Europeannovice Expands to Italy-Rome-Florence-Sorrento-Rome
Aug 14th, 2018, 01:07 PM
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PegS--We used a combination of Rome Cabs for airport transfers which were very reliable and efficient and local Rome taxi companies that you call ahead of time or ask for a specific pick up time. The hotel gave us a taxi company to use. It was about 70 euro if I recall correctly for the longest distance from Rome to Tivoli. For on the way back from Tivoli, we got the name of a local taxi company and had someone call for us for the pickup and drop off at Aqueduct park. We then called again a local taxi company for the drop off at the catacombs etc. I don't remember exactly how much each leg was that day. It was costly but in the grand scheme of things it helped us to see what we wanted to in a limited amount of time. We didn't want to wait for the buses and wasn't sure how reliable the metro would be on a weekend schedule from the Aqueduct park to the catacombs and back to the city center.
I just saw your January post--As you can tell from my trip report I highly recommend Palazzo Massimo--for the Livia Frescoes alone it is worth a visit and then there is the mosaics and coin collection! In addition, we really enjoyed the Baths of Caracalla so glad you are adding that to your list. When touring the Campagna, we did Herculaneum and Pompeii first then did the museum. I don't know if the order matters much but it really helps to have a guide for these things.
I just saw your January post--As you can tell from my trip report I highly recommend Palazzo Massimo--for the Livia Frescoes alone it is worth a visit and then there is the mosaics and coin collection! In addition, we really enjoyed the Baths of Caracalla so glad you are adding that to your list. When touring the Campagna, we did Herculaneum and Pompeii first then did the museum. I don't know if the order matters much but it really helps to have a guide for these things.
Last edited by europeannovice; Aug 14th, 2018 at 01:16 PM. Reason: add more detail
Aug 14th, 2018, 05:55 PM
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We stayed at the Hotel Artemide which was in a fabulous location near Termini but far enough away and really centrally located to all the major attractions except maybe the Vatican. Other than the big taxi day out of the city--we walked everywhere in the city and took the metro over to the Vatican area on our last day at the end of the trip where we had scored a Scavi ticket to the Basilica earlier in the day and a night time visit to the museums. (more on that later).
When looking for areas and places to stay for a first time visitor, the area around Pantheon and Piazza Navonna kept popping up as suggestions but the more I read about those areas the more I thought it would be really noisy and crowded. Hotel Artemide is on a very busy street but at night it was very quiet. The rooms are small but well equipped and beautifully appointed. The hotel staff are so extremely friendly and helpful. The breakfast buffet was fabulous. I could go on and on giving it rave reviews.
When we visited the Pantheon although it was late in the day, the square was teaming with people everywhere outside and inside. The Pantheon is beautiful but it was a little difficult to appreciate when you are wall to wall with other people. Then we walked passed the Trevi Fountain on our way back to our hotel and we couldn't get near it that evening. We had to get up super early in the morning on another day and then finally it was a world of difference. There were a few crazy tourists like us that early in the morning but it was calm and we got to appreciate the marble sculpture of the fountain along with being able to toss our coin.
That's probably another reason why we loved Palazzo Massimo and the National Etruscan Museum--two hidden gems that so far have avoided the throngs of tourist crowds. The Baths of Caracalla also doesn't get many visitors. At least at the Borghese Gallery they give out timed tickets for crowd control. We reserved for the 5PM slot so there was no group coming in after us which also helped us to enjoy that museum immensely. Those Bernini sculptures are remarkable. The detailing and the human look made out of marble! The Capitoline Museum although crowded, was not unbearable. Maybe because of its sheer size, it can absorb crowds better. The tabularium was great--like reading a census for the time period and the view from the terrace of the Roman Forum is wonderful. We loved all the museums we visited but Borghese Gallery and Palazzo Massimo would be on the top of our list. I also highly recommend an underground tour of the Colosseum. I understand now they also offer the Belevedere tour to the 3rd, 4th and 5th ring but that would involve a lot of climbing. We didn't do those sections.
Day 5--Rome in the Morning Florence in the Afternoon
Again we got up super early because we wanted to cover some spots we didn't get to earlier. We realized we didn't explore Piazza Navonna and wanted to see it before we left for Florence.
Piazza Navonna has 3 fountains and an obelisk and as I mentioned is one of the choice areas for most first time visitors but we were very happy with our location.
The Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers) I believe is another Bernini Fountain. In Rome, you can't escape Bernini. The other two fountains are called Fontana del Moro and Fontana del Nettuno (Fountain of Neptune). The Piazza was nice and quiet in the early morning hours. We stopped and had a cappuccino al banco--standing up at the bar area.
We walked by the Pantheon again hoping to go back in when less crowded but it didn’t open that day until 9:30AM and it was still early. We also walked passed the elephant obelisk in Piazza della Minerva. Another Bernini!
From there we walked to the bottom of the Spanish steps where there is another fountain and of course more of the beautiful azaleas lining the steps.
We actually went back to our hotel still in time for breakfast. This hotel had the best breakfast of our entire stay. We checked out and went to Termini Station to catch our fast train to Florence.
There were so many tunnels from Rome to Florence that it hurt my ears every time we entered one. The entire trip on the fast train is only 1 hour and a half.
There was loads of graffiti all around the train station in Firenze. My first impression of Florence from the train was not very good. We took a taxi over to the hotel.
I had purchased the Firenze Card from home but we needed to convert the voucher to real tickets. We walked over the Palazzo Vecchio bridge with swarms and swarms of people. You could barely move it was so crowded. We went to the ticket window of Pitti Palace only to be told they don’t have the Firenze card we need and that we should go to the information booth on the other side of the Oltrarno which is where we had come from. They were listed as one of the pickup points. Instead we walked over to the Brancacci Chapel. They allowed us to exchange the voucher for the Firenze Card and we were able to visit the Chapel at the 3PM time slot. Yay!
The Brancacci Chapel has wonderful paintings of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and then the expulsion from the Garden. The paintings are by Masaccio and Masolino. The chapel contains paintings by Filippino Lippi as well.
After our visit we walked back over to Pitti Palace with Firenze card in hand and toured the Pitti Palace from 4-6:30PM. We visited the Palatine Gallery and Apartments with its massive picture galleries. Each room is more amazing than the next. We also visited the Costume Gallery and the modern art room. There was a treasures room as well. We skipped going out to the Boboli and Bardini Gardens because it was late but we were able to take many pictures at different vantage points of the Boboli gardens from the Pitti Palace windows.
We then walked to Natalino for dinner. We had ribolitto bean soup, veal and mushrooms, cheese cake and espresso. The ribolitto was more like a bean stew than a soup--there was hardly any broth but it was loaded with vegetables, beans and the bread. I liked it.
When looking for areas and places to stay for a first time visitor, the area around Pantheon and Piazza Navonna kept popping up as suggestions but the more I read about those areas the more I thought it would be really noisy and crowded. Hotel Artemide is on a very busy street but at night it was very quiet. The rooms are small but well equipped and beautifully appointed. The hotel staff are so extremely friendly and helpful. The breakfast buffet was fabulous. I could go on and on giving it rave reviews.
When we visited the Pantheon although it was late in the day, the square was teaming with people everywhere outside and inside. The Pantheon is beautiful but it was a little difficult to appreciate when you are wall to wall with other people. Then we walked passed the Trevi Fountain on our way back to our hotel and we couldn't get near it that evening. We had to get up super early in the morning on another day and then finally it was a world of difference. There were a few crazy tourists like us that early in the morning but it was calm and we got to appreciate the marble sculpture of the fountain along with being able to toss our coin.
