didn't have a problem with eating those things, but the menu stated that everyone at the table had to have the 5-course menu -- Maureen could not order ala carte, so we cancelled our reservation.
Back to the Locanda for dinner -- 4 courses with all the wine, grappa, and limoncello you could want. It was served family style, and there were about 15-20 other people there that we could share our experiences with -- Since we were just starting off, we got some great info from the folks. The first 2 courses were different types of pasta. When I went back for seconds on each, Maureen said, "Oh for a person who doesn't care for pasta, look at you." The main course was rosemary chicken in a nice sauce with creamed carrots and onions. It was fresh and delicious. Cost per person was 27.5 Euros.
We checked out the following morning. I had absolutely no headache from the wine and limoncello. The wine was his own vino de tavola that he ordered from a local winery, and the limoncello was wonderful!! I gave him a bottle of my Bud-brew 2002 super tuscan that he said he liked and had shared with his friends in Orvieto.
We left our luggage in the reception area while we went back to Orvieto. Took the underground tour. It was very interesting and well worth it. You can get tickets for this at the tourist office directly across the square from the main entrance to the Duomo. It was about a 45-minute tour. You had to make a reservation to get a tour in English -- given about every couple of hours or so.
Finished up shopping and headed back to the Locanda for lunch at Trattoria la Mora. Don't remember what we had, but it was very reasonable. I held back on the wine because I had to drive to Montepulciano after we collected our luggage.
We decided to take the A-1 from Orvieto to Montepulciano. It was just a short distance and cost 2.1 Euros for the toll.
Oct 14th, 2004, 04:27 PM
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Here is the cut/paste portion that I had previously posted. I'll edit it a little more.
We booked both apartments 6 months in advance as my brother and his wife were going to accompany us and the apartments had a door that adjoined the two. We thought this was ideal for getting together for snacks & trip planning, wine drinking, etc.
Well, my brother had to cancel, and for some reason I thought I would be getting Apartment #1, the same one Monica Pileggi stayed in, but when we arrived -- Oops, we were given Apt #2.
Even after Monica gave us directions, we still got a little lost finding the apartment. We arrived late Saturday afternoon and rang the doorbell. Giacomo was not at home, and we were greeted by his lovely mother and the cleaning lady, who by the way spoke no English at all. After going thru all the hand signals, we seemed to break all the ?codes? we needed to get situated, i.e., which keys went to which doors, yada, yada, yada.
Now, to get the kitchen sink (pet name for my wife's suitcase) up to Apartment #2. I remember it was either me or someone else asking how many steps to get up to the Apartment, and the answer was about 25 or so, but Giacomo carried her luggage up there for her. Well, here's the not so good news to get to Apt #2. Up 17 steps to the first landing, then another 5-6 steps to another landing. To get from there to Apt #1, you would turn right at the second landing, then up 17 more steps to get into Apt #1.
To get to Apt #2, once you get to the second landing, you go outside to the back courtyard, down 10-12 steps, across the courtyard (100 feet or so), and head up 17 wrought iron steps to get into the Apt. Once you open the outside door to enter the apartment, there were another 10 steps to get up to the apartment. Guess what happened to Budman on several occasions? He forgot something in either the car or the apartment and had to go back and forth and get it.
We headed out to the supermarket (Conad) to buy some cheese, salami, bread, water, more cheese, OJ, snacks, etc. A 6-pack of 1.5 litre bottles of water was 2.76 Euro (a little over $3) -- great deal. We went thru that plus some during the week. We had a couple of 20oz water bottles that we brought with us in our carry-on, and we used them to refill for day trips. I later found out that there is a little local market a few blocks from the Apt which had just about everything you would need. I would use that next time instead of going to the supermmarket.
We had a little problem finding Conad. It is out the back gate of the town the other end of the town from where we were staying, down a little street just to the left of the Esso gas station. We drove there on the road that circled the city.
You are probably waiting to hear more about the Apartment? Well, here goes.
