Italy Trip Report - Dec 10-17 (warning: very long!)
Dec 20th, 2005, 10:06 AM
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Italy Trip Report - Dec 10-17 (warning: very long!)
My first attempt at writing a trip report got ridiculously long, so I’m trying attempt #2 in a different format.
My boyfriend and I took a trip to Italy from December 10th-17th. I received a lot of helpful advice from this forum prior to our trip, so I’m hoping I can offer some to others, too.
Transportation
•We flew American Airlines out of JFK with a connection through Zurich. The Zurich-Rome (FCO) segment was operated by Swiss Airlines. We had no problems getting there, but on the way back there was a blizzard in Zurich and we were delayed 3 hours.
•I booked Rome Shuttle Limousine for our transportation from FCO to Nicolas Inn. Christiano was waiting for us when we came out and brought us directly there with no problems. He seemed to be quite familiar with the location. It was only 35 euros and well worth it. We tipped him an additional 5 euros, though I don’t know if he was expecting that or not.
•We took the EuroStar between Rome and Florence. We used the self-service kiosks in Termini without too much difficulty (it took us a couple times, but I think mostly because it was late and our brains weren’t functioning well). Be warned that just because you select adjacent seats on the screen, they won’t necessarily be adjacent. This happened to us both times, but people very nicely offered to switch seats so we could be next to each other.
•For our return trip, we took the Leonardo Express from Termini to FCO. Be warned – these tracks are quite a hike from the main entrance to Termini. Make sure you leave yourself enough time. At FCO, it wasn’t too much of a walk from where the train dropped us off to the check in counters.
•Taxis – we’re used to NYC (which is where my boyfriend lives), and the taxi situation in Rome is much different. I don’t think it’s possible to hail one from the street, and a couple times when we went to taxi stands to get one, there weren’t any there. For the most part, it’s not a problem walking around, but the Vatican was somewhat far from where we were staying (near Colosseum)
Accomodations
Based on the recommendations I read on TripAdvisor, we booked our stay at Nicolas Inn. We were very happy with our choice and felt that all of the glowing reviews were very accurate! The room itself was nothing fancy, but it was very clean and more than suitable for our needs. The bathroom was very large for Rome! I didn’t realize how large until after I stayed in our next 2 hotels and saw how small bathrooms could be! Our room faced Via Cavour, and though there was some traffic noise, I didn’t think it was too bad. As a disclaimer, however, my boyfriend lives in Manhattan, so our tolerance for street noise may be higher than others. Breakfast each morning consisted of tea, coffee, orange juice (the best!!!), croissants, toast, yogurts and fruit. We found that this was plenty to keep us going until lunch time.
As has also been previously mentioned, the best feature of Nicolas Inn is Melissa. She is incredibly kind and helpful. Prior to our arrival in Rome, she answered numerous questions for me, and made reservations for us at Galleria Borghese and the Domus Aurea. Upon our arrival, she provided us with a map and circled some of the key attractions and also marked out restaurants in various parts of the city. We tried most of her recommendations and found all of them to be good (some better than others, but when she was describing each restaurant, she was very clear on the quality of each one and what to expect).
In Florence, I had booked 2 nights at the Hotel Globus. It seemed to be in a prime location and they had a special price of 80 euros a night if we booked over the internet and paid ahead of time. This hotel seemed relatively new and very modern. The front desk staff was there 24 hours a day and they were all very helpful. They had upgraded us to a Superior room from a Standard room, but it seemed about the same as our room at Nicolas Inn, except with a much smaller bathroom. We couldn’t figure out how to regulate the temperature – it was incredibly warm. The first night, we tried turning the A/C on, but it didn’t seem to do much. We asked the desk clerk about it the next morning and he said that the A/C isn’t turned on during the winter and we would just have to open our window. We did that, but our room faced the street, and there was a lot of noise at all hours of the night and very early in the morning. We also found the bed and pillows to be quite uncomfortable. I didn’t get much sleep the 2 nights we were in Florence.
I had booked our last night in Rome at Casa di MaryElen, which is located close to Termini. The price was 85 euros/night. Loredana, the proprietor, was very helpful and was very understanding of our train woes (the trains we wanted for our return trip to Rome were all booked, and the one we ended up on was 20 minutes late). She was waiting for us when we finally arrived, and helped us bring our bags upstairs. Her B&B is located on the 5th floor, but there is a small elevator to go up in. The bedroom was surprisingly large and had the most comfortable bed of our entire trip. The bathroom was very tiny, but had all the basics. Since we had to leave by 6:30 Saturday morning in order to catch the Leonardo Express to the airport, she let us pick out some breakfast items for the next morning (she doesn’t get there until 8 am).
Attractions
•Saturday: We didn’t get to Rome until late afternoon, so we just walked around a bit to get ourselves oriented. Saw the Trevi Fountain, walked past the Pantheon (but did not go in yet).
•Sunday: Part of the Roman Forum (free); Cat Sanctuary – apparently needed to arrange a private tour to go down, we just looked at it from above; Pantheon (free); Trevi Fountain (free); Spanish Steps (free); Galleria Borghese (10.50 euros).
•Monday: Domus Aurea (10 euros); Colosseum (8 euros); Palatine (included with Colosseum ticket); San Clemente (3 euros)
•Tuesday: Scavi tour (10 euros); Vatican Museums (10 euros); Climb to the top of St. Peter’s Cupola (3.50 euros); St. Peter’s Basilica (free); Castel Sant’Angelo (5 euros).
