Jeri

We are planning to go to Italy for the first time this May. Three questions. <BR> <BR>Does anyone know the current status of the Tower of Pisa? Is it still covered with wires etc & what is the overall image? <BR> <BR>How are the crowds this year? <BR> <BR>We are planning to do the standard Rome, Florence and Venice itinerary. Can anyone recommend any particular package deals (not an escorted tour, just air, hotels & rail) or are they all about the same? <BR> <BR>Thanks.

Cheryl Z.

<BR>Jeri - if you haven't booked any hotels yet for those three cities in particular, you may have some problems due to the extra crowds expected this year for the Italian Jubilee. You'll find a lot of information and opinions about it by searching Italy on here.

Paulo

The overall image remains the same ... with all the wires and stuff. Some lead weight has been removed but one wouldn't notice that. For current news articles on the tower see <BR>http://www.endex.com/gf/buildings/lt...ws/ltpnews.htm <BR> <BR>Paulo <BR>

howard

Jeri: <BR>I can recommend the type of tour you are looking for. We took last fall. We booked it thru American Express, but I know that Delta has the same package. With Amex, its category is called an "Independent" tour, and the specific one for Italy (Rome, Florence & Venice) is called "Italy by Rail." It's for 10 days and includes hotels, first class train tickets and a half-day tour in each of the three cities. We were very satisfied with it. We, too, did not want a packaged tour and didn't want to go around by bus. This one left us pretty much on our, which is what we wanted! (We went three days ahead of the actual "tour" to give us more time in Italy; we were able to book the same hotel as we had thru Amex.) <BR>If you have any questions, I'll be glad to answer for you. Just email me.

paul

Jeri, <BR>We went to Pisa in October '99 and it was terrific! You really don't notice the wires or weights at all and the tower looks just as you would imagine. The whole square where it is located has five main attractions to see and was easily done in 2-3 hours. We highly recommend it.

JohnC

We were there a couple of weeks ago, and the Tower itself looks like a major construction site, with huge cables, stacks of lead ingots on the foundation, big drilling rigs, etc. Still, it's worth seeing, and there are other sights to see in the square. The really good news (which we heard the day after we returned) is that the efforts seem to be working. For the first time in hundreds of years the lean of the Tower was DECREASED recently. They plan to try to bring it back 1/2 degree (won't be noticeable) and expect that to stabilize it for several hundred more years. You have to admire those Italian engineers.

Ed

The 'crowds' so far this year have led to Italian newspaper headlines scoffing at the lack of tourism. Apparently stories of crowds and exhorbitant price increases by many hotels have depressed tourism so far. On the other hand the Vatican just recently raised their estimate of visitors to Rome this year from 26-28 million to 30 million. ('Normal' is about 16-18 million.) <BR> <BR>Maybe the church knows something? It remains to be seen how things turn out in the peak season. <BR> <BR>The 'package deals' you seek are normally called independent (or hosted) tours. <BR> <BR>No, they're not all the same. Hotel choice is very important to us. Less room size and amenities, more important ... location. You want, expecially in Rome, to be near sights, and almost as important to us, restaurants. <BR> <BR>A couple of articles you'll find helpful: <BR>Choosing a Hotel in Rome <BR>www.twenj.com/romechoice.htm <BR> <BR>European Tours 101 (Independent, Escorted, Escorted) <BR>www.twenj.com/pkgtours.htm <BR> <BR>Rome.Switzerland.Bavaria <BR>www.twenj.com <BR> <BR>

Bob

The person that said Pisa looked okay was incorrect. We stopped there briefly in Oct. 99. It is a construction site. Cables, fence up on three sides and not too attractive. It is worth going to the site so you can say you did it, but quite different from our first trip in June, 1971. At that time there was no construction, no fences and you could actually walk up into the Tower. I have some great slides from the top. Sadly to say, that option is no longer available.

julia

Jeri. The tower is in a strange state, but it is still an amazing sight, and there's lots else to see and visit in the beautiful square. Pisa itself has a great atmosphere. I think you should go. My husband and I and our 14yr. old daughter really enjoyed out day and night there.