Anna1013

msgo,

I've been reading your travel report for a couple of days now, and I really love your writing style and your descriptions of everything! I always love trip reports for all the details(isn't that the point?), so the more details the better!

I've often seen the Palazzo Olivia site recommended here - did you have to put down a security deposit or make half the payment in advance? Since you worked with the company before, I'm guessing you never had any issues of agents not meeting you at the apartment...which seems to be quite a problems in Rome.

Anna1013

Forgot to ask...your pictures are gorgeous! What kind of camera did you use?

ms_go

Thanks, everyone!

LowCountryIslander: no, it's just something I enjoy and would like to learn more about and use my trips as an opportunity to practice. Also, I don't do a lot of shopping on our trips; I kind of look at the photos as my primary souvenirs.

SCFoodie: the GPS is actually my brother's and it was in his car; I was just following in my car most of the time. I believe it's a Garmin Nuvi, but I don't know the model number. I'll try to find out for you.

Anna: I believe Palazzo Olivia required 50% at booking and the balance 60 days in advance (using PayPal). There was no other security deposit. I did not have previous experience with PO, but had no problems connecting when we arrived. Carla had asked me for an estimate of our arrival time and also provided her mobile number so I could contact her on the way in. I have worked with Summer in Italy (agent for the Tuscany rental) before. In both cases we had no problems; we were provided phone numbers for the owner/proprietor and called about an hour before arrival.

Most of photos are taken with a Canon Digital Rebel XT, but there may be a few from mr_go's Canon SD630, which also made the trip as my smaller back-up.

fun4all4

Hi ms_go!

Welcome back. I just found your report and haven't had the chance to read more than the first couple of entries, but I can't wait to get to the rest.

I don't, however, feel that I can enjoy the luxury of reading your report until I get mine up - we returned from Greece 2 weeks ago, but I've been so swamped that I am still working on getting the photos sorted and organizing my notes. I promise to get going with it, but wanted to thank you for your Greece help - we had an amazing trip!

I'll be following along and promise to start my Greece report in the next few days.

bfrac

Love your photos, they bring Rome back to me.

ms_go

Thanks fun4all4 and bfrac.

fun4all4--I couldn't remember when this summer you were going to Greece. I knew you'd have a fabulous trip, and I can't wait to read about it (and see photos)!

<b>Rome: our sightseeing principles</b>

I’ll preface the next part of my report by saying that we decided up front to keep our objectives simple. It takes months to absorb Rome. Plus, we realized by the time we got there that it was going to be very hot and sunny for the duration. Trying to &quot;see it all&quot; in four and a half days is impossible and would lead to as much fatigue as it would enjoyment. Thus, our sightseeing was confined to a relatively small area in the center and the Vatican. We did pre-arrange some things to help in organizing our time, but we planned plenty of time for informal activities, wandering (my favorite part of visiting Rome), and some rest periods in between.

ms_go

<b>Icon Tours, Ancient Rome</b>

During our last trip to Rome (mr_go, DD and I spent one week, in August 2002) we visited the Roman Forum and the Colosseum on our own, with guidebook in hand and <i>Gladiator</i> as our short-term advance preparation (yes, we’d let the eight-year-old daughter watch <i>Gladiator</i>; insert bad parenting comments here). B/SIL visited about 12 years ago on a tour. Mom remembers looking at the Forum from the Capitoline Hill but not actually walking through (20ish years ago).

This time, I thought it would be helpful for kids and adults alike to have a little context as we went along, so I looked at various options for small tours, of which there are many. Given the make-up of our group, I passed on the private tours (e.g., Context) in case someone would need to bail out in the middle, but I still wanted something smaller in size and manageable in terms of time and distance. I saw some recommendations here for Icon Tours, which offers a 2.5 hour tour of Ancient Rome departing at 3:45 every day (in summer) from the Vittorio Emanuele II monument. Its maximum group size is around 15, which is about what we had.

