Just returned....
 

Just returned from two wonderful weeks in Italy. Itinerary as follows: Cinque Terre, Pisa, Siena, Florence, Hill towns (Assisi, Orvieto, Civita di Bagenerio (sp?), Rome, Naples, Pompeii, Venice. <BR> <BR>I received so much helpful information from this website when planning our trip, that I would like to give something back. If anyone has questions, feel free to email me.

Hope you had a good trip. Just a few basic questions. <BR>Rome- was it crowded? Do you think it is necessary to take a tour of the "must see" sites? <BR>Venice-any good places to eat? Anything that we shold definately see? Thanks for any information

Tracy--- what hint did you received at this forum that you would pass along? Any hotel recommendations?

Rome was not as crowded as I expected. There were a lot of people in St. Peters as well as in the Vatican Museums, but that didn't bother us too much. We definitly noticed more tourists toward the end of our trip. <BR> <BR>In Rome I would definitly take a tour of St. Peter's using either the free tours offered by the Vatican, or one of the tour companies. We used Rick Steves' book "Mona Winks", which provided some very interesting information and was a decent substitute for a live guide. We purchased the audio guide for the vatican museums, which was sufficient. BTW, the Vatican Museums do not take credit cards for entry or for the audio guides. Have cash ready. <BR> <BR>I would definitly take the night walking tour with one of the tour companies such as Enjoy Rome. It costs about 30,000 Lira. We couldn't take it, but we talked to several people that said it was the highlight of their trip. It lasts about 3 hours and hits all the main sights (Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and the Piazza's) The piazza's are sort of hidden down little alleys and you will miss some great things if you don't take a tour, or at least have a guidebook or good map. We followed Rick Steves' walking tour in his guidebook and it was fine but I regret not taking the tour. <BR> <BR>A tour of the Forum is necessary. I found it hard to follow the map in Rick Steves' book. However, the tour companies offer free introductory tours of the Forum and the Coliseum. Just walk around long enough until you find one and then join in. They are worthwhile. The audio guide in the Coliseum was worthwhile. Again, they only take cash. <BR> <BR>As far as Venice goes, it was the crowdest city we visited and the most unfriendly. Everywhere else we found the Italians to be very nice and helpful. The best part about Venice is San Marco Square at night and cruising the canal on the water buses. It is very romantic. We skipped the gondola rides because they were expensive and crowded. The water bus seemed just as romantic at night and not as crowded. If you sit in the front or the back of the bus and get away from San Marco, you'll be the only tourists. Sorry to report that we didn't have any memorable meals in Venice other than the finger-food sandwhiches you get at the pubs. <BR> <BR>Some hints that I would pass on: <BR> <BR>Siena: We stayed at Canon D'Oro which was very clean, centrally located and very reasonably priced. I would stay there again. We day tripped to Florence (easy bus ride) and were SO glad that we stayed in Siena and not Florence. BTW - make reservations for the Uffizi and the Accademia. We didn't get Uffizi tickets and found the line to be over two hours long. Since we only had one day, we decided to go with one of the travel agencies that offer guided tours (3 hours) for about 50,000 Lira per person (compare to the entry cost of about 12,000 and it is worth the effort to make the reservation before you leave). For us, it was worth the extra money not to wait in line and the tour was decent. Although, I followed along with Mona Winks and the information was about the same. We got reservations for the Accademia from the internet website before we left and just walked right in, bypassing the long line. Word of caution, if you order your tickets over the internet, order only one set at a time. I ordered both sets (Uffizi and Accademia) at the same time and requested times which would have worked out wonderfully if both were available. I didn't notice until we were on the plane that the Uffizi tickets were not available for my time selection so not only did I not have Uffizi reservations, but I had Accademia tickets late in the day. <BR> <BR>In Siena we ate at the