-- There is no radio, TV, air-conditioning, and no washing machine, but you should not have any problem entertaining yourselves. I was counting on the washing machine as I brought fewer clothes and was going to use it about mid-week. I ended up going down the street. There was a little place you could drop the stuff off, and she washed/dried/folded for 10 Euro.
-- There was plenty of hot water (no switch to turn on/off) for back-to-back showers and my shaving. Great water pressure. The shower stall was tiny, tiny, tiny. You had to squeeze to get into it, and when you closed the doors there was very little room to move. I know you are going to be on your honeymoon, but don't even think of showering together. Additionally, there was no shelf in the shower to put your soap or shampoo bottles. Oh, by the way, bring your own big bar of soap and wash cloth. Don't forget. The towels are not what you are used to at home. Just a little thicker than a bed sheet.
-- There are 2 bedrooms, master with wrought iron canopy bed (it is a little squeaky) and a second bedroom with 2 single beds. We used the two single bed pillows. The views from both bedrooms are just as you see on the website, if not better, especially in the mornings and evenings.
-- Giacomo had a can of coffee and a bottle of red & white in the Apartment for us. I shared a bottle of my super tuscan with him. I had to get some brief instructions on how to use the coffee maker. It makes one cup at a time.
The best part of Montepulciano was the wine, especially the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. I really liked this stuff. There were a lot of enotecas in the village, but I thought the best one was Crociani which was right across the street from the apartment and down a building or two. They had the best prices too. I bought a case of wine from them and the provided the Styrofoam containers free of charge so I could put it with my checked baggage (you are allowed 4 checked bags -- I had 3 bags and one box of wine for the 4 th bag. I also carried 8 bottles in my carry-on.
I ended up buying 12 Reserves (a Reserve is 3 years in the barrel and 6 months in the bottle before they can release it as a reserve). 6 of the 99's (13.5 Euro each), 3 of the 97's (15 or 16 Euro each), and 3 of the 95's (20 Euro each).
Additionally, when I was in their shop tasting, I learned that they are good friends with Giacomo, and it certainly helped letting them know I was staying in one of his apartments. I also learned that they sold their own vino da tavola by observing some of the locals bringing in their empties to be refilled. I asked if I could buy some, and they gave me 2 of their empty tasting bottles, magic markered the labels, filled them both, and when I asked how much, she said "Two Euro." Budman instantly "died and went to heaven."
We booked both apartments 6 months in advance as my brother and his wife were going to accompany us and the apartments had a door that adjoined the two. We thought this was ideal for getting together for snacks & trip planning, wine drinking, etc.
Well, my brother had to cancel, and for some reason I thought I would be getting Apartment #1, the same one Monica Pileggi stayed in, but when we arrived -- Oops, we were given Apt #2.
Even after Monica gave us directions, we still got a little lost finding the apartment. We arrived late Saturday afternoon and rang the doorbell. Giacomo was not at home, and we were greeted by his lovely mother and the cleaning lady, who by the way spoke no English at all. After going thru all the hand signals, we seemed to break all the ?codes? we needed to get situated, i.e., which keys went to which doors, yada, yada, yada.
Now, to get the kitchen sink (pet name for my wife's suitcase) up to Apartment #2. I remember it was either me or someone else asking how many steps to get up to the Apartment, and the answer was about 25 or so, but Giacomo carried her luggage up there for her. Well, here's the not so good news to get to Apt #2. Up 17 steps to the first landing, then another 5-6 steps to another landing. To get from there to Apt #1, you would turn right at the second landing, then up 17 more steps to get into Apt #1.
To get to Apt #2, once you get to the second landing, you go outside to the back courtyard, down 10-12 steps, across the courtyard (100 feet or so), and head up 17 wrought iron steps to get into the Apt. Once you open the outside door to enter the apartment, there were another 10 steps to get up to the apartment. Guess what happened to Budman on several occasions? He forgot something in either the car or the apartment and had to go back and forth and get it.