This worked out well for us. Our guide was an American studying in Rome. She took us from the monument, up through the Piazza del Campidoglio, into the Mamertine Prison, through the Roman Forum, and finishing up in the Colosseum—in all, closer to 3.5 hours, as we finished around 7:15. There was a lot to absorb. I wouldn’t say it is completely geared to kids, but Podolski and Del Piero seemed engaged throughout and were talking about some of the things they learned days later; Dida did very well, too, but I’m not sure he was really paying attention. DD, who is always lukewarm on guided tours (she hated our guide in Pompeii a few years ago) gave this a thumbs up. It was very warm, and the guide did a nice job finding shade for us when she stopped to talk, as well as making sure everyone had water.

Tour fees: 30&euro; for adults; 25&euro; for students; kids 11 and under are free. In addition, we paid site entrance fees of 11&euro; for everyone (except maybe Dida).
www.icontours.com/ancient.html

By the way, I booked this tour about two weeks before our trip.

WebVisionItaly

Pizza Margherita was invented in 1780 for Queen Margherita of Naples at Brandi Pizzeria

To view modern-day Brandi Pizzeria visit

http://www.webvisionitaly.com/catego...p;ref_item=117

For more shows on Naples visit www.WebVisionItaly.com,
and click on the Campania button, then select Naples Channel.

For more shows on all of Italy visit
www.WebVisionItaly.com,

Buon viaggio

bardo1

No advertising! Read the rules for joining this forum! That said, your website is VERY nice.

socaltraveler

ms_go, even though I am also just back from our two week vacation in Italy (using some of your Amalfi Coast notes), and even though I am off for the summer and not back to work like you are, I am totally enjoying your report and totally not working on mine. It's great reading, and gives me hope that I might actually be able to venture forth one day without my DH (chick trip in the works maybe).

For someone above, we have used a Garmin Nuvi (not sure of the model) for our last two trips - it has truly saved our marriage while navigating roads in Italy - maybe this is why we can consider another trip.

ms_go

Thanks, socaltraveler. It was definitely a different experience not traveling with mr_go; we make a great team on the road. But, I've traveled a lot for work, and I've also taken a few trips with my mother over the past few years, so I'm pretty well practiced at this.

<b>Scavi Tour, Vatican Necropolis</b>

We really wanted to do this on the last trip, but with the minimum age being 15, it was not possible. Fortunately, DD hit 15 earlier this year, so it was one of my priorities. Back in March, I requested three tickets, knowing that either B or SIL would have to stay with their kids and mom has a thing about confined spaces (which, after visiting, I don’t think would have been an issue). We were granted space on an English tour at 9:30am.

Much has been written here about this tour, so I won’t go into the details. One of the largest pagan tombs, the Valeri family tomb, has recently undergone a long restoration project, and our group was one of the first to see the completed effort.

It was a bit warm and humid, but it didn’t strike me as particularly claustrophobia-inducing. Perhaps being there in the morning, before it became too warm, helped? The tour lasted about 90 minutes.

We thoroughly enjoyed this and learned a lot. Book early!
http://tinyurl.com/2yb63

ms_go

<b>Icon Tours: Divine Inspiration (St. Peter’s, Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel)</b>

B/SIL wanted to at least introduce their kids to the Vatican. So, after the date/time for our Scavi tour was set, we decided to add an afternoon Vatican tour for all of us. To get the most out of the museum, I really do think you need to spend some time planning your course in advance (we did this the last time we visited Rome). With a little prep time, I would have been happy to map out a route and guide our group through, but the couple of months leading up to this trip were pretty taxing and I simply did not have the time. About a week before we left, I booked this tour with Icon. I got a small discount since we were using them for our Ancient Rome tour, and the length of time—2.5 hours—was about right.

We met in the middle of St. Peter’s Square after our Scavi tour, had a quick lunch, and then joined the Icon tour at 1pm at the designated meeting point near the entrance to the Vatican Museum.

