Italy Honeymoon Report
Jul 13th, 2003 | 12:12 PM
#1
Original Poster
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8
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Italy Honeymoon Report
Just got back from a 2 week honeymoon in Italy...thanks for all the great recommendations that I read on this board before the trip.
We started out the trip in Amalfi at the Santa Caterina. Flew into Naples and drove the Amalfi Coast drive to Amalfi. The drive was lots of fun but I would only recommend it to those who are confident, and I would emphasize only renting stick shift if you're an expert. Anyways, the Santa Caterina was pricey but unbelievable, probably the most beautiful hotel that I've ever stayed at. The beach down past the cliff alone made our trip - its so relaxing to drink white wine by the ocean and pop into the Med anytime you feel like it. Only a few hotels have private beaches - this is a must. We took day trips to Positano, which is very charming, and Capri, which we felt was hot and overrated. Food in Amalfi Coast was generally fine but not excellent. BTW, its easy to get drunk off limoncello.
Next stop was Rome. We stopped by Pompeii on the way which is truly impressive - definitely take a tour to learn the secrets of the rooms. We stayed in the Colonna Palce which is nondescript and a little pricey but centrally located near the Pantheon. If we go to Rome again, we may avoid staying close to the Spanish Steps and save some money. Anyways, food in Rome was tremendous - one night we went to La Pannaro which gives you 10 courses for $19 euro - it was packed and fun. Another great meal was in Trastavere, which is lots of fun at night - our whole dinner there was about 7 euro/person. On the whole, Rome was hot and not all that fun but a necessary stop for the trip.
Our favorite stop overall was the next one, Siena. We stayed in the Villa Sciaccapensieri (sp?) near Siena which was just unbelievable. Fantastic staff, beautiful view, and a restaurant that serves Tuscan food straight from heaven. I recommend this highly to honeymooners and they're very family-friendly as well with a pool. We took day trips into Siena, which was very cool, especially at night, to Florence where we saw the compulsory artwork, and to Chianti. Food highlights (must have gained 10 pounds in 5 days) include two dinners at the Villa restaurant, a simply amazing and beautiful lunch at the Badia a Coltabuno winery, and the dinner to beat all dinners at Cane e Gatto in Siena (thanks Fodors crew). Our future trips to Italy will definitely focus on Tuscany and Siena in particular.
Last stop was Venice. We stayed in a functional 3 star hotel of the Hotel Anastasia that is adjacent to St. Marks square. In our first time in the city, we loved Venice and thought it was surreal in a Vegas sort of way. Food here was fair but the attractions really held our interest. In particular, we loved a tour of the Doge's palace, history is more our kind of thing than art anyways.
Overall, it was an amazing trip that I wouldn't change a thing in the future. E-mail me about any of these places if you're going on your own honeymoon.
We started out the trip in Amalfi at the Santa Caterina. Flew into Naples and drove the Amalfi Coast drive to Amalfi. The drive was lots of fun but I would only recommend it to those who are confident, and I would emphasize only renting stick shift if you're an expert. Anyways, the Santa Caterina was pricey but unbelievable, probably the most beautiful hotel that I've ever stayed at. The beach down past the cliff alone made our trip - its so relaxing to drink white wine by the ocean and pop into the Med anytime you feel like it. Only a few hotels have private beaches - this is a must. We took day trips to Positano, which is very charming, and Capri, which we felt was hot and overrated. Food in Amalfi Coast was generally fine but not excellent. BTW, its easy to get drunk off limoncello.
Next stop was Rome. We stopped by Pompeii on the way which is truly impressive - definitely take a tour to learn the secrets of the rooms. We stayed in the Colonna Palce which is nondescript and a little pricey but centrally located near the Pantheon. If we go to Rome again, we may avoid staying close to the Spanish Steps and save some money. Anyways, food in Rome was tremendous - one night we went to La Pannaro which gives you 10 courses for $19 euro - it was packed and fun. Another great meal was in Trastavere, which is lots of fun at night - our whole dinner there was about 7 euro/person. On the whole, Rome was hot and not all that fun but a necessary stop for the trip.
Our favorite stop overall was the next one, Siena. We stayed in the Villa Sciaccapensieri (sp?) near Siena which was just unbelievable. Fantastic staff, beautiful view, and a restaurant that serves Tuscan food straight from heaven. I recommend this highly to honeymooners and they're very family-friendly as well with a pool. We took day trips into Siena, which was very cool, especially at night, to Florence where we saw the compulsory artwork, and to Chianti. Food highlights (must have gained 10 pounds in 5 days) include two dinners at the Villa restaurant, a simply amazing and beautiful lunch at the Badia a Coltabuno winery, and the dinner to beat all dinners at Cane e Gatto in Siena (thanks Fodors crew). Our future trips to Italy will definitely focus on Tuscany and Siena in particular.
Last stop was Venice. We stayed in a functional 3 star hotel of the Hotel Anastasia that is adjacent to St. Marks square. In our first time in the city, we loved Venice and thought it was surreal in a Vegas sort of way. Food here was fair but the attractions really held our interest. In particular, we loved a tour of the Doge's palace, history is more our kind of thing than art anyways.
Overall, it was an amazing trip that I wouldn't change a thing in the future. E-mail me about any of these places if you're going on your own honeymoon.
Jul 13th, 2003 | 01:09 PM
#3
Original Poster
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 8
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Sorry, our hotel concierge took care of reservations and told us where it was, I can't remember. Siena is luckily a pretty small city (about 15 minutes end to end) so you can ask people and they'll tell you. Given the price of the meal ($65 euros/per) I don't think reservations are critical but the meal was simply amazing.
Have a great time!
Have a great time!
Jul 13th, 2003 | 01:34 PM
#4
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
Thanks for the report, M.
Ira-From Campo, if you face city hall & the bell tower, walk down Via Del Porrione (the street left of City Hall), it becomes Via San Marino, then turn left onto Via Pagliaresi. I think there was a hotel sign for Antica Torre there. It was about a 5 - 10 minute walk from Campo.
Ira-From Campo, if you face city hall & the bell tower, walk down Via Del Porrione (the street left of City Hall), it becomes Via San Marino, then turn left onto Via Pagliaresi. I think there was a hotel sign for Antica Torre there. It was about a 5 - 10 minute walk from Campo.
Sep 7th, 2004 | 07:49 PM
#6
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 7
Likes: 0
Ira, here's a link to a map from Maporama. http://www.maporama.com/share/Map.as...mp;ClickMode=1
Maporama is great for maps of Italy. They're very complete and accurate.
Nancy was right about the restaurant being close to the Hotel Antica Torre. My husband and I stayed there in Sept. 2001 for our honeymoon and dined at the Cane e Gatto. It was the best meal we had during our two weeks in Italy. In fact, of all the restaurants I've experienced around the world, it is my favorite. We will be back at the end of this month and will surely pay Paolo, Sonia (his wife), and Carlotta (his lovely daughter) another visit or two!
Maporama is great for maps of Italy. They're very complete and accurate.
Nancy was right about the restaurant being close to the Hotel Antica Torre. My husband and I stayed there in Sept. 2001 for our honeymoon and dined at the Cane e Gatto. It was the best meal we had during our two weeks in Italy. In fact, of all the restaurants I've experienced around the world, it is my favorite. We will be back at the end of this month and will surely pay Paolo, Sonia (his wife), and Carlotta (his lovely daughter) another visit or two!
