I tried to edit this as much as possible and it's still really long. I hope I don't bore you
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13 days in Italy: 1 week in Tuscany and 5 days in Rome.

A bit about us: I'm 31 and my husband is 27. I had to been to Europe before and it was his first time. Unfortunately we were both sick from a sinus infection. Actually, he was getting over one and I started the day before we left. We were sick the entire first week and then just had allergies the remaining of the trip. We went through four boxes of medication and I'm so glad I took them "just in case". This trip was to celebrate our 3 yr anniversary and it was our first real vacation since our honeymoon. I also planned this trip entirely on my own because my husband is usually very busy with work. All he knew was that we were going to Tuscany and Rome and that he had to drive!

We left for Italy on May 20. From LAX (Los Angeles) we had a layover in New York (JFK). It was a complete zoo at LAX and I'm glad we got there 2.5 hrs early. After waiting in line for about an hour, and having to walk to another terminal to go through security, taking a shuttle back to the American Airlines terminal, we finally got to sit down once we boarded the plane. The flight was scheduled for 8am but left about 15 mins late. We had a pleasant flight.

We arrived in NY at 4:30pm. I knew we were going to have a problem because our flight to Rome was suppose to leave at 4:50pm. It took another 10 mins after we arrived to actually get to the Terminal. We ran to the terminal with our carry on, went through security, only to get there and be told that the plane had left 5 mins ago The reps were rude and told us to go downstairs to see if it was possible to get a flight out but it would not be direct to Rome. There was an older couple who had also been left behind.

The first supervisor I spoke to was extremely rude. He told us to get in the very long line and ask to get the flight rebooked. I told him I was not going to wait in line since they knew we were on the incoming flight and that it was late. Once again he told me to get in line. I asked him his name, which he refused to give me, and then walked away. There was another supervisor there and at this point I was furious but again asked for him to do something. He also told me to get in line. I asked him if that was the service that American provided. Finally I told him that my husband was in the military and this was the first time in three years that he was given time off to take a vacation and that I couldn't believe that it had started this that way and that I could not believe their attitude.

He told me to wait and finally got a rep for us who booked our flight to Rome. However, it was four hours later and we had to fly to Zurich first. We had a 1.5 hr layover there and the flight left 1 hr late. I think the Swiss Air airplane was the oldest they had and certainly the oldest I had ever been on.

We finally arrived to Rome and picked up our car from AutoEurope. It was easy to get the rental agency from the directions listed in Slowtrav.com. The rep for AutoEurope didn't really speak English. I asked about having complete coverage (I had CDW) and wanted to know if we were covered in case my husband backed up into a pole or something. I could tell he wasn't sure because he would look at the computer and then say, uh... yes. The print out said we were not covered for single party accidents but the rep insisted we were. I made him cross out that line and had him initial it, just in case.

Car rental: AutoEurope. One week, $318 USD. They matched the price from Novarentacar. AutoEurope's quote was $500. We picked up the car at Rome airport FCO and dropped it off in Rome. We spent about $100 USD on gas during our week stay in Tuscany.

Tuscany:
It was easy to get out of Rome and we were on our way to Tuscany. We arrived around 7pm. We stayed at Le Manzinaie (www.lemanzinaie.it) in Montepulciano Stazione, about 5 miles from Montepulciano. Marzia, the owner, and her daughter Alicia greeted us. They asked if we wanted to get a few things to eat from the market before they closed so that we can have something to eat since the markets were closed on Sunday. With Budman's directions, it was easy to find the Conad. We grabbed a few things and water and headed back. Aside from the drama with the missed flights, we learned that our ATM cards did not work. We could purchase things but not take money out. We must have stopped at all of the Autogrill Bancomats and none of them would accept the card. We had to leave a deposit in cash at the beginning of our stay but once I explained to Marzia the situation she said not to worry about it and give her the deposit when we sorted it out with the bank. When we returned, Marzia checked us in, did a quick walk through, and after being up for over 24 hrs, we finally sat down and had some tea.

Sunday: Montalcino, Sant'Animo Abbey, and Monte Olivieto Maggiore. We slept in a bit, got ready, and were on our way. We bought a TCI Toscana map 1:200K before we left and it was very useful. We also used a Lonely Planet Tuscany guide book and found it useful for the information it gave us. I had printed StuDudley's portion of his notes for Tuscany as well as many restaurants that had been recommended on Fodor's. I'm glad I did, they came in handy.

