Tim_and_Liