Familiar Sites-Fresh Reviews: Just Back from Rome, Tuscany, Cinque Terre, Florence, Venice
 

Our two-week trip to Italy was fabulous, thanks to friends and Fodorites who generously shared their own travel experiences. I spent countless hours on this forum and ultimately organized my notes by subject on index cards (a different color for each town/region) for easy access to info on Restaurants, Things to Do, Shopping, and Miscellaneous. This method worked well for me and was more convenient than shuffling through trip reports and guidebooks each day. To conserve space, I only brought two general Italy guidebooks (Rick Steves and Eyewitness) but I wish I had brought the regional books instead that provided more detail and weren't so bulky. I ended up buying a small Tuscany guide for a little more history on the hill towns we visited. Hardly any museums/galleries provide pamphlets or brochures and we didn't see any freebie tourist info like we have in the U.S., so you need to bring your own.

I will enjoy writing this trip report and remembering the wonderful sites and people we visited during the last two weeks (actually I'm avoiding getting back to the real world). Hopefully, our experiences will help others in planning their trips as well. Our trip was well researched and planned but, of course, we had "surprises." The best advice, oft repeated on this forum, is to enjoy the adventure! I love to discover how and maybe why other places and people are different than what I'm used to. Italy is Italy. We got lost many times! Signage is terrible and directions are vague. Some of this must be due to the fact that street names change almost every block. Most public places, even with A/C, are CONSIDERABLY warmer than what we're used to. Being July, it was crowded and hot, over 100 degrees for 12 of our 15 days. I'll mention the toilets later. Customs, dress codes, and foods varied from place to place. Most women wear short dresses and sandals, not shorts and definitely not athletic shoes. Sit-down restaurants generally expect you to eat several courses. Every restaurant charges a cover charge that usually includes bread. Service is included but we often left a small tip in addition. Dinner is late. Not everyone speaks English and knowing key Italian phrases or even some Spanish (some vocab is similar) helps a lot. Definitely be respectful, give a greeting, and say "grazie" often. A smile is always understood. We tried to be flexible, keep a sense of humor, and relish each day. Next time I will do a few things differently, but we had an awesome time. Thanks again to the folks on this forum.

Rome
Our family (mom, dad, and 2 college-age sons) flew via Lufthansa. We packed light: one small suitcase and backpack each. The Sonata sleep aid our doctor prescribed did nothing. After 19 hours, we arrived in Rome and were greeted by our driver from LimoserviceRome. Unfortunately, he spoke almost no English so we didn't have much conversation or understand what he was pointing out on the way (Cost=52 euros +3 tip). When we pulled up in front of our hotel, Albergo del Senato (right in front of the Pantheon), our oldest son's girlfriend was sitting at the outdoor café next door in a gorgeous red dress, sipping a glass of wine. I hope my picture of their reunion turns out! Her study abroad program had just ended so she joined us on our family vacation.

We loved the del Senato! It is a very classy hotel and the location is incredible. The lobby, meeting rooms, and roof terrace are very elegant. The breakfast buffet had a good variety and the coffee was great. The staff was professional, helpful, and friendly. Our rooms were comfortable (good A/C!) but not large and the bathrooms were all marble with brand new fixtures. Our double did not have a balcony but a big window overlooked the Pantheon. Our triple had a huge bathroom with a side view. I would definitely stay there again. The windows are well insulated, so we heard no street noise despite the large number of people out at midnight, but did fall asleep to the muffled sound of a saxophone playing. Awesome. (Double=216 euros, Triple=249 euros/night).

We spent a few hours walking around the Pantheon, Piazza Navona (lots of construction going on there & lunch at the Ristaurante La Domiziana was terrible), Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and had our first gelato. The hotel recommended Ristaurante Clemente for dinner and we had a lovely table inside but with huge French doors open to the patio area, so we could get a breeze and see the white lights all over the piazza. The food was outstanding (Cost=220 euros for five).

The following morning, we met Johnny, our tour guide from Through Eternity. I had booked their private "Essence of Rome" tour but since we had already walked the city, we went directly to the Vatican (lunch in their cafeteria was very good and relatively inexpensive) and later to the Colloseum and Forum. There is no way we could have incorporated more into the day. We spent nine hours with Johnny and still wanted more. He was absolutely FANTASTIC. For the rest of our trip, every time we passed another tour guide, one of us would remark, "I?m so glad we had Johnny!" He is from Dublin and was so interesting. His knowledge about art and history seemed endless, he related so well to the kids and to us (my guess is that Johnny is in his late 20's), and had a lot of enthusiasm. So many tour guides sound like drones but we felt like we were getting a tour by a good friend who was so excited to have us visit. I had only booked two days for Rome because we're not "city people" and, quite honestly, after walking in the heat and crowds the previous day, I thought it would be enough. Because of Johnny, we fell in love with Rome. We definitely could have stayed a few days longer. Though he didn't ask us to, we paid him for his extra time and included a tip (total=430 euros).

After drinks on the roof terrace, we had dinner at an outdoor café called Pizza and Champagne on a small piazza a few blocks from the hotel. Though it has a touristy name, the food was authentic and pretty good. There were many cafes on the piazza in front of the Pantheon and our hotel, so when we walked home, things were lively. About 20 people at one large table were singing in Italian with the roving accordion player. Very cool.

The next day we walked back to Palatine Hill, since we had bought the combo ticket with the Colloseum the day before, and toured it on our own. Be sure you buy the Rome Past & Present book from a street vendor (10 euro) before you visit the antiquities (we didn't and wished we had). On the way back to the hotel, we bought train tickets from a travel agency and grabbed a delicious panini sandwich from a take-away place. Two taxis took us to the train station (no more than 4 people are allowed in a taxi at one time). The ride to Florence was approximately 1 1/2 hours on the Eurostar. With a ticket from an agency, we didn't have to validate it at the yellow meter box.

Final thoughts on Rome: we will definitely go back and revisit the sites we saw plus others. People were well dressed and all women wore dresses (I wish I had brought a few more!). The city was clean and we felt safe. There were lots of vendors but few beggars. The streets are incredibly crooked and the drivers are crazy. It was unbelievably hot so we carried water bottles everywhere. We didn't do any shopping.

To be continued: Tuscany & the Cinque Terre

Lina...what a wonderful report! I can see all the sights you are describing and cant wait to hear more!

Jamie

Great report Lina, I just came back last week from Italy and France...I was in Rome also and spent a week in Cinque Terre..Great place...

I can't wait to hear more! We are going on a similar trip in September and I am thrilled to hear that you had a good time. Please send more information soon!

Hi-Thank you thank you for all your helpfull information. We are going to Italy next June & will be in Rome our last week. I have written down your suggestions. Thanks Chris

Sounds like you really got a lot out of your trip. I hope your family enjoyed it as much as you did. Loved all the detail in your report. Looking forward to reading about the rest of your wonderful trip.

Thanks for your report, Lina.
Look forward to more.

Hi Lina,
What a great report. We will be ending our 2 week trip in Rome in October and I can't wait. I like skirts when I travel, so I was happy about your comments. Looking forward to your report on Tuscany.

Great idea about the index cards. I was tired of flipping through all of my 8 1/2 x 11 pieces of paper!

Lina...how did you secure this rate for the del senato. they are quoting me $295 in late october.

Eccomi: I booked the del Senato through venere.com but I think it was equal to the rate on their own website at the time. Perhaps the fall has become "high season" due to better temperatures.
My Tuscany/Cinque Terre report will be posted by tonight.

I was always under the impression that summer is high season and the prices would be up there. I'll check venere.com. thanks.

Tuscany & the Cinque Terre:
After arriving in Florence, the kids went to the tourist desk next to the McDonald's in the train station to get bus schedules and were rudely told to go ask a bus driver. Later we found out (in Rick Steves book) that the tourist info place is actually a private hotel booking agency. We headed to the AutoEurope location (actually Avis) to pick up our car. It took a while, but we found it. For five adults, I had reserved a midsize wagon. The Renault Murano was very roomy and accommodated luggage better than a sedan. Good decision. (Cost=$475 euros/4 days)

My husband had not driven a manual shift car in 20 years so we had a hilarious ride heading out of town. Despite stalling a few times, terrible signage, traffic circles, Italian drivers, and incomplete directions, we made it to San Casciano in Val de Pesa, 17km south of Florence. After buying essentials (beer, wine, cheese, crackers, and water) at the grocery store and getting sign-language directions from a local man, we found our villa.

