Dayle

I would greatly appreciate the Fodorites suggestions for special, beautiful, little out-of-the-way places to visit on my itinerary for Sept. Also, if anyone has anything horrible to say about my hotel choices - please let me know while there is still time to change! I have quite a few good restaurant and winery recs from the boards already, thanks to you all.

9/11 & 9/12 Positano - Casa Albertina
Plan to bus/ferry to Amalfi & Ravello 1 day

9/13 Capri - Hotel Bellavista, Anacapri - hiking, around the island boat tour, chairlift, Villa Jovis

9/14 Napoli - Hotel Pinto Storey, Chiaia district - having a hard time deciding whether to visit Pompeii again and see more or to visit Herculaneum instead - suggestions?, Arch Museum, Capella Sansevero

9/15,16,17,18,19 - Hotel Giardino Rome
9/15 - Trastevere
9/16 - Arte Vaticana tour, basilica
9/17 - Tivoli & Hadrian's Villa
9/18 - Borghese Gallery, fountains, churches
9/19 - Antica Rome tour, Nero's house

9/20 - pick up car in Floigno - visit Montefalco, Spello or Bevegna? - Assisi - Hotel Berti

9/21 - Gubbio - Relais Ducale

9/22, 23 & 24 - Montalcino - Hotel Giglio
wine tasting, Pienza, Montalcino, Monte Oliveto, San Antimo

9/25 - drop car at Fiumicino, last night in Rome

Mille grazie!

Amart

Be sure to visit the Arch Museum in Napoli. We booked through Vatican Tours and Beyond http://www.vaticantoursandbeyond.com/. The guide (Fernando?) was fantastic. Our teens wsre entralled, as were we. It was an art history lesson for the 4 of us. We spent 3-4 hours which wasn't enough. The mosaics from Pompeii were worth the trip--you won't see any modern mosaics like these.

We also booked with the same company for several guides in Rome, including a 5 hour tour of the Vatican--worth every penny. They also obtained Papal visit tickets (very hot in the sun, take an umbrella) and Scavi tickets.

If you are near Parma, get a day tour with www.parmagolosa.it. The cheese/ vinegar/ ham tours were an unexpected highlight of our trip. We thought it would be interesting, but the whole group thought it was wonderful and not to be missed.

Dayle

Woohoo! My how things can change! I just got off the phone (45 minutes) with the airline and was finally (after months of trying using FF miles) able to change my return so I have 4 more days for my trip! Perfect!

Amart, thanks for your recommendations! The Archelological Museum in Naples is the main reason for the Naples portion. Definitely won't miss.

So, now I can add a day to Positano and a day to Capri. Will probably add a day to Rome and a day to one of my Umbrian locations. Still trying for Palazzo Bocci in Spello. We'll see with the change in dates.

Please keep your recommendations coming.

Mille grazie!

ms_go

Dayle,

Your time in Naples seems to be pretty much filled up, but if you find yourself with extra time, check out Napoli Sotterranea, the tour of the underground aqueducts and tunnels that date to the city's Greek beginnings:
http://www.napolisotterranea.org/index2.asp?lang=EN

Also, we enjoyed the tiled cloister, museum, and ruins of Roman baths at Santa Chiara. We enjoyed Naples and really didn't have enough time there.

We posted a trip report for Capri, Positano, and Naples earlier this week, which you can find by clicking my name.

While in Positano, we spent time talking with a couple staying at Casa Albertina, and they liked it.

Enjoy! It sounds like a great trip.

Dayle

Thanks Ms go! I've been playing around with the idea of staying 2 nights in Naples. Unfortunately, my hotel doesn't seem to be available for the new dates. I'll keep looking though. If I have to, maybe I'll stay in Sorrento.

Thanks for the word on Casa Albertina too!

sbsjsf

We just returned from Italy in late May and Il Giglio in Montalcino is wonderful. Definitely try to get Room 1. It has the most amazing view from the private terrace. The staff at Il Giglio were very welcoming. We strongly recommend having dinner at least one night at the hotel. It was one of our most memorable meals.

Glad to see you are including Sant Antimo Abbey. If you are a photographer I would recommend going in the morning. We went in the late afternoon and loved it, but the building is washed out in photos taken from the entrance drive (the more spectacular angle on the building).

In Rome we used Through Eternity tours and were VERY pleased with Danny.

hdm

We did a day trip to Montalcino and for dinner went to a restaurant called Poggio Antico which was recommended by our hosts. It's about 5km outside Montalcino, up another hill and then down a long country road lined with cypress. It's quite formal, although we just went in our 'tourist clothes' (him, pants and a cotton shirt; me, a cotton skirt and matching t-shirt). The place is beautiful (sit outside on the terrace if you can), the service is formal but friendly, the food is creative and delicious and, of course, the wine list is extensive. It's pricey but a very special place. I know they've got a website and it's not hard to find the url. One caution though -- remember when you're drinking all that lovely wine that you're going to be driving home on dark country roads!