•Wednesday: More Roman Forum (free); Imperial Forum (free); Trajan’s Markets (3 euros)
•Thursday: Il Duomo (3 euros?); Climb to the top of Il Duomo (3 euros); Uffizi (6 euros); Ponte Vecchio (free); Santa Croce (3 euros)
•Friday: San Lorenzo (3 euros); Mercato Centrale; shopping
We did not encounter any lines anywhere during our entire stay. We had made reservations at the Uffizi, but ended up missing our time because we stayed too long at Il Duomo, but we were able to walk right in without a problem. We were also expecting lines at the Vatican Museums, but we went at about 11:00 and also walked right in. The only semblance of a line was for tickets to climb to the top of St. Peter’s, and even that was only 5 minutes. None of the sites were too crowded, with the exception of the Sistine Chapel within the Vatican Museums.
My favorite sites were the Pantheon (amazing!) and all aspects of St. Peter’s. We went beneath it, above it, and inside it and loved every part of it. I’m also glad that we were able to see the Domus Aurea, since the day after we went the government closed it for the next 2 years! It was a fascinating site – very interesting to see how Trajan used the palace as the foundations of his baths. I also loved our climbs to the top of St. Peter’s and Il Duomo. So much is written on these forums about all of these sites, so I won’t go into too much detail. If anyone would like more info, however, I’d be happy to provide it.
My biggest disappointment was how poorly things are marked. When we were up on the Palatine, we spent forever looking through our guidebooks and looking at the couple of maps posted on-site to try to figure out what things were. When we were trying to get to the Domus Aurea, we walked to where it was on the map, but then could not find the entrance at all. We encountered 2 other people also trying to find it, and we finally had to stop a very nice Italian woman and ask her how to get there. Because of the lack of markings, I think this is why it would be advantageous to purchase tickets for a tour group, however my boyfriend and I generally don’t like tour groups and prefer to do our own thing. Another time, we were at the column of Marcus Aurelius, and had no idea what it was. We and a few other couples were all standing there scouring our guide books trying to figure it out. We did have excellent guide books (DK Eyewitness Rome, DK Top 10 Rome and Fodor’s Rome Gold), but it would have been nice if things were a little better marked.
Food!
In Rome, we primarily ate at restaurants recommended by Melissa, since we wanted to try to avoid any ‘tourist traps’. My favorite meals in Rome were at Hosteria Isadora (just past San Clemente, on the left), La Bruschetta (Via Sardegna, near Via Veneto) and Cavour 313 (Via Cavour, very close to Nicolas Inn).
We had lunch at Hosteria Isadora, and I had the best insalata mista (mixed salad) out of our entire trip. I also had their special pasta with an olive and cream tomato sauce. Absolutely delicious if you love olives!! Their prices were quite reasonable. I think our bill came out to 32 euros, which included 2 salads, 2 pasta dishes, water, bread and wine.
Cavour 313 is an enoteca (wine bar), and we stopped there one night for wine and dessert, and another night for dinner, wine and dessert. They have the most divine chocolate mousse I have ever had. They have a wide selection of wines, and their wine list is sorted by region (Lazio, Tuscany, Umbria, etc) and then by type. Our waiters were very helpful in recommending wines and we enjoyed all of them. Our favorite was a Zinfandel from Lazio, but I’m drawing a blank on the name of the vineyard which produced it. For our meal, we ordered a selection of Calabrian hors d’eourves (olives, sun-dried tomatos, salami, and a spicy, spreadable salami on toast), a selection of Tuscan cheeses (I don’t remember all the different kinds), and a selection of carpaccio (again, I don’t remember the specific kinds). It was all delicious, though a word of warning – they’re not kidding about the ‘spicy’ spreadable salami. My mouth was on fire after the first bite, and I paired the rest of it with gorgonzola cheese to make it a little easier to eat.
In Florence, our top 2 restaurants were Trattoria Anita (Via del Parlascio) and Buca Mario (Piazza degli Ottaviani). Trattoria Anita is a great place that has a 6 euro lunch special. For 6 euros, you get a primi, secondi and contorni. We weren’t expecting much for 6 euros, but it was absolutely delicious! The second best meal we had during our entire trip. Buca Mario is much pricier and filled with tourists, but the food was amazing. My boyfriend wanted to try a Florentine Steak, and the desk clerk at our hotel recommended this place (it was also in both of our guide books) and made reservations for us. Our waiter (who looked just like Mario Batali!) was wonderful and made a number of excellent recommendations.
Overall, I found the quality of all of the places we ate at to be quite good and a good value. Our bills ranged from 20 euros (at Trattoria Anita) to 150 euros (Buca Mario). Lunch was generally about 25 euros, and dinners were closer to 40 (more wine!). We did not always both order a primi and secondi (it’s just too much food!), and I don’t think we were expected to. I had read some posters who seemed to think that waiters gave them the ‘evil-eye’ if they split dishes or didn’t order a primi and secondi, but I didn’t encounter this at any of the places we ate at.
The thing that surprised us the most was how leisurely everything is. We’re used to eating in restaurants in NYC, where oftentimes they’re trying to rush you out of there as soon as possible so they can use the table for someone else. In Italy, we found that it was often difficult to get the check from the waiter so we could leave! We didn’t mind this at dinner, but at lunch we didn’t always want to spend that much time at the restaurant.
Weather
It was colder than we were expecting. The days were generally comfortable (though a jacket was needed on every day except Wednesday), but after the sun went down it became quite cold. We only had spurts of rain a couple times, but it was overcast several days. We didn’t mind the weather, though we would like to go back again during a warmer time of year.