That's probably another reason why we loved Palazzo Massimo and the National Etruscan Museum--two hidden gems that so far have avoided the throngs of tourist crowds. The Baths of Caracalla also doesn't get many visitors. At least at the Borghese Gallery they give out timed tickets for crowd control. We reserved for the 5PM slot so there was no group coming in after us which also helped us to enjoy that museum immensely. Those Bernini sculptures are remarkable. The detailing and the human look made out of marble! The Capitoline Museum although crowded, was not unbearable. Maybe because of its sheer size, it can absorb crowds better. The tabularium was great--like reading a census for the time period and the view from the terrace of the Roman Forum is wonderful. We loved all the museums we visited but Borghese Gallery and Palazzo Massimo would be on the top of our list. I also highly recommend an underground tour of the Colosseum. I understand now they also offer the Belevedere tour to the 3rd, 4th and 5th ring but that would involve a lot of climbing. We didn't do those sections.
Day 5--Rome in the Morning Florence in the Afternoon
Again we got up super early because we wanted to cover some spots we didn't get to earlier. We realized we didn't explore Piazza Navonna and wanted to see it before we left for Florence.
Piazza Navonna has 3 fountains and an obelisk and as I mentioned is one of the choice areas for most first time visitors but we were very happy with our location.
The Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers) I believe is another Bernini Fountain. In Rome, you can't escape Bernini. The other two fountains are called Fontana del Moro and Fontana del Nettuno (Fountain of Neptune). The Piazza was nice and quiet in the early morning hours. We stopped and had a cappuccino al banco--standing up at the bar area.
We walked by the Pantheon again hoping to go back in when less crowded but it didn’t open that day until 9:30AM and it was still early. We also walked passed the elephant obelisk in Piazza della Minerva. Another Bernini!
From there we walked to the bottom of the Spanish steps where there is another fountain and of course more of the beautiful azaleas lining the steps.
We actually went back to our hotel still in time for breakfast. This hotel had the best breakfast of our entire stay. We checked out and went to Termini Station to catch our fast train to Florence.
There were so many tunnels from Rome to Florence that it hurt my ears every time we entered one. The entire trip on the fast train is only 1 hour and a half.
There was loads of graffiti all around the train station in Firenze. My first impression of Florence from the train was not very good. We took a taxi over to the hotel.
I had purchased the Firenze Card from home but we needed to convert the voucher to real tickets. We walked over the Palazzo Vecchio bridge with swarms and swarms of people. You could barely move it was so crowded. We went to the ticket window of Pitti Palace only to be told they don’t have the Firenze card we need and that we should go to the information booth on the other side of the Oltrarno which is where we had come from. They were listed as one of the pickup points. Instead we walked over to the Brancacci Chapel. They allowed us to exchange the voucher for the Firenze Card and we were able to visit the Chapel at the 3PM time slot. Yay!
The Brancacci Chapel has wonderful paintings of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and then the expulsion from the Garden. The paintings are by Masaccio and Masolino. The chapel contains paintings by Filippino Lippi as well.
After our visit we walked back over to Pitti Palace with Firenze card in hand and toured the Pitti Palace from 4-6:30PM. We visited the Palatine Gallery and Apartments with its massive picture galleries. Each room is more amazing than the next. We also visited the Costume Gallery and the modern art room. There was a treasures room as well. We skipped going out to the Boboli and Bardini Gardens because it was late but we were able to take many pictures at different vantage points of the Boboli gardens from the Pitti Palace windows.
We then walked to Natalino for dinner. We had ribolitto bean soup, veal and mushrooms, cheese cake and espresso. The ribolitto was more like a bean stew than a soup--there was hardly any broth but it was loaded with vegetables, beans and the bread. I liked it.
Aug 15th, 2018, 06:45 AM
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Thanks for the information, europeannovice! I'm definitely not missing Palazzo Massimo. I could stare at frescoes for hours, and I have especially fond memories of the Terrace Houses in Ephesus. I'm looking forward to all the frescoes on my Italy trip.
Aug 15th, 2018, 02:44 PM
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Glad you are enjoying the trip report. It is a great momento for me too along with helping others in their planning although they may not want to explore so much in one day like we did. LOL!
Yes Bernini was everywhere in Rome.
Full Day Florence On a Cruise Ship Day--YUK
After a later start today, we walked over to the Doumo and saw the line to enter was at least two hours long! We took pictures from the outside and decided to skip getting inside. We tried to find the entryway to the Museum of the Doumo but after walking around the perimeter a few times we gave up. We walked over to the Bargello Museum instead. Here we saw Donatello’s David and the competition for the Baptistry doors among some other key pieces. This is another gem of a museum and also not crowded.
At this point it was time for a nice lunch. The streets were just so crowded. We found a place called Begetta Convivial where we had the best penne with eggplant and pesto sauce we have ever had. We shared a Margharita pizza too.
We had a timed tour with a company called Livitaly for the Uffizi at 3:30. They run small group tours no more than 6 individuals. Being the museum is so large, we wanted to have some guidance on the popular key pieces with an expert navigator through the museum. It was too early to meet the guide so we did a bit of shopping. I made the mistake of trying to re-arrange my purchases in my bag in the street and a mime comes running up to us and grabs my husband’s hand to kiss—yuk!. We had to send her away all the while making sure my contents were in tact.
We met our guide outside Café Rivoir. It was supposed to be a group tour but we were the only ones in the group that day. Bonus—a private tour! She informed us that this day was a cruise ship day and that is why there were literarily thousands of people descending on the Piazza Signoria. The cruise ships don’t even dock in Florence. They dock in Liverno and the people then get bussed into the city completely overrunning it. It was wall to wall people and you could not move.
Since she is a licensed guide, we proceeded to security and entered rather quickly. She showed us some of the masterpieces of Renaissance Art at the Uffizi and explained some of the history of the Medici Family. We saw some Caravaggios as well and the view from the Terrace area. The museum itself was crowded but it was near the end of the day so it was manageable. She told us how to find the entrance to the Museum of the Doumo for the next day.
After the museum we walked over to La Buchetta Wine Bar where we had a cabbage salad, fillet mignon cooked to our liking in a manageable size not the typical bistecca florentine that is half a cow, a side order of string beans some wine of course and a chocolate cake for dessert. The tables next to us ordered the bistecca florentine--one was to be shared with a family of 3 and a couple at the other table was going to share their steak between the two of them. We looked on as they cut this slab that was basically raw to me and huge!
Yes Bernini was everywhere in Rome.
Full Day Florence On a Cruise Ship Day--YUK
After a later start today, we walked over to the Doumo and saw the line to enter was at least two hours long! We took pictures from the outside and decided to skip getting inside. We tried to find the entryway to the Museum of the Doumo but after walking around the perimeter a few times we gave up. We walked over to the Bargello Museum instead. Here we saw Donatello’s David and the competition for the Baptistry doors among some other key pieces. This is another gem of a museum and also not crowded.
At this point it was time for a nice lunch. The streets were just so crowded. We found a place called Begetta Convivial where we had the best penne with eggplant and pesto sauce we have ever had. We shared a Margharita pizza too.
We had a timed tour with a company called Livitaly for the Uffizi at 3:30. They run small group tours no more than 6 individuals. Being the museum is so large, we wanted to have some guidance on the popular key pieces with an expert navigator through the museum. It was too early to meet the guide so we did a bit of shopping. I made the mistake of trying to re-arrange my purchases in my bag in the street and a mime comes running up to us and grabs my husband’s hand to kiss—yuk!. We had to send her away all the while making sure my contents were in tact.
We met our guide outside Café Rivoir. It was supposed to be a group tour but we were the only ones in the group that day. Bonus—a private tour! She informed us that this day was a cruise ship day and that is why there were literarily thousands of people descending on the Piazza Signoria. The cruise ships don’t even dock in Florence. They dock in Liverno and the people then get bussed into the city completely overrunning it. It was wall to wall people and you could not move.
