sally

My husband, brother, his girlfriend, and I just returned from 12 days in Rome and the Umbrian countryside. Stayed in nice Rome B&B, and a FABULOUS villa just outside Perugia. Rented car and drove all over-Gub bbio,Perugia, Assissi, Orvieto, Spoleto, Spello. Norcia, Cortona, Lake Trasimeno-loved it all! Had great food and wine and dined in lots of Fodor recommended restaurants. Happy to give more details or answer any questions about Rome (Borghese Museum and Gardens a MUST see) or other places we went to. Umbria may not be as highly touted as Tuscany (I've also been there), but we found it to be fantastic.

Bob

Hi, Sally! <BR> <BR>Could you tell me the name of your B&B. What was the address if you recall & were you close to a lot of the major sites? <BR> <BR>Whatever you can provide will be helpful. Also, price & your favorite things about it. <BR> <BR>Thanks. <BR> <BR>Bob

jim

Hi Sally, <BR> <BR>My wife and I will be in Rome around Nov. 11-14. Could you recommend a quiet, cosy hotel either in Old Rome area or in the Via Veneto area? <BR> <BR>Any suggestions on must sees, or must be warry ofs? <BR> <BR>Thank you <BR> <BR>Jim

sally

Bob: We booked our B&B through the internet at a site called guestinitaly.com. The name of the B&B is Piazza Monte di Pieta, and the pics on website are accurate. We were 2 couples traveling together and I had asked for the "deluxe rooms". We had an <BR>apt. so to speak, w/ a LR, Kitchen, 2 separate BRs each w/ own bath. all for $ll0/night per couple. This was so much nicer than some small, cramped hotel room for same price, and we were able to spend time together in the evening, keep snacks and wine available, etc. The owner speaks very good English, made reservations for us, and for $50, her husband drove us to the airport. The booking service has many B&B rooms and apts all over Rome, so ck. it out. We were approx. 1 city block from Campo di Fiori and 2-3 blocks from Piazza Navona. Also very close was Largo Argentina and buses to any where you wanted to go. We could walk to Trastavere and Tiber, and also walked to every other thing we did, except for St. Peter's. More Questions? <BR>E-mail me. Regards Sally

sally

Jim: I'm afraid I'm not able to recommend a hotel firsthand, but I understand that Due Torre (sp) and Teatro di Pompeo are great, and I think they are in Old Rome area. We saw Hotel Carriage and it looks wonderful. Perhaps someone else can post hotel info. for you--also think I saw a post on first two I mentioned, as in "which one should we stay in?" question. As I mentioned, I would strongly urge you to book advance tickets when you arrive so that you can see the newly restored Borghese Museum and Gardens. The art collection of Cardinal Borghese is so very incredible--great Bernini sculptures and nice paintings, plus the villa and gardens are nice, too. I found the Trevi Ftn area to be so dirty w/ litter and very overcrowded; ditto for the Spanish Steps (forgive me if I offend!!). We enjoyed Trastavere and the Jewish Ghetto area and walking along the Tiber, and of course, the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. I understand that if going there, one should make reservations to see Vatican Gardens; we didn't as time limited in Rome. We saw NO gypsies, as in pickpockets, had no probs of any kind at all and we walked long and far at night. The city is incredible and I want to return to see more "hidden" sites. Our last morning, another tourist told us of a park at top of Spanish Steps w/ incredible view of city, and how they took a picnic and spent whole day there!! Try finding City Secrets: Rome from Amazon.com; it has ideas of not-so touristy things to do there. Hope this helps and good luck w/ hotel search. More questions? Feel free to e-mail me. I have restaurants we ate in and will share them, too. Regards, Sally

Kimerley

Sally, I have just booked a villa called Villa Aureli at Castel del Piano, 10km from Perugia. We will be there for a week in June 2001. <BR>Any hints on good restaurants, ect <BR>thanks <BR>Kim

WLH

Sally, did you go to the Vatican Museum first thing in the morning? Was there a long line to get in? I'm going to Rome in late February and don't expect big crowds. I was wondering how busy the Vatican Museums were for you. <BR> <BR>Also, I've read elsewhere in this forum that the language barrier is no problem. What was your approach, i.e. did you always politely ask if a person spoke English first? Were people pretty receptive to speaking in English? Did you have trouble communicating in the less urban areas? <BR> <BR>Finally, how much trouble did you encounter with attractions not being open when you wanted? Were a lot of things closed mid-day, under construction or otherwise?