Conclusion
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our trip. One thing that surprised me was that despite everyone’s claims that Rome is a small city and very walkable, it’s still bigger than you think. I hadn’t given it too much thought since we’re both young (mid 20’s) and figured we could handle it without a problem. We definitely wore ourselves out a little bit. I think the fact that the walking is primarily on cobblestones compounds the problem, but our feet were definitely sore by the end of the day, and we were both wearing comfortable walking shoes with cushioned insoles.
We liked Rome, but loved Florence. It just has a different atmosphere. That being said, however, there is so much more to do in Rome, and I think our plan of only spending 2 days in Florence worked out well.
I’ll end this now since this is also starting to get rather long (oops!). Here’s a link to the pictures I took. Unfortunately when I uploaded them, it put them all out of order, and it’s too much of a pain in the neck to re-order them, so they’re staying as is. I did put captions on most of the pictures, though, so you can tell what you’re looking at.
http://theresam.shutterfly.com
My boyfriend and I took a trip to Italy from December 10th-17th. I received a lot of helpful advice from this forum prior to our trip, so I’m hoping I can offer some to others, too.
Transportation
•We flew American Airlines out of JFK with a connection through Zurich. The Zurich-Rome (FCO) segment was operated by Swiss Airlines. We had no problems getting there, but on the way back there was a blizzard in Zurich and we were delayed 3 hours.
•I booked Rome Shuttle Limousine for our transportation from FCO to Nicolas Inn. Christiano was waiting for us when we came out and brought us directly there with no problems. He seemed to be quite familiar with the location. It was only 35 euros and well worth it. We tipped him an additional 5 euros, though I don’t know if he was expecting that or not.
•We took the EuroStar between Rome and Florence. We used the self-service kiosks in Termini without too much difficulty (it took us a couple times, but I think mostly because it was late and our brains weren’t functioning well). Be warned that just because you select adjacent seats on the screen, they won’t necessarily be adjacent. This happened to us both times, but people very nicely offered to switch seats so we could be next to each other.
•For our return trip, we took the Leonardo Express from Termini to FCO. Be warned – these tracks are quite a hike from the main entrance to Termini. Make sure you leave yourself enough time. At FCO, it wasn’t too much of a walk from where the train dropped us off to the check in counters.
•Taxis – we’re used to NYC (which is where my boyfriend lives), and the taxi situation in Rome is much different. I don’t think it’s possible to hail one from the street, and a couple times when we went to taxi stands to get one, there weren’t any there. For the most part, it’s not a problem walking around, but the Vatican was somewhat far from where we were staying (near Colosseum)
Accomodations
Based on the recommendations I read on TripAdvisor, we booked our stay at Nicolas Inn. We were very happy with our choice and felt that all of the glowing reviews were very accurate! The room itself was nothing fancy, but it was very clean and more than suitable for our needs. The bathroom was very large for Rome! I didn’t realize how large until after I stayed in our next 2 hotels and saw how small bathrooms could be! Our room faced Via Cavour, and though there was some traffic noise, I didn’t think it was too bad. As a disclaimer, however, my boyfriend lives in Manhattan, so our tolerance for street noise may be higher than others. Breakfast each morning consisted of tea, coffee, orange juice (the best!!!), croissants, toast, yogurts and fruit. We found that this was plenty to keep us going until lunch time.
As has also been previously mentioned, the best feature of Nicolas Inn is Melissa. She is incredibly kind and helpful. Prior to our arrival in Rome, she answered numerous questions for me, and made reservations for us at Galleria Borghese and the Domus Aurea. Upon our arrival, she provided us with a map and circled some of the key attractions and also marked out restaurants in various parts of the city. We tried most of her recommendations and found all of them to be good (some better than others, but when she was describing each restaurant, she was very clear on the quality of each one and what to expect).
In Florence, I had booked 2 nights at the Hotel Globus. It seemed to be in a prime location and they had a special price of 80 euros a night if we booked over the internet and paid ahead of time. This hotel seemed relatively new and very modern. The front desk staff was there 24 hours a day and they were all very helpful. They had upgraded us to a Superior room from a Standard room, but it seemed about the same as our room at Nicolas Inn, except with a much smaller bathroom. We couldn’t figure out how to regulate the temperature – it was incredibly warm. The first night, we tried turning the A/C on, but it didn’t seem to do much. We asked the desk clerk about it the next morning and he said that the A/C isn’t turned on during the winter and we would just have to open our window. We did that, but our room faced the street, and there was a lot of noise at all hours of the night and very early in the morning. We also found the bed and pillows to be quite uncomfortable. I didn’t get much sleep the 2 nights we were in Florence.
I had booked our last night in Rome at Casa di MaryElen, which is located close to Termini. The price was 85 euros/night. Loredana, the proprietor, was very helpful and was very understanding of our train woes (the trains we wanted for our return trip to Rome were all booked, and the one we ended up on was 20 minutes late). She was waiting for us when we finally arrived, and helped us bring our bags upstairs. Her B&B is located on the 5th floor, but there is a small elevator to go up in. The bedroom was surprisingly large and had the most comfortable bed of our entire trip. The bathroom was very tiny, but had all the basics. Since we had to leave by 6:30 Saturday morning in order to catch the Leonardo Express to the airport, she let us pick out some breakfast items for the next morning (she doesn’t get there until 8 am).
