Italy for Beginners
 

Sorry if I make any rookie mistakes- I'm new here. I appreciate any advice you all may have about travel (and forum etiquette!)

Here's the big picture:

Budget $5,000
Trip Date: Sometime in September
Trip Duration: ~2 Weeks
Travelers: Husband (seen Italy) & Wife (hasn't, but has always wanted to)
Tentative Locations List: Florence, Rome, Venice and Sienna(?)
Priorities:
Husband loves museums, ruins/historic sites, and architecture (Cathedrals, etc.)
Wife interested in Renaissance art ,Italian music, shopping, glass/ceramics workshops, and getting the "local" experience (likes Italian architecture and museums, too, just not as much as hubby)
Both love good food and comfy (but not extravagant) lodgings- think B&B. Both very curious about the Ponte Veccio. (sp?)

Any advice re: itinerary, buying tickets, points of interest, lodging, etc.? Any and all comments welcome and appreciated!

PS: Neither of us speaks Italian (though we plan to study hard!). We are NOT willing to drive in Italy. We prefer walking and public transportation.

I'm not a B&B person, so I'll leave it to others to make suggestions.You have a wonderful list of places to visit.
Florence especially is the place where one can overdose on the glories of Renaissance art.
That's not new; google Stendahl Syndrome.
I'd say take four days. Make advance reservations for the Accademia and the Ufizzi (far from my favorite museum, but it must be seen), and also go to Museo San Marco and the Bargello, two treasure houses,, where advance reservations aren't necessary. I'd also add in the Museum of the Works of the Duomo, which has just a few marvels, such as a late Michelangelo Pieta. Space out the museums with visits to the Baptistery, the Duomo, and Giotto's Bell Tower (all practically next door to each other.) And throw in some of the primary churches, such as Santa Croce, San Lorenzo (and the Medici Chapel) and three or four others.

Go to Siena by bus (from Florence, bus is the easier way) and stay at least one night, seeing the marvels of Sienese architecture and ambience. I'd say 1.5-2 days.

In my beloved Venice, (you could start or end the trip there), take at least 3 days. You can visit glass factories and showrooms on the lagoon island of Murano, though Murano is not especially beautiful. You can buy much the same glass, at all prices, in Venice itself. On a beautiful day, take the vaporetto to Burano and Torcello. Have lunch on one island or the other, stroll, and take some pretty photographs.

Rome: the days you have left. MInimum of three for getting a taste of it; four is better and you still won't have nearly enough time. Florence is Michelangelo's city; Rome is Bernini, post-Renaissance. Not that there aren't masterworks by Michelangelo in Rome, there are, but most of what one sees in Rome is either ancient (such as the Forum and Colosseum) or apres-Renaissance. Rome is large, and the metro of limited use; it takes a while to get form one place to another. Buy the Roma pass; not only is it a transport pass, but it lets you skip the ticket-buyers' lines at the Forum and Colosseum. You can also arrange advance tickets for the Vatican Museums. Crowds are lighter, relatively speaking, from 2pm until closing.

Use guided tours from agencies such as Context Rome or Enjoy Rome, or other agencies; they can provide very useful overviews, and will arrange the sightseeing in an efficient way.
I especially recommend that for the Vatican and St Peter's. You can always go back for more, either on this same trip, or on another.

We could not be more happy with Panella Residence in Florence. It is a wonderful B&B with the sweetest, most helpful owners. It gets excellent reviews on Tripadvisor as well. It is in an ideal location. Check it out!

I second the suggestion to do walks with Context tours. Our family of 5 did three walks in Italy with them a couple of years ago. In Rome we did the Vatican and Ancient Rome walks and in Florence the Ufizzi.

The walks were well organized, the guides were extremely knowledgeable, personable, and engaging. They took the time to answer our questions and explained the details of each exhibit, building, painting and associated historial events; key details which escape the typical tour groups.

In short, these walks were the icing on the cake of a wonderful vacation.

I cannot too highly recommend Montepulciano, if you want to visit a smaller - but historic - village with all that you mention, including Italian music and including the "local" experience. You can walk throughout the village, or bus to Siena, Firenze, Roma, Perugia, and on and on - though a bit far from Venice. If you are interested in Montepulciano, I can recommend vacation rentals or hotels.

