Hi, <BR> <BR>I just booked my first trip to Europe. My husband and I will be going to Italy the first of October, 2001. We will be in Venice for 3 days, Florence for 5 days and Rome for 4 days. I would LOVE any recommendations you all have to offer. Also, have any of you stayed in the following places or know of them? The are all Pensiones, and I wonder how they are? <BR> <BR> <BR>Rome: Fontenella Borghese <BR>Florenece: Marios <BR>Venice: Pensione La Calcina

Dawn: <BR>My husband and I went for the first time last June. It was the best trip we had ever taken. <BR>Good to see that you are allowing 5 days time in Florence. We only allowed 3 and wished for more. Florence was the best for shopping! I bought leather goods on the street and wished I had bought more for Christmas gifts, etc. Be sure to find the flea market on the river. We stayed at the Hotel Bernini, about a 4 - 5 star, great location to everything. Town is more conjested and streets are very narrow, but lends to alot of interest. <BR> <BR>Also, great day trip you can consider, Pissa (you only need to allow a half day). We were not impressed with the coast, Carrera area. Alot of people like Lucca but we liked Sienna the most. It's located between Florence and Rome. <BR> <BR>We didn't do our research well enough for the wine country. We had trouble locating the wineries, not like Nappa Valley. You will find homes / villas with a very small selection if not careful. <BR> <BR>If you have a car, the distance between Florence and Rome is close enough to drive. On the main highway about a 3 hour drive and through the country side plan more than twice the driving time. <BR> <BR>Rome: <BR>We satyed at the Hilton Cavelieri, another 4-5 star that was excellant! We taxied to sites and it was not expensive. Be sure to not plan on the Vatican for Monday morning, very crowded and long lines. Instead, we went back on Tuesday at noon and got right in. They have a great cafeteria on site and very reasonable. <BR> <BR>St. Peters and the Villa Borghese are must sees!!! <BR> <BR>Judith <BR>

Dawn: I stayed at Mario's in Florence 2 years ago. Location was w/in walking distance of train station, but not very close to anything else, altho we walked everywhere we went. I would NOT stay there again for 2 reasons. The first is the fact that it is located across street from VERY busy, loud youth hostel, and since our room was on front side, we slept little. The second is Mario, he was RUDE and not helpful at all. Our first choice was Loggiata dei <BR>Serviti and from what I've read here, it cannot be beat. In Florence, we enjoyed the Boboli Gardens, and we regret not seeing the Pitti Palace. I agree that the Borghese in Rome is a must see. Have fun!!

Judith, thank you for your reply! We won't be renting a car, we'll take a train from destination to destination. We will take a day trip to Pisa, and possibly go to Sienna if time permits (which I'm sure it won't). <BR> <BR>Sally: Oh no! That was not what I wanted to hear! My tavel agent highly recommended Mario's. And of course, we'll be in Florence the most time...This is such a bummer. How were the rooms here? <BR> <BR>

Congratulations! (I wish I could show you my "I'm going to Europe" dance that originated the day my first trip was all booked.) <BR> <BR>I really enjoy the Eyewitness Italy guidebook. The church cutaways and neighborhood/city/regional layouts are very helpful, and I also like the information and photos of regional food, architecture, and significant historical events. It contains significant chapters on the "big 3". <BR> <BR>Since many more experienced travelers will offer suggestions, I'll just add a few for Florence and Venice: <BR>Florence -- go to the Bargello which seems underrated (or undermentioned) and full of wonderful sculpture; and I particularly liked Santa Croce where many famous Florentines are buried (Machiavelli, Michelangelo, Gallileo, Fermi) <BR>Venice -- take the vaporetto to Murano, Burano, and Torcello. It's a fascinating "daytrip" and a very relaxing boat trip (about 45 mins. return). <BR> <BR>Also, I would rent movies with lots of Italian scenery ... "A Room with a View", "Roman Holiday", etc. And, read books like "The Agony and The Ecstacy", "Under a Tuscan Sun". It doesn't quash the anticipation, but it might make the wait more tolerable. <BR> <BR>Good luck!