Attractions
•Saturday: We didn’t get to Rome until late afternoon, so we just walked around a bit to get ourselves oriented. Saw the Trevi Fountain, walked past the Pantheon (but did not go in yet).
•Sunday: Part of the Roman Forum (free); Cat Sanctuary – apparently needed to arrange a private tour to go down, we just looked at it from above; Pantheon (free); Trevi Fountain (free); Spanish Steps (free); Galleria Borghese (10.50 euros).
•Monday: Domus Aurea (10 euros); Colosseum (8 euros); Palatine (included with Colosseum ticket); San Clemente (3 euros)
•Tuesday: Scavi tour (10 euros); Vatican Museums (10 euros); Climb to the top of St. Peter’s Cupola (3.50 euros); St. Peter’s Basilica (free); Castel Sant’Angelo (5 euros).
•Wednesday: More Roman Forum (free); Imperial Forum (free); Trajan’s Markets (3 euros)
•Thursday: Il Duomo (3 euros?); Climb to the top of Il Duomo (3 euros); Uffizi (6 euros); Ponte Vecchio (free); Santa Croce (3 euros)
•Friday: San Lorenzo (3 euros); Mercato Centrale; shopping
We did not encounter any lines anywhere during our entire stay. We had made reservations at the Uffizi, but ended up missing our time because we stayed too long at Il Duomo, but we were able to walk right in without a problem. We were also expecting lines at the Vatican Museums, but we went at about 11:00 and also walked right in. The only semblance of a line was for tickets to climb to the top of St. Peter’s, and even that was only 5 minutes. None of the sites were too crowded, with the exception of the Sistine Chapel within the Vatican Museums.
My favorite sites were the Pantheon (amazing!) and all aspects of St. Peter’s. We went beneath it, above it, and inside it and loved every part of it. I’m also glad that we were able to see the Domus Aurea, since the day after we went the government closed it for the next 2 years! It was a fascinating site – very interesting to see how Trajan used the palace as the foundations of his baths. I also loved our climbs to the top of St. Peter’s and Il Duomo. So much is written on these forums about all of these sites, so I won’t go into too much detail. If anyone would like more info, however, I’d be happy to provide it.
My biggest disappointment was how poorly things are marked. When we were up on the Palatine, we spent forever looking through our guidebooks and looking at the couple of maps posted on-site to try to figure out what things were. When we were trying to get to the Domus Aurea, we walked to where it was on the map, but then could not find the entrance at all. We encountered 2 other people also trying to find it, and we finally had to stop a very nice Italian woman and ask her how to get there. Because of the lack of markings, I think this is why it would be advantageous to purchase tickets for a tour group, however my boyfriend and I generally don’t like tour groups and prefer to do our own thing. Another time, we were at the column of Marcus Aurelius, and had no idea what it was. We and a few other couples were all standing there scouring our guide books trying to figure it out. We did have excellent guide books (DK Eyewitness Rome, DK Top 10 Rome and Fodor’s Rome Gold), but it would have been nice if things were a little better marked.
Food!
In Rome, we primarily ate at restaurants recommended by Melissa, since we wanted to try to avoid any ‘tourist traps’. My favorite meals in Rome were at Hosteria Isadora (just past San Clemente, on the left), La Bruschetta (Via Sardegna, near Via Veneto) and Cavour 313 (Via Cavour, very close to Nicolas Inn).
We had lunch at Hosteria Isadora, and I had the best insalata mista (mixed salad) out of our entire trip. I also had their special pasta with an olive and cream tomato sauce. Absolutely delicious if you love olives!! Their prices were quite reasonable. I think our bill came out to 32 euros, which included 2 salads, 2 pasta dishes, water, bread and wine.
Cavour 313 is an enoteca (wine bar), and we stopped there one night for wine and dessert, and another night for dinner, wine and dessert. They have the most divine chocolate mousse I have ever had. They have a wide selection of wines, and their wine list is sorted by region (Lazio, Tuscany, Umbria, etc) and then by type. Our waiters were very helpful in recommending wines and we enjoyed all of them. Our favorite was a Zinfandel from Lazio, but I’m drawing a blank on the name of the vineyard which produced it. For our meal, we ordered a selection of Calabrian hors d’eourves (olives, sun-dried tomatos, salami, and a spicy, spreadable salami on toast), a selection of Tuscan cheeses (I don’t remember all the different kinds), and a selection of carpaccio (again, I don’t remember the specific kinds). It was all delicious, though a word of warning – they’re not kidding about the ‘spicy’ spreadable salami. My mouth was on fire after the first bite, and I paired the rest of it with gorgonzola cheese to make it a little easier to eat.
In Florence, our top 2 restaurants were Trattoria Anita (Via del Parlascio) and Buca Mario (Piazza degli Ottaviani). Trattoria Anita is a great place that has a 6 euro lunch special. For 6 euros, you get a primi, secondi and contorni. We weren’t expecting much for 6 euros, but it was absolutely delicious! The second best meal we had during our entire trip. Buca Mario is much pricier and filled with tourists, but the food was amazing. My boyfriend wanted to try a Florentine Steak, and the desk clerk at our hotel recommended this place (it was also in both of our guide books) and made reservations for us. Our waiter (who looked just like Mario Batali!) was wonderful and made a number of excellent recommendations.