The Villa Il Poggiale is a new B&B in a historic villa just outside of town. The property is beautiful and we had a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment with a kitchen. The staff is wonderful and a large new pool just opened. Breakfasts were very good with homemade baked goods. Unfortunately, the A/C was not working but I would definitely stay there again. It proved to be an excellent location to have as a base for traveling through Tuscany. You can view the property at www.villailpoggiale.com or through Tuscany.net. There is also a review on Karen Brown's website and in her 2003 book. (Cost=270 euro/night)

Our younger son's girlfriend was also staying at the villa with her family. We were now a group of 8! After a swim and shower, we headed to dinner at the nearby Locanda Barbarossa, a 10-minute walk. Our table was set on the patio and the food was great. Highlights were homemade pasta with pesto and tomatoes and the turkey carpaccio. I didn't like my shredded beef with pepper because it had 14 million peppercorns in it, so I avoided any dish with the word "pepato" in it for the rest of the trip! (Cost=250 euros)

We took two cars to San Gimignano the following day and didn't get lost! It wasn't too crowded and we enjoyed the basilica, tower, pinacoteca, and shopping. It is a "tourist town" but worth a visit. The kids went to the Torture Museum and were totally grossed out (hard to do with 18-21 year olds!). Our carload headed on to Volterra. The road was very windy and took about an hour. Parking was tough. Unfortunately, the Alabaster Museum was closing, but we visited the cathedral, baptistry, Roman ruins, and shops. Alabaster was cheaper here and we bought a chess set, vases, picture frames, and bottle stoppers at a great store called Scali. We had dinner that night at Caffe del Popolano in San Casciano. The food was good, especially the homemade ravioli with buffalo mozzarella and tomatoes, grilled steak, and osso bucco, but the service was a tad bit rude. One couple's steak arrived before any of us had even had our pastas because the chef wanted to close the grill. (Cost=220 euros)

The following day, one carload headed to Lucca to ride bikes on the ramparts. Everyone enjoyed that and a winery tour later in the afternoon at the Antinori winery back in Chianti. They had a good dinner in San Casciano at another restaurant. Our carload went to Greve (nice piazza with shopping but not much else), Montefioralle (a very quaint TINY walled town just outside Greve, just residential), Castellina (a very nice town; we liked it very much. We visited the La Castellina winery, had lunch in a café, and enjoyed the BEST gelato at L'Antica Delizia), and Siena (which has a wonderful cathedral but is not as charming a town). We had dinner in Monteriggioni, another SMALL walled town on a hilltop with absolutely amazing views. Il Pozzo was recommended to us but they had no seats in the garden, so we went across the road to Il Piccolo Castello and actually liked it much better. The garden was lovely and service was excellent. The pastas were delicious but the lamb and duck were not (later we found out that you shouldn't order lamb and duck in Tuscany since they are not specialties of the region). We thoroughly enjoyed visiting the different towns because each had a particular charm and flavor. Some of the roads are basically one lane for two-way traffic but very picturesque (only quick peeks allowed for the driver!). We scratched plans to visit Volpaia because the route looked terrible. Also, because of poor signage, we totally missed a frattoria we intended to stop at.

Prior to the trip, I had posted a question about whether it's possible to visit the Cinque Terre in one day. Most replies advised against it. Our four energetic college kids were determined to go anyway and since my husband and I had already seen many hill towns, we all headed off the next morning. It was a 3 hour drive to get there due to traffic around Florence and in La Spezia, but we finally parked in Riomaggiore. The last 10km of road is treacherous, but by then my husband was a pro at driving! The parking attendant told us that we must be out of the garage by 10:00 pm or we will "lose" our car. Too funny. We strolled the easy section of the trail to Manarola and had lunch at Marina Piccola, overlooking the swimming area. The pastas were fabulous and we had some wine to prepare for the more strenuous sections of the trail.

Without a doubt, hiking the Cinque Terre in 100 degree heat with our sons and their girlfriends was a highlight of our trip. No kidding. We found the views to be stunning and each town to be interesting. We are still arguing whether there are 382 or 383 steps up to Corniglia. In the village (Corniglia is not on the water but rather on a hilltop), we watched two little boys play with SuperSoaker water guns. They were delighted when we asked them to "shoot" us too! The trail was not crowded but we met many Americans, mostly young people. Maybe we're the only ones who choose to punish our bodies in this way! We stopped in the cliffside bar between Corniglia and Vernazza to stock up on water and Gatorade. We didn't have time to hike the last part of the trail so we had pizza in Vernazza and took the train (which was running late) back to Riomaggiore to claim our car. We couldn't see a thing from the train so I would not recommend going to the CT unless you can hike at least some of the trails. The boats were not running on this particular day for some reason. The drive home to the villa took 2 1/4 hours, so it was a long day (time in CT=8 hours) but very worthwhile. The other couple in our group stayed at the villa all day and enjoyed the beautiful pool and surroundings. We could have used a day of that too, but were scheduled to be in Florence the next day for a tour. That night we sat at the pool and polished off the wine and cheese and talked about how much we loved Tuscany.

