It was great! I am so glad I did not back out at the last minute due to concerns about traveling abroad. I took a Cosmos tour around the entire country. Rome and Venice were wonderful. Very loud and busy, but there was so much to see and do (and eat!) that two days in each city was just plain cruel. Lugano / Como were beautiful beyond description. You MUST take a boat ride across Como. You will dream about it for the rest of your life. Florence was a little boring for me, but if you are a shopper, Florence (and Milan) are probably your best bets. Capri was amazing. Yes, it's true that it's a bit of a tourist trap, and everything is overpriced, but the views ... the cliffs ...! Try the 'light lunch' at Barbarosa and you have to take the cable car ride to the top of Monte Solera. Given a choice I would not go with Cosmos again. The tour director was horrid and the hotels were FAR from the center of the cities. In Florence and Sorrento, we actually stayed in the cities' suburbs. But, I guess you get what you paid for, and Cosmos was very cheap. Some suggestions: definately use a money belt as two people on my tour group were picpocketted. The Eagle Creek money belt I used was very comfortable and did not show through my clothing at all. When in the flea markets of Florence, bargain with the vendors. Velvet shawls that start at 25K liras will end up being 15K liras. Drink bottled water, not hotel tap water. Stop by the local mini mart or an Autogrill when on the road and load up on a couple of large bottles of drinking water. <BR> <BR>I miss Italy already!

Beatrice, your delight and enthusiasm about your Italy trip made me smile - thanks. I miss it also. So happy you had such a wonderful time.

Sounds as if you have Italianitus Beatrice - I wrote about it in September!!! <BR>Lol.

Welcome back Beatrice. Glad you had such a good trip and decided to go like we did. Two days in Rome is cruel but I guess not too bad for Venice. Regarding money belts, I kept telling my wife mine was making me look fat. Of course, by the end of the trip I had so much pizza and pasta in me that the money belt was redundant.

Hi Beatrice, <BR>I live and work in Rome as a tour guide and have been here nearly 4 years and definately have Italianitus!!!! <BR>It makes me smile when I see messages like yours because you made the difficult decision to come during this time and had a wonderful time. <BR>Yes it is very cruel to only have 2 days in Rome as there is so much to see and do and experience here. <BR>I highly recommend if anyone is coming to Rome that they pick a hotel in the historical centre of Rome for ease of moving around and truly experiencing this amazing city by walking around the fantastic piazzas stopping for a gelato or an excellent glass of Italian wine. <BR>If anyone would like any help in planning their trip to Rome, I would be more than happy to assist. Please feel free to email me at <BR>[email protected] <BR> <BR>All I can say to those that are undecided - come!!!! You will have a fantastic time and you as safe here as you are anywhere else, if not more so because of the extra security in place. <BR>Regards <BR>Marianna