We arrived in Montalcino and easily found parking. There wasn't that many people there and we walked around to see the sights listed in the guide book. We got hungry and found the Grappolo Blu restaurant. It was still a bit early and we were the only ones there. We ordered bruschetta, I had the cheese ravioli and my husband the gnochhi. The food was very good and inexpensive. It was under 25 € for our meal. We walked around a bit and found a wonderful pastry shop called Mariuccia. They had the best cream puffs and miniature cream pies. It was warm that day and both of us weren't feeling well so we decided to skip Monte Olivieto head to the Abbey. I personally did not care for Montalcino. I didn't feel that there was anything special about it. We rarely drink wine so we didn't taste any of the Brunellos (don't think I would have known the difference!

We left for the Abbey and arrived about 40 mins before the chanting began. We decided to wait and hang out. When we finally heard the chanting and I'm glad we waited. What a wonderful experience that was. We skipped Monte Olivieto since we were not feeling well.

We also stopped in Pienza since it was still early. We absolutely loved Pienza. We thought it was so cute and quaint and actually stopped there three times during our stay in Tuscany. There was a shop near the main church on the right hand side that had great sandwiches that we picked up. The next time, we found another pastry shop, Dolce Sosta, where we also found delicious pastries and great gelato. We substituted the wine for pastries! We bought some Pecorino cheese during one of our stops as well. We kept trying our ATM everywhere we went and it finally worked in Pienza. We found the bancomat after walking through some side streets. My husband wasn't feeling well from his stomach the whole time in Tuscany so we didn't eat at any restaurants except in Montalcino and Montepulciano. We either picked up sandwiches or pizza and ate at our apartment.

Monday:We had planned to go to Chianti but went to San Gimignano instead. Having a sinus infection really took a toll on us. We were not in the mood to do anything. Well, we got there early and found parking at a lot to the left of the town. We were there a few hours and paid about $2 € for parking. We did not like San G at all. We both felt it was too touristy and when we got there there wasn't that many people but by the time we left, it was like Disneyland. There was a great pizza shop on the left hand side near the entrance. We bought some for the ride home and a few more pieces for dinner.

It seemed like we took the long way back to Montepulciano but eventually made it back. Again, we relaxed and had pizza again for dinner and called it a day. We pretty much followed this routine for the entire week.

Weds: Siena. We left early and followed directions to the Porta Turfi entrance from one of the threads on Fodors. We didn't have a problem finding parking. We didn't really care for Siena. I guess it's one of those places where you love it or hate it. I didn't hate it, just didn't care for it. It was interesting to read the history and to see a walled city but that was it. We were there a few hours and were anxious to leave. I think a lot of it had to do with us both being sick and that it was warm. By this time, I had lost my voice, I couldn't stop coughing, and felt like my head weighed a ton. We visited the main sights (tourist sights) and left. Of course, picking up some pizza before we left.

When we arrived to our apartment, Marzia called us over. One of the guests was making bread in the brick oven the brick oven that sits across from the apartments. The guests also turned out to be from California, not far from where my Mom lives. The guest had made bread with salt for Fiore, Marzia's husband. Fiore had complained that bread was not made with salt in Tuscany because the food is seasoned with a lot of salt. She made about 7 loaves and we all had some with olive oil and a few were saved for dinner that evening. Marzia then brought out some wine and some marinara sauce. Some of the other guests joined in and we feasted on bread with oil or marinara sauce. It was absolutely delicious and we had a great time with the other guests.

That evening, Marzia hosted a dinner for all the guests. It was at 8pm in there reception room. Upon arrival they had a very long table nicely set up for 18 people. The entire meal consisted of bruschetta, lasagna, ribs, chicken, potatoes, sausage, and all you can drink wine, natural or "fizzy" water. For dessert, homemade fig or pear pie. The dinner was delicious and certainly the best we had in Tuscany. We had a great time meeting and talking to the other guests whom all happened to be American except for one English couple. Marzia showed us pictures of what the farmhouse looked like when they first purchased it fifteen years ago. They did an absolutely wonderful job with it. We stayed up until 1am.