Final thoughts: we were glad to see a variety of hill towns and particularly liked the smaller, less touristy ones. Almost everyone goes to Siena, so I highly recommend at least stopping in Monteriggioni, which is close by. Some villas and agriturismos are in very remote locations; we were glad to be at the Villa Il Poggiale. The free map of Chianti available at www.monterinaldi.it was the best. We are looking forward to our next trip to explore more of the southern part of Tuscany and Umbria. We'll try to go during a cooler month even though we got used to having our clothes plastered to our bodies with sweat. :-)

About toilets: you have to pay 20-50 cents to use most public toilets. The attendants take their jobs very seriously. In some places, we encountered "eastern toilets" which are basically a drain in the floor. I would think these would be a problem for heavy people who can't do a deep knee bend. Some others were "half-squat" toilets and no public toilets had seats. Just so ya know.

To be continued: Florence

Lina - Thank you so much for your report. It is so much fun to travel vicariously. We stayed in Manarola in early June and also enjoyed a couple of meals at the Marina Picolo. Glad you went to The Cinque Terre. Happy travels! CJ

great report, Lina

Good stuff--I am glad you took the time for the CT--you will not soon forget it.

Even if a toilet have a seat I will never sit on IT......

Thanks for the reports Lina. Can't wait to hear the rest. We're just back from Tuscany and Rome and decided not to try to squeeze in Cinque Terre (mostly because we had two small children in strollers with us). Can't wait to go back ... won't miss it next time! We too loved Monteriggioni. You sound like very cool parents travelling with sons, girlfriends and "inlaws"! I hope your boys recognize how lucky they are.

Tory

Lina-
We're going in October but I love hearing about your report and picturing everything. Thanks for the report and can't wait for Florence. What other Tuscan towns do you recommend from your past travels?

Tory: thanks for your sweet thoughts! Actually we are the lucky ones, to have great sons who want to spend time with us. They have great girlfriends too. We just got over 300 pictures back and are having fun reminiscing!
My Florence report is coming soon.

Lina,
Yours is an excellent, well-written report. Your enthusiasm is infectious, and I am sure you had such a good time because you have a positive attitude.

Having said that, I feel churlish pointing out one tiny error, but perhaps it will help other people. You said: "With a ticket from an agency, we didn't have to validate it at the yellow meter box. " Buying a ticket at an agency or a the train station is the same. You didn't have to stamp the ticket because you took the EuroStar. If you took another kind of train, such as an IC or EC, you would have had to stamp your ticket.

I look forward to the rest of the report. I consider myself energetic, but I can't believe you did the CT walk and drove three hours both ways. Whew.

Florence:
To avoid driving in downtown Florence, we dropped the car off and took cabs to Hotel Casci. This is a family-run hotel, not a luxury hotel by any stretch. However, it is immaculately clean, efficiently run, has newly remodeled bathrooms and wonderful A/C. The owner, Carla, is an absolute gem. She was so accommodating and kind and her staff is excellent. We loved staying here. It was nice to have free Internet access in the bar area.

Our son's girlfriend's family had also moved on to Florence and had arranged a tour for the 8 of us through their travel agent. We were all a bit disappointed (the guide was not at all like Johnny!) but the tour gave us a good overview of Florence. We visited the Accademia, Duomo, Orsanmichele, Palazzo Vecchio, Ponte Vecchio, and Oltrarno area. By late afternoon, six of us were feeling the effects of hiking the day before and were fading fast. Unfortunately, I also got a cold.

Prior to our trip, we listened to Ross King's book, Brunelleschi's Dome, so the Duomo and Baptistry doors held particular interest for us. The book may be too dry to actually read (too much detail), but the tape was good to listen to with one ear while driving. We learned a lot about the early Renaissance, how the dome was built, and the competition between artists. I also checked out several books from the library and particularly recommend The Key to Renaissance Art by Jose Fernandez Arenas and The Sistine Chapel by Vittorio Giudici. They are both from the Juvenile (not Children's) section. Don't snicker. I use this strategy a lot: in a short amount of time I can get a straightforward overview of a topic, often with lots of illustrations!

Dinner the first night was forgettable at Semidivino. Florence seemed a bit dirtier and grittier than Rome. Motorscooters zoom all the time (past every café during dinner) and there were many beggars in addition to the usual vendors. The crowds here seemed worse too. At night it seemed like only tourists were out and about.

The following day we slept late and spent the entire afternoon at the Uffizi (definitely make reservations directly at 011-39-055294883 to avoid paying a hefty service charge through an agency). It was relaxing and lovely. We had a great dinner at Quattro Leoni (across the Arno on via Vellutini), particularly enjoying the ravioli stuffed with pear in cream sauce. This recipe is available on their website at www.4leoni.com.

