Chris - You could try the two I gave you above for a quote. I would think they would charge about $100 for a half-day, not a whole day. <BR> <BR>(For comparison, the average bus or Circumvesuviana ride down there costs $1-$2). <BR> <BR>Steve <BR>

Hey Chris, <BR>The Scavi tour takes you through the excavations under St. Peters at the Vatican. If you search this site you can probably find a lot of info on it. It's really cool! St. Peter's was built on top of the site of Peter's grave and the surrounding cemetary. They filled the cemetery with dirt to level out the ground and built the new church on top of that. Now they're excavating that 2000 year old cemetery. You can see the remains of family tombs complete with wall decorations, vases and tiled floors. I was at St. Peter's many years ago and heard the story about how the church was supposedly built on top of Peter's actual grave and thought, yea, right, but now I'm a believer. You MUST make reservations and it may already be too late for you. I'll try to hunt around and find the contact info. <BR>I don't know what time most sites in Rome close. We were there last January and had to plan carefully because a lot of things closed early, but there were enough that stayed open late to fill the gaps.

Here are the e-mail addresses I found for the scavi tour: <BR> <BR>[email protected] <BR>[email protected] <BR> <BR>Here's a link to more info about it: <BR>http://twenj.com/romevatican.htm#necropolis

Paige, thanks for the info on the Scavi tour. I'll let you know what I find. (after I get this trip sorted out AND return, we really should meet for a beer some time!) Checked on one of the suggestions for car hire, and it is 60,000 lira PER HOUR....big difference to $100 for the day! <BR>Got a recent tip that the Santa Chiara had really gone down, so now I am scrambling again on that front!

Chris, <BR> <BR>We recently stayed in Rome 9at the end of September) at the Albergo Cesari; it is between the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain, centrally located. Our cost was 400,000 lira per night with a nice buffet breakfast. I believe the rate are probably less now. I would highly recommend this place. nly ask for a room higher up as they are quieter. They have a website: http://www.emmeti.it/Welcome/Lazio/R.../index.it.html <BR> <BR>I would also second the votes for staying in Sorrento and using the services of Marcello. We used him for a day trip of the Amalfi Coast from our hotel in Sorrento, the Excelsior Vittorio (VERY nice). If you stay in Sorrento, be sure to have lunch or dinner at Antica Tratorria, you will not be disappointed. <BR> <BR>Hope this helps.

Any other recent experiences (good or bad) with the Santa Chiara??

TTT

A friend and I stayed at Santa Chiara in early September. The location was excellent, the room was clean but on the small side, the breakfast was great, the decor was pretty plain (very basic), the bathroom was very good, and the staff was helpful but not particularly friendly. We thought it was good value for the money and paid 300,000 lire (about $150) including tax and service for a double room with two twin beds. Our room had a balcony overlooking the street but was very quiet. We would stay there again. I would not describe it as "charming" but the location can't be beat. <BR> <BR>Also, we stayed in Positano at the Miramare and LOVED it. Same exact price as the Santa Chiara. Fantastic views, friendly staff, amazing breakfast, charming room. <BR> <BR>We rented a car at the Rome airport immediately upon arrival and hit the road and did not find driving the Amalfi coast to be nearly as bad as we had been warned, although it was certainly challenging. We loved it. We drove back up to the Rome airport, returned our car, and took a shuttle into Rome to the Santa Chiara. That worked well for us. You do not want to have a car IN Rome itself. We rented through Hertz and got a very good rate.