We headed out to the supermarket (Conad) to buy some cheese, salami, bread, water, more cheese, OJ, snacks, etc. A 6-pack of 1.5 litre bottles of water was 2.76 Euro (a little over $3) -- great deal. We went thru that plus some during the week. We had a couple of 20oz water bottles that we brought with us in our carry-on, and we used them to refill for day trips. I later found out that there is a little local market a few blocks from the Apt which had just about everything you would need. I would use that next time instead of going to the supermmarket.
We had a little problem finding Conad. It is out the back gate of the town the other end of the town from where we were staying, down a little street just to the left of the Esso gas station. We drove there on the road that circled the city.
You are probably waiting to hear more about the Apartment? Well, here goes.
-- There is no radio, TV, air-conditioning, and no washing machine, but you should not have any problem entertaining yourselves. I was counting on the washing machine as I brought fewer clothes and was going to use it about mid-week. I ended up going down the street. There was a little place you could drop the stuff off, and she washed/dried/folded for 10 Euro.
-- There was plenty of hot water (no switch to turn on/off) for back-to-back showers and my shaving. Great water pressure. The shower stall was tiny, tiny, tiny. You had to squeeze to get into it, and when you closed the doors there was very little room to move. I know you are going to be on your honeymoon, but don't even think of showering together. Additionally, there was no shelf in the shower to put your soap or shampoo bottles. Oh, by the way, bring your own big bar of soap and wash cloth. Don't forget. The towels are not what you are used to at home. Just a little thicker than a bed sheet.
-- There are 2 bedrooms, master with wrought iron canopy bed (it is a little squeaky) and a second bedroom with 2 single beds. We used the two single bed pillows. The views from both bedrooms are just as you see on the website, if not better, especially in the mornings and evenings.
-- Giacomo had a can of coffee and a bottle of red & white in the Apartment for us. I shared a bottle of my super tuscan with him. I had to get some brief instructions on how to use the coffee maker. It makes one cup at a time.
The best part of Montepulciano was the wine, especially the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. I really liked this stuff. There were a lot of enotecas in the village, but I thought the best one was Crociani which was right across the street from the apartment and down a building or two. They had the best prices too. I bought a case of wine from them and the provided the Styrofoam containers free of charge so I could put it with my checked baggage (you are allowed 4 checked bags -- I had 3 bags and one box of wine for the 4 th bag. I also carried 8 bottles in my carry-on.
I ended up buying 12 Reserves (a Reserve is 3 years in the barrel and 6 months in the bottle before they can release it as a reserve). 6 of the 99's (13.5 Euro each), 3 of the 97's (15 or 16 Euro each), and 3 of the 95's (20 Euro each).
Additionally, when I was in their shop tasting, I learned that they are good friends with Giacomo, and it certainly helped letting them know I was staying in one of his apartments. I also learned that they sold their own vino da tavola by observing some of the locals bringing in their empties to be refilled. I asked if I could buy some, and they gave me 2 of their empty tasting bottles, magic markered the labels, filled them both, and when I asked how much, she said "Two Euro." Budman instantly "died and went to heaven."
Oct 14th, 2004, 04:27 PM
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Montepulciano is such a great place to do short day trips, or just to spend some time in the town itself.
One day we went to Bagno Vignoni to partake of the spa. It was closed on Thursday for cleaning. We were directed to Bagno San Filippo which was just a few miles south. Spent a couple of hours at the pool and hot waterfalls. Cost was 7 Euro per person, 2 Euro for a huge towel, and they had lockers and showers and changing rooms.
One day trip to Montalcino and did the Fortezza thingy to taste the Brunellos. Sampled 3 different 97's for the cost of 12 Euro ($15). Good, pricy, but $40-$50 for a bottle of wine is a little bit out of my price range.
A lot of the wineries in the area had signs out in front saying Vendito Directo (or something like that). They were selling wine & olive oil direct to the public. We stopped at a place off the beaten track and went in and rang the bell. I did buy one Brunello from this place. It was very good. We hit several of these mom & pop places. They had some good stuff.