By Monday, our travel group changed from 8 to 2 (some people have jobs!). My youngest son and I stayed in Florence for an additional two days before moving on to Venice. During those days, we walked EVERYWHERE, shopping and visiting the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, Santa Croce Church, Museo di Storia della Scienza, Fort Belvedere, and Boboli Gardens. The Duomo Museum was wonderful but the science museum was not worthwhile. As a matter of fact, we bought our ticket at 12:15 pm one day and in the first room, the docent told us that the museum would be closing at 1:00 pm. It would have been nice if the ticket seller had told us that! In general we found that entrance fees were pretty steep and, as I mentioned previously, no one gives out brochures or pamphlets with information. We had an excellent lunch at Le Colonnine Pizzaria on via Benci, a short distance from the Santa Croce church. I had the best pizza (there are so many choices) and the calzone my son ordered must have been 15" long! Yummy. We returned there for dinner after failing to find restaurants recommended on the forum (one just didn't exist and the other was closed). My advice: stick to the pizzas and calzones at Le Colonnine. Service was excellent (Cost=17 euros/lunch, 43 euros/dinner for two).

After Venice, we returned to Florence and the Hotel Casci for one night before flying home. We climbed the 400+ steps to the top of the Duomo and ate dinner at Quattro Leoni again. Their Florentine steak was delicious but, sadly, they were out of their special tiramisu.

Final thoughts on Florence: We were all thrilled to see the fabulous artworks in the Accademia and the Uffizi (our older son's girlfriend is an art history major), the Duomo, and the Baptistry doors. However, I don't feel any need to return to Florence. If I do, I will probably stay in the Oltarno section (other side of the Arno river), which is quieter. We often took the Santa Trinita bridge to see the views over the Ponte Vecchio but avoid the mass of people on that bridge. If you like to shop, you will probably love the leather shops, jewelry stores, and outdoor market. We only bought a few ceramics, some stationery, and two "Rolex" watches from a vendor. Stores close fairly early, so I missed out on some items I went back for.

To be continued: Venice

I forgot to mention that our college students were able to purchase discount tickets to many sites in Italy with a valid student ID, including the Vatican, the Cinque Terre Park, the Duomo, and most churches and museums. The exceptions were the Uffizi and Accademia which only gave discounts to Italian students. A couple of euros in each place adds up!

Hurry up with Venice...I don't know if I can sleep tonight. Thanks for your report. It is great. Headed to Florence, Venice and Rome and appreciate your diary.

yes, yes!!keep going!!!!i love your report!

Excellent report ! Can't wait for the rest of the story!

Enjoying your trip report, Lina. We just returned ourselves, so it's interesting to hear other's perspectives on things. Keep it up! Can't wait for Venice.

My 14-year old daughter, who loves Italy (her grandmother took her two years ago, to much the same places as you) just finished reading your report, Lina. She wailed to me "I neeeed Italy! Why aren't you taking me with you next month!" Thank goodness her passport doesn't expire for a while, because I know a family Italy trip is is in our future! Keep on writing your story--we all are enjoying reading it.

Venice:
Buying a train ticket at a travel agency was so easy in Rome but we wasted a lot of time trying to find an agency in Florence and then standing in line. However, I wanted to make sure we got on the afternoon Eurostar to Venice. The lady at the American Express office was chatty and nice with the Italians in front of us, but turned into quite a sourpuss when it was our turn. We were polite, greeted her in Italian, and had a simple transaction. Who knows?

Our train was late so we had ample time to people-watch. It cracked us up to see people with dogs and people on bicycles cruising right through the station. We arrived in Venice about 6:00 pm. Thanks to tips from this forum, we knew to go directly out the door and to the right, buy tickets and get on the #1 vaporetto on the far right dock to head down the Grand Canal. Fortunately, all the "traffic" was in the other direction (people heading to the train station and car park) so we got seats in the front of the vaporetto. I was immediately in love with this city. Loved the water, the old buildings (some with painted facades of former/future glory), the people, EVERYTHING! I looked at my son and gave him a thumbs-up sign and was glad to see that he had a big smile on his face. Do you know the feeling you get when you drive hours to a lake or a beach, dump your bags wherever you're staying, and run out to the water for the first time and feel the breeze on your face? That's how we felt. Wow. This is cool.

