Fodorites Little known "must sees"
Apr 27th, 2006, 06:33 PM
#41
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noe847 I love cheese! That's part of the reason for Italy...we stopped in a cheese shop in Monterey Ca. and spent about an hour in there sampling and selecting cheeses for a picnic, to bring home, and cheese accessories.
Covent Garden sounds lovely.
We love live blues and jazz cvan anyone recommend a spot?
Covent Garden sounds lovely.
We love live blues and jazz cvan anyone recommend a spot?
Apr 27th, 2006, 06:51 PM
#42
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A whole-hearted recommendation for Spirito DiVino. It can be a little tricky to find, but by all means, go there! Here's an excerpt from my trip report when I was there...
...we ambled back to Spirito Divino in Trastevere for dinner (Via dei Genovesi 31 – basically head towards the McDonalds after crossing the Ponte Garibaldi on Viale Trastevere and hang a left at the golden arches). What a find! It’s in one of the original synagogues in Rome, which was built on top of an ancient cellar from Roman Empire days, which is now the wine cellar. The wine list is impressive, to say the least, and the owner encourages diners to amble down to the cellar to check it out. He says you are traveling back 70 years with each step down. It’s a beautiful little place, seating about 30 people at the max. The menu is very nice, and the antipasti, pasta and secondi were all very fresh and well presented. My secondi, which was magro di Maile alla Mazio, a marinated pork recipe from Julius Caesar’s time, was simply the best pork I have ever put in my mouth. It went very nicely with the Brolio Chianti Classico we had, which was very nice for only 25 euros per bottle. The desserts were equally divine, and we enjoyed our espresso afterward with the owner’s son, who is supposed to give us a call when he comes to Charleston, SC next year! It was the best meal of the trip, in our opinion, and we could have lingered much later than the three hours we took if we weren’t the last people left in the place! A fine meal for only 125 euros.
...we ambled back to Spirito Divino in Trastevere for dinner (Via dei Genovesi 31 – basically head towards the McDonalds after crossing the Ponte Garibaldi on Viale Trastevere and hang a left at the golden arches). What a find! It’s in one of the original synagogues in Rome, which was built on top of an ancient cellar from Roman Empire days, which is now the wine cellar. The wine list is impressive, to say the least, and the owner encourages diners to amble down to the cellar to check it out. He says you are traveling back 70 years with each step down. It’s a beautiful little place, seating about 30 people at the max. The menu is very nice, and the antipasti, pasta and secondi were all very fresh and well presented. My secondi, which was magro di Maile alla Mazio, a marinated pork recipe from Julius Caesar’s time, was simply the best pork I have ever put in my mouth. It went very nicely with the Brolio Chianti Classico we had, which was very nice for only 25 euros per bottle. The desserts were equally divine, and we enjoyed our espresso afterward with the owner’s son, who is supposed to give us a call when he comes to Charleston, SC next year! It was the best meal of the trip, in our opinion, and we could have lingered much later than the three hours we took if we weren’t the last people left in the place! A fine meal for only 125 euros.
Apr 27th, 2006, 07:00 PM
#44
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Here's the link...I never actually finished the thing...my wife got pregnant, went on bed rest, and the trip report took second (or fifth) fiddle...I still have all my notes...maybe one day soon I'll get it done just so it isn't hanging over my head!
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...amp;dirtyBit=1
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...amp;dirtyBit=1
Apr 27th, 2006, 07:05 PM
#45
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http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34457231
Try this link...sorry about the previous wrong one!
Try this link...sorry about the previous wrong one!
Apr 27th, 2006, 09:04 PM
#46
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bmillersc Thanks, congratulations on your upcoming child! Hope your wife is feeling better. I just finished reading noe's trip report and ended up linking into the London SUperthread. Oh my gosh! I got lost in the research but fun fun fun. I'm off to your trip report. BTW I was ordered to bed rest in my 5th month and found out later that I was having twins! What fun...
Apr 28th, 2006, 07:19 AM
#48
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For live entertainment options (all over the world), go to whatsonwhen.com. I found out about a tap dance show that is going on when we are in Rome, and since all three of my kids take tap and the tickets were reasonable, we're going.
Apr 28th, 2006, 08:50 AM
#49
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Goggle InItaly a web site that is based out of California. I purchased tickets, on line in 2001 (pre 9-11) for both the Uffizi & Academia. It was wonderful, in both instances we were able to cut out a 2.5 hour wait.