Had lunch at Castello Banfi. Had to make reservations for lunch and tour. Tour was free -- lunch cost 80 Euro with wine. But my wife doesn't drink wine, so I helped out so she wouldn't be embarrassed leaving a full glass. 3 Course lunch consisted of salami, bread/veg soup, and pork chop & sausage for the last course, with coffee. They had a different wine with each course - sav Blanc, super tuscan, and brunello. They did keep your glasses charged. The Banfi wines were excellent -- free tastings also.
The wine tour was interesting to see, but I wouldn't waste your time.
Drove to Florence -- Maureen wanted to spend a day, so I did my duty. The drive up S222 was well worth the trip, with a stop in Castelina in Chianti for a stroll and some wine tastings. Picked up a couple of bottles of Chianti Classico Reserve '99. Very nice.
Drove back thru Radda in Chianti -- I think next trip we'll spend more time in that entire area.
Had the best dinner of our trip in Monticchiello, just a short distance from Montepulciano. We got lost finding the place, ended up on a dirt road, and all Maureen would say was that she wasn't driving back on this road in the dark if I were to imbibe. We were definitely lost, but we found a paved road and Monticchiello. It was a great little town with only a couple of places. We had dinner at Taverna di Moranda -- which was recommended by a fellow Fodorite. If anyone plans to go there, if you can believe it, the one day of the week that they close is Friday.
The best gelato we had was in Montepulciano, about 2/3 way down the hill on the left hand side, directly across from a butcher shop. Small little place, but it was the best. We did stop in, and I had a gelato at Cafe Poliziano. It was the worst!!
On our way back to Rome we stopped off again in Orvieto and stayed at Locanda Rosati. We had no plans to go back into Orvieto, but Maureen read one of the posts about someone sneaking down in their PJ's to get a gelato at the shop by the Duomo. So, on our way, we stopped to get one, and I stayed in the car while she went into the shop. It was good, but in our opinion, the one in Montepulciano was our favorite.
Oh, on the way back to Orvieto, a local recommended we stop and see Castiglione del Lago. Nice town overlooking the lake -- we had lunch at a place on the lake. Also, driving down to stop and see Citta della Pieve. Next time worth a few hours. They were filming something when we drove thru. Stayed the S71 down to Orvieto. What a nice drive thru the rolling hills.
The reason for the stop in Orvieto was that I wanted to see Bagnoregio Civita. I'm glad I did. What a great place -- A must see!!! I had a hard time getting Maureen back and forth across the bridge.
The night before we departed, we stayed at the Holiday Inn Parco Dei Medici outside of town. Checked in around Noon dropped off the car. While at the airport I have my sad story to a cute Alitalia agent who sympathized with me about the loss of my seat assignments. She booked us in the emergency exit bulkhead seats. Yeah!! Leg room round trip. We took the Holiday Inn bus back to the hotel, and took the Holiday Inn bus into town for a few hours. Had dinner at the Holiday Inn that night - It was just OK, but pricy. Their breakfast the morning we left was great!!!
I'm shooting from the hip -- wish I could remember more, but I'm not one to take notes.
I recommend anybody renting in Italy to get a diesel. Great gas mileage and cheaper than regular gas.
Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
One day we went to Bagno Vignoni to partake of the spa. It was closed on Thursday for cleaning. We were directed to Bagno San Filippo which was just a few miles south. Spent a couple of hours at the pool and hot waterfalls. Cost was 7 Euro per person, 2 Euro for a huge towel, and they had lockers and showers and changing rooms.
One day trip to Montalcino and did the Fortezza thingy to taste the Brunellos. Sampled 3 different 97's for the cost of 12 Euro ($15). Good, pricy, but $40-$50 for a bottle of wine is a little bit out of my price range.
A lot of the wineries in the area had signs out in front saying Vendito Directo (or something like that). They were selling wine & olive oil direct to the public. We stopped at a place off the beaten track and went in and rang the bell. I did buy one Brunello from this place. It was very good. We hit several of these mom & pop places. They had some good stuff.