The Hotel Ala was only steps away from a vaporetto stop. It proved to be in an excellent location: halfway between the Accademia Bridge and San Marco Square. The large lobby and breakfast rooms are lovely, but our "superior" room was very shabby. We had a view over a side canal but the room was dark and musty. If we added up the wattage of all the lamps and light fixtures, it probably would not have equaled 75. The furniture looked worse than what's at Salvation Army. I asked the desk clerk if all the rooms were the same and he told me that we actually had a "very nice" room. Hm. I had gotten a great deal over the Internet and the double room only cost 120 euros/night (this is their "Alice" Special), which was far less than other 3-star hotels in Venice. However, I would NOT stay there again. The staff was polite but not friendly. When I tried to pay our bill with traveler's checks, the desk clerk told me that he would charge a 2 euro fee for each check. I told him that none of the shops or restaurants imposed a fee and he said, "Well, they want your business." Precisely. The Ala didn't seem to want our business. Their website claimed that they had robes and complimentary foreign newspapers, but there were none. The hairdryers were the worst ever (just a hose that put out a meager 700 watts). On the plus side, the Hotel Ala had the best breakfast of any of the places we stayed!

We immediately noticed that people were much more casually dressed in Venice. It is a tourist town, complete with cruise ships and day ferries. Many folks wore shorts and not many dressed up in the evening. It was wonderful not to hear any cars or motorscooters!

We had dinner at Ristaurant da Raffaele our first night, which is located on a side canal. It was lovely and the food was good, although pricey. We tried the spider crab appetizer which was served in the crabshell, about 6" in diameter. (We saw these giant crustaceans later in fish markets; they live in the Adriatic Sea.) Cigar smoke from another patron started to bother us, so we didn't linger after dinner. In general, smoking is allowed in all restaurants and we tried to eat outdoors as much as possible. This restaurant was recommended by the hotel (they even gave us a discount coupon) and Rick Steves. He rates it as one of the most romantic places to eat in Venice. (Cost=95 euros/2)

We followed signs to San Marco and entered the plaza from the back, opposite the Basilica. The view was absolutely enchanting. It was dark by now but all of the buildings surrounding the plaza, the Basilica, and the campanile were illuminated. Two orchestras were playing on stages on either side of the plaza. People were dancing or just listening to the music. It was so pretty and so different from the other places we had been.

The following day we headed to the Guggenheim Museum in the Dorsudoro section. The modern art was a nice change from what we had seen in Rome and Florence. The sculpture garden provided a shady respite from the heat, too. We wandered all around Dorsudoro, spent an hour in a bar during a thunderstorm, toured the Ca'Rezzonico museum (Venetian history) and ended up on the Giudecca canal for a late lunch. The shops were nice and we enjoyed stopping in many art galleries. Venice is a great walking town but you can't be in a hurry (we weren't). Your destination might be in sight, but getting there is another matter. Around every corner are several paths to choose from and only some of them get you over the next canal (think of it as a giant maze!). We finally found our way to the La Salute Church on the peninsula.

We hoped to discover a nice restaurant on our own, so after a rest, shower, and change, we headed out again. After going up in the campanile for pictures (no line, 6 euros/ticket), we hopped on the vaporetto and headed to the Rialto bridge. This area, however, turned out to be very busy and crowded, so we walked back to San Marco and headed to the Castello district. On the way, we were looked at restaurant menus and ultimately stopped at Do Leoni near the Bridge of Sighs. Their terrace was surrounded by beautiful potted plants and it looked very classy. We didn't really notice until we were seated that this was a VERY upscale place and probably catered mostly to Americans. I would call the menu nouvelle cuisine. Big plates, beautiful presentation, expensive, but hardly any food. (Cost=111 euros/2).

Rain in the morning gave us a good excuse to sleep in. We had made reservations for the Doge's Palace Secret Tour and arrived at 11:15 am. The tour was interesting but too long and claustrophobic. We breezed through the rest of the palace and out. I would recommend touring the palace on your own before the tour or skipping the tour entirely. The lines weren't long to get in. The tour cost 12 euros. We spent a bit more time at San Marco and watched the pigeons. Thousands of them. We toured the basilica and then rode the vaporetto around for fun, this time through the Giudecca canal so we could see the sites we walked the day before. For dinner, we headed to Taverna San Trovasa, which had been recommended on this forum and which we saw on our walk the previous day. Fortunately, this restaurant has a non-smoking section. It is also very efficiently run and the food was outstanding. My noodles with mushrooms and tomato cream sauce was wonderful and was so large, it could have served a family of four. The osso bucco melted in my mouth. My son had an equally delicious spaghetti with shrimp in tomato cream sauce but didn't care for the veal in lemon sauce. Even with wine and dessert, our bill was only 45 euros, so we decided to return here the following night!

On our walk home, a young woman was singing opera in a plaza (for tips). She had a wonderful voice and this type of street entertainment suited Venice so well.