Apr 28th, 2006, 02:45 PM
#50
Hi - Rickmav - not sure what the current arrangements at the Bailey are - it may depend on the state of security when you happen to go. There used to be a public entrance with access only to the public galleries [separate from the rest of teh court] for those without business there; I'm not sure how much you can get to see from there as I never used it! Whereas at the Royal Courts, once you are in, you can just wander round, and get into almost all the courts to sit in the public gallery at the back, unless it's a very popular case of course, when it's probably full of journalists.
Apr 28th, 2006, 07:57 PM
#51
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amarc and missypie thanks for the tips. I'm still having fun with the research...always finding something new. Trip reports are the best source! Found out there is a Jazz festival while we are in Florence!
May 11th, 2006, 01:25 PM
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Zydeco - Temple Church is located inside the Inns of Court just off Temple Place and the Embankment. You can locate yourself easily via The Howard Hotel, which is literally around the corner. Closest tube stop is Temple Place. It's a 9th C. Norman round church with effigies of Knights Templar in the floor - quite fascinating really.
May 11th, 2006, 01:28 PM
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Zydeco - for Shakespeare plays, nothing more fascinating than the Globe on the South Bank right almost exactly where it was and built to specifications of the 16th Century. You are travelling during the height of its season so you will be lucky enough to actually see one of his plays. Later in the season, in November when we are going, Shakespeare is not being performed...sniff.
May 11th, 2006, 01:50 PM
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I've looked at some but not all of the suggestions, so the few that I will throw in may be repeats. But here goes:
1. lunch on the first day, try the Cafe in a Crypt at St. Martin's in the Fields on Trafalgar Square. The food is very good and not very expensive, and the church is fascinating. Designed by James Gibbs, it became the model for "New England" style churches.
2. The Natl. Portrait Gallery, opposite St. Martins, is free and provides a great refresher course in English history, with portraits of royals and notables from the Tudors to the present.
3. At the Ufizzi, get tickets for the secret passage over the Arno (Vasari Corridor) that the Medicis used to get from home (Pitti Palace) to office (the Ufizzi). If you do a search here, you'll find more info.
4. A nice walk in London is to cross the Millenium footbridge at St. Pauls and walk the south bank of the Thames by the Globe theater and Tate Modern, go up in the London Eye, and then back across the Thames on the Waterloo bridge to Westminster.
1. lunch on the first day, try the Cafe in a Crypt at St. Martin's in the Fields on Trafalgar Square. The food is very good and not very expensive, and the church is fascinating. Designed by James Gibbs, it became the model for "New England" style churches.
2. The Natl. Portrait Gallery, opposite St. Martins, is free and provides a great refresher course in English history, with portraits of royals and notables from the Tudors to the present.
3. At the Ufizzi, get tickets for the secret passage over the Arno (Vasari Corridor) that the Medicis used to get from home (Pitti Palace) to office (the Ufizzi). If you do a search here, you'll find more info.
4. A nice walk in London is to cross the Millenium footbridge at St. Pauls and walk the south bank of the Thames by the Globe theater and Tate Modern, go up in the London Eye, and then back across the Thames on the Waterloo bridge to Westminster.
May 11th, 2006, 05:37 PM
#56
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PS: While the Globe Theater may sound a little like the Disney version of Shakespeare, they do inventive productions. In September 2002 we saw a Twelfth Night with all parts played by men (as in the original), and the same director had done Hamlet in motorcycle garb a little earlier. I've since read about a production, maybe of Merchant of Venice, using middle English pronunciation.
May 11th, 2006, 06:17 PM
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Sounds like a busy but fun trip!
In Florence: Not unknown, but for a museum that is a nice break from "art" the Science Museum is just around the corner from the Uffizi, is not crowded, and has interesting stuff like Galileo's instruments (and his finger!), great globes and maps, and weird medical exhibits that definitely would have caught the attention of my brothers at that age.
In Rome: Ditto on the mention above for the Pantheon. Have them look for the missing "chunk" of the dome when you are inside; Brunelleschi was allowed to extract a section to study the dome's structure when he was building the Duomo in Florence.
