In late September 2010 my husband Val and I and our faithful traveling companions, Jan and Kevin, returned once again to Italy for a kind of grand tour retrospective of some of our favorite destinations there . We spent 20 days/18 nights split among 5 stops-- <b>Venice, Florence, Tuscan countryside, Positano, Capri and Rome.</b> There follows a hopefully brief recital of new or different sights we took in, hotels we stayed at, restaurants where we dined, and experiences we endured or reveled in.

<b>Getting there—not half the fun</b>

We certainly got off to what might have been a bad start. Our plane was delayed for various reasons and we missed our flight from JFK to Venice. We were forced to spend the first night of our trip in an airport hotel, in one of their only remaining rooms—a smoking room. Ugh. Our rescheduled flight didn’t take off until late the next day so our son who lives in Manhattan graciously agreed to pick us up, take us to Greenwich, CT to poke around that lovely little town and share lunch with him and his partner at Tarry Lodge there. It’s owned by Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich and actually provided us one of the best Italian meals of the trip—no kidding. Sometimes you can find the best and even most authentic food closer to home than you think. So off to a rocky but, all things considered, somewhat pleasant start—and we hadn’t even arrived in Italy yet.

<b>Sights</b>

In the interest of brevity I will recount only information about places that were new to us or that seem to be changing whether for the better or worse, rather than provide a day to day list of where we went and what we saw. I think this time I may even have conquered my fear of technology and to have figured out how to get some of my pictures into an album for viewing. If I was successful, you’ll find them at the following link:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/...-_873025933703

<b>Venice</b>

Arrival in Venice is always a treat—if it isn’t a nightmare. We took a water taxi from the airport to our hotel in blazing sunshine snapping photo after photo and reveling in the beauty of the place. While DH could spend his entire time just parked at one of the musical cafes in the Piazza or Piazzetta, I insisted on dragging our entourage to the newest museum in Venice—the <b>Punta Della Dogana</b>, or as DH now calls it, the Horse’s Ass museum. It opened in June of 2009 in the Dogana or Customs House just beyond the Santa Maria Della Salute church in the Dorsoduro area. It houses modern, contemporary art apparently mostly temporary exhibits. The space was a customs house and so has enormous rooms with two and possibly even three story ceilings. After a sort of ante room, you walk into the largest space and there about 2 stories up is the rear end of a horse sticking out of the wall—said “horse’s ass.” It must be a commentary of some sort but I found it amusing while DH who hates modern art in general found it an annoying waste of his entrance fee. What I’ve read about the place suggests that the benefactor has been pretty well duped in his acquisitions but overall, I think it a good thing for Venice. It makes interesting use of a lovely building and adds some vibrancy to an area otherwise pretty unused in a city which needs to spread out as many tourists as possible.

On day two we went to the <b>Rialto Market</b>. I love markets and the Rialto is an easy favorite. Whether it was the day of the week or just an overall decline in vendors, I was unpleasantly surprised to find the market quite a bit diminished from previous visits. The entire area at the base of the bridge steps was given over to.... nothing. No vendors, vegetable or otherwise. The other area further back from the bridge was likewise less populated with fewer booths and hawkers than we’ve seen it on previous occasions. Unfortunately I think I am noting a sad trend in this direction having noted as well a decline in vendors on Rue Mouffetard and other street markets in Paris as well. I consider markets national treasures and certainly hope that the people of Europe’s wonderful cities can sustain them.

My most recent “find” in Venice is the lovely <b>San Giacomo del Orio Square</b>. It’s in the little trafficked Santa Croce sestiere and provides a wonderful place to escape the hordes. Perhaps the most pleasant part about it is that it has some greenery, a rare thing in Venice. It also has a neighborhood feel and most importantly , for me any way, is it has some swell dining. We found the place in the first place because Refolo pizzeria, a foodie darling, is just down the street from it. We tried again this time to dine there but it was their closing day so we were forced to select another place in the area—Corsaire Unico, our own little find and a very worthy one at that. More about it in the Dining section of this report.

We’ve been to Venice probably 5 times or so. Perhaps it’s my advancing age, but this was the first time the crowds really got to me. We literally had to elbow our way into our hotel through a crowd of Japanese tourists haggling for gondola rides. We barely walked along the shopping street under the Torre d’Orologio (the clock with the Moors hammering out the time) for a couple of minutes because it was so miserably crowded. We kept returning to the Dorsoduro as a place to avoid the crushing masses. The experience will shape future trips causing us to stay in different places and possibly even dine in other places than we might previously have selected. Again, more in the Hotel and Dining section of this report.