We have just returned from Italy and stayed at the Daphne Inn B&B in Rome - Piazza Barbarini. The staff were excellent - very helpful and spoke very good English, room comfortable and the location convenient.
www.daphne-rome.com

Does the $5000 include airfare? If so, from where? If you need to use $2000 for airfare and only have $3000 for a two week trip you will need to look at budget B&B's. How many hotel nights will you have in Italy?

I would fly into either Milan or Venice (depending on airfare deals) and depart from Rome.

Venice - 4 nights
Florence - 4 nights (day trip by bus to Siena)
Rome - 4 nights

Hello 2Aquias, if this was my trip I would fly into Venice and depart from Rome. You probably know but this is known as Open Jaw or Multi City flights and shouldn't cost you anymore than arriving and departing from the same airport. And of course you would not have to backtrack which would save you lots of time and money.

I would personally fly into Venice and depart from Rome as usually the departure flights from Venice are so early in the morning if one is heading home to the US, I will assume you live in the US.

With your plans you will find it easy to take the train from Venice to Florence and than on to Rome after enjoying Florence. And as elaine advised taking the bus to Siena is the best idea as the bus takes you right into Siena. Best regards.

I like kybourbon's plan.

Over the years my tastes and preferences have changed. Years ago I would have said Venice 2-3 nights, Rome 3-4, and the rest in Florence. I used to love Florence to no end and could stay there for weeks. It's a vibrant, bustling city and quite compact.

But, on my last trip to Italy 2 yrs ago I found that I could have stayed a week or more in Rome, and the same for Venice, and we were more than happy to bug out of Florence after 3 hot, crowded days.

Rome is expansive and highly varied. This was the first trip we used apartments, and our location in Rome was perfect. It enabled us to explore and enjoy Rome at a leisurely pace, and not try to cram everything into a short visit. Down time at 'home' made us feel like we were 'living' in Rome, even if it was just for a week. It's easy to burn out if you push yourself to the limit day after day.

Ditto for Venice (apartment). The peacefulness of Venice is serene - no buses, cars, scooters. There are cruise ship/day tripper crowds during the day, but early/late they are all gone and we felt like we had Venice to ourselves. I'm not even sure we hit all the must-see sights in Venice, as we just had fun exploring and getting lost.

After visiting Venice we went to Florence. It was much more crowded than I recall previously, perhaps because this time we were visiting with the children, and needed to keep aware of where everyone was. By the time we got to Florence we'd already had our fill of Renaissance art, and art in general elsewhere. Of course we visited the Accademia but were quite happy to skip the Uffizi. It was no fun getting jostled by crowds in the Duomo, San Lorenzo market, and even inside the Accademia.

Your situation is different. Two of you, not 4. September, when things aren't as busy as the height of summer.

Regarding Siena, I would just do that as a day trip from Florence. It'll save you from having to pack/move/checkin one extra time, which will save you 1/2 a day. From Florence you could easily do a 1/2 day trip to Pisa if you plan it well and get an early start. Many will tell you Pisa is overrated - it's just a tipsy bell tower afterall. Others will tell you it's got far more to offer than just the tower/basilica/baptistry area and you should consider a few days in Pisa. To me it's one of those places you always hear about and I'm glad I've been (4x) & brought my family to take the silly "hold up the tower" pictures.

Lots of good advice. I agree with Elaine, the Uffizzi is not my favorite either but I am so glad that I saw the Botticellis and Caravagios (sp?)

However, one of my all-time favorite museums is the Borghese in Rome; the Bernini sculptures are magnificent and you can wander through the gardens after the museum for some outdoor activity.

I think you'll have a wonderful trip.

Good questions, KYBourbon- thank you.

Our $5,000 budget DOES include airfare (we're hoping to find some deals...) but this far out if we need to save up a little more, it might be do-able. We live in Virginia, so we can fly from Baltimore, Dulles, or Reagan pretty easily.

We don't mind "mixing it up" a bit in terms of lodging- perhaps a hostel one night, some budget hotels for a few days, and maybe one night in a nicer place...

The exact number of nights in Italy is negotiable. We're trying to be flexible to save money, so if it's 12 nights or 15 nights, we should be ok.

I hadn't thought much about an open jaw booking, but you all make some great points about those. I'm going to have to consider that very seriously as I think there are some definite benefits to that. WOW! I'm so glad I brought my questions here! You all are terrific!