Thurs: By this day, we were tired of all the driving and since I don't know how to drive standard, I felt really bad that my husband wasn't getting much of a break, especially because he drives to work 55 miles each way. We were suppose to go to Assisi and decided to leave it for another trip. We slept in, and when we finally got up went to San Quirico d'Orcia, Bagno Vigno, and Montepulciano.

We found parking right away in San Quirico. We walked around and we felt like we were the only ones there. In fact, we only saw 2 other couples there other than the people who were filming the movie at a cafe. Just about all the shops were closed except for a bar (that I can remember). It was about 11am so I was surprised that nothing was opened. I really liked that San Q. We walked around for about an hour then headed to Bagno Vigno. We were in Bagno Vigno only for about 30 mins and then headed to Montepulciano.

Montepulciano. We found free parking right away. We walked around and then found Cafe Polizano. We sat in the terrace. It was a beautiful day and had a great view. We ordered bruschetta, both had lasagna, and fizzy water. It was less than 25 € for our meal. The food was great and would recommend it.

We ended up walking around and hanging out in Montepulciano for about 5 hours. We took our time strolling through town and taking side streets. We had gelato and sat down to people watch in front of the church closest to the entrance. I also found an internet store, checked my bank account and sent a quick hello to my sister to let her know we were alive and having a great time. Before we went back to our apartment, we stopped at the Conad to buy a few more snacks & some water. I didn't see many pizza or pastry stores there. We were a bit disappointed. I don't even remember what we had for dinner that day .

Friday: Early in the week, we had decided to leave Florence for another trip but my husband brought it up on Tuesday. He asked me why I wanted to go to Florence and I told him David, but we could go some other time. He knows that the last time I was in Florence I didn't get to see David and knew that we weren't too far from Florence. He told me that with his work schedule and his plans to stay in the military until he retired that he didn't want me to wait until who knows when to go back (what a sweetheart!!!!).

I told him I preferred to take the train but he insisted to drive. We got up early and left at 7:10am. I had made reservations for both the Uffizi and Accademia a few months before so we didn't have to wait in line. By the time we got on the highway and drove to Florence, it was 8am. (Yes, we got there really quick since my husband by then had adjusted to the Italian way of driving-he said it was like rally car racing!).We hit traffic getting into Florence and tried to follow signs for the Stazione parking garage. At some point, where we probably made a wrong turn, we no longer saw signs. We drove around a bit then decided to park in the first garage we found. We ended parking in the Ghiberti parking garage that was about a 10 minute walk from the Duomo.

By this time we had missed our reservations for David but went anyway. It was about 9:10am and there was a five minute wait to get in. We finally got in and made our way to see David--and there he was. I was in awe and got goose bumps. Finally, after all this time and there I was to see him in person. My husband was impressed as well. We joined a small group of high school students and listened to their guide. After we looked at the other art, we went back and sat down to admire David a while.

Since we still had about 2 hrs until our reservations for the Uffizi, we asked where to buy the tickets. After we purchased them, we went to Ponte Vecchio. There was a lot of people near the shops and since we were not buying anything, we went to the Santa Croce Basilica. We walked over and took a few pics. The line was long to get in and since I had already seen the inside, my husband didn't care to so we walked to the Piazza d. Signoria. We took pictures of the David replica. We were hungry and bought sandwiches at a place to the left of the Piazza. The sandwiches were delicious. We sat on a bench near the entrance to the Uffizi for those with reservations and people watched. We then went back to the same shop for gelato hoping the bench would be available when we got back. It was and sat there for about an hour until our reservations. Once in, we both purchased audio guides and went through the museum.

We headed back the apartment right after and picked up some more sandwiches for dinner. We paid $12 € to park there for 6 hrs. We relaxed when we returned and packed for our next destination, Rome.

Sat: Check out was before 9:30 so we got up early enough to make sure we left the apartment just as it was when we arrived.

Once we were on our way, we filled up right before we got into Rome and followed the directions that I printed from Via Michelin. I bought a Roma Atlante Tascabile spiral bound map and studied it the night before. I figured out that there were some extra turns so we were prepared once we got into Rome. We did have to pull over a few times because the directions told us to make turns that we didn't have to. Finally, we arrived to the Auto Europe location on 11 Via Calabria. The representative checked to make sure we had a full tank of gas and we were done. He called a taxi for us and within 3 mins he was there. He took us to the B&B near the Pantheon and we were charged $13 € eventhough it was less than 2 miles. Not sure if that's what the price really is but seemed expensive.