<b>Florence</b>

Florence has not been one of my favorite cities. I will admit, however, that each time we return (I think this was our 3rd or 4th time) I find it a bit more likeable than the past time. We stayed in the Grand Hotel Minerva, just as we did on our immediately previous time. This time, however, we made it a point to see the nearby <b>Santa Maria Novella</b> church, something we kept putting off last time and then never did get to do. It’s stunning though not on the top of most guidebook “to do” lists. So is <b>Santa Croce</b>, with its fantastic statuary and beautiful floors.

Here we also enjoyed the <b>San Lorenzo market</b>, which seemed to be retaining its vendors and possibly even adding new ones, though I’m never so happy to see more junky clothing stores than vegetable stands. San Lorenzo is a real retail market specializing in leather goods. I couldn’t resist buying a useful if inexpensive shoulder bag.

What wasn’t up to snuff in Florence was the <b>Piazza del Annuziata</b>. We stayed at a nice hotel on it on an earlier visit, but I was saddened to see it filled with sand, leaves and lolling street people on this visit.

What Florence did afford, this time, was some excellent eating. More to follow.

<b>Tuscan countryside </b>

After two crowded cities, it was nice to be able to rent a car and hit the open road of the Tuscan countryside. Making the Locanda Amorosa just outside Sinalunga our base, we traveled to Monteriggioni with its 14 towers, Asciano, Montalcino with the delightful sidewalk café Fiaschetteria Toscano and plenty of Brunello wine, Pienza, Petroio—a place we’d never have gone except for its restaurant, Gaiole in Chianti where we were lucky enough to encounter some sort of biking festival, and one of my favorites, Castellina in Chianti.

To me the most outstanding thing about Tuscany is the rolling hills with their cypress outlined ridge lines. And the <b>Siennese Crete</b> running roughly from just outside Siena to Asciano along SP438 is one of the most scenic drives in the world. It’s beautiful in the fall with the fields all plowed with thick clumps of dirt so dense and heavy you can stand on them without breaking them up, but it’s even more beautiful in the spring when the fields are all green and the roadsides are lined with red poppies swaying in the breeze. Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic. DH the photographer nearly went nuts wanting to stop around every other turn to take back beautiful memories.

Another highlight of our Tuscan countryside time was to finally visit <b>Castello di Brolio</b>, the wine producing estate of Baron de Ricasoli, the “iron baron” who was instrumental in the unification of Italy and the developer of the “recipe” for Chianti wine. DH seems to acquire ADD whenever we take a formal tour but this time even he paid attention as we were led through the rooms of the castle which is now a museum. Alas no pictures are permitted. A worthy stop, as is the modern winetasting room they maintain at the base of the hill below the castle.

<b>Positano </b>

One of our very favorite destinations on earth. We discovered nothing new, nor were we disappointed by changes in places we’ve loved in the area. We just enjoyed ourselves immeasurably in this wonderful destination. Folks on this forum agonize over where to stay in the Amalfi coast area. I think a great deal depends upon where you go first and find happiness. For us it was Positano so I wouldn’t think of switching to Amalfi or Ravello and I had to think hard about moving for two days to Capri. We love to visit the other places but it’s Positano where we really like to put down and stay, just sitting on the deck at “our” hotel—the Covo dei Saraceni—drinking wine and watching the activity at the ferry dock and on the beach. I could live out my days there. I can’t point to any special sites or even gush about some special restaurant. It’s, rather, the totality of the place and the experience for me. There are others who feel similarly about Priano—or any of a number of spots. Pick one for yourself. My guess is you’ll love it and defend it against all other claims.

<b>Capri </b>

We had fun on the island and posters here are right, if you’re going at all, stay overnight or you’ll not really get to understand the magic of the place. But it’s still hard for me to give up precious nights in the area from my beloved Positano. It didn’t help that a restaurant we had remembered fondly from a previous trip was not up to its old standard. This time we did spend considerable time in the Piazza Umberto I, just sipping wine and watching the people. We hadn’t done that previously and it is quite a worthy occupation

<b>Rome </b>

Getting to Rome from Capri was a pretty daunting task. We were up at 6, sent our bags with the porters, and took the funicular from Capri town to Marina Grande. There we took a jet boat to Naples and a taxi to the train station finally arriving in Rome Termini about noon or so then finally a taxi to our hotel .