Cane & Gato, after reading recommendations on this forum. The food and service was excellent, although you don't get too much food compared to what we are used to here in the States. Be prepared to spend 3 - 4 hours and about $120 for two people. It is a great experience and you get a taste of the real Italy. <BR> <BR>Assisi - we stayed at Hotel Ideal with a balcony and a fabulous view overlooking the valley. The breakfast was one of the best we had and was included in the 140,000 Lit price. Recommended by Rick Steves. <BR> <BR>Venice - we stayed at Hotel La Calcina with a fabulous view of the canal. A bit expensive at 260,000 Lit but the room was incredibly clean, the hotel was beautifuly decorated, the outside terrace was wonderfully romantic and the breakfast was excellent. I would definitly stay there again and the extra money for a canal view was well spent. Also recommended by Rick Steves. <BR> <BR>Naples - we made the mistake of staying a night in Naples and daytripping to Pompeii instead of going on to Sorrento. IMO, don't waste any time in Naples and don't bother with the National Museum in Naples. If you do go to the museum, don't waste money on the audio guide. <BR> <BR>Pompeii - was excellent. Pay the 165,000 Lit for a guided tour. The guides are registed and have picture badges. You don't need a guide book if you get a guided tour and you won't wait in lines. The price is the same no matter how many people you have, but the smaller the group the better. We hit if off so well with our Australian tour mates that we stayed after the tour and talked for four hours. The tour lasts 3 hours and there is very little shade so take water and some power bars to keep you going. The cafeteria is WAY over priced, as you would expect. <BR> <BR>Other general info: <BR>I found Rick Steves' phrase book to be invaluable in Milan, Cinque Terre and the hill towns - where English is NOT readily spoken. <BR> <BR>I was so glad I carried tissue and soap leaves in my purse. Ladies - you can get a small packet of soap leaves at Bath & Body Shop. You will want them! <BR> <BR>Breakfast consists of a sugar donut or buttery croissant. Take some breakfast bars with you. You won't find a bagel anywhere. <BR> <BR>I brought a money belt but never wore it and didn't have any problems with theft. We used the ATM's so we didn't have too much cash on us at any one time. We never took our eyes off of our belongings. <BR> <BR>One mistake we made was hiking between Vernazza and Monterosso the day after a rain. Unless you bring hiking boots and a hiking stick - don't even try this hike. I don't think Rick Steves made it clear enough in his book that this is a dangerous and hard hike. The last thing you want is a sprained ankle and this hike is the best way to get one! <BR> <BR>Trains - once you figure out the schedule, you won't have a problem. It's not as scary as it seems. We even took a night train, which was a fun experience. We travelled second class on all trains and didn't make advance reservations for any train other than the night train. We were able to take all trains we wanted. <BR> <BR>Dinner - keep in mind that most trattoria's don't open until 7 for dinner. Either eat a late lunch or eat a snack or you will be starving! One other word of advice, don't go into a restaurant if there is nobody in there at about 8 or 8:30. If it is a good place, it will be crowded by that time. We made that mistake once and will never make it again. <BR> <BR>Car rental - we rented a car in Siena and spent two days driving the hill towns before dropping the car in Rome. It was an awesome experience. Driving is easy, as is renting the car. The cost was only about $126 for three days. I used a road map that I received free from the Italian Tourism Board and it was excellent. <BR> <BR>If there are more questions, I would be happy to help. Happy Travelling. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Tracy: We are going to Italy next month. Thanks for your insights and for taking the time to share it with us. I found your information very useful.

Tracy, did you stay in the Cinque Terre area, and, if so, which city and which hotel? How long were you there, and was it enough/too much time? <BR> <BR>Also, how long were you in Siena? I'm planning a trip for the fall, and won't have a lot of time, but I'd like to see the town and do some driving in the countryside to some other towns. Any recommendations? <BR> <BR>Thanks!