Since she is a licensed guide, we proceeded to security and entered rather quickly. She showed us some of the masterpieces of Renaissance Art at the Uffizi and explained some of the history of the Medici Family. We saw some Caravaggios as well and the view from the Terrace area. The museum itself was crowded but it was near the end of the day so it was manageable. She told us how to find the entrance to the Museum of the Doumo for the next day.
After the museum we walked over to La Buchetta Wine Bar where we had a cabbage salad, fillet mignon cooked to our liking in a manageable size not the typical bistecca florentine that is half a cow, a side order of string beans some wine of course and a chocolate cake for dessert. The tables next to us ordered the bistecca florentine--one was to be shared with a family of 3 and a couple at the other table was going to share their steak between the two of them. We looked on as they cut this slab that was basically raw to me and huge!
Aug 16th, 2018, 03:20 AM
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Prego!-- My favorite word heard in Italy.
Yes it was super crowded everywhere in Florence and it wasn't even the height of summer. The Ponte Vecchio was wall to wall to get across and even the Otrarno by the Pitti Palace and Brancacci Chapel area which is supposed to be less congested was equally as crowded on our first day.
Next Up--Museum of the Doumo Success, Galileo, David and a Fall
Yes it was super crowded everywhere in Florence and it wasn't even the height of summer. The Ponte Vecchio was wall to wall to get across and even the Otrarno by the Pitti Palace and Brancacci Chapel area which is supposed to be less congested was equally as crowded on our first day.
Next Up--Museum of the Doumo Success, Galileo, David and a Fall
Aug 16th, 2018, 04:39 PM
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Museum of the Doumo Success, Palazzo Vecchio, Galileo, David and a Fall
Our guide from the day before told us how to find the entrance to the Museum of the Doumo so after breakfast we ventured over to the Doumo area. Again, the line to enter the Doumo was exceedingly long and we opted to skip it again. We did find the entrance though to the Museum of the Doumo this time! The original Baptistry Doors are located in this museum to protect them from the elements. We took our time examining each of the wall panels and the stories they represented. There is also an absolutely breathtaking view of the Dome from the terrace at this Museum. You feel like you can reach out and touch the Dome. At the time we were on the terrace with just two other couples. It was wonderful to be away from the crowds convening by the Doumo. Another relatively hidden gem. The museum was busy but not super crowded.
From there we walked over to the Galileo Museum. Here there were many school groups some from France so we had to navigate our exploration around them. There is a wonderful room of maps and some great scientific equipment. My DH enjoyed this museum immensely. One school group had the presenter speaking to them in English.
We were getting hungry so we searched around and we found a great Paninni shop and grabbed a panini for lunch on the go. We walked around a bit. Somehow we found the outside of the Basilica of Santa Croce but we did not go inside. We had read that the roof had collapsed a little while ago. We ventured back by Piazza Signoria . What a difference between a day when cruise ships are in vs. not. We could actually navigate the streets without being a sardine. I posted above the picture of Piazza Signoria on a non cruise ship day.
After our quick bite, we walked over to the Palazzo Vecchio Museum which is the medieval palace and town hall of Florence. The great thing is that all these museums are covered under the Firenze Pass. Even our tour price for the Uffizi was discounted because we had already had the Firenze Pass in hand. The Palazzo Vecchio has many rooms and a grand hall with amazing ceiling frescoes and wall paintings all around. Room after room of stunning art work everywhere. We opted not to climb the tower.