We spent our last full day enjoying Murano and Burano. While on the way to catch the vaporetto from San Marco, we were invited to visit a glass factory by one of the salesmen on the plaza. After making sure there was no obligation to buy, we agreed to go and he escorted us to a private water taxi (a beautiful mahogany speedboat) and we were off. I didn't have a silk chiffon scarf with me, but I tried to look the part of a jet setter as we sped past the vaporettos and old clunker boats. The glass-blowing demonstration was nice and we endured the sales pitches of several Dale Carnegie types, but were soon on our own. Murano is quieter and smaller than Venice and mostly designed for shopping and tourists. We did enjoy the Glass Museum very much. We decided to eat lunch in Burano and took the vaporetto to the next island (had to ride with the riffraff again?haha). We quickly found a place recommended, Bruschetteria al Vecio Pipa, even though the name on the outdoor umbrellas was different. We sat next to the canal and enjoyed a pasta and a bruschetta the size of a dinner plate. I ordered bruschetta with tonna (tuna), tomatoes, mozzarella, and something else. The something else turned out to be anchovies but it was actually delicious and a great compliment to the tuna.

Burano is such a quaint, picturesque island. Many of the homes are painted vivid colors. Bright purple, lemon yellow, turquoise blue. The awnings and window shades were brightly striped. Many had freshly poured concrete stoops as if some community refurbishing was going on. Everyone had beautiful flower boxes and some homes had wrought iron work. Very cute. My son took a ton of pictures. The shops were full of lace but it all looked like imported stuff from China. Some was probably made locally. We bought some gifts and jewelry and now regret not buying more. Once we got back to Venice, we realized that prices were much higher. However, we were so happy to look around and enjoy our surroundings that shopping wasn't a priority at the time.

Returning to Venice, we took the northern route through the Cannaregio Canal and again down the Grand Canal. I loved being on the water and highly recommend getting a multi-day pass. The attendants do not ask for tickets very often, but if you are caught riding without one, the fine is 30 euros.

We got quite lost in Dorsudoro while walking around before dinner but discovered some new plazas. I went into the Pensione Accademia to see what it was like since I had tried to get a reservation there but they were booked. There are two courtyards, one in front of the hotel and one in the middle, which is particularly lovely. I talked with an American family staying there (they go every year!) and they gave the place rave reviews. Though I didn't go in, I also saw Pensione La Calcina and Hotel American from the outside and they looked nice.

Dinner at Taverna San Trovaso was excellent again. The fish soup was overflowing with shrimp, mussels, chunks of fish, and crayfish. My son had it for an appetizer and liked it so much, I cancelled my entrée and ordered the fish soup for my main course. This restaurant seemed to have a lot of local patrons. (Cost=50 euros/2)

After a bit of shopping the next morning, we had to head back to Florence and prepare to leave for home. We felt so lucky that the chronology of our trip worked out the way it did. We had busy days in Rome and Tuscany, hiked the Cinque Terre, had a very urban experience in Florence, and then came to Venice. Therefore, we thoroughly enjoyed the slower pace and sheer beauty of the city and surrounding islands. On the train back to Florence we overheard a woman saying that her 4 day stay in Venice was 3 1/2 days too long. She was just starting her journey and perhaps was eager for something more exciting (I'm giving her the benefit of the doubt here). Even my 18-year old son loved Venice.

I can't end my Venice report without mentioning the lunch fare available on the Eurostar to Florence: only one type of sandwich = roasted zucchini and cheese on a hard roll.

To be continued: Final thoughts on Italy (the last installment, I promise!)

Lina,

I agree with you that Venice is more relaxing and slower paced, so it's a good ending for an Italian tour, versus beginning with Venice.

Looking forward to more.

yikes! we have reservations for Ala in Oct. at a higher rate.(i liked the location and no bridges to cross with luggage)...should i keep looking? it was recommended on this talk forum...tried accademia, calcina and they were full...ideas???

How about an apartment? That's what we recently did. Venice Rentals was great.

to wondering: As I mentioned, the Ala is in a convenient location and the breakfast is great. We never saw the roof terrace (obviously not advertised) and the Internet was down during our stay (they charge 5 euros/30 min). Even though we had a great rate, the room was truly awful. We saw a room (at the top of the first flight of stairs) that overlooked the plaza instead of the canal. It had a huge window that let in a lot of light and parquet floor (instead of OLD carpet). Otherwise, all the rooms on our hall were like ours (nothing like the pics on the website). Possibly there were new rooms to the right of the lobby because I saw some people go in that direction. I would at least email them with your concerns and maybe they will promise you a nicer room. The staff isn't friendly but you can probably put up with that. The Hotel American looked nice from the outside and is supposedly about the same price. Good luck!