In Piazza Navona the night before, we’d just been asking the question: where are all the people? Even around 8-9pm, it seemed relatively quiet. Well, we found them today, in the Vatican Museum. If the crowds had been moderate and manageable to this point on the trip (excluding Pisa), they were not here. I’ve been in the Sistine Chapel three times, and this time, we could barely move. The rest of the museum was pretty crowded as well. Our group was on headsets, which was absolutely essential.

Nevertheless, I thought the guide did an excellent job in difficult conditions (in addition to the heat and crowds, she had to accommodate one member of the group in a wheelchair, requiring some alternative arrangements due to the many stairs). She selected a very good set of highlights, her delivery was interesting and she kept the group moving. While Dida eventually fell asleep (and his mom had to carry him), his brothers actually stuck right to the guide and seemed to be engaged all the way through.

We spent about 2.5 hours in the museum and ended at St. Peter's, then we spent some time there on our own afterward.

Costs: 30&euro; for adults; 25&euro; for students; kids 11 and under are free. In addition, we paid site entrance fees of 14&euro; for all (except the two youngest).
www.icontours.com/vatican.html

I booked this about a week before our departure.

ms_go

<b>Wednesday Papal Audience</b>

SIL requested an invitation through her parish and picked up the tickets the evening before at the Bishops Office for U.S. Visitors to the Vatican (near Trevi Fountain). They were advised to arrive around 8am, although the audience doesn’t begin until 10:30.

Although we had eight tickets, we determined it was best that mom not go due to the sun exposure and high heat (close to 100F that day). I stayed back with her, and DD, B/SIL and kids left about 7:45am armed with sunscreen, hats, snacks and water bottles. While they arrived early enough to get seats near the front, they chose instead to sit in the back row, which had some shade (not sure how) and a bit more space. It was also right next to the procession path, and they were thrilled that the Pope came within about 10 feet of them (DD has a short video, which I have not yet extracted from the camera and posted). Although it was a miserable day to be in the sun for several hours, they all appreciated the experience.

ms_go

<b>Rome: Other activities</b>

Those (above) comprised our formal agenda for our time in Rome. The rest of our time was spent in controlled wandering; over the course of our 4.5 days, we visited:

* The Pantheon, twice actually.

* Trevi Fountain for an obligatory visit, although we ended up in the area several other times as well. We tossed in our coins and then quickly got away from the crowds.

* The Spanish Steps, although I really prefer the streets around that area to the steps, themselves. We stayed near here the last time in Rome, at Hotel Mozart on Via dei Greci.

* Piazza del Popolo, one of my favorite squares in Rome, although there was a very large Red Cross exhibit and stage in place during this visit.

* Campo dei Fiori; it was very close, and we went there a few times to wander through the market and then on to Piazza Farnese

* A little dip across the Ponte Sisto into Trastevere

* Various favorite streets, including Via Giulia and Via dei Coronari

Needless to say, staying just steps from Piazza Navona, we were there every evening—whether lingering or passing through.

We had intended to visit Castel Sant’Angelo. Both of our guidebooks indicated it is open until 8pm,with last admission 45 minutes before. We decided to make a short visit in the evening, and timed our arrival for 6:30—just in time to see them hang the big “chiuso” sign on the door. The website clearly does indicate that the ticket office closes at 6:30 and the Castel closes at 7; however, we did not have Internet access while in Rome (aside from one quick trip to an I-cafe to check email) and I failed to look this up before the trip. My bad for relying on a six-year-old Michelin guidebook (although in now checking, my Fodor’s Italy 2008 book also says it’s open until 8, as does the destination guide on this site).

Dida burst into tears when he found out we wouldn’t be going in. Unfortunately, this was on our last evening, so there was no opportunity for a second chance. We’d enjoyed this on our last trip, so it was a bit of a disappointment. We did get some nice early evening light on the Bernini angels of the Ponte Sant’Angelo—one of my favorites in Rome—and now a little extra time to admire them.

We’re not big shoppers, so we didn’t spent much time doing so—although SIL, DD and I did browse some interesting clothing shops in our neighborhood and SIL and I made a beeline for some Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella products (how could we not; it was five minutes from our apartment!).

