Monica - don't have any definitive plans for Italy in November. Right now, life is in a state of flux. If I suddenly find myself with tickets in hand (I've been known to mobilize on short notice), then will e-mail you directly. Thanks,

Just emailed you Paul! <BR> <BR>a--z, email me if you decide to travel to Italy.

Just to let everyone know that Dawn won't be traveling with me, so my cousin Reenie will. I'm still planning to have the same itinerary, so anyone interested in dinner on the 4th or 5th of November in Venice and the 10th in Siena, let me know. I haven't made hotel reservations yet for Siena, but when I do, I'll let you know via email.

Count me in! We are going there as well, over those dates. We'll be in touch! <BR>Steve and Sharon

Are all of you who were thinking of going in Nov. still going?

wondering: My wife and I are scheduled to leave on Nov. 3 for a two-week stay in Italy. We've been back and forth 300 times about whether or not to go, but just decided to go forward. (We live in NYC and are not feeling particularly safe at home, so figure we might as well go forward with our trip.)

Yes, Wondering, I am still going. Some friends and family do not want me to go, but I am. I just made my hotel reservations in Siena and just need to find a hotel near the Malpensa airport, maybe in the town of Gallareta. <BR> <BR>Steve, Sharon, and Paul, you can email me directly and we can discuss getting together. We’ll be available for dinner in Siena on the 10th. We’ll probably have dinner in San Gimignano on the 11th, but that will depend on our travels that day. <BR> <BR>

Have a wonderful time, Monica -- I expect to hear all about it when you get back!

We are leaving 10/22 - going to Venice for 3 nites, Rome for 2 nites, Positano for 2 nites, up to Florence - 3 nites, Siena - 3 nites, Cinque Terre - 3 nites, Lake Como - 2 nites, Milan - i nite, and Paris for 4 nites, flying home on the 13th!

Hi Ginger, <BR>It looks like I'll miss you in Italy, but hopefully someone will read your posting and meet up with you. Have a great trip!

Hi!! I am a fellow fodorite and I live in Naples... I may try to go up to Rome and meet you guys! I haven't had a chance to get up there to explore the Borghese and Medici villas. Ciao for now!!

Doing the Vasari corridor? Warning! Dress warmly! <BR>We took the tour Sept. 22nd while a cold front was going through. It was probably about 7C that morning (45F?) and the corridor stayed cold well into the morning. The guide said it was closed in Winter and summer due to lack of climate control - and it's a 2-hour tour (plus) without any easy exits. <BR>Enjoy!

Judi is going to make dinner reservations at Cane e Gato for the 10th of November in Siena. Paul and Christina, please let me know if you’d like to join us (and provide # of people in your group). <BR> <BR>10 days and counting!!! <BR>

I will make reservations tomorrow or the following day for Cane e Gatto. As of now there are six of us; if you would like to join us, let us know promptly. It will be so much fun meeting fellow Fodorites!

Judi has made reservations for 8 people. Christina, if you are interested, please email me.

xxxx, Speaking for myself ( and in defense of Monica) I am looking forward to meeting fellow Fodorites for dinner; it will be fun to share stories. Monica may take one or two evenings out of two weeks to visit with "friends". The majority of the time she will be on her own. I have met Fodorites on two occasions away from home and they were delightful. You may not have been on this site long enough (fodorian ?) to feel the camaraderie that others feel.

judi, I am not sure xxx was referring to the camaraderie, as a matter of fact he (or she?) didn't even mention it. To be totally honest, I myself like to discover hotels, sights, restaurants on my own, so I'm not keen on copying every detail of somebody' else trip.

As this thread is about getting together with fellow Fodorites, I guess I falsely assumed that xxxx was down on that. The hotel where we are staying in Siena said that Cane e Gatto is Siena's best restaurant along with Da Divo, so I am glad I learned about it on this board. I can't speak for Monica but I'm sure she, as I, has discovered places on her own. At home I have eaten at restaurants recommended by others and see nothing wrong with sometimes going with recommendations from other Fodorites. I'm just happy that we all are traveling, whether with help from others or totally on our own.:-)

xxxx, Yes, I do my own research. Travel is my passion! I wish I could give up my government job of 17.5 year and get into the travel industry. I have traveled to Europe since 1990, a total of 9 trips so far. I now do 2 trips a year to Europe. I plan at least 6 months ahead by reading travel books, doing research at the library, here on Fodors, as well as getting tourist information from the local tourist offices. Many times when I choose a hotel or restaurant from my research (usually my Frommers guides), I find that it's nice to know that others have been there which helps me to "confirm" that I've made a good decision. I can say that out of all the hotels and restaurants we enjoyed, about 20% were suggested/recommended from fellow travelers. And on the other side, other fellow fodorites have stayed at hotels or dined in restaurants that *I* have happily discovered on my own! I have even found a few wonderful restaurants that my husband and I enjoyed that were not in any guidebooks at the time, but are now. I can also say that is it good to have ideas from others. Sometimes I'd rather pick a restaurant that someone truely enjoyed rather than taking the chance of a bad meal. I hope I have "cleared" things up for you. Thanks, Monica

You go girl! <BR>