Overall, I found the quality of all of the places we ate at to be quite good and a good value. Our bills ranged from 20 euros (at Trattoria Anita) to 150 euros (Buca Mario). Lunch was generally about 25 euros, and dinners were closer to 40 (more wine!). We did not always both order a primi and secondi (it’s just too much food!), and I don’t think we were expected to. I had read some posters who seemed to think that waiters gave them the ‘evil-eye’ if they split dishes or didn’t order a primi and secondi, but I didn’t encounter this at any of the places we ate at.
The thing that surprised us the most was how leisurely everything is. We’re used to eating in restaurants in NYC, where oftentimes they’re trying to rush you out of there as soon as possible so they can use the table for someone else. In Italy, we found that it was often difficult to get the check from the waiter so we could leave! We didn’t mind this at dinner, but at lunch we didn’t always want to spend that much time at the restaurant.
Weather
It was colder than we were expecting. The days were generally comfortable (though a jacket was needed on every day except Wednesday), but after the sun went down it became quite cold. We only had spurts of rain a couple times, but it was overcast several days. We didn’t mind the weather, though we would like to go back again during a warmer time of year.
Conclusion
Overall, we thoroughly enjoyed our trip. One thing that surprised me was that despite everyone’s claims that Rome is a small city and very walkable, it’s still bigger than you think. I hadn’t given it too much thought since we’re both young (mid 20’s) and figured we could handle it without a problem. We definitely wore ourselves out a little bit. I think the fact that the walking is primarily on cobblestones compounds the problem, but our feet were definitely sore by the end of the day, and we were both wearing comfortable walking shoes with cushioned insoles.
We liked Rome, but loved Florence. It just has a different atmosphere. That being said, however, there is so much more to do in Rome, and I think our plan of only spending 2 days in Florence worked out well.
I’ll end this now since this is also starting to get rather long (oops!). Here’s a link to the pictures I took. Unfortunately when I uploaded them, it put them all out of order, and it’s too much of a pain in the neck to re-order them, so they’re staying as is. I did put captions on most of the pictures, though, so you can tell what you’re looking at.
http://theresam.shutterfly.com
Dec 20th, 2005, 10:30 AM
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Few other things I meant to include:
Attire
We wore either jeans or khakis every day, regular shirts/sweaters (nothing too fancy), and comfortable walking shoes (mine were Tsubos, his were Clarks). We did not feel out of place anywhere we went. I don't think anyone should worry about whether or not they're wearing the right clothes. There is such a wide range of styles, it's not as if everyone is a walking fashion plate. I wore heels a couple nights to dinner, and have no idea how anyone can walk around in them all day. Melissa told me that Italian women must have some sort of special gene that enables them to do it
Packing
We tried to pack light, but definitely didn't accomplish that goal. We went there with one 25" suitcase and one 21" suitcase. We ended up buying a cheap (10 euros!) rolling duffel bag in Florence since we didn't have enough room to fit all of our purchases. If we hadn't been going back and forth between the 2 cities, it wouldn't have been bad, but the larger suitcase was quite heavy (~45 lbs), and it became a pain in the neck. We each brought just the right amount of clothes (we had no clean clothes left by the time we left!), but next time I may attempt to bring less and have laundry done at some point. We each only wore one outfit a day for the most part. We generally did not change before going to dinner - would just freshen up and put on nicer shoes
Souvenirs
Due to the poor exchange rate, nothing seemed all that cheap. We found the quality and prices of souvenirs to be much better in Florence than in Rome. We purchased 2 leather jackets in Florence that are gorgeous! My boyfriend was able to talk the guy down to 280 euros for both coats, which I think was an amazing deal considering their quality. This may or may not be a great deal (I don't have intimate knowledge of the leather industry), but it seemed like it for us.
I also purchased a large leather tote bag from a different vendor for 130 euros. I'd been looking for a new bag to use for work to carry my computer in, and have not had much luck finding anything reasonably priced over here in the US. For similar style and quality of the bag I purchased, everything I had looked at in the US was at least $300, so I feel like I got a great deal!
Our other purchases were primarily wine, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, coffee, and the typical touristy stuff (mugs, magnets, calendars). There was a World Market in front of Santa Croce in Florence where we found some wonderful items (though not Italian!), and a souvenir shop just off this square that had the cheapest prices on any of the souvenirs we had seen. They were exactly the same souvenirs we had seen elsewhere, just much cheaper.
I think that's it for now.....
Attire
We wore either jeans or khakis every day, regular shirts/sweaters (nothing too fancy), and comfortable walking shoes (mine were Tsubos, his were Clarks). We did not feel out of place anywhere we went. I don't think anyone should worry about whether or not they're wearing the right clothes. There is such a wide range of styles, it's not as if everyone is a walking fashion plate. I wore heels a couple nights to dinner, and have no idea how anyone can walk around in them all day. Melissa told me that Italian women must have some sort of special gene that enables them to do it
Packing
We tried to pack light, but definitely didn't accomplish that goal. We went there with one 25" suitcase and one 21" suitcase. We ended up buying a cheap (10 euros!) rolling duffel bag in Florence since we didn't have enough room to fit all of our purchases. If we hadn't been going back and forth between the 2 cities, it wouldn't have been bad, but the larger suitcase was quite heavy (~45 lbs), and it became a pain in the neck. We each brought just the right amount of clothes (we had no clean clothes left by the time we left!), but next time I may attempt to bring less and have laundry done at some point. We each only wore one outfit a day for the most part. We generally did not change before going to dinner - would just freshen up and put on nicer shoes
Souvenirs
Due to the poor exchange rate, nothing seemed all that cheap. We found the quality and prices of souvenirs to be much better in Florence than in Rome. We purchased 2 leather jackets in Florence that are gorgeous! My boyfriend was able to talk the guy down to 280 euros for both coats, which I think was an amazing deal considering their quality. This may or may not be a great deal (I don't have intimate knowledge of the leather industry), but it seemed like it for us.