Had lunch at Castello Banfi. Had to make reservations for lunch and tour. Tour was free -- lunch cost 80 Euro with wine. But my wife doesn't drink wine, so I helped out so she wouldn't be embarrassed leaving a full glass. 3 Course lunch consisted of salami, bread/veg soup, and pork chop & sausage for the last course, with coffee. They had a different wine with each course - sav Blanc, super tuscan, and brunello. They did keep your glasses charged. The Banfi wines were excellent -- free tastings also.
The wine tour was interesting to see, but I wouldn't waste your time.
Drove to Florence -- Maureen wanted to spend a day, so I did my duty. The drive up S222 was well worth the trip, with a stop in Castelina in Chianti for a stroll and some wine tastings. Picked up a couple of bottles of Chianti Classico Reserve '99. Very nice.
Drove back thru Radda in Chianti -- I think next trip we'll spend more time in that entire area.
Had the best dinner of our trip in Monticchiello, just a short distance from Montepulciano. We got lost finding the place, ended up on a dirt road, and all Maureen would say was that she wasn't driving back on this road in the dark if I were to imbibe. We were definitely lost, but we found a paved road and Monticchiello. It was a great little town with only a couple of places. We had dinner at Taverna di Moranda -- which was recommended by a fellow Fodorite. If anyone plans to go there, if you can believe it, the one day of the week that they close is Friday.
The best gelato we had was in Montepulciano, about 2/3 way down the hill on the left hand side, directly across from a butcher shop. Small little place, but it was the best. We did stop in, and I had a gelato at Cafe Poliziano. It was the worst!!
On our way back to Rome we stopped off again in Orvieto and stayed at Locanda Rosati. We had no plans to go back into Orvieto, but Maureen read one of the posts about someone sneaking down in their PJ's to get a gelato at the shop by the Duomo. So, on our way, we stopped to get one, and I stayed in the car while she went into the shop. It was good, but in our opinion, the one in Montepulciano was our favorite.
Oh, on the way back to Orvieto, a local recommended we stop and see Castiglione del Lago. Nice town overlooking the lake -- we had lunch at a place on the lake. Also, driving down to stop and see Citta della Pieve. Next time worth a few hours. They were filming something when we drove thru. Stayed the S71 down to Orvieto. What a nice drive thru the rolling hills.
The reason for the stop in Orvieto was that I wanted to see Bagnoregio Civita. I'm glad I did. What a great place -- A must see!!! I had a hard time getting Maureen back and forth across the bridge.
The night before we departed, we stayed at the Holiday Inn Parco Dei Medici outside of town. Checked in around Noon dropped off the car. While at the airport I have my sad story to a cute Alitalia agent who sympathized with me about the loss of my seat assignments. She booked us in the emergency exit bulkhead seats. Yeah!! Leg room round trip. We took the Holiday Inn bus back to the hotel, and took the Holiday Inn bus into town for a few hours. Had dinner at the Holiday Inn that night - It was just OK, but pricy. Their breakfast the morning we left was great!!!
I'm shooting from the hip -- wish I could remember more, but I'm not one to take notes.
I recommend anybody renting in Italy to get a diesel. Great gas mileage and cheaper than regular gas.
Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Oct 14th, 2004, 05:04 PM
#7
Budman, Yu must have had a lot of wine to think you were in Ireland. Or maybe you snuck in a couple of Guinness. Anyway, good report. I will be in Tuscany and Umbria for 11 nights next year, so get ready for questions later.
Oct 14th, 2004, 06:46 PM
#11
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I really enjoyed your report, Budman. It is my ultimate dream to visit Italy! Nice of you to pass up on the pidgeon for your wife 
I don't think there would be enough wine in Italy for me to eat pidgeon 
I don't think there would be enough wine in Italy for me to eat pidgeon
Oct 14th, 2004, 07:01 PM
#13
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Budman, thanks for sharing your trip. I too love Orieto. You made me feel like I was there again.
When I read the "Report to Ireland" and than read "Newark to Rome on Alitalia" I thought, well that is a different way to fly to Ireland. Too funny
I can only imagine how much you enjoyed tasting the various wines.
Your trip sounds wonderful.