We stayed in Levanto which is the first town just above the Cinque Terre. We stayed at the Villa Margaherita which was recommended on this site and was very nice. <BR> <BR>email [email protected] <BR>www.villamargherita.net <BR> <BR>The rooms were clean (although small) but the view was great and the breakfast room is very nice. I was quoted $85.00 US dollars over the internet by Frederico, the owner. However, when it came time to pay he asked me how much he had quoted me and if he had quoted me in US dollars or Lira. I got the feeling that the price varies depending on how much he thinks he can get out of you. Also, he wanted to be paid in cash, which I think is rude unless a discount is being offered for cash payment, especially when you're talking 350,000 Lira which took almost our last Lira. I would stay there again but I would confirm ahead of time the price (in Lira!!) and confirm that a credit card will be accepted. <BR> <BR>Levanto is a very easy train ride to the other towns. The train is about 1,500 Lit for a 6 hour pass. <BR> <BR>We stayed two nights in Levanto with one full day and a morning for the area. We felt that was plenty of time. As I mentioned earlier, we hiked from Monterosso to Vernazza which took about 2 1/2 hours and pretty much wore us out during our one full day. But the area is very nice to stroll around the towns and you can take a nice walk along the mountainside between the last two towns, which is romantic. We found there to be a lot of Italians on holiday, which made it fun. For us, the time we spent there was enough. <BR> <BR>In Siena we spent 3 nights at Canon D' Oro. <BR> <BR>[email protected] <BR>phone: 011-39-057-744-321 <BR>fax: 011-39-057-728-0868 <BR> <BR>I would definitely try to mix in some 3 night stays during your trip. It gives you a break from packing up and moving every couple of days. We really enjoyed our time in Siena. We spent one day just seeing Siena, taking Paolo's walking tour as posted on this site and people watching. One day is about all you need for Siena itself. We spent another day in Florence as I mentioned earlier. The last day we picked up a rental car. We couldn't get the car until 3 because we forgot that the rental office was closed from 12 - 3. So, to kill the time, we spent 2 1/2 hours in a little bar/pub just inside the old city walls, about a block from the rental car office. It was great. The place was full of locals, also killing time before they had to be back at work. The food was great (just sandwhiches and coffee) and it gave us some time to catch up on our journal writing, fill out some postcards and just reflect on the fact that we were in Italy! <BR> <BR>As for the hill towns - we loved Assisi! It is set high up on a mountain and from the bottom of the hill it looks like a dream. The basilica is worthwhile and the views from the city are incredible. The rest of the town is very similar to Siena with the narrow, alley streets and the shops (selling about the same things). What really made it for us was night we spent at Hotel Ideal. If you weren't staying the night there, you would need only a few hours. By the way, I thought Rick Steve's map of Assisi was the worst map in his entire guidebook! I couldn't follow it to save my life. We ran into a group of 5 others looking as lost as us and it turns out they were also trying to follow Rick's map. When we were in Rome we ran into a guy that said he had met Rick Steves that day in Rome with his camera crew. I was hoping we would run into him so that I could ask him what type of drugs he was on the day he drew that Assisi map. <BR> <BR>The other two hill towns we visited were Oriveto and Civita di Bagnerio (spelling is all wrong, I'm sorry). <BR> <BR>Orvieto was ok. The duomo is worth a look. We didn't find too much else that really appealed to us (more shops selling the same thing and some really bad gelato). The bus ride to Civita is about an hour from Orvieto. Luckily we couldn't find where the bus picks up because driving there in your own car is definitely the best way to go. You don't need to take the bus to Civita if you have a car. The drive was beautiful. Again, I followed the maps I got for free from the Tourism Board. Civita is actually perched up on a hill and is only accesible by a walking bridge. The town at the base of the hill is called Bagnerio (sp?). It is a lovely drive and the town is breathtaking. We followed Rick Steves' suggestion to turn off just before entering the town of Bagnerio for a fabulous of Civita across the valley. You won't know what I am talking about unless you have Rick's book, but this view is unlike anything you have ever seen. <BR> <BR>You could see both Civita and Assisi in the same day. It doesn't take very long to drive through Tuscany, especially as fast as the Italians drive. But if you have the time, take a couple of days and stay a night somewhere that really catches your eye. It will be one of your best experiences. <BR> <BR>Happy Travels!