Well Rome was interesting. On this our 4th or 5th trip to the city, we finally and for the first time, saw the <b>Sistine Chapel</b>. Nearly every first or only time traveler returns from a trip to Italy raving about the Sistine Chapel. Not us. Oh, we’ve tried. Stood in lines, gone early, gone late but never had the patience or fortitude to wait it out and actually get there. This time our traveling companion Kevin took matters into his own hands and arranged a private tour with Jason Spheiller, a young American, with a masters degree in religion who has founded his own tour business and was lucky enough to have been discovered by the New York Times staff. He handled everything and while we had to wait a bit in line to get into the museums, he got us into the place on an early entry , hustled us here and there to see what he knows to be the “best parts” of the museum and its grounds and gave us an incredibly interesting explanation of the Sistine chapel. Though DH was itching to film (a no, no) Jason’s descriptions and informative tidbits were interesting enough to keep his tour ADD at bay.

The remainder of our time in Rome was spent doing the rounds of obligatory sightseeing including a special night time stop at the <b>Trevi Fountain</b>. It’s touristy, it’s a crush, but it’s SO beautiful. Another less successful venture was to the glass building enclosed <b>Mausoleum of Augustus</b>. It’s nicely cleaned up but certainly not worth the price of admission since you can pretty well see everything there is to see by just pressing your nose to the glass outside and looking.

We failed to be able to get into see much of <b>Gusto</b>, a sort of food emporium I was anxious to tour. We arrived early on a Sunday and it was pretty well shut down, so I’ll have to reserve judgment until another visit. From the outside, it appeared to have potential to be up there with Eataly in Turin.

<b>Hotels</b>

<b>Venice—Violino d’Oro</b>—This was our third stay at the Violino and it will probably be our last. The hotel was newly renovated on our first stop. It’s gotten a bit frayed since then. The rooms are small, dark and filled with the heavy damask drapes and stuffed furniture so common to Venice everywhere. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still an ok and relatively reasonable place to stay in the San Marco area of Venice. It’s right across a small canal with gondoliers from the Bauer Grunewald, a very chi chi upper bracket place on the square of the San Moise church. The primary problem is its proximity to the Piazza San Marco. And the gondola station right along side it doesn’t help at all. Truly at one point we had to elbow our way through a Japanese tour group standing three or four deep to haggle with the gondoliers for prices on their gondola rides. If you’ve been to Venice more than once, you don’t need that kind of hassle. Better to stay on the Dorsoduro and pick up some tiny slivers of neighborhood life and some peace and quiet but without it feeling dead. I think we’ll return to the Ca Pisani there next time.

<b>Florence—Grand Hotel Minerva</b>—We really like this place. It was our second stay and it won’t be our last. It has the feel of a business hotel but with grace and style. It’s right around the corner from the main train station and within a short walk of the Duomo and the Ponte Vecchio, in short right in the middle of everything. Our room was spacious and our bathroom enormous. A very nice breakfast was included in the reasonable price. In the evening they have a great free appetizer spread in their small bar. The public rooms are pretty and pleasant for sitting. It’s a great place for a group occupying 2 or more rooms. You feel very comfortable waiting for folks to gather at the beginning or end of a day of sightseeing.

<b>Tuscan countryside—Locanda Amorosa</b>—I’ve read countless posts raving about this place but resisted because we like the feel and central location of Pienza as the place to stay in Tuscany. Personal friends had stayed recently and raved about it to the point that we felt we really should give it a try. Glad we did. It’s all they say. I probably took more pictures of the grounds of the hotel (it’s actually a tiny hamlet like place of several buildings including its own church) than any other place on this trip. There are flowers spilling everywhere. It’s rustic charm personified without being overly cutesy. There is a separate enotecha where you can pop in for a bit of wine beautifully served in lovely crystal and where breakfast is served in the mornings. There is a nice restaurant with an outdoor terrace and a lovely sitting room with internet station. Our room which was of the “standard” variety was spacious and comfortably kitted out as our English friends say, but it was less special or luxurious than the totality of the place. I now see what others have been raving about.