We arrived to the Pantheon View B&B and buzzed them to let them know we were there. I have a complete review of this B&B in Tripadvisor.com so I won't go into details. Let's just say that there was an awful smell that got worst as the days passed and it was dirty overall. The shower had soap scum and grime and the carpets were very dirty. What should have been white was grey. One of the lights in the restroom flickered on and off and one of them occasionally worked. We paid $130 € and the only decent thing I can say about this place is that it was close to everything. We even walked to the St. Peter's and didn't seem it was the 1.8 miles that mappy.com indicated.

While in Rome we saw the main tourist sights. We walked to the Borghese Gallery and purchased the audio guide.We stopped at the Trevi Fountain on the way back, took pictures and tossed the coins. We had dinner at a restaurant recommended here, Le Volte. We didn't care for the food and the staff was less than friendly. We wanted to sit inside and it seemed that all the tourists sat outside and the locals inside. It had just rained (as it did everyday for about an hour) and I didn't want to sit in the patio. When I asked if there was seating inside the waiter unwillingly seated us inside. We were given menus and then they were taken before we ordered. There was only one waiter taking orders so about ten minutes later when he had not taken our order, we flagged down one of the staff and asked when we could order. The waiter came and sarcastically asked if we had not ordered, given that he was the only one taking orders. In any case, we both ordered cheese ravioli and it made us sick. The cheese filling inside was hard. Anyway-not the best experience for our first night in Rome.

The next day, we were up early and stopped at Piazza Navona on our way to Castel Sant'Angelo. After going inside the Castle, we walked over to St. Peter's. On our way back, we stopped at San Andrea Della Valle church but it was closed. We went to a restaurant behind the church that was also recommended here, Ristorante da Pallaro. They were about to close but seated us anyway. We had a great meal here. It's a fixed menu for $20 € each. We had fried eggplant, cabbage marinated in vinegar, fried rice balls, fried veal balls, olives, bread, and prosciutto. While there, there was a huge gust of wind and it started to sprinkle. They told us to sit inside and we were the only ones there. After, they brought us pasta with marinara sauce. Next was veal, squash marinated in something-but it was good, mozzarella cheese balls, fried potatoes that looked like potato chips but thicker, more bread, and then came dessert. They gave us a shot of what looked like fruit punch and custard pie. Since they had closed, the staff sat in the next table and ate while listening to the soccer game. It had rained quite a bit but had stopped by the time we finished. Everyone was really nice and the meal was memorable.

Monday morning we got up early and headed to St. Peter's. I picked up something to eat on the way there at a coffee shop near Piazza Navona. It was a breeze to get into St. Peter's. We made the mistake of getting in line for the Vatican Museums before it opened. I had read in a guidebook that if you wait after 10:30am, the line is not as long. Well, since we had the Scavi tour that day, I didn't want to be rushed not knowing if it was true about the shorter lines. We waited about 35 minutes, purchased an audio guide and went through the museum. We had planned to take tours but decided not to before we left. I purchased the National Geographic Traveler Rome and it was useful, along with the audio guides. We were there for several hours and then headed to the Sistene Chapel. Sure enough, when we were done, there was hardly anyone in line.

Since we still had a few hours before our Scavi Tour (my request was submitted via email right before the Pope passed and they got back to me two weeks later). We were trying to find a restaurant recommended here nearby but couldn't find it and ended up stopping at a corner where there was a bakery. I looked in and they had calzones and pizza. We walked in and the bread and pizza smelled and looked good. We each ordered a cheese and tomato calzone and ate there and picked up some cookies before we left.

On our way back to St. Peter's I missed a step and nearly fell. I didn't actually fall but jammed my knee in the process. Worst, it's my bad knee that I injured many years ago while playing sports. I was in immense pain and thought to myself that the last thing I needed was to go to the hospital. I managed to stretch it out but limped over to St. Peter's. We sat on the edge of the columns and people watched.

We headed over to St. Peter's where we had to meet for the Scavi tour. While we waited a Senator from Minnesota showed up with his very young wife and 2 Americans from the Embassy. They were given a private tour. Our guide finally showed up. I was surprised to see the lack of security at the Vatican. The guide realized there was too many people in our group and 3 people didn't have tickets. He made one of them go back out for the tickets and left the other two behind, already inside where the tour starts, to wait for the person for the tickets. The tour was a great experience and I'm glad we had the opportunity to take the tour. It was the highlight of my trip in Rome.