If you're on a strict budget, consider staying in convents -- unless the curfew seriously cramps your style. Here's a helpful link: www.santasusanna.org/comingToRome/convents.html

Don't make the mistake of staying in a cheaper place away from the historic center of each city. To me it's throwing away vacation money. For example, Venice is expensive, but you lose so much of the experience if you stay in Mestre or the Lido.

kybourbon's plan is excellent. Siena by bus from Florence makes a good day trip (though Siena is thrillingly dark and medieval at night). And the open jaws flight into Venice, out of Rome. Flights from Venice (connecting to the US) leave very early, so if you depart from Venice, you lose time on the ground.

Obviously Montepulciano is not appropriate with so few days and no car.

Lots of great advice so far, thought I'd throw in my two cents.

Florence: I definitely agree that Sienna is a day trip from Florence - it's fairly easy to get up there via bus and/or train if you plan ahead a day. Have a nice lunch, visit the main sites and then head back to Florence. I'd also echo other people in saying that the most time should be spent in Venice and Rome

Venice: I stayed at the Pensione Accademia and was absolutely delighted with it! Small but very nice rooms, a wonderful feeling of privacy, front and back gardens at the hotel, amazing morning breakfast and a fantastic concierge named Luciano who will help you with anything you need to know. In my opinion Venice is best seen by just walking (or boating) around the city and finding little canals to explore. Also if you find some beautiful artwork being done on the street speak with the artist - some of the most interesting people there (well not all of them, but some).
In terms of food, Venice is known for its seafood and risotto. Alla Madonna is always a good restaurant to try. Sitting in San Marco's Square is lots of fun but be ready for the price of drinks - they're exorbitant!

Rome: From what you described it sounds like you might both enjoy a day trip to Tivoli. The Villa D'Este and it's gardens are stunning and provide a beautiful view. For a more historical/ruin glimpse you can also check out Hadrian's Villa of very very ancient ruins.
Also in Rome I would spend a half-day/day exploring the Trastevere area which has a wonderful and bit different feel to it then the rest of the city.
In Rome make sure to have Arrabiata pasta and saltimbuca if you can. Also, there are two Baffeto's located in Rome - best pizza I had in 13 cities in Italy.

Hope this helps! Enjoy!

Since this trip isn't until next September, and you are still figuring out your total number of nights, you have a lot of time to some research before locking yourself into how many days/nights you want in each location.

You say you have an interest in glass and ceramic making, and perhaps taking classes in Italy. That suggests to me that you might want to a lot more time to Venice and Firenze (Florence) than a tourist with no compelling interest would think of doing.

Also, many tourists go to Italy without ever allotting any time to hear music performed -- and hearing music in Italy is your particular best shot at enjoying a "local" experience, given the fact your chosen destination are among the most overrun with foreign tourists in Italy. Once you've researched where best to fulfill that desire to experience Italian music in Italy, you'll know how to divide your days for your trip. (I don't know about music in Montepulciano, but you would need a car to get there.)

I'm guessing you already know that glass making and classes is a specialty of Venice. I'm not sure what kind of ceramics most interest you, but you might appreciate knowing about this ceramics school in Certaldo, reachable by bus from Firenze

http://www.lameridiana.fi.it/certald...ence_italy.htm

The ceramics town of Faenza is reachable as a day trip from Firenze using public transportation,. Up the hill by bus from Firenze is Italy's terracotta pottery center, the town of Impruenta. In the close-by area of Murgello, there is both the museum of 19th c. Chini ceramics and all the famous Tuscan discount designer brand shopping outlets (but you might want to arrange a taxi back!)

http://www.mugellotoscana.it/EN/conoscere_musei_02.htm

Finally, I've spent a lot of time in the museums of Florence on repeat visits. I know that reactions to the Uffizi are quite split, but a great many experienced museum lovers intensely dislike the Uffizi, and consider it one of the most tiring and annoying museums in Europe for its layout, overcrowdedness and the difficulty of actually seeing the art. Given the way your describe yourself, I can't imagine you enjoying being in it (or the Pitti), If your husband sees something in a museum he feels certain you would want to see, go back later that day and he can show it to you. . Otherwise, plan to be doing something else! (But do know that there are Della Robbias in the Bargello.)

