ladybug

Just wanted to send a special thank you to all of the participants on this board. Your suggestions, critiques, experiences, rants and raves helped to make my trip the experience of a lifetime!! I will make it short and sweet, we traveled through Rome, Naples, Capri, Florence, Venice.

Rome, Hotel Marcella, nothing bad to say about it, wonderful, great staff, quiet clean room, nice breakfast, great view from roof-top, would definately stay there again, and despite its location "close to Termini", we felt like we were in a good location.

Capri, Hotel Luna, amazing views, beautiful rooms, fantastice breakfast, staff were a little on the "snooty" side, but we got over it, what a great place, would definately stay there again, by the way, while staying on Capri for a few days, I met Jon bon Jovi, what a great guy!! what a beautiful place, a must see for all, definately take the "lift" up to anacapri, its worth the view!

Florence, Hotel Croce di Malta, yuk!! my only complaint about the whole trip, what a bad decision this one was. creepy staff, horrible breakfast, dirty dining room, only plus was that it was very close to the train station, walking distance, so we did not need to be ripped of by cab drivers

Venice, Hotel Metropole, incredible, what can I say, right on the Riva Schiovoni, great views, incredible collection of antiques, tastefully decorated, pleasant staff, great breakfast, great room, a home run, would definately stay there again

I had booked many of the museum tickets in advance through a service called Select Italy, it worked out well, especially for the Vatican, no waiting on line, as for the others, Uffizi, Borghese, boboli gardens, i did not feel like we really needed advanced tickets, the lines were no that bad, any way, just wanted to give a little info, any questions let me know!!! Ladybug

dln

ladybug, when you were in Florence did you venture into the Chianti region and visit any vineyards?

ladybug

hi dln, unfortunately we did not visit any vinyards, we spent most of our time in Florence visiting museums, and did a lot of shopping, lots of beautiful florentine jewlery....

dln

Ladybug, you can tell me about the jewelry instead! I would love to buy some 18 carat gold earrings while there. Did you see many styles that haven't made it over here yet, and were the prices favorable, even with the dollar doing so poorly? I adore Italian gold jewelry, especially the modern pieces. Anything you can tell me about your shopping excursions will be very appreciated!

dmkujat

dln - wanted to jump in and reply to your post...just got back from Florence a week ago, and consider myself a "shopper extraordinaire"! Loved the leather and gold in Florence! Our guide pointed us down the street from the Ponte d' Vecchio (sp?) and we found great prices at the little gold shops down there! For example, I got 5 18k gold medals, all priced around $100.00. The shop owner than gave us a 15% discount, paid our tax and since I paid with my credit card, I got around $1.15US to the Euro...not too bad I thought. One of my friends bought a beautiful tri-color gold necklace, which we saw on the Ponte d'Vecchio for $200.00 more...and it was even a shorter length! All of us in our group were quite satisfied with our purchases! Also, the purses are a great deal....just a lot to choose from...it was hard to decide! I ended up buying another suitcase to bring all my purchases home in!

ladybug

hi, i bought all of my gold in FLorence on the Ponte Vecchio, lots of shops, i found all of the prices to be similar, however, if you plan on buying hand-made or original pieces, be prepared to pay. i bought an original, handmade florentine fing, 18k, open filagree design with .40 of diamonds in an eternity setting, it is absolutely beautiful, and was around 900 euro, with the dollar so low it was pricey, more than i planned on spending, but i am glad i bought it, i got it from a shop called Falai, Gioielli, the owner was a woman named Kristiana, her father made the ring, they had beautiful, original designs most importantly, i felt "safe" there, i enjoyed buying from their shop. I also purchased an 18k gold, plain cross for my god-son,whom we christened when returned home, it is beautiful, and a wonderful keep-sake for him, there are plenty of shops, with all sorts of designs. My advice, go into every shop, despite what it looks like on the outside, you may be surprised on their selection, and also, everyone speaks english, so dont be afraid to ask for prices, more selections, and discounts, they will know you are a tourist, bargaining isnt being impolite in my opinion, you are just asking for a fair price I also bought a pair of leather gloves, for myself and husband, beautiful, we got them at shop called Martelli glove factory, great selection, they actually fit you with your particular size, it was a fun experience, and reasonable prices. I dont reccomend that you buy gloves from the street market, they are not good quality, and will not fit you like a glove factory will. Have a wonderful time, the shopping in Florence is incredible!!!!!!!!!!!

ritamolly

Was the Croce di Malta that horrible?
I am going in Oct, the package is prepaid and I am afraid we cannot change it. Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Molly

camanogirl4

Ladybug. I see you posted a comment all the way bak in 2003 about some jewelry you purchased in Florence from a shop call Falai. I now own an inherited bracelet with a signature in it that has been verified. The signature I am told is "Falai". I am wondering if your piece is signed and if you would be willing to send me a pic of the sig. I was also told by a merchant in Florence they they are not sure if this business is still open. I want to learn more about my piece. It is 18K gold high dome bracelet. Hope you are still around. Thank you. camanogirl4

janisj

the OP hasn't posted in 3+ years . . .

ellenem

camanogirl,

By simply googling "Falai Firenze" I found a jewelry store in the center of Florence on the street that leads to the Ponte Vecchio.

Falai Di Neri Alda E C Sas
Via Por Santa Maria, 28, 50122 Firenze, Italy
+39 055 238 1688 ‎

Google even has a review of the shop from 2009 as well as a photo.

http://maps.google.com/maps/place?cl...51718619244274

laduree

Falai jewelry shop isn't quite on the Ponte Vecchio, it's just before it on Via Por Santa Maria. If you're heading towards the bridge, it will be on your left side. The store is still open..Cristiana and her boyfriend run the shop downtown, the parents and other sister, Lisa, are in their second shop, about 15 minutes from historic downtown. One thing I have to add about asking for discounts. You can do this at the market, but never ask for a discount in a reputable store. If the owners see that you are buying a few things, without even asking for a discount, they may just give it to you. Asking for one is considered in poor taste and the owners get very insulted if you do this. These jewelry stores are mostly family run and owned. You just don't do that! (I know this for a fact---the Falai's are old family friends). Generally speaking, if you buy jewelry on the Ponte Vecchio, expect to pay much more.