I'm finally finished with my report!

This was one of our best vacations! We will always cherish the time spent with our kids and friends. Their recent studies of history, art, and engineering enriched our experiences and we enjoyed their company so much. It was the first European vacation I planned from start to finish (previously we've gone with tours). Though it was very time consuming, I definitely got more out of it due to all the research and being familiar with sites. This forum was invaluable. Thank you again! My family enjoyed the trip just as much as I did and appreciated not having to be on a rigid schedule.

Random thoughts:
We will never forget the historical sites, awesome art and architecture, and charming towns we saw in Italy. Some of our fondest memories will be the plazas full of people at night, the cypress trees and groves of Tuscany, flower boxes of red geraniums everywhere, and awesome views over the Mediterranean. Oh, and the food. Portions were enormous, the homemade pastas and sauces were fantastic, and the meat was very tender (perhaps they don't starve their cattle in Europe). Only the bread was consistently awful. They don't serve it with any butter or even olive oil. A few times we asked for olive oil and small plates but wondered if the practice of eating bread this way is an American-Italian invention. We will always laugh about the public toilets and the attendants that care for them. The animals will be hard to forget: the dog that lives at the Colosseum amidst dozens of cats, the river rats in the Arno, the pigeons in Venice, and the wild boar in Tuscany (no, we didn't really see a live one!). We will also never forget the crazy drivers, crooked and narrow roads, and tiny Smart Cars. Why there are not mass casualties on Italian roads every day will continue to be a mystery.

Most tourists were respectful visitors. We enjoyed meeting other travelers and exchanging stories. We had the misfortune of overhearing one woman in a shop holler, "How much is THAT? And THAT? Oh, my GAWD! SOLD! Wrap it up, HONEY." No offense, but she had to be from New York. Well, maybe New Jersey.

Lesson learned: Incredible heat is preferable to incredible rain. We were lucky.

Girl talk: most Italian women are so thin! Stylish, too. We didn't see any Mama Leoni types (like in spaghetti sauce commercials!). I am a size 4-6 and was flatly told in stores that I am a "medium" in Italy. Huh. We saw lots of bare midriffs. Plus, Italian women must have amazing feet because everyone, young and old, wears sandals. The small children we saw in strollers and in restaurants were very well behaved.

Practical advice: I would not recommend taking traveler's checks because not everyone accepts them. Most ATM's had a 250 euro withdrawal limit per transaction. My husband and sons kept their wallets in pouches inside their clothes and I carried a regular purse (zipped up) or backpack (sometimes in the front). We never detected any attempts by pickpockets. We were so glad that we packed light and only had to maneuver one suitcase onto trains. We brought an empty duffel bag that my husband brought back with souvenirs and dirty laundry after week 1. I did a bit of essential laundry in the bathtub during week 2. Make sure you take your own hair conditioner and washcloths, if you use them. There were none in any of our hotels.

My favorite city maps were the pop-out type that fold automatically, made by The Map Group/Compass Maps.

Thank you for your kind comments on this report. I apologize for the length but I couldn't leave anything out. As you can probably tell, I'm writing just as much for my own pleasure of reminiscing as for your information! I wish you all happy travels and highly recommend Italy as a destination. Now that you "know" me and my family, where do you think we should we go next?

Great report, Lina. I certainly enjoyed it. I'll look forward to seeing where you decide to go next.

to Wondering:
We just recently returned from Venice and stayed at the Hotel American. I was very pleased with the room (good A/C), bathroom, and nice balcony overlooking a quiet canal. The staff was also always pleasant and helpful with any reservations I needed. Breakfast was also good.

thanks for the feedback again, everyone. hotel american is $100USD more so i guess i will stick with ala...Lina- i think you should post your question again about your next destination under a new thread and i will bet you receive hundreds of suggestions!! some ideas i can think of are the czech republic, austria, germany, or the lake country of italy and switzerland...a great family trip is vancouver, bc. with victoria.... alas...so many great destinations and so little time!!! thnaks again for your reports!

Lina- Can you please give me the website for your tour excursion with Johnny. I will be traveling to Italy in October (Mediterranean cruise) and are looking for a good tour guide. Thanks, Jeanne

NYJMK: Our Rome tour was with Through Eternity (www.througheternity.com). We had a private tour but Johnny does group tours as well. Your best bet is to email them and see what fits into your schedule. The company manager was very good about offering advice and returning emails promptly. Good luck!

Great report, Lina.

Thanks for sharing.