It was time for a gelato break and I had my favorite Pistachio gelato. We were going to walk over to the Academia for the Michelangelo David but before we did I wanted to head over to use the restroom at the gelato place. Well either I had too much gelato or I was just not paying attention but the grey concrete floor was the same color as the concrete step up to the restroom with no markings and I missed it. I came tumbling down and scraped my knee and wrist. At first I was stunned and could not move. The owners came over and made sure I was ok. They gave me bags of frozen gelato to put over my knee and wrist! We had to navigate all over cobblestones everywhere and I go and fall on a smooth concrete step. Luckily, I was ok and just sprained the wrist and scraped the knee but that was quite a scare. We sat there for a while with bags of gelato over me. What a sight.
Finally, when I felt better we proceeded to the Academia and made last entry before closing. We didn’t have much time to see anything else in the museum but we did have ample time to admire the masterpiece of Michelangelo’s David. The marble is actually cracking by the arm and they have to restore it. Stunning sculpture. Although I do like the Baroque action-oriented David by Bernini at the Borghese over the posed Renaissance David at the Academia but that is just personal preference. It doesn’t take away from the intricacy of the marblework of either piece. They are both masterpieces by master sculptors!
Before we left Florence there was one vantage point I wanted to make sure we saw so we took a taxi over to San Miniato Church for the magnificent view of Florence around the 5-6PM hour when everything has a golden glow. We walked from the Church to Piazzele Michelangelo for its’ terraced view as well. Here there is another outside David statue.
We found the taxi stand and took it to Osteria Giastra for dinner. This restaurant was filled with both locals and tourists. We shared a salami antipasto. The waiter gave me a taste of their tomato soup, we shared a pasta and meat sauce and shared the lamb with artichokes. We had wonderful Biscotti and espresso for dessert. Yum but too much salt which will affect me later.
Next Laundry, Lucca and Pisa Day
Our guide from the day before told us how to find the entrance to the Museum of the Doumo so after breakfast we ventured over to the Doumo area. Again, the line to enter the Doumo was exceedingly long and we opted to skip it again. We did find the entrance though to the Museum of the Doumo this time! The original Baptistry Doors are located in this museum to protect them from the elements. We took our time examining each of the wall panels and the stories they represented. There is also an absolutely breathtaking view of the Dome from the terrace at this Museum. You feel like you can reach out and touch the Dome. At the time we were on the terrace with just two other couples. It was wonderful to be away from the crowds convening by the Doumo. Another relatively hidden gem. The museum was busy but not super crowded.
From there we walked over to the Galileo Museum. Here there were many school groups some from France so we had to navigate our exploration around them. There is a wonderful room of maps and some great scientific equipment. My DH enjoyed this museum immensely. One school group had the presenter speaking to them in English.
We were getting hungry so we searched around and we found a great Paninni shop and grabbed a panini for lunch on the go. We walked around a bit. Somehow we found the outside of the Basilica of Santa Croce but we did not go inside. We had read that the roof had collapsed a little while ago. We ventured back by Piazza Signoria . What a difference between a day when cruise ships are in vs. not. We could actually navigate the streets without being a sardine. I posted above the picture of Piazza Signoria on a non cruise ship day.
After our quick bite, we walked over to the Palazzo Vecchio Museum which is the medieval palace and town hall of Florence. The great thing is that all these museums are covered under the Firenze Pass. Even our tour price for the Uffizi was discounted because we had already had the Firenze Pass in hand. The Palazzo Vecchio has many rooms and a grand hall with amazing ceiling frescoes and wall paintings all around. Room after room of stunning art work everywhere. We opted not to climb the tower.
It was time for a gelato break and I had my favorite Pistachio gelato. We were going to walk over to the Academia for the Michelangelo David but before we did I wanted to head over to use the restroom at the gelato place. Well either I had too much gelato or I was just not paying attention but the grey concrete floor was the same color as the concrete step up to the restroom with no markings and I missed it. I came tumbling down and scraped my knee and wrist. At first I was stunned and could not move. The owners came over and made sure I was ok. They gave me bags of frozen gelato to put over my knee and wrist! We had to navigate all over cobblestones everywhere and I go and fall on a smooth concrete step. Luckily, I was ok and just sprained the wrist and scraped the knee but that was quite a scare. We sat there for a while with bags of gelato over me. What a sight.