<b>Positano--Covo dei Saraceni</b>—one of our longtime, all-time favorites. The opportunity to sit on the balcony of one of their rooms and watch the beach scene is an integral part of Positano as we have come to know and love it. Since we first came here the rooms have been remodeled—so the prices have gone up but for my money this hotel is still a great bargain especially when compared to the super luxe San Pietro and Sireneuse which are admittedly more luxurious but not nearly so well situated to be part of, but not overwhelmed by, the action.

The hotel restaurant is really one of the better ones in town and the pool is a very pleasant place to loll around. The breakfast is fine (though neither the coffee nor the orange juice is top drawer) but in an overly large banquet room which seems kind of lonely. That concern melts away, however, when you take the plate you’ve filled from the buffet to the glassed in porch area where you actually sit to eat it—and can see more than180 degrees of beach and blue water. It’s a great way to start the day. But it’s those balconies overlooking the beach that make it THE place to stay IMO. If you don’t want to pop for a balcony room, stay somewhere else. That’s what this place is all about.

<b>Capri--Casa Morgano</b>—was an incredible deal. I think we paid about 180 euros for this place which is or should be a 4 star hotel. It’s owned by the same people who own the luxury flagship Quisiana on Capri. They give you the Quisi bath amenities, etc. But again, it’s the views that make the place. Our balcony room looked over the back of the island with giant pines overhead and glimpses of the sea beyond.

The rooms were smaller than those at the Covo dei Saraceni as were the baths, but they were comfortable and nicely furnished. The public rooms were ornate with lots of gold trim here and there and black and white tiled floors. The most beautiful place in the hotel was their small pool in the front next to which they served their included buffet breakfast, again with pines overhead and views of the sea beyond. Relaxing and lovely.

To get to our room we had to walk up a flight of stairs and cross an open tiled balcony—a sort of outdoor public terrace. There was a table with cracked vase sitting forlornly in the area which suggested they could use some sprucing up but overall the place was well attended and a real bargain. The location is on the path leading out of the main part of Capri town, so it is quiet but also means you have to walk a bit to get to the “downtown” area.

<b>Rome--Hotel Adriano</b> –is another place we’ve now stayed twice and will stay again. It’s nicely situated just off the Via Della Scrofa in the middle of what would be a triangle formed by the Mausoleum of Augustus, the Piazza Novona and the Pantheon. Like the Grand Hotel Minerva in Florence, it’s something of a business hotel with a bit of design flair. The public rooms are very design conscious with lots of low, cushiony seating and art objects here and there.

The two breakfast rooms are nicely furnished with those kind of chairs they dress in cream denim pinafores for banquets. The included breakfast itself is tasty and with nice variety of selections. Rooms are spare and design oriented having been recently refurbished. Reviews say that the front desk is inadequately staffed and I would have to agree but if you can get over that, the place is a good deal in the middle of Rome.

Coming after I give my typing fingers a rest, food in Italy. The best part.

Well, I've already discovered that my link to my pictures doesn't work. I'm working on it and will just have to ask for patience and understanding as I try some other solutions. Like this one: Hope it works.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLan...localeid=en_US

Interesting to read a report from this perspective--waiting for the food!

Thanks ellenem. Happy to report that the link to the pictures works. It takes a long time to download because there are 351 pix, but it does work and if you're patient you will see, among other things, pretty decent imagines of Venice in the sunshine.

Waiting for more, Julie!

Ah, you reminded me of our first sight of the southern Tuscan countryside. It was on a bus between Chiusi and Siena, which stopped at Asciano (I think). It was like a magical carpet ride through the beautiful scenery. We were struck silent. And made a promise to come back.

Great reporting Julie! It's interesting to see your comments about multiple visits to places bringing different impressions. I know I'll finally make it to Florence again, maybe on my next trip.

It's interesting to here also that Castello di Brolio is now open to the public. Such an amazing looking structure! When I was there I only got to see the grounds and the chapel. I sounds like they've left the furnishings and art? Anything noteworthy?

Terrific trip and even better images. Someone has a very good eye---I assume your husband.
I always enjoy your reports since we seem to enjoy many of the same venues. You just tend to stay in better hotels. I love your hotel choices this trip. We too discovered the San Giacomo dell Orio piazza on our last trip. Not many tourists find this one-we sat for an hour enjoying the locsls.

A very nice report and terrific photos! Thank you for sharing. Now that I've seen the food, I can't wait for the meal reports.