Have a great time!

PS: Because reservations are required for the Uffizi, some people think you can't make them the same day or hours ahead of time. It can be done.

If your $5000 includes airfare and you have to allocate $2000 for that you will only have $3000 - or 2000 euros for the whole trip. A basic pension (perhaps shared bath, no AC and stairs versus elevator) will be about 100 euros a night - or 1300 for a 14 day trip - leaving you only 700 - or about 50 euros per day for BOTH OF YOU travel between cities, transit in cities, meals, sightseeing etc. Do NOT plan on any shopping with that budget and assume a lot of meals will be sandwiches on park benches with tap ater from you hotel in your own bottle.

For example, the entrance to the Forum and Colisseum is 11 euors per person - leaving you only 28 euros for the day for meals and transit.

I think you need to either have a shorter trip or save up considerably more money.

If you live in Virginia, last year Delta was offering extraordinary deals to Florence airport. All flights included a stop in Atlanta, but the Atlanta flight left late enough in the day that you could comfortably take a late morning flight out of one of your airports and connect. The fares were as low as $300 RT, taxes included. Don't know if they'l do it again, but keep your eye out! Even if you can't find fares THAT low, from the East Coast I wouldn't expect to pay $1000RT to Italy.

Airports you should consider given your present wish list of destinations: Milan, Pisa, Florence, Bologna, Venice and Rome (not all of those will offer you a non-stop).

I should add: But keep saving money! Don't count on a deal!

Regarding accommodation - another possibility might be limiting yourself to two destinations for a week each and renting an apartment. Towards the end of September might count as "offseason" for some. You might be able to find an apartment within 30 minutes of central Rome, on a decent train or bus route for reasonable cost rather than city centre.

The problem with this is that all three of the "main" cities are expensive, but you might find some on assorted websites - I tend to use Holidayrentals.co.uk or homelidays.com,. but there are many others.

I was going to suggest that driving on highways and rural Italy is not really a huge issue, but cities can be a real pain. Trains and buses are easy enough.

I don't think you will have to stay quite as basic as nytraveler suggests (although you will have to pay around 100€ for bare bones), but you certainly can't afford the expensive ceramics classes that steps suggests either.

For Rome, I would get the 3 day Roma Pass which is 23€. You get free admission to two sites (best value is Forum/Colosseum which counts as one entrance and the Borghese), free transportation for three days and discounts after your free entrances. You will need to call the Borghese for a reservation and tell them you will be using the pass, but they only book about two months in advance. http://www.romapass.it/p.aspx?l=en&tid=2

If it turns out you will be in Rome the last weekend in September that is usually Heritage weekend (check closer to September to see if that is the exact dates this year) and all the state museums/sites will be free on Sat/Sun.

>>>PS: Because reservations are required for the Uffizi<<<

Reservation aren't required for the Uffizi. You can stand in line to get in and save the 4€ per person booking fee. Later in the day the lines thin out and you might not have to stand in line at all. The same is true for the Accademia. Be sure to have cash (they actually wanted exact cash) as they had a cash line that moved much faster. If you do want to reserve in advance or check hours for the museums in Florence, this is the official website.
http://www.polomuseale.firenze.it/english/Default.asp?

Alloro B&B in Florence will probably be in your price range. It's between the train station and the Duomo. You may get a better rate by e-mailing than using the online booking.
http://www.allorobb.it/Eng/index.html

You are fortunate to have begun your research now. You can learn so much from reading posts on this forum. Be creative in looking for good airfares. We ultimately flew into Rome and home from Venice this past October. Our flight left Venice at 10am, so it was easy. We booked on Continental. They flew us to Frankfurt on Lufthansa, where we connected with a direct flight to Houston. The cost was no more than round trip to Rome. Unfortunately, the current exchange rate makes travel in Italy relatively expensive. You might consider shortening your trip if necessary. You can certainly save money staying in an apartment, especially in Rome. It will allow you to save on food by eating a few meals in the apartment.

Great advice supplied but in italy- less is more - don't try to do too much- probably preaching to the converted but you can see and easily book convent and monastery accommodation using www.monasterystays.com. They have access to places right in the heart of the places you want to visit. Like B&B but safe and good value. A friend recommended the site to me and I'm usng them for my trip to Sicily in Oct- was easy.