Finally, when I felt better we proceeded to the Academia and made last entry before closing. We didn’t have much time to see anything else in the museum but we did have ample time to admire the masterpiece of Michelangelo’s David. The marble is actually cracking by the arm and they have to restore it. Stunning sculpture. Although I do like the Baroque action-oriented David by Bernini at the Borghese over the posed Renaissance David at the Academia but that is just personal preference. It doesn’t take away from the intricacy of the marblework of either piece. They are both masterpieces by master sculptors!
Before we left Florence there was one vantage point I wanted to make sure we saw so we took a taxi over to San Miniato Church for the magnificent view of Florence around the 5-6PM hour when everything has a golden glow. We walked from the Church to Piazzele Michelangelo for its’ terraced view as well. Here there is another outside David statue.
We found the taxi stand and took it to Osteria Giastra for dinner. This restaurant was filled with both locals and tourists. We shared a salami antipasto. The waiter gave me a taste of their tomato soup, we shared a pasta and meat sauce and shared the lamb with artichokes. We had wonderful Biscotti and espresso for dessert. Yum but too much salt which will affect me later.
Next Laundry, Lucca and Pisa Day
Aug 19th, 2018, 08:17 AM
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Thanks Tduette--Yes that was quite a scare.
Regarding the pictures--same square, same time of day but what a difference between a cruise ship day vs. not.
Laundry, Lucca and Pisa
It was time to do the obligatory laundry--necessary on a long trip. We located the nearest laundromat. We saw that you had to put the money in the machine to get the coins for the machines--simple enough. However, we could not figure out how to get the coin to go in properly. A local showed us the exact way the coin had to fit into the slot. We in turn showed another hapless tourist trying to do their clothes the same trick. We had a morning coffee, watched our clothes spin and sorted some pictures. Then two couples came in--same experience--same lecture with the coins. We shared some great conversations with them and then off we went back to the room to pack the clean clothes.
This was our last day in Florence and we decided to venture out of Florence over to Lucca and Pisa for the remainder of the day. We also decided to do Lucca first and Pisa last so the bus loads of tourists going to Pisa might be gone for the day by the time we got there. Off to the train station to get our tickets and find our track.
We toured the Walled city of Lucca for a few hours. We loved Lucca! We ate a nice lunch at a restaurant in one of the squares. I had a Ribolitto soup and a plate of olives and DH had a chicken cutlet sandwich. Puccini was born here and there is a museum in the city dedicated to him. There is the Guinigi tower with a tree growing on top of it. There are many churches and cute little narrow lanes. The best part is the top where we walked on the walls of the city. It is a beautiful park with joggers, walkers and bikers. Lucca is a lovely Tuscan town. It was hard to leave but we wanted to see Pisa since we were so close by.
I think our strategy worked. We got to Pisa at around 6PM it was still crowded, but it was not mobbed with tour bus groups. We did not climb the tower but we took our obligatory pictures trying to hold up the leaning tower. Everyone trying to find the perfect vantage point to keep it from falling or to hold it like a top. There were so many peddlers trying to sell their fake wares--pocketbooks etc. There was also another she wolf statue--a replica to the one we saw at the Capitoline Museum in Rome.
Time to find our way back. It was fairly late so we ate a a local trattoria. We shared fried artichokes, a pear and arugula salad, an eggplant, zucchini, parmesan casserole dish and a veal with asparagus. The eggplant melted in your mouth. It was all so good. The waiter was multilingual. The table next to us on one side was filled with four ladies from France having a girl's night out. The other table next to us was a young Italian couple. The waiter with ease asked them in French how everything was and discussed some menu items with them, turned around and asked us in English how is everything and if we needed anything else and then quickly went into Italian to the next table. It is great to speak many languages.