We walked back to our apartment and decided to take a nap before dinner. We slept for about an hour, showered, and headed to dinner.We ate at Le Cave on Piazza di Sant' Ignazio near the Pantheon. They had great food and we ate here twice. The first day, I had spaghetti with mozzarella, basil, and tomato and my husband had gnocchi. The second time, my husband had gnocchi again and I had roasted chicken with potatoes. The restaurant can accommodate large groups and have seating inside and outside. Our meals were less than $30 € both days. You also get fried rice and cheese balls, and bruschetta.

After dinner we would walk around a bit and then head towards Della Palma for our daily fix of gelato. This place is absolutely wonderful and the gelato was to die for. They have so many flavors. We tried strawberry, banana, coconut, walnut, hazelnut, vanilla, chocolate, watermelon, melon, and lemon. Della Palma is located about 2 blocks north of the Pantheon. It was so good, we sometimes had gelato 3 times a day. In the evening, we would sit on the Pantheon steps and people watch. We enjoyed two men play jazz music and we stayed out there until 10pm every night.

The next day we headed to the Colosseum & stopped by Palazzo Venezia and went in to see their military museum. We we waited about 15 minutes to get our tickets for the Colosseum and had forgotten that if we went to Palantine Hill first, there would be no line (there was no line when we got to Palantine Hill). I was feeling the pain in my knee so we decided to skip San Giovanni Laterno and San Clemente Church. We headed back after seeing the Colosseum, the Forum, and Palantine Hill. We ate a pizza shop on the way back to the hotel. We also went to Santa Maria Sopra Minerva Church and inside the Pantheon during our stay in Rome, I just don't remember what day.

We were returning home the next day and by this time we were exhausted since we had walked everywhere and it was quite warm. We had our allergies during our whole stay in Rome and were lucky to have purchased a pack of tissue containing 12 individual packs that you can put in your pocket at the Conad in Montepulciano.

We read and showered before going to dinner at Le Cave. After dinner, we headed for our last gelato in Rome and sat on the Pantheon steps.

I had arranged with Limoservicerome.com to take us to the airport. The driver showed up right on time and it was $45 €. He took us to our terminal and the ride was about 30 mins. I highly recommend this service.

Our flights home were fine. There was less leg the international flights, yet more for domestic. The flight to New York was really cramped and at this point we realized that unless we can afford business class or can upgrade with FF miles, we were not going to Europe on coach. Nine hours is too long to be cramped up like that.

Overall, we had a wonderful time in Italy. We had great food, delicious gelato, and a fabulous time. The best part for me was being able to spend two weeks with my husband. It's rare that he can get that much time off.

Thanks to everyone for your help and suggestions-it made my trip much more enjoyable!

Mariana

BTW-I took No Jet Lag pills for the flight over and felt fine. No Jet Lag despite the fact that we had a really long day. However, I didn't on the way back and it took me six days to adjust. :-S

Dear Mariana,

Thanks for sharing. With all that went wrong on this trip, you are to be congratulated for your perseverance and your sunny attitude.

You two sound like great travelers. Glad you enjoyed yourselves despite the problems. The big dinner in Tuscany sounds like the sort of thing you always want to have happen, but which seldom does. I bet you remember it long after you've forgotten the discomforts -- at least, I hope so.

mv_rd,

Thanks for your report, and I'm glad you two managed to have a good time.

I recently flew to Rome on American and encountered a number of incredibly rude employees, including one blatantly rude FA. I'd never had problems like these before, on any airline. It was a shocker.

Luckily, most of your trip sounds like a dream...

my_rd, This is a trip that you and your husband will always remember.

I am curious, however, as to how long the time between planes in New York was scheduled to be. It seems to me that on international transfers, the airline will always schedule at least an hour between transfers for it to be a "legal" transfer. In your case, it appears that even if the plane had left LAX on time at 8 AM, the transfer time would only have been, at most, 35 minutes.

In any event, I would certainly complain to American concerning this matter, including the rudeness of their employees and the inadequate amount of time to transfer to the flight to Rome. They "owe" you something.

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