What type of camera did you use?

ellenem, I clicked on your name and found your incredible report of your time in Venice. Now that's a report!!
Mimar, your concept of the tuscan hills being a magic carpet ride is perfect. Exactly what it's like! Great comparison.
Dayle, I honestly don't recall if the whole of Brolio is available for tour, I kind of think it may be. We only did the museum tour but the museum occupies rooms in the castello. I was most struck by the painted walls, and the memorobilia surrounding Ricasoli's exchanges/dealings with Victor Emmanuelle.
BTN, I am happy to report that the images are actually mine, not whatshisname's--whose are much better but who doesn't spend time getting them properly into albums for export, etc. Glad you enjoyed them. I can't tell you how many places we've gone or detoured to because of your reports. Sometime when I get a little time, I'll try to make a little list of places we've gone because of you. Viana la Place comes quickly to mind, as does Grappolo Blu which is in the part of this report yet to come. In fact I can't think of a place we've ever gone on your account that we weren't happy with. And if the prices at the San Rocco go up any more we'll be trying your beloved Albergo Orta on the square next time we go Orta San Guilio.

zoecat, my camera is a sony syber-shot 10.1 I like it because it's small, fushia in color and only requires 1 or 2 settings to do most everything.

Who knew that I would read about Tarry Lodge in one of your trip reports! I've never been but will give it a try someday soon based on your comments--one of the best meals of your trip to Italy! Less than an hour from my house!

Julie, your reports are among those that I look forward to the most on this forum. I've received so many good tips from you for hotels and restaurants and we share may of the same tastes. (Way back when, it was your report on another site that sent me to Chez Denise and I never forgot your name after that!)

If all goes well I will be including the Amalfi Coast in a trip next year...would love to hear more about the size of the pool at Il Covo. (It is so hard to find a good hotel with pool large enough for laps outside the 5*GL class.)

Likewise, Casa Morgano looks fabulous! And it has a pool (large enough for laps??)

eks, Too bad I didn't know you were in the vicinity of Tarry Lodge. We had nothing to do that day but wait for a flight. We could have popped in for a visit. Now wouldn't that have been a surprise! Thanks for your kind words on my reports. I could say the same things to you as I said to BTN above. We are especially grateful to you for tipping us onto the Marcarini and for all your tips about Piemonte--I just got a Christmas card from Luna nel Pozzo there, wishing the best to me and "all in my heart." So sweet.
I wish for you that the Covo's pool were more equipped for laps. Sorry I can't inform you about the Casa Morgano pool. We only sat by the small one near the entrance. I believe they have another larger one more equipped for swimming but we never sought it out. I expect they'd be happy to respond to an inquiry on the matter, though they might already be closed for the season. I know I had to wait until March sometime for them to book us a room because they just weren't open until then. I'm guessing Capri is not such a fun place in the cooler months.

We literally had to elbow our way into our hotel through a crowd of Japanese tourists
_____
Friend of mine was knocked off high water scaffold by said group. Unbelievable.

Just started to read this and stopped to type above. Can't wait to continue.

Wonderful photos!

Julie,

As always, a very interesting report, am looking forward to your food reviews.

Excellent photos.

Thanks so much.

hi julie, just a lovely read. i particularly like your clear layout, and signposts to what you are going to tell us about.

plus the content of course!

BTW, did you find that your trip was rushes at all with 5 different overnight destinations in 20 days, or too long at all, or about right? [the three bears question!]

Julie, I only read part of your trip report and view some of your photos, so far so good. I love your pictures of Venice and Florence. I will read the rest when I get back from work. Thank you, I always enjoy reading your trip report.

Thank you all for your kind comments.
annhig, I guess the answer to the Goldilocks question is sort of to each his own. We tend to prefer trips of 14 to 16 days with (Val would probably say 12 to 14 days) with at least one or two stops of 4 days, most of 3 and now and again, an acceptable 2. So we didn't feel rushed on this trip. Planned 3 in Venice--only spent 2 with one at JFK, 2 nights in Florence, 3 in Tuscan countryside, 3 in Positano, 2 in Capri and 3 in Rome so we never got a 4 nighter but we were sort of on a mission to do all the selected spots and it just kind of worked out this way. I will say that I've gotten greater enjoyment out of some of our previous stays in Italy--one 7 or 8 day stint in only Venice, one time a full 15 days (but at several places) in the Italian Lakes. We've also done trips that included just Amalfi coast and just Tuscany, but for what our friends wanted to do this time, it worked fine.

I too always enjoy your trip reports,thanks again, this one did not disappoint!!!