When I read the "Report to Ireland" and than read "Newark to Rome on Alitalia" I thought, well that is a different way to fly to Ireland. Too funny
I can only imagine how much you enjoyed tasting the various wines.
Your trip sounds wonderful.
Oct 15th, 2004, 03:50 AM
#14
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<"How did you manage with the wine on the plane? or was it in the kitchen sink?">
The winery which I bought the wine had cardboard/styrofoam containers that held 6 bottles in a row. They filled them and strapped the two containers together. The kitchen sink, along with the wine, and my two pieces of luggage were my 4 pieces of checked baggage. The other 8 bottles were carry-on (5 in my small roller, and the other 3 in my backpack.
The winery which I bought the wine had cardboard/styrofoam containers that held 6 bottles in a row. They filled them and strapped the two containers together. The kitchen sink, along with the wine, and my two pieces of luggage were my 4 pieces of checked baggage. The other 8 bottles were carry-on (5 in my small roller, and the other 3 in my backpack.
Oct 15th, 2004, 04:42 AM
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Great trip report! Glad you enjoyed your time in Tuscany. Interesting to read about Apartment #2. I'll have to remember that and only recommend #1. Giacomo may be interested in reading your comments - maybe he'll update the bathroom. Or create a better way to get to the apartment without all those steps.
On my Nov 2001 trip with my cousin Reenie, we too visited the underground caves in Orvieto. Very interesting!
Was the price of renting a deisel car the same as renting an unleaded car? Smart move.
Ciao!
Monica
On my Nov 2001 trip with my cousin Reenie, we too visited the underground caves in Orvieto. Very interesting!
Was the price of renting a deisel car the same as renting an unleaded car? Smart move.
Ciao!
Monica
Oct 15th, 2004, 05:06 AM
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Fun report Budman. Thanks!!
One question. If you did get directions from mappy.com or any other online routing service, how long did the actual drive take, compared to what was given online? Does 50% extra sound ok?
One question. If you did get directions from mappy.com or any other online routing service, how long did the actual drive take, compared to what was given online? Does 50% extra sound ok?
Oct 15th, 2004, 05:38 AM
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Monica, the diesel car was the same price. When we were in Germany in 2001 I rented a BMW diesel, and I remembered how much better the mileage was plus the cost of fuel.
Apt #2 wasn't really that bad, once I got the kitchen sink up there. It would have been nice to have the washing machine.
Jocelyn_P, probably Hawaii in May 2005. Is that a good time of the year?
ssachida, I used mapquest before hand to get a feel for distance & driving time. I wasn't on a hurry-up schedule, and we basically stayed in the local area. We got the Michelin 563 Regional, and it did not have enough detail. Also had the TCI, which was much much better.
Monica, I missed the hair-pin turn to the right. Instead I went straight and around the back side of town near the end, then back up the main street. I actually found it by accident. We stopped to look again at the map when we saw a street sign, then looked up and there was the door leading into Giacomo's Apt with the curtain covering the door -- I remembered it from one of your pictures.
Apt #2 wasn't really that bad, once I got the kitchen sink up there. It would have been nice to have the washing machine.
Jocelyn_P, probably Hawaii in May 2005. Is that a good time of the year?
ssachida, I used mapquest before hand to get a feel for distance & driving time. I wasn't on a hurry-up schedule, and we basically stayed in the local area. We got the Michelin 563 Regional, and it did not have enough detail. Also had the TCI, which was much much better.
Monica, I missed the hair-pin turn to the right. Instead I went straight and around the back side of town near the end, then back up the main street. I actually found it by accident. We stopped to look again at the map when we saw a street sign, then looked up and there was the door leading into Giacomo's Apt with the curtain covering the door -- I remembered it from one of your pictures.
Oct 15th, 2004, 05:58 AM
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Since it was so close, we went back to Monticchiello a day or so later because we wanted to see it during the daylight. What a nice little walled town. There was a little cafe right before you enter the city. We stopped in there, had some brushetta and a glass of wine and watched the sunset over the rolling hills. Nice.