La Calcina is much-praised on this forum, you can do a search here on it. <BR>Here is one comment I once copied into my file <BR>"June 2000: LA CALCINA Dorsoduro 780, Venice 30123. Disembark from Vaporetto at the Accademia Bridge stop. Take the street to your left and walk across the width of Dorsoduro. Turn left; La Calcina is about 100 yards down. It fronts the Giudecca Canal. The walk from the Accademia Bridge is abour 5 minutes. <BR>(tel: 041-5206466 / fax: 041-5227045 / email: [email protected]). <BR>I must take some time here to lavish praise on this wonderful little hotel. We had room #3, which had 2 large <BR>windows looking out on the wide-open vista of the Zattere, the Giudecca Canal and Giudecca Island across the way. Along with this gorgeous sight to greet us every morning, we enjoyed the best and most abundant <BR>breakfasts of our trip in La Calcina's charming breakfast room. However, the best part was really the large floating terrace in front, which was bathed in sunlight from sunrise to sunset every day. We luxuriated on this <BR>deck every afternoon, sipping cocktails and soaking up all the incredible atmosphere which only Venice offers." <BR> <BR>I have files on Florence and Venice; if you'd like to see them, email me. <BR> <BR>

we were in florence for 7 days last oct. great trip! we stayed at hotelplaza lucchesi, right on the arno. wonderful hotel, and right next ot santa croce. absolutely, don't miss that church! the hotel ,however was just a little too far from everything. i would recommend seeing the duoumo, which you can't miss, but it's easy to miss the museum there, which is a must! san lorenzo, with the medici chapels is also a must see. also, as you will be in the area,see the market there AND the indoor market (ican't remember the name for it). it is the most awesome place market i have ever seen! the accademia with the "david" is also a sight to behold. also, please, get up to san miniato, which is very close to piazza san michiangelo. it's very easy to get to by bus. i don't know if we missed something, but we did'nt have to pay for the bus!??? we are florence lovers as you have probably gathered. i'm greatful we had as much time as we did. 5 days will allow plenty of time to see everything. i do recommend you plan each day and get directions to where you are goning. we spent alot of time getting lost, which was wonderful too. venice is my love. we were there in 1999. as you'll see, it defies description. if you are an animal lover, don't miss the little park where the animal-loving venetians have built little houses for "the cats of venice". i had visited venice when i was 17, way back in the '70s, and there were cats all over venice. when i asked where all the cats had gone this last time (there were'nt many to be seen), they told me that the cats had disappeared when the chinese restaurants had come into venice, and thats when they told us about this park. whether it's true or not, i don't know. silly little story. oh, i also want to recommend that you get tickets to the major museums prior, through your hotel, otherwise you will be in for quite long lines. i guess i could go on forever. please e-mail me if you have any other questions. i would love to talk to you. have a great trip! G.

it's me again. motormouth. good reading. believe it or not, read 'HANNIBEL" by thomas harris. it offers great descriptions of florence. also, if you can bear the movie, "up at the villa" is great for viewing florence. "summertime" with katherine hepburn is great for seeing venice, and so is "the talented mr. riply". so long G.

Dawn: Great trip you have planned. A few comments to add to the mix: <BR> <BR>Florence: If you are shopping for leather be sure to visit the Leather School. It is located at the right rear of the Santa Croce church where Michelanglo is buried. We found nice prices on quality goods and were able to compare them on rest of trip. Not too many people are aware that the school is in the back of the church. They have small gift items all the way to jackets. <BR> <BR>Get tickets in advance for The David and the Uffizzi. It sure beats waiting in line. There is a site on the internet that you can book your reservations. We used it and it worked great, especially when we saw how long the line out front was and we were able to go right in. <BR> <BR>Venice: We stayed at a small hotel called the Al Gambero. Very clean, recently remodeled rooms. We will use it again. If you need the info, email me. <BR> <BR>You can purchase a 3 day pass for the vaporettos that will allow you unlimited use while you are in Venice. One fun thing we have done is to get on the vaporetto at any stop, work ourselves into a great seat in the bow as people get off and then just sit there and enjoy the round trip around Venice. Great for pictures and seeing the buildings. Then get on and off where you want to. You can even use it to get to Murano and back for glass. The passes even are cheaper if you have four people. Ask at the ticket counter. It is less expensive than buying one each time. <BR> <BR>Harry's Bar in Venice is famous, but if you go to Harry's simply turn around at the front door before entering and you will see a great deck overlooking the canal and gondola stop. I think it is the Monaco hotel. Go there for a drink instead of Harry's and watch the boat traffic go by. Great spot in good weather. <BR> <BR>The restaurants in St Marks are expensive for drinks, but just say "what the hell" and do it. You cannot beat the atmosphere and it is worth paying the $8 or $9 for a beer. Don't pass it up. That is what you came to Venice to see. <BR> <BR>Rome: The subway will actually get you around much faster than cabs because of the traffic. We used both. Beware in Rome of pickpockets. I personally know three friends on three separate trips that got picked. If you see a young girl nursing a baby and asking for help, that is a pickpocket. One thing we always do in Europe is to take 2 different credit cards. My wife carries one card, I carry the different card. That way if I get picked we still have her good card to use after cancelling mine. This saves a lot of hassle. <BR> <BR>We stayed at the Aldrovandi in Borghese Gardens on our last trip. Quiet location, but expensive. Nice hotel and away from the noise of the city but close ride by taxi. <BR> <BR>Best way to see Rome on your first trip is to book an American Express bus tour. Leave the driving to them and enjoy the tour, then return to any place you want to spend more time at. Rome can be difficult to get around in and you definitely do not want to drive a car in Rome. <BR> <BR>Throw a coin in Trevi Fountain. We did in 1971 so we would return to Rome. It took us until 1998, but we made it to throw another coin in. The old movie, Three Coins in a Fountain, will explain this legend to you. <BR> <BR>Any other questions, just email me and I will try to answer.

Wow!! You all are so wonderful!! Thank you for sharing all of this great information with me! Thank you too for the movie and book recommendations. I have to admit, it's hard to picture what it will all look like (especially Venice). I'm sure you will be hearing from me more! I promise to do a search next time before asking a question that has been asked time and time again!!! <BR> <BR>Thanks again!!!

Just booked my first trip to Europe. 3/35-4/7. Got a lot of great info from everyone. We're going to Rome and Florence. A lot of good hotels were mentioned for Rome. The few mentioned for Florence are over our price range. Looking for something around $140. Does anyone have info on the following hotels: Bellettini, Torre Guelfa, Morandi Alla Crocetta, Pendini or Loggiato dei Serviti? <BR>Thanks

If you can swing it, try to spend some time going down the Amalfi Coast...you won't regret it. <BR> <BR>Visit my website to see some photos of the places you are planning to visit, and the Amalfi Coast. <BR> <BR>www.jimtardio.com/italy.html

Jim, thanks for sharing your wonderful pictures! They are all absolutley WONDERFUL!!! I'm even more excited now!

we stayed just next to santa croce, where the leather school is located, accessible thru the church. it's worth a visit, but their prices are a little high compared to the many dealers around florence, believe it or not, we got our best deals on pocketbooks in venice. it may depend on the style you may be looking for. gretchen

Judith mentioned how she went to the wine country but wasn't prepared enough. This is one of the things I'm most excited about for my first trip to Italy this September, but I need to know more about which wineries to visit, where to drive, etc. Does anyone have any good stories/advice for driving through Tuscany, or any part of the wine country?

Judith mentioned how she went to the wine country but wasn't prepared enough. This is one of the things I'm most excited about for my first trip to Italy this September, but I need to know more about which wineries to visit, where to drive, etc. Does anyone have any good stories/advice for driving through Tuscany, or any part of the wine country?

Bob <BR>Where can I get information about the American Express Tour? Is it a day tour?

Dawn: tried to e-mail you directly w/more info. on Marios; however, the e-mail was returned saying address unknown. If you wish further comments, pls. e-mail me and I'll get back to you. <BR> <BR>Bob: I have the address somewhere; i'll see if I can find it. Meanwhile ck out www.americanexpress.com; perhaps you can find it there (??). Also You might want to post a separate question on this forum as that's where I got the info. before I went to Rome in Oct. Maybe the person who gave me the info. will do same for you. Sally

Dawn, I don't know if you are considering changing your Florence hotel reservations, but if you can and do, there is a hotel that has been highly praised on this forum, which we stayed at in 1999. Hotel Casci, around the corner from the Duomo, huge rooms, terrific staff, and the b-fest is served in a room with 16th century frescos in the ceiling! (rooms in the back tend to be quieter if you are a light sleeper, but we slept in the front and had no problems)it's under $100.00 per night. Do a search on this forum to see other reviews. Have a terrific trip and be sure and eat lots of Gelato!

Dawn: <BR>More info about the wine area. <BR>What we had planned was to take the SS222 road out of Rome all the way to Florence, stopping in Siena for lunch. We had hoped along the way we would find wineries to stop in and check out. The only one we found that had more than 4 types of wines to taste was on the side of the road in a little town called Castellina in Chianti. Neat little town but not exactly what we had in mind for a tour of Tuscany wines. We did buy some good wines though. <BR> <BR>When we got to Florence, we asked around for some suggenstions for our road trip back to Rome and here is the little information we received. <BR> <BR>First, we stumbled onto a really neat little wine shop on a side street whithin 3 blocks of the Piazza Firenze. It was called "Oenoteca". (Not sure of the spelling) The owner of the shop gave us the following reccommnedations. You may want to find his shop too. He had great selections and a tasting room. We also bought white truffle infused oil there....the rage with chefs. <BR> <BR>Anyway, here are the walled towns he recommended. First...Montepulciano and then Montalcino. We didn't make it there because of our schedule but start your research with these. If I remember correctly, he said there were larger wineries here with taasting rooms. <BR> <BR>One thing to keep in mind, is that shipping from Italy to the states is outrageous. We ended up carrying all of our wine back with us. (In a very reasonable leather case we bought from a street vendor in Florence, of course!) Hope this helps a little more. Judith