I also purchased a large leather tote bag from a different vendor for 130 euros. I'd been looking for a new bag to use for work to carry my computer in, and have not had much luck finding anything reasonably priced over here in the US. For similar style and quality of the bag I purchased, everything I had looked at in the US was at least $300, so I feel like I got a great deal!
Our other purchases were primarily wine, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, coffee, and the typical touristy stuff (mugs, magnets, calendars). There was a World Market in front of Santa Croce in Florence where we found some wonderful items (though not Italian!), and a souvenir shop just off this square that had the cheapest prices on any of the souvenirs we had seen. They were exactly the same souvenirs we had seen elsewhere, just much cheaper.
I think that's it for now.....
Dec 20th, 2005, 10:59 AM
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Thanks for the kind words! This is the first time I've posted a trip report, and it's harder than it seems! I have a new found respect for the excellent trip reports I've seen
Upon our return, one of the hardest things was going through the pictures. Between the two of us, we had over 700 pictures. I figured it'd be easy to narrow it down to 100 or 150 max, but I liked them all! Digital cameras are dangerous - I took far fewer pictures when I just had a regular film camera
Upon our return, one of the hardest things was going through the pictures. Between the two of us, we had over 700 pictures. I figured it'd be easy to narrow it down to 100 or 150 max, but I liked them all! Digital cameras are dangerous - I took far fewer pictures when I just had a regular film camera
Dec 20th, 2005, 11:42 AM
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tmac - Thanks for the great report. I really like the way you organized it. As Tiff said, long is not a problem when it is full of such detailed information. We loved Rome, and liked Florence, but my husband did come home with a great leather jacket and I have two great leather purses from Florence, so I agree that shopping there is fun!!
Dec 20th, 2005, 12:01 PM
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fun4all4 - Most of the pictures were taken with my Kodak P850. I've only had it for a month, so I'm not quite as familiar with all of it's features yet, but I think it's a great camera.
One thing that bothered me while we were there was the number of people using the flash on their cameras. In basically every indoor location that we went to, there were large signs that indicated that flashes were not allowed, and oftentimes we were told that by the docents on the way in. My sister is a curator for a museum, and she has explained to me the damage that flashes can do, so I was dismayed by the number of people taking pictures with the flash! Perhaps this is why certain sites have moved to banning cameras altogether, since some tourists are not complying with the no-flash rules, and I imagine that it is a difficult rule to strongly enforce. Or maybe they need to post a sign explaining why the flash shouldn't be used - people may just not understand.
I think people overestimate when they need flash. I did not use my flash at all the entire trip(granted, we were outdoors most of the time), and my pictures still came out fine.
One thing that bothered me while we were there was the number of people using the flash on their cameras. In basically every indoor location that we went to, there were large signs that indicated that flashes were not allowed, and oftentimes we were told that by the docents on the way in. My sister is a curator for a museum, and she has explained to me the damage that flashes can do, so I was dismayed by the number of people taking pictures with the flash! Perhaps this is why certain sites have moved to banning cameras altogether, since some tourists are not complying with the no-flash rules, and I imagine that it is a difficult rule to strongly enforce. Or maybe they need to post a sign explaining why the flash shouldn't be used - people may just not understand.
I think people overestimate when they need flash. I did not use my flash at all the entire trip(granted, we were outdoors most of the time), and my pictures still came out fine.
Dec 20th, 2005, 01:27 PM
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Hi Dina4,
The Scavi tour goes through the Necropolis that is beneath St. Peter's Basilica. The Necropolis (which literally means 'City of the Dead') was an actual 'city' with streets and small buildings, except each building contained tombs. Family members of the dead would come to pay their respects to the dead, and, according to our guide, would often go up on the roof to enjoy a picnic. They even had small holes in the tombs so that the family members could pour wine in so the dead could enjoy themselves as well The necropolis was located near the Circus of Nero, which was where St. Peter was killed. When Constantine decided to build his basilica on this spot, he covered the area where the necropolis was located so that he could build directly on top of where St. Peter was buried (St. Peter was initially buried in the ground). They discovered the necropolis in 1939 and performed excavations until the 50's.
The tour itself is very small - I think the limit is 10 people per tour. Our guide was incredibly knowledgable and presented the information very well. I was surprised at how 'high-tech' it was compared to the other sites we saw in Rome. Lots of sliding glass doors You start the tour by going down a set of stairs, and then slowly work your way up to the ground floor of St. Peter's. You're able to look into the various 'buildings' (they seem more like rooms now since they're underground), and see sarchopogi, statues, and mosaics. The end of the tour brings you to what they allege are St. Peter's bones. They have not been able to 100% prove that they are, but there are numerous factors that lead them to believe that they are.
The whole tour takes about 1 hr and 15 minutes. Some people have said it's claustrophobic down there, but I did not think it was a problem (granted, I don't usually have a problem with enclosed spaces). There are certain doorways which are small, but generally when we were stopped to listen to the guide, we were in a larger area. The biggest thing I found was that the air was very humid down there - almost seemed heavy. I was very happy to get a breath of fresh air at the end! The tour ends up right near the tomb of Pope John Paul II, and there's a doorway to enter the main area of St. Peter's.
Hope this helps!
