Just Back from Italy..
 

We just returned from three weeks in Italy. Thank you all for your valuable input!Here is what worked for us: <BR>1. Varenna..Albergo Milano on Lake Como...Quiet,clean...and the people were so nice. <BR>2.Riomaggiore...rented an apartment from"Edi",fantastic. <BR>3. Traveled by train...easy and affordable <BR>4. Tours Around Tuscany...Red Tour...Gianni as a guide...Worth every cent and then some...Do this...left from Seina..just my husband and I...it was one of my favorite memories.Thank you...toursaroundtuscany.com <BR>5.Albergo Bernini in Seina...inexpensive,clean, and we thought our hosts might adopt us...they were so nice. <BR>6.In Firenze we stayed at the Pendini..It had great service...but mosquitoes!So next time I will try their other hotel...the Ritz <BR>7. Hotel Gritti in Milan...Ok,but room was hot and noisy...so I would shop around again. <BR>Any Questions....I'd be happy to repay all the help I received from others...so let me know if I can help....

We also stayed at hotel Bernini in Siena, and I agree with Maggie: the service is not perfect, but the staff is very friendly and the rooms are clean. <BR> <BR>

we are leaving in 2-wks.Arrive Rome 11/12/00, can you advise best way to tet to hotel from airport? we've heard take a train to the terminal station, but then what? A bus to ther hotel (3 people w/luggage?) <BR>The hotel is next to Via Veneto & Villa Borghese. Any idea how many miles (or is it just city blocks) from the Terminal Station? <BR>I look forward toyour reply

Maggie, please tell me more about Edi in Riomaggiore and the apartment you stayed in. We are looking to stay in an apartment there for two nights in late November. How can I find Edi?

We are planning a two week trip to Italy during Christmas break with our two teenage boys - Rome, Venice, Florence, Tuscany and Naples. How did you arrange and purchase the train tickets ? <BR>Any B&B recommendations ?

C.J.--take a taxi- outside the airport there is an offical taxi stand and they pull up one at a time and load those waiting. It cost us 40 dollars and w/ being tired from the flight, it's the way to go!! You could take a cab from the train, but that's a bigger hassle than spending the $$ on cab fare, in my opinion. Some hotels provide transfer service--check w/ yours to see if they do and the cost. Also ask the driver up front how much for cab ride.

We are planning a two week trip to Italy during Christmas break with our two teenage boys - Rome, Venice, Florence, Tuscany and Naples. How did you arrange and purchase the train tickets ? <BR>Any B&B recommendations ?

Would love to hear more about Milan. Joining my husband there this Friday...he does business, I do lunch! <BR>Any suggestions for the weekend together? Thanks......cp

Hi, <BR> <BR>Great readig about your trip! What was the hotel that you stayed in when you were at the Italian Lakes region? <BR>Thanks.

For Rita...go to Eurorail.com or eurorailways.com...have online schedules and train ticket purchases/reservations. Have fun.

Bernini did not respond to my fax. Has anyone stayed at Santa Caterina? It is considerably more for a family of four.

Rita, Rita - <BR>If you haven't already purchased your train tickets, here's what my husband and I did that worked well for us. We flew into Rome and purchased our tickets once we got to Italy at an American Express office. It was very easy and I paid what I was expecting. I just purchased the tickets for the whole itinerary - i was glad we did and got reserved seats - that was a tip i picked up in the forum i think. It was a good tip since the train from milan to venice was packed. <BR> <BR>Enjoy your trip!

CJ: Skip the train and bus and catch a cab from the airport to your hotel. Its 40 bucks and well worth it after a long flight. Yeah - the cabbies drive like maniacs but after a 12 hour flight you'll be so mellow you won't even notice that you are cheating death... <BR> <BR>...Just got back from 12 days in Italy - Rome, Florence, Pisa, Siena, Sorrento, and Isle of Capri. Prices are low now (off season plus a STRONG US dollar), the weather was fair (rained a couple of days), food was GREAT, and the trains are a hassle (lots of wierdos, heavy smokers, cars completely packed with people standing up, etc. <BR> <BR>- Skip the Isle of Capri - its a ripoff, and Naples is full of bums and pickpockets. <BR> <BR>- Pompei is a must see, as are the museums of Florence and Rome. Tower of Pisa is good too and the Tuscany wine country is terrific. <BR> <BR>- Take a raincoat with you! <BR> <BR>- Make sure you carry no bills no larger than 10,000 Lire - nobody has change. <BR> <BR>- Italian coins are virtually worthless - don't know why they still have them. Leave 'em for the hotel maid. <BR> <BR>- The train terminal in Rome is like the bar in Star Wars - it has one of every kind of vermin in it. Be careful. <BR> <BR>- Have fun. We did!

F.Y.I <BR> All the reservations that I made I did via email...I got all the email addresses through Rick Steve's Italy 2000. I also found that when making reservations I spelled out the month..because Italians reverse the day and month from what americans do. This could lead to great confusion if traveling in mid October like we were! Get the book and email...it combats many language problems, and a printout of the confirmation is readily available. Hope this helps...I WANT TO GO BACK!!!Maggie

Marzy, <BR>Hotel Santa Caterina is outside the walls of Siena and has a website with pictures. Go thru the Google search engine and you will find it. Their e-mail is [email protected]. I'm deciding between the two. HCR is about double the price. Bernini phone is +390577289047.Are you taking the red tour by any chance? Char