Next Train to Naples enroute to Sorrento
Regarding the pictures--same square, same time of day but what a difference between a cruise ship day vs. not.
Laundry, Lucca and Pisa
It was time to do the obligatory laundry--necessary on a long trip. We located the nearest laundromat. We saw that you had to put the money in the machine to get the coins for the machines--simple enough. However, we could not figure out how to get the coin to go in properly. A local showed us the exact way the coin had to fit into the slot. We in turn showed another hapless tourist trying to do their clothes the same trick. We had a morning coffee, watched our clothes spin and sorted some pictures. Then two couples came in--same experience--same lecture with the coins. We shared some great conversations with them and then off we went back to the room to pack the clean clothes.
This was our last day in Florence and we decided to venture out of Florence over to Lucca and Pisa for the remainder of the day. We also decided to do Lucca first and Pisa last so the bus loads of tourists going to Pisa might be gone for the day by the time we got there. Off to the train station to get our tickets and find our track.
We toured the Walled city of Lucca for a few hours. We loved Lucca! We ate a nice lunch at a restaurant in one of the squares. I had a Ribolitto soup and a plate of olives and DH had a chicken cutlet sandwich. Puccini was born here and there is a museum in the city dedicated to him. There is the Guinigi tower with a tree growing on top of it. There are many churches and cute little narrow lanes. The best part is the top where we walked on the walls of the city. It is a beautiful park with joggers, walkers and bikers. Lucca is a lovely Tuscan town. It was hard to leave but we wanted to see Pisa since we were so close by.
I think our strategy worked. We got to Pisa at around 6PM it was still crowded, but it was not mobbed with tour bus groups. We did not climb the tower but we took our obligatory pictures trying to hold up the leaning tower. Everyone trying to find the perfect vantage point to keep it from falling or to hold it like a top. There were so many peddlers trying to sell their fake wares--pocketbooks etc. There was also another she wolf statue--a replica to the one we saw at the Capitoline Museum in Rome.
Time to find our way back. It was fairly late so we ate a a local trattoria. We shared fried artichokes, a pear and arugula salad, an eggplant, zucchini, parmesan casserole dish and a veal with asparagus. The eggplant melted in your mouth. It was all so good. The waiter was multilingual. The table next to us on one side was filled with four ladies from France having a girl's night out. The other table next to us was a young Italian couple. The waiter with ease asked them in French how everything was and discussed some menu items with them, turned around and asked us in English how is everything and if we needed anything else and then quickly went into Italian to the next table. It is great to speak many languages.
Next Train to Naples enroute to Sorrento
Aug 19th, 2018, 01:56 PM
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HappyTrvlr--Thank you. Yes Villa d'Este and the fountains were certainly a highlight of the trip. Two out of the three days in Florence were completely overrun with masses of people. It really does dampen the enthusiasm and enjoyment of the city. Even the quiet side of the Arno was jam packed with people the day we explored the Pitti Palace and Brancacci Chapel. The Ponte Vecchio was wall to wall people going across. We never did get into the Doumo to see the inside--the queue was just too long both days we tried.
Lucca was a much more pleasant experience to walk around. Of course though it doesn't have the David or the Renaissance Art of the Uffizi and the architecture of the Doumo in Florence is magnificent. Lucca does have a wonderful walled city and the walk along the walls was great.
In Florence, it really helps to see the lessor known gems--like the Bargello for the competition of the doors and the Museum of the Doumo for the original Baptistry Doors plus its terrace with a fantastic view of the Dome!
Lucca was a much more pleasant experience to walk around. Of course though it doesn't have the David or the Renaissance Art of the Uffizi and the architecture of the Doumo in Florence is magnificent. Lucca does have a wonderful walled city and the walk along the walls was great.
In Florence, it really helps to see the lessor known gems--like the Bargello for the competition of the doors and the Museum of the Doumo for the original Baptistry Doors plus its terrace with a fantastic view of the Dome!