The Scavi tour goes through the Necropolis that is beneath St. Peter's Basilica. The Necropolis (which literally means 'City of the Dead') was an actual 'city' with streets and small buildings, except each building contained tombs. Family members of the dead would come to pay their respects to the dead, and, according to our guide, would often go up on the roof to enjoy a picnic. They even had small holes in the tombs so that the family members could pour wine in so the dead could enjoy themselves as well
The necropolis was located near the Circus of Nero, which was where St. Peter was killed. When Constantine decided to build his basilica on this spot, he covered the area where the necropolis was located so that he could build directly on top of where St. Peter was buried (St. Peter was initially buried in the ground). They discovered the necropolis in 1939 and performed excavations until the 50's.The tour itself is very small - I think the limit is 10 people per tour. Our guide was incredibly knowledgable and presented the information very well. I was surprised at how 'high-tech' it was compared to the other sites we saw in Rome. Lots of sliding glass doors
You start the tour by going down a set of stairs, and then slowly work your way up to the ground floor of St. Peter's. You're able to look into the various 'buildings' (they seem more like rooms now since they're underground), and see sarchopogi, statues, and mosaics. The end of the tour brings you to what they allege are St. Peter's bones. They have not been able to 100% prove that they are, but there are numerous factors that lead them to believe that they are. The whole tour takes about 1 hr and 15 minutes. Some people have said it's claustrophobic down there, but I did not think it was a problem (granted, I don't usually have a problem with enclosed spaces). There are certain doorways which are small, but generally when we were stopped to listen to the guide, we were in a larger area. The biggest thing I found was that the air was very humid down there - almost seemed heavy. I was very happy to get a breath of fresh air at the end! The tour ends up right near the tomb of Pope John Paul II, and there's a doorway to enter the main area of St. Peter's.
Hope this helps!
Dec 20th, 2005, 01:47 PM
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tmac,
Lovely pictures, between your report and your pictures, I want to go back to Rome so badly. I was only there for 2 days and it simply wasn't enough!
Thanks for bringing it back to me if only for a few moments.
Lovely pictures, between your report and your pictures, I want to go back to Rome so badly. I was only there for 2 days and it simply wasn't enough!
Thanks for bringing it back to me if only for a few moments.
Dec 20th, 2005, 05:38 PM
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Thank you for your great report. I have been to Rome three times and think I have finally talked my husband into going for the first time for his birthday this May. He's a history buff and I know he'd love it.
I am very curious as to why the Nicolas Inn is so highly rated on Trip Advisor. I checked out their website yesterday and thought the rooms looked extremely plain and smaller than usual. Would you stay there again? I'm really trying to understand why so many people love the place.
Loved your photos too!
I am very curious as to why the Nicolas Inn is so highly rated on Trip Advisor. I checked out their website yesterday and thought the rooms looked extremely plain and smaller than usual. Would you stay there again? I'm really trying to understand why so many people love the place.
Loved your photos too!
Dec 20th, 2005, 07:18 PM
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I think the reason Nicolas Inn is so highly rated on TripAdvisor is because Melissa is so active in the forums (she's the Rome expert). It's probably the best advertising anyone could ask for
As you saw on the website the rooms are a little plain. However, they are very clean, in very good shape (everything seems new), and I didn't think they were small at all. However, I have not stayed in other Rome accomodations (besides Casa di MaryElen, which had a similarly sized bedroom and a much much smaller bathroom), so I don't have much to compare it to. The room had a queen/king sized bed (2 twins pushed together), a large armoire, a desk, and another piece of furniture to hold the suitcase. The tv was mounted on the wall. There was still plenty of space to walk around - the room didn't feel cramped. The bathroom had a very large window, an actual bathtub (!), toilet, bidet, and sink. I'm not sure if all the rooms are the same size or not, but I thought ours was plenty big enough.
The sheets and towels weren't as luxurious as those you'd find in a 5 star hotel, but at the same time, I was not paying a 5 star price, so I think it's unreasonable to expect that. The breakfast each morning wasn't fancy, but everything always tasted fresh and it was more than adequate - tea, coffee, orange juice, fresh fruit, croissants, toast, jam, and yogurt.
The location is not 100% ideal, but it is still very good. When I go back, I may be more apt to stay closer to Piazza Navona, or somewhere in that area. The area near the Colosseum was fine during the day and for our site-seeing, but it became more of an issue when we were going out for dinner. On nights when it was raining, or if we were just really tired, we didn't necessarily want to go on a 20 minute walk to a restaurant and wanted to go somewhere close. There were a couple excellent restaurants close by to us, but I didn't feel like there were quite as many options. We felt very safe in the location and it was neat to always be seeing the Colosseum right around the corner When I stayed in the Termini area on our last night, I was very glad that we did not stay there for our whole trip. It just didn't feel as clean or as safe in that area.
The biggest intangible is Melissa. Having zero knowledge of Italian, I was a little worried about the language barriers. Having someone who is a native English speaker was phenomenal. She seemed to understand well what we would be interested in and what our concerns would be. I realize some people may not like this since it isn't necessarily experiencing the true Italian culture, but it was very reassuring to come home to and just have that base.
One other thing that may be difficult for some people is that Melissa & Francois are not on-site at all times. Melissa arrives around 7:30 each morning, and generally leaves around 5ish. It wasn't a problem for us - we're fairly independent once we get ourselves oriented - but others may have an issue with this.
Melissa was incredibly helpful both before and during our trip, and I felt like she would go out of her way to assist us. While you can find this at some hotels, you never know exactly what the staff will be like. Her orientation session with us when we arrived was wonderful and we were quite pleased with all of her restaurant recommendations.