Thank you everyone for your WONDERFUL and very wise advice. We've talked a lot about it and here's what we've come up with:

1) We'll do a lot of research and try to find the cheapest airfare we can.

2) Neither of us wants to spend much time in hotels- we want to be out in the fresh air experiencing Italy! Therefore, lodging doesn't matter- if it's clean and safe, we'll be happy. Therefore, hostels, convents, whatever are fair game. We'd like to splurge on one nice B&B, perhaps, but since we're on a budget we have to set priorities and lodging just isn't as important to us as souvenirs, food and "experiences" (museums, historic sights, etc.).

3) We never thought about renting an apartment but after reading everyone's advice, we're going to seriously think about it.

4) We're perfectly happy stocking up on fresh Italian meats, cheeses, veggies and bread in the local markets to save money (at home, these are some of our favorite treats!). We can grab "fast food" as we travel during the day (stopping for gelato, of course!) and then make dinner OR lunch our "splurge" meal at a sit-down restaurant, depending on when/where we find a place we just can't resist and depending upon how hungry we are. We're not big fans of wine or coffee (I know. Isn't it shameful?) so we can save a lot of money by carrying our water bottles everywhere and refilling where we can and that will let us buy a lot more pasta and desserts which we TRULY appreciate! (I'm determined to try something with real truffles and per the earlier suggestion, I will ABSOLUTELY be getting saltimboca!)

5) We're going to work hard to save up a little more money than we had planned to make sure this once-in-a-lifetime experience is fabulous! We've been looking forward to this trip for years! In the end, it's not about where we stay or how fancy we get- it's about being in the "amore" capital of the world together and enjoying la dolce vida! I'm sure whatever we do, we'll have fun if we just keep our expectations reasonable, remain flexible, and think ahead a little bit to maximize our time and budget! In the end, we're going to Italy! Hooray!

And have lots of gelato!

With your budget I second considering staying in convents. My sister and I did this in 2002 and in our mid thirties did not consider the 11pm curfew to be restrictive at all--we were ready to turn in by 10 or 11 after a long day of walking. We also found the convents to be central, safe and very clean and in beautiful buildings.

Brava to you 2Aquilas!

Many of us have happily traveled -- sometimes for long periods of time -- with scarcely no money at all. We went to churches to look at the work of Italy's greatest painters and hear Italian music because we couldn't afford museums except on the free nights or concert tickets.

Yes, we sat on "park benches" eating the lunch we'd bought from the market and bakery that morning (it was DELICIOUS). Did we fill bottles with "tap water from our hotels to drink. Well, no. We filled them in the more than 2000 public drinking fountains of Rome because we thought is would be fun to try to live like Romans do so long as we were in Rome.

Here's a list of public drinking fountains for Rome:

http://www.ilsuonodellefontanediroma...ombardieng.php

Venice positively WANTS you to drink from campo fountains instead of buying bottled water:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environmen...04/water.italy

Also, Florence lost its tradition of grand public drinking fountains, but two out of three isn't bad.

It's simply a myth that your trip will be inferior or you should cut it short if you can't go with more money. People who eat all the time in restaurants in Italy, use rental cars and Segways to go sightseeing, spend all their time at paid attractions instead of enjoying the public life of Italy don't necessarily see Italy well even if they prefer to do that.

Some other comments:

Utilize the tourist office wherever you go to find out where you can hear music for free while you are there.

Truffles will NOT be in season when you are in Italy. Nor are they a local specialty of any of the places you are going. If you find them anywhere, you will find them in an extremely highpriced tourist restaurant -- and no Italian in his or her right mind would pay the 40 euros you will likely be charged for truffle shavings six months past their freshness, trucked in or flown in from who knows where.

Enjoy the local treats for eats because they will be the freshest, in season, and prepared by people with literally centuries of experience. For less than a euro a piece, you can eat Rome's "suppli al telefono," fried rice balls oozing with mozzerella. For three euros in Rome, you can eat hot, fragrant slices of "pizza bianca", a huge slab of freshly baked bread, rich with olive oil, and loaded with your choice of toppings. Florence is the capital of Tuscany, and it has amazing cheeses and of course astonishing fruits. In Venice, you can find small sandwiches at bars and caffes that will keep you going for stretches without spending much money.