You may be maxed out on churches, but your boys might like San Clemente -- it is built on top of an ancient pagan temple. You get to go down into the cool depths and then back up to the church, which is quite pretty with its mosiac over the altar of the Tree of Life.
In Pompeii: I finally made it there after 4 trips to Italy and for me, it exceeded my expectations! Tell your son that the hand-held audio guides are very good; you can go at your own pace, and skip or repeat what you want. (I also like using these at the Forum in Rome).
In Venice: The first time there I was with my mom and one brother. Yes, we liked seeing the important things, but also loved just wandering down teeny streets and finding local restaurants, nothing fancy, but places we thought looked cool.
One other thing: They may appreciate some time away from the parents! Going to a movie in Paris with my brothers, hitting the big city flea markets, even just hanging out in the hotel and watching TV sometimes...these are some of my great memories of family trips as a teen. I felt trusted and independent and I am a confident traveler today thanks to that exposure. And my parents got a break from us.
In Florence: Not unknown, but for a museum that is a nice break from "art" the Science Museum is just around the corner from the Uffizi, is not crowded, and has interesting stuff like Galileo's instruments (and his finger!), great globes and maps, and weird medical exhibits that definitely would have caught the attention of my brothers at that age.
In Rome: Ditto on the mention above for the Pantheon. Have them look for the missing "chunk" of the dome when you are inside; Brunelleschi was allowed to extract a section to study the dome's structure when he was building the Duomo in Florence.
You may be maxed out on churches, but your boys might like San Clemente -- it is built on top of an ancient pagan temple. You get to go down into the cool depths and then back up to the church, which is quite pretty with its mosiac over the altar of the Tree of Life.
In Pompeii: I finally made it there after 4 trips to Italy and for me, it exceeded my expectations! Tell your son that the hand-held audio guides are very good; you can go at your own pace, and skip or repeat what you want. (I also like using these at the Forum in Rome).
In Venice: The first time there I was with my mom and one brother. Yes, we liked seeing the important things, but also loved just wandering down teeny streets and finding local restaurants, nothing fancy, but places we thought looked cool.
One other thing: They may appreciate some time away from the parents! Going to a movie in Paris with my brothers, hitting the big city flea markets, even just hanging out in the hotel and watching TV sometimes...these are some of my great memories of family trips as a teen. I felt trusted and independent and I am a confident traveler today thanks to that exposure. And my parents got a break from us.
May 14th, 2006, 06:18 PM
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Zydecoqueen,
Since you said you love impressionism try to make it to the Musee Marmottan Monet while in Paris.
http://www.marmottan.com/uk/
This is a fabulous museum with an extensive Monet collection that you can easily see in an hour or two. We were in Paris a few weeks ago and the L'Orangerie is closed for renovations so their works are also being displayed at the Marmottan. Given your love of impressionism, I would call this a "Must See".
Sounds like a WONDERFUL trip!!! Please post when you return.
Since you said you love impressionism try to make it to the Musee Marmottan Monet while in Paris.
http://www.marmottan.com/uk/
This is a fabulous museum with an extensive Monet collection that you can easily see in an hour or two. We were in Paris a few weeks ago and the L'Orangerie is closed for renovations so their works are also being displayed at the Marmottan. Given your love of impressionism, I would call this a "Must See".
Sounds like a WONDERFUL trip!!! Please post when you return.
May 17th, 2006, 08:16 PM
#60
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Sandra thank you for the directions to the Temple Church. TIme away from the parents is a must for the boys...I think the down time in Florence will be helpful...large apartment will be nice. Joe I love your list. Cool first day lunch idea. Annabelle I'm so glad to hear about your trip to Pompeii. We're definatel going. Iluvparis thanks for the tip, I've bookmarked! I just received by tickets for Anthony and Cleopatra. We're still waiting for tickets to the Scavi and the Ceremony of the Keys. I sent away for the Scavi tickets in March. I sent away for the Ceremony of the Keys almost two weeks ago.
I've emailed Luca Garappa and inquired about arrangements for a private driver transfer from Rome to Florence. I want to stop in Orvieto, Sienna and San Gimignano. If you had to pick only two, which two towns would you visit on your way to Florence?
I've emailed Luca Garappa and inquired about arrangements for a private driver transfer from Rome to Florence. I want to stop in Orvieto, Sienna and San Gimignano. If you had to pick only two, which two towns would you visit on your way to Florence?
