Linda

I want to thank all of you for posting your advice on this board. It was tremendously helpful in planning our trip-2 weeks in Italy and France. Now it is my turn to give back. We stayed for 4 nights at the Hotel Hiberia which was plain but immaculate with nice breakfasts. They have available an airport shuttle; the driver meets you at the arrival gate. The hotel is very centrally located and within a short walking distance from the Colosseum and train station. We had our two teenagers ages 18 and 16 who thoroughly enjoyed the trip. <BR>Colosseum-we purchased individual audiotours(headsets) and enjoyed the commentary. <BR>Forum-tour guides were giving promotional tours which were entertaining and interesting. <BR>Vatican City-the bus is an easy way to get there. Purchase bus tickets ahead of time at any Tabac shop. Contrary to the guidebooks, there is no shuttle from St. Peter's Square to the musuem and you must walk. In the museum, try the audio tours; we noticed that those with headsets spent considerably more time with the exhibits-it helps to know what you are looking at, esp. in the Sistine Chapel. <BR>Pompeii-getting there was not as overwhelming as I had anticipated it would be. Buy a train ticket Rome to Naples and at Naples, buy a Circumvesuviana ticket from Naples to Pompeii Scavi. The Circumvesuviana train leaves from downstairs in Naples. You will need to watch the stops to make sure you get off in time. The entrance to Pompeii does not take credit cards; the ATM was broken when we were there-be sure to take enough cash, esp. if you want a private guide (runs about $40 US per hour). We had to be somewhat aggressive in getting one; they were not lounging around in the front of the gates. A 1 hr. tour was a worthwhile investment. <BR>Pompeii is wonderful and shouldn't be missed. <BR>Florencetayed at the Hotel Maxim which was simple but very convenient-right by the Duomo. Reservations to the Uffizi and Academia are a must. You still will need to purchase your tickets at the gate, cash only. <BR>Again, the audio tour of the Uffizi was helpful. <BR> <BR>We rented a car from Europcar and drove to Siena and Tuscany for the day. The countryside is pleasant to drive in, however getting in and out of Florence is not for the fainthearted. Traffic moves very quickly and again streets are impossible to find. There are many one way streets and streets that are blocked off. We visited a small town called Vinci which was Leonardo da Vinci's birthplace. There is a small but fascinating museum for those interested in science. <BR>From Florence, we took a train to Nice. I discovered that the RailEurope schedule on the internet is not accurate and does not list all of the trains available. Many of the trains that supposedly do not run on SAt., actually do. I would highly recommend reserving your seats ahead of time. The trains were quite crowded even in mid June. <BR>We learned that in many cities, there may be more than one train station. Be sure you know which one you are going to or leaving from. If you have a connection, make sure you are coming to and leaving from the same station. <BR>Misc.-bring a small dictionary for menus that are written in Italian, which we encountered often. Bring comfortable shoes-we sometimes walked 4-5 hours or more a day. <BR>Always carry toilet paper or kleenex. Bring a bottle of water; restaurants do not automatically bring you water as in the US and you are charged for each bottle. When you rent audioheadsets, you will need to leave a drivers license or passport as a deposit. Get a good detailed map of the city-street locations are very difficult to find as street names change almost every few blocks, and blocks are not rectangular. <BR>Money belts are very difficult to access when wearing a dress. A tunic top or long blouse is a lot more practical. <BR> <BR>Have a great time and e-mail me with any questions.

Linda

One more thing-if you have hayfever in the US, bring your allergy medicine. My husband, who has allergies to spring tree and grass pollen, suffered terribly and for some reason, his medication didn't work at all.

Claire

Thanky you for these tips! We're leaving next week to visit Florence, Rome, and pompeii!

Diane

We got to Pompeii fairly early and there were many guides putting together group tours by language...It ended up costing about $14 per person (About 12 in our group) and lasted a good 2.5-3 hours. Totally worth every lira! Also, we enjoyed the promotional tour around the Forum in Rome so much we signed up for the next days tour to St Peters and Vatican Museum. Again, money well spent as the guide was personable, knew her subject well. We used audio tours in Florence for the Uffizi and for the Doges' Palace in Venice -- quality of information varies. The one in Venice was delightful, the one in Florence was almost too much. Of course the advantage of an audio tour is that you can skip rooms you find less interesting.

Nicki

If you don't mind me asking, what was the name of the company you used for the Vatican tour? You mentioned that they gave a promo tour of the Forum. <BR> <BR>Thank you! <BR> <BR>Nicki

Diane

The company was Walks of Rome -- you can email them at: [email protected] (that is on the card we have from them). I bet they'll email you back schedules and prices. The guide at the Forum had been a drama student. The Vatican guide's name was Lucinda. She's lived in Rome since '98 (British by birth) and was really animated and sounded as if she were telling us all the political intrigue tidbits behind some of the art history for the very first time. (You know she probably tells basically the same stories every day. A good guide does make it seem fresh!) She also answered every off-the-wall question anyone in the group tossed at her.

Lucinda

Hi this is Lucinda, the tour guide mentioned by Diane. I would just like to say thank you to Diane for her kind words about the tour I gave her of the Vatican. It confirms my belief that people enjoy the more personal tour, with all the titbits that a tour guide can provide to bring not only the Vatican, but the city of Rome and the country of Italy alive. This is one thing that I really love to do when giving a tour, and I am also passionate about History of Art, so I am delighted that this came through to Diane. <BR>I was, as Diane correctly said working for Walks of Rome. However I have now left them, and I am involved with an exciting, new, young company called Odyssey Tours. We offer tours to the Vatican, the Ancient City, Bella Roma (the monuments of Rome), Pompei, Capri, Castelli Romani wine and dinner tour and a tour to the Designer Label Shopping Outlets. We can also provide private tours to suit individual requests. <BR>We guarantee that all the tours will be small groups, as we feel that this gives the tour a much more personal element. <BR>If you would like any further information please do not hesitate to contact me at [email protected], or alternatively you can check out our website at www.odyssey-tours.com. This should be up and running by the beginning of next week. <BR>Thank you again, Lucinda.

Carol

Linda, interestingly enough, my allergy pills also did not work at all in Italy at all. <BR> <BR>Only upon my return did I learn that drinking wines makes allergies worse. If this information is correct, then that explains it all...we had wine at every lunch and dinner. Maybe that was your husband's problem as well? <BR> <BR>We were in Italy in March and did a trip similar to yours. However, our guide in Pompeii, Stefano, was excellent and we paid only $13 pp. The rate apparently is based on number of people in the group. Had a great time!