All in all, this was a very manageable agenda for 4.5 days in Rome for a group ranging in age from 4-73. There are, of course, some important sites that we didn’t see this time around, but most of us have on previous trips (Borghese Gallery, Capitoline Museum, Catacombs, etc.).

ms_go

<b>Eating in Rome</b>

As I sit here contemplating where to have dinner tonight, I thought it would be a good time to write about eating in Rome. And, I'm pretty sure that means we'll end up going out for Italian food

As noted much earlier in this report, we typically looked for restaurants that have pizza, as well as an acceptable vegetarian item for mom. This is not to say that everyone always ate pizza. We enjoyed a variety of pastas, salads, etc., while the pizza eaters got their fill. We happened to be staying in an area that has many choices, so almost all of our dining out took place within a 10-15 minute walk of our apartment. While I did bring along a list of recommendations for Rome, we almost always went with whatever was handy at the time.

Da Baffetto, about three blocks down Via del Governo Vecchio from our apartment. We tried on our first night, and the line was about 20 deep at 7:15. Certain member(s) of our party don’t do lines at restaurants particularly well, so we came back another night. We arrived about 6:40 (it opens at 6:30) and got the last outdoor table. I can’t speak for everyone else, but I enjoyed my Pizza Capricciosa (with egg) very much. I wasn’t that hungry, but I ate it all, anyway. This was Dida’s birthday dinner. He celebrated with—you guessed it—Pizza Margherita.

La Montecarlo, close to Da Baffetto, and I believe somehow related to it. This was a lunch stop prior to our walking tour of Ancient Rome. We thought the pizzas here were as good and the service friendly and fun. I had Pizza Fiori di Zucca—zucchini blossoms. Very good! By the way, this was one of our most reasonable meals; somehow, at about 70&euro;, including a meal for everyone, wine, water, etc.

Ristorante Pizzeria Pasquino, on Piazza Pasquino. We ended up here because Cul de Sac’s menu did not appeal to all and it’s right across the piazza and it had air conditioning. And frankly, it turned out to be just fine on this evening. The meals (some pizza and some pasta) were mostly pretty good and the service was great.

There were several other meals that were fine but not notable in any way (other than they were still better than a meal out of the same price at home). I didn’t note the names. One was in our area; one was near the Vatican.

I’ve saved the best for last: our lunch at Der Pallaro. This was on my “must” list, and on our wanderings of the first day we happened to walk by. In my best broken Italian, I confirmed a reservation for lunch several days later with Giovanni (I think that’s his name??). He concluded our conversation by holding up that day’s dessert and asking me to smell. Mmmm. I could have stayed for lunch right then and there.

Many people here have written about Der Pallaro, so in the interest of length I won’t repeat all of it, other than to say we really felt like we were eating lunch in someone’s home. Giovanni doted on our table, with particular attention to the kids. The food was all delicious—from the lentils and arancini (I can’t believe this is the only time we had them on the trip) appetizers to the crostata di crema and fresh peaches for dessert. Everyone in our group loved it, even mom, who generally doesn’t eat much. I promptly went back to our now-air-conditioned apartment and took a two-hour nap (which I guess I regretted when I couldn’t then fall asleep that night until 2am).

We used our kitchens for breakfast and for light meals in (we did have a few of these). There are plenty of grocery shopping options within five-ten minutes of Palazzo Olivia, including Di per Di, Di Meglio, Despar and, of course, the fruit market at Campo dei Fiori.

And, with that, I think I'm done with Rome. It was great to be back there. Hopefully there won't be six years between now and the next visit.

I will finish up in a few days with Venice, and I promise it won't be as long.