Apart from gelati, desserts in Italy are not a specialty. Especially baked sweets are not very good. (Italians seldom use butter.) So I wouldn't spend money sampling them. I'd spend it on fruit -- which is what Italians themselves eat for dessert.

Be mindful that in some of the most famous piazze and campi in Rome, Florence, Siena and Venice, it is forbidden to picnic. So plan to eat your al fresco lunch somewhere you won't be giving direct competition to the tourist trap restaurants that ring the famous sites. Doing that will also lead you to neighborhoods, parks and places where you'll be surrounded by Italians, not tourists. Just don't follow the local example of never tossing your own litter.

Have a great time!

AussieJohn is a shill for monasterystays. They are a reseller and mark up the prices 10-15€ per night. If you want to stay at convents, book directly with the convent. There are several centrally located convents with private baths in Rome that have midnight or later curfews.

No one yet has mentioned Priceline for hotels and airfare.

Last time we went to Europe (with a stop in Italy) we used the name your own price option for Priceline for our air and hotel. We got nice 4 star hotels for $150 a night that would have cost $400 if you just walked in the door. Priceline for air is good also if you want to spend $600 instead of a $1000 for Air from Washington/Baltimore. You chose your dates and they pick the airline and routing. No FF miles, refunds or changes with the name your own option for Priceline.

Generally we like the American style hotels in Europe after countless sleepless night in postage stamped sized rooms with no soundproofing and one double bed that is a hard as a rock. The small bed and breakfast hotels or locally owned 3 stars sound good in theory but as I would lie in bed sleepless from the noise and super hard bed, I dreamed I was in a nice American style Holiday Inn in Columbus Ohio.

Good luck in your first trip to Europe!

It sounds like you are well on your way to planning a super trip to Italy!

We have some similar tastes/preferences--husband will spend entire day in one museum enjoying details of every painting/exhibit while I want to see more limited exhibits. I love the ruins, architecture, but he avoids churches. We both enjoy wandering neighborhoods, stopping in a park, eating picnics, and just want clean, safe lodgings. Neither of us can stand sustained crowds in the heat.

I agree with trying to start in the north and work your way south to Rome--the northern cities are easier to use to get over jet lag. In Venice, I enjoy taking the Grand Canal vaporetto 1 all the way to the end and back for seated sightseeing. I also enjoyed the recommended routes to the neighboring islands for glass, strolling, lunch much less crowded than Venice, then exploring all of Venice's streets in the evening/early morning before/after the crowds. I think St Marks is magic in the evening--try to go up in the basilica at the end of the day. We enjoyed the Doges Palace tour that we booked before arrival. We stayed in a small B&B near the train station--no canal view, but convenient and good price. We ate the fixed price "early bird" special at some open air restaurants for full meals at reasonable prices. I don't remember which small hotel we stayed in, but it was in this area www.hotelslucia.com/

We have traveled between the cities by trains several times. Usually point-to-point tickets cost less than a pass, but the first time we traveled to Italy we bought passes just to make it easier.

Florence, like the other major tourist cities, is best enjoyed early and late. We had tickets for opening or late for museums and used the peak time to stroll to see architecture, views, etc.

We did the day trip via bus to Siena. It is magical at night. I think it might be worthwhile to ask to store your luggage at your Florence hotel, taking just an overnight bag along to Siena so you can enjoy the old city at night. If not, plan to stay until an evening bus.

I would suggest a stay in a smaller town, not just the big cities. Last trip we stayed overnight in Orvieto, a hill town right on the Florence-Rome train line. We took the funicular up the hill, walked the old streets, took a tour of the caves, and enjoyed the peaceful night.

I would like to return to Rome--we arrived there at the beginning of that trip and didn't spend enough time. The heat, noise, crowds, etc. were overwhelming in early June, so we just saw the most important (to us) sights, then moved down to the coast. I think my experience is atypical because we happened upon one day when all the museums/sights were free, so no waiting in line for the collosseum, etc., which helped alot. I think we would have managed the crowds/noise/heat better if we were not jetlagged. We were too tired to go out at night to see the sights lit up, which I have heard is quite nice.

steps, I thought truffle season started in September. And Umbria is not all that far from Florence. But truffles definitely would not fit in the OP's tight budget.