sally

Kimerley: I'll try to give you names of all the places we ate. Most were based either on recommendations from our B&B hosts or from Food Lover's Guide to Italy (can get exact title and author if you want it-also lists wine shops, bakeries, etc in each Italian town). In Perugia, unfortunately, I don't remember name of the restaurant. In Assissi, our hosts recommended La Stalla which Gourmet Guide also highly touts. Unfortunately, it was closed. Located on Mt. Subasio just outside walls of Assissi. We ate at another place our host suggested called La Fortezza and liked it alot. Other places we ate in and liked were Il Trombone (great outdoor patio w/ stunning views and music at night) in Spello, Tric Trac just to right of Duomo in Spoleto. Owner speaks great English and they went out of their way to give us fabulous service, including free dessert, dessert wine and roasted chestnuts after dinner. In Orvieto, we had a great lunch at Trattoria La Grotta on side street just down a side street to left of Duomo if facing it. Be sure to have a bottle of Orvieto Classico if you drink wine--we were the only English speaking folks in the place, and the food was homey and delicious. Other places we ate were close to our villa in Bosco (suburb of Perugia). Be sure to ask the locals where to go, as we liked all the recommendations we got from our hosts. If you want the name of my book, pls. e-mail me directly. Also if in Spello, be sure to go Baiocco on Via Cavour to see their stunning Derutan pottery; it was the prettiest we saw anywhere we traveled in Umbria. Have fun!!!

sally

Dear WLH: Actually, we arrived at Vatican approx. noon as we were tired and slow to get going that day. No real line; were approached by an Italian man in St. Peter's and he asked if we'd like a "tour"..we said yes! He showed us around and pointed out lots of things and told history, etc behind them, such as how tomb of St. Peter was found. This was very informative and I can give you his name and contact infor- <BR>mation if you wish. We had contacted a guide recommended on Fodor's Forum, but he never responded and we never got over to Am Ex office in Rome to book a tour w/ them. We next went to Vatican Museums, which were closing in 2 hrs. We did Raphael Rooms and Sistine Chapel and were happy w/ that. I had heard that if you cannot get to St. Peter's by 8:00 or 8:30, then go mid-day when crowds have died down. I would imagine Feb would be no problem for you. If possible, get advance reservations for and see the Borghese Museum and Gardens; I cannot stress enough how absolutley stunning the Bernini sculptures are--a MUST see, im my opinion. Try to get a hold of City Secrets: Rome, for ideas on unusual things to see and do. Rome is wonderful. As far as language barrier, I can ask for basics and understand most items on menus; however, I cannot always figure out what someone is trying to tell me. We asked for basics in Italian, such as "I want bottle of house white wine", but at other times when we had a question about an item, we asked if person spoke English. Most Italians speak a little and are very nice and patient, even in rural areas. You'll do fine, especially if you take time to learn a few basic things. Look at forum intro page and click on the area where you see flashing Italian, French, Spanish sign and you can find basics for directions, ordering food, shopping, etc. It has audio so you can hear phrase/word spoken correctly!! Be aware that most every shop, etc. closes from approx 12 or 1 to 3 PM. No problem, we just ate then, and resumed shopping, visiting museums, churches, etc when they reopened. Shops are open in evening a bit later to compensate. Pls. e-mail me if you want Rome restaurant comments. And have a wonderful time; this was my second trip to Rome and I LOVED it!!

Harrison

My husband and I were in Italy this summer, and Rome was our absolute favorite!! We stayed at the St. Regis which was impeccable! Regarding the Vatican, we hired a guide ($30/hr) through our hotel, and it was the best thing we did. She met us in the lobby at 8A and headed to the Vatican where she was able to cut to the front of the line where the guides go (versus the general public). She was so insightful and it was nice having a one-on-one tour in such a beautiful place with so much to see and explain. Highly recommend hiring a guide, you'll be glad you did

Kathy

Hi Sally, I enjoyed reading all of your comments. I am a fairly experienced Italy traveler, but need advice on side trips. I am leading a women's tour to Rome, Assisi and Orvieto in June, 2001, and plan to do one day trip from Assisi. Would you pick Spoleto, Gubbio, or Spello and why? Thanks.

sally

Hi Kathy: My first thought is not to go to Gubbio and only because it is not as close to Assissi as are Spello and Spoleto. The day we went to Gubbio,the church we wanted to see was closed and it was rainy and overcast, so I didn't enjoy the town as much as others we saw; however, the drive up is very scenic; still I don't think it will be as worth you while as the other two. Now to Spello--what a wonderful small town, probably my favorite for wandering and soaking up the atmosphere! To my knowledge, there is not much there art-wise,I guess it depends on what you wish to accomplish in visiting another town. We so enjoyed walking and just looking in a few shops; had a wonderful lunch, too, at a small place with a great view over the valley called Il Trombone. ( Met an American man in Rome who was headed to Spello to find a house to buy for retirement; said it was his favorite place in all of Europe!!) It is charming. We unfortunately arrived in Spoleto early one evening and got to the Duomo too late to see the frescoes by Lippi(or all else it has to offer). <BR>After looking at an art book upon my return, I am so sorry we did not get to see them; to me, that is a reason to go to Spoleto. It is also larger and would probably afford enough to do for a whole day, whereas Gubbio and Spello probably would not. I have restaurant recommendations for Orvieto, Spoleto, Assissi if you would like them. Also can give you the name of a great food guide to Italy--tells all the best bakeries, wine shops, etc in each town. Umbria is a delightful, if overlooked, part of Italy. I think you will enjoy it alot. The Basilica of St. Francis is awesome, as is the Duome in Orvieto. Best wishes for a great trip and feel free to e-mail me with ANY questions at all. Glad to help!! p.s. you could probably do Spello and Spoleto in one day!