SeaUrchin

No, please make it long! This is a very enjoyable and informative trip report. I love the personal details, if you don't mind writing them I am sure a lot of us are enjoying reading them (the details!)

bfrac

I like long and detailed too. Thanks.

socaltraveler

Loved your Rome food report. We stayed on Via Governor del Vecchio last month, at the Navona Gallery Suites, and made a beeline to Da Baffeto our first night, after dropping our bags and taking a shower (long, long flight from the West Coast). We got there shortly after it opened and there were no lines, unlike our last visit. Pizza and jug wine, a perfect touch for our first jet-lagged evening.

I can see your nephews in their futbol jerseys, too cute, and how great to be in Italy during Euro Cup. My big guy had the best time watching soccer on tv in several cities on our trip.

ms_go

Okay, twist my arm. I'll go for as many details as I can extract from my brain.

socaltraveler--I was going to comment on Euro 2008 later, but it definitely factored into our trip. We were in France two years ago for the World Cup, too. It's a lot of fun. I could really go Da Baffetto about now, but I am looking forward to a nice Italian meal in a couple of hours.

<b>On to Venice!</b>

On our last morning in Rome, we parted ways with B, SIL and the nephews. They headed off to London for five days with family there. Unfortunately I can’t provide a report on their time in London, but I’ve heard that they had a great time—and that the weather was perfect.

DD, mom and I packed up and headed for Venice.

Now I have a little confession to make, here. I bought my train tickets in advance from RailEurope. I saw such action referred to in another thread the other day as “na&iuml;ve.” In my case, I guess you could call it “lazy.” I knew exactly what I was doing and that I was paying a bit extra. But, let’s just say there are occasions where it’s wise to have certain details tied up in advance, and this was just one of them. I had a lot of balls in the air before this trip and a million details to attend to (personally and professionally). So, as I sat in a hotel room in California at midnight about 10 days before departure, I bought the tickets, checked it off the list, and didn’t think about it again until we hopped in our taxi for Roma Termini.

It’s been a few years since I’ve taken a Eurostar train, and I’d forgotten about one important little tidbit: there are electrical power ports at each seat. Very cool; I plugged in my computer and was actually productive for about four hours. Now, why can't the airlines do this for those of us in steerage?

I’ve taken the train from Rome to Venice before, and it sure beats flying. This train made only four stops: Florence, Bologna, Padua and Mestre. There were some empty seats from Rome to Florence, but our car was full from that point on. It was a nice, sunny day and the views, for the most part, were enjoyable.

A few things about luggage and trains and Venice. I was surprised by the capacity of the overhead racks in the Eurostar trains; they hold fairly large bags (provided of course that you can lift them up there). We were able to get our 22” rolling bags plus mom’s expanded 24” rolling bag up with little difficulty. I saw some larger and heavier bags going up around us, although the lifting was sometimes a two-person job. There are also places to stow larger bags between the seats and at the end of each car. Still, you don’t want a gigantic and heavy bag on the train.

At Venezia St. Lucia station, as I waited for the others to come out of the toilette, I watched four women come off our train and wheel their 10—<b>yes 10!!</b>—30+ inch suitcases (I may not have noticed, except that some of said suitcases were hot pink) through the train station on several luggage carts. Given our struggles to come on the vaparetto with relatively “small” bags, I sure hope they had an alternative mode of transportation.

I’ll come back to the issue of Venice transportation passes later, but for now I just purchased one-trip tickets to get us to our accommodation near the Zattere (Dorsoduro). Not surprisingly, the boat was packed, and getting ourselves and our bags on and positioned out of the way of the traffic pattern was a bit of a trick. It was 90+F and humid and we were absolutely dripping by the time we made it four stops and off the boat. It was also high tide and the rocking of the boat against the pier made it even more difficult to get off—especially for DD, who was attempting to carry both her own bag and her grandmother’s.

socaltraveler

I totally agree with you about sometimes it's better to take care of things ahead of time, like tickets, pay a little extra and check them off the list. We did some point to point care transfers this trip, rather than drag our stuff on the Circumvesuviana, knew it would be more expensive, but factored it against the costs of having a rental car and paying for parking for all those days. And in the end we were happy to have the option.

Yep, Da Baffeto in my dreams.