To the OP, we adjust our eating style in Italy. We take full advantage of the provided breakfast, have a big, long, late lunch (after a full morning of sightseeing), and -- instead of waiting for the later Italian dinner hour, eating a lot, and going to bed -- have gelato for dinner. Skipping dinner saves considerable money on food, not to speak of calories. Just beware of restaurants that close at 2 PM.

I like apartments for their privacy and space, but maybe not for your first trip. It's nice to have a desk person to answer questions, give directions, etc.

I also have recently-updated travel files on F, R, and V; if you'd like to see them, email me at ESL1051 at yahoo dot com.

We found that we could get better/larger breakfasts for the same money at cafes and train stations than what was provided at our budget B&Bs in Italy, so after the first couple of stays we asked for room only and the breakfast to be removed. We always found reasonably priced pizza.

Mimar,

I think in the life of an Umbrian truffle, Umbria actually is quite far from Firenze!

Not everybody agrees which are the best autumn months (and winter months) for truffles I think September is early, even the latter part of September. Especially for white truffles -- which I think are so much superior to black truffles -- and I wouldn't go for those until November myself, at the earliest.

But equally important to this itinerary is that for cooks in Rome and Firenze, it's not part of their tradtiional cooking. It would be a stretch for these poster to fling themselves to the reaches of Umbria where truffles are considered to be part of the local cuisine (around Urbino and Norcia).

There are some truffles in Tuscany near Asciano, but they are not Italy's prize truffles. Otherwise, I suspect the only people serving truffles in Tuscany and Rome are Michelin-type restaurants. In places where truffles are common, you can go to a moderately priced eatery and pay a surcharge to have truffles shaved over a moderately priced pasta. At the superfancy restaraunts looking for truffles, there are no moderately priced dishes on the menu, even without truffles.

I think if, when in Italy, you eat peak of the season ingredients, classic recipes and rely on the local cooks, what you taste will be a good as truffles!

People seldom use priceline in Italy for a reason: The family-run B&B are often far better accommodations than the big brand name hotels that participate with Priceline, especially in terms of location. The big corporate hotels are seldom inside the historic center, and in Rome it can be a terrific problem. And there just isn't a reason for most people to go for these corporate hotels because the B&Bs are cheap and immaculate, and the owners are wonderful, and they are right on top of the sights.

I love Italy but hate Italian hotels. Hopefully the original poster is not going to be scared off by those nasty European style hotels in Italy and their first trip will be their last trip.

Here is what I hate about Italian hotels:

* Those incredibly small rooms that are at best 160 square feet

* The lack of carpet in many hotel rooms

* Energy saving where you have to put your key in a slot to get the lights and air conditioning to turn on.

* The lack of sound proofing in the hallway. I can hear the creaking elevator up and down the hall and everyone on the whole floor.

* The super small television with five channels non in English way up high in the corner. Where is the modern HDTV 46 Inch sets found in so many American style hotels.

* The two super hard twin beds right next to each other. At home we sleep in a king bed that is very soft and comfortable.

* Those super small elevators where there is only room for one person and one bag.

* The haughty front desk clerks who act like they are better than us.

* No vending machines, pool, exercise rooms and no ice machine.
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Watch out OP, for those nasty European Hotels!

worldtraveler -- where in the world did you stay in Italy? Name names, please. You mentioned you "made a stop" in Italy. How many Italian hotels have you stayed in, and which were they?

No ice machines in Italy, that's true! And I hope it stays that way!

Actually, as I posted above, b&bs are usually a better bet in much of Italy.

I agree with world traveller - the sooner they pull down some of those stupid medieval buildings and replace them with spacious modern American standard hotels, the better :-)

Unlike worldtraveler, none of those things bother me very much. What I hate are international hotel chains where everything is the same no matter what country you're in.

When I travel, I try to experience the country like a local - at least as much as one is able. So I eat the food they eat at their mealtimes, drink their drinks, take siestas, have discovered an appreciation for thin linen towels. And am greatful for the smallest elevator.

All kidding aside, most of the facts that worldtraveler state I find to be quite true, especially the parts about hard beds.

They definitely don't bother me either, but I do know many people who have accustomed to king sized pillow top beds & soft squishy pillows both at home and now becoming more common at US hotels.

There are differences, so it can be helpful to let those less experienced know about these differences, without judgement.