ann

Well my previous attempt to continue with this trip report didn't work and I lost it all so here it goes again.<BR>Left Florence after 3 days and picked up a car at AutoEurope near the Ponte Vecchio. Took about 1/2 hour to do everything. Getting out of Florence was fairly simple - just follow their directions. Our car was a tiny Renault Clio but it was new, clean and worked (price $385 US for 10 day rental).<BR>Roads in Chianti were narrow and windy but breathtaking. We made our way to San Sano via Radda (had a nice lunch there and walked around). San Sano is tiny - only the hotel, a restaurant and some houses in the village but it was a great base for day trips and a beautiful spot all around.<BR>We loved the Hotel San Sano - nice (but not fancy) room, beautiful views, a great breakfast (meat, cheese, eggs, rolls,juice, coffee) and an excellent set menu dinner for 22 EU if you want (we did 2 nights and the food was excellent). The hotel staff were nice and accommodating and good with directions. They set up a winery tour and tasting for us our first day and provided directions during our stay. Moreover, the owner let my husband take his vintage Alfa Romeo sportscar for a spoin so he was in heaven.<BR>From San Sano we took day trips to Siena and San Gimignano (with a stop at Monteriggione on the way back). The trips were great--both towns had a lot to offer in terms of sights, shops and enotecas! In San Gimignano we had lunch on the run but in Siena we stopped at Castlevecchia and it was excellent (with quite a few vegetarian dishes available for any veggies out there).<BR>As I mentioned previously we ate at the San Sano 2 out of 3 nights -- the other night we had dinner at the Grotto de la Ranna which was more or less next door. Food there was very good too - and they serve you a nice glass of champagne while you are reviewing the menu.<BR>All in all the Chianti portion of our honeymoon was our favorite (although we loved it ALL) and we'd go back and spend a week at the San Sano and just do day trips and more wineries.<BR>Guess I'll stop now and do parts 3/4 separately.

Ann

Before I forget the details, I'll quickly review the last stage of our trip. <BR>We drove from San Sano to Rome - it took about 3 hours total. We stopped at an info booth off the A1 to get directions to our hotel in Rome. Directions got us partially there but then we got lost - fortunately we found a pedestrian who gave good directions (and knew English). We ended up parking our car in the garage at the Villa Borghese and left it there for the 2 days (15 EU per day). We were able to walk to our hotel from the garage (via Piazza de Spagna) in about 10 minutes. The Hotel San Carlo was very nice - much nicer than I expected. We stayed in a room that had been recently renovated and there were nice furnishings and an enormous, plush bathroom (all for 150 EU per night). A nice touch was the free bottles of San Pellegrino in the refrigerator. <BR>Our stay in Rome was brief so we mainly hit the high points: Trevi Fountain, Spanish steps, Pantheon, Coliseum, Forum, Vatican, Piazza Navona. The hotel is very well located - we walked to all of those sights from the San Carlo - only the Vatican was a long walk (about 25 minutes).<BR>Food in Rome was, as usual, very good. For dinner we ate a place called L'Arriance (orange in Italian) which was recommended by the hotel - it was excellent, including the best Caprese we had during the whole trip (Buffalo mozzarella to die for). Unfortunately I don't recall the names of the other restaurants we tried but they were good as well.

me

Ann - how did you like the Villa Rosa in Positano? I'll be staying there next spring.<BR>

ann

Overall, we liked the Villa Rosa very much. The rooms are not overly plush but it is quiet and the beds are comfortable. The best feature is the large terrace you get complete with loungers, a table &amp; chairs. They serve your breakfast there in the AM which is heaven. If you drive to Positano, the Villa Rosa will arrange for your car to be whisked away - it costs 16 EU per day and they'll bring it around any time you like (no additional charge besides a tip).<BR>

ann

Some final thoughts . . . <BR>Speaking of Positano, I'll recap our 3 days there. Villa Rosa was delightful as stated above. For restaurants we tried the Ristorante Bruno right next door which was delicious and very reasonable - be aware they DO NOT accept credit cards. 2nd night we ate at Da Vincenzo - also very good - I had the local fish which was delicious but bony. Last night we ate at Da Constantino - they come for you in a van since it is way up. Also a delicious meal. Both days we ate our lunch at Tre Sorelles which is right on the beach. Their pizza was delicious.<BR>Positano was our relaxing portion of the trip. We just walked around, shopped a bit, ate, swam (yes, in Oct it was still warm enough) and ate some more. We had planned to take a day trip to Capri but the ferries weren't running as the seas were rough. We did speak to two different couples who did go over and had unfavorable reports so we didn't feel we missed too much (though I know these things are highly subjective - we might have loved it).<BR>That is about it for our trip. On our way back to Rome on the last day we stopped and spent 3 hours a Pompeii - an amazing site and not to be missed if you are in the area.<BR>I'm happy to answer any questions so fire away if you have any.