When it comes down to it, I thought it was an excellent value for the money. We only paid 90 euros a night, and I think that was an amazing deal. There may be other places that are more luxorious, but I wouldn't want to spend 250 euros a night. I guess it all depends on what your priorities are. There's another trip report in this forum about a traveler who likes to splurge on hotel rooms (spending $500 a night). I would absolutely stay at the Excelsior if I could, but I unfortunately don't have that sort of income yet When I was looking for a place to stay, I wanted somewhere central, safe, clean, and about 120 euros a night. Nicolas Inn met all of those criteria, and more. So many of the reviews I read on TripAdvisor for other Hotels & B&B's in this price range seemed to be bad - rooms were shabby, dirty, smelly, etc - or just had very mixed reviews. The reviews for Nicolas Inn were all excellent. The only 'negative' reviews were from people who I think had unreasonable expectations for a place of this nature. It is a B&B (not a hotel with a 24 hr front desk), and is in a budget price range (don't expect 600 thread count bedding).
That was sort of a long-winded answer (sorry!), but I think it's a difficult question for me to answer without having stayed at every other B&B in Rome. Both my boyfriend and I were very pleased with my choice of accomodations and had no complaints. I found it to be an excellent value for the money and would most likely stay there again. As I stated above, the only possible drawback I found was that there weren't quite as many restaurants in that area as would be found if we stayed in Piazza Navona, but there's not much Melissa can do about that unless she enters the restaurant business
As you saw on the website the rooms are a little plain. However, they are very clean, in very good shape (everything seems new), and I didn't think they were small at all. However, I have not stayed in other Rome accomodations (besides Casa di MaryElen, which had a similarly sized bedroom and a much much smaller bathroom), so I don't have much to compare it to. The room had a queen/king sized bed (2 twins pushed together), a large armoire, a desk, and another piece of furniture to hold the suitcase. The tv was mounted on the wall. There was still plenty of space to walk around - the room didn't feel cramped. The bathroom had a very large window, an actual bathtub (!), toilet, bidet, and sink. I'm not sure if all the rooms are the same size or not, but I thought ours was plenty big enough.
The sheets and towels weren't as luxurious as those you'd find in a 5 star hotel, but at the same time, I was not paying a 5 star price, so I think it's unreasonable to expect that. The breakfast each morning wasn't fancy, but everything always tasted fresh and it was more than adequate - tea, coffee, orange juice, fresh fruit, croissants, toast, jam, and yogurt.
The location is not 100% ideal, but it is still very good. When I go back, I may be more apt to stay closer to Piazza Navona, or somewhere in that area. The area near the Colosseum was fine during the day and for our site-seeing, but it became more of an issue when we were going out for dinner. On nights when it was raining, or if we were just really tired, we didn't necessarily want to go on a 20 minute walk to a restaurant and wanted to go somewhere close. There were a couple excellent restaurants close by to us, but I didn't feel like there were quite as many options. We felt very safe in the location and it was neat to always be seeing the Colosseum right around the corner
When I stayed in the Termini area on our last night, I was very glad that we did not stay there for our whole trip. It just didn't feel as clean or as safe in that area. The biggest intangible is Melissa. Having zero knowledge of Italian, I was a little worried about the language barriers. Having someone who is a native English speaker was phenomenal. She seemed to understand well what we would be interested in and what our concerns would be. I realize some people may not like this since it isn't necessarily experiencing the true Italian culture, but it was very reassuring to come home to and just have that base.
One other thing that may be difficult for some people is that Melissa & Francois are not on-site at all times. Melissa arrives around 7:30 each morning, and generally leaves around 5ish. It wasn't a problem for us - we're fairly independent once we get ourselves oriented - but others may have an issue with this.
Melissa was incredibly helpful both before and during our trip, and I felt like she would go out of her way to assist us. While you can find this at some hotels, you never know exactly what the staff will be like. Her orientation session with us when we arrived was wonderful and we were quite pleased with all of her restaurant recommendations.
When it comes down to it, I thought it was an excellent value for the money. We only paid 90 euros a night, and I think that was an amazing deal. There may be other places that are more luxorious, but I wouldn't want to spend 250 euros a night. I guess it all depends on what your priorities are. There's another trip report in this forum about a traveler who likes to splurge on hotel rooms (spending $500 a night). I would absolutely stay at the Excelsior if I could, but I unfortunately don't have that sort of income yet
When I was looking for a place to stay, I wanted somewhere central, safe, clean, and about 120 euros a night. Nicolas Inn met all of those criteria, and more. So many of the reviews I read on TripAdvisor for other Hotels & B&B's in this price range seemed to be bad - rooms were shabby, dirty, smelly, etc - or just had very mixed reviews. The reviews for Nicolas Inn were all excellent. The only 'negative' reviews were from people who I think had unreasonable expectations for a place of this nature. It is a B&B (not a hotel with a 24 hr front desk), and is in a budget price range (don't expect 600 thread count bedding). That was sort of a long-winded answer (sorry!), but I think it's a difficult question for me to answer without having stayed at every other B&B in Rome. Both my boyfriend and I were very pleased with my choice of accomodations and had no complaints. I found it to be an excellent value for the money and would most likely stay there again. As I stated above, the only possible drawback I found was that there weren't quite as many restaurants in that area as would be found if we stayed in Piazza Navona, but there's not much Melissa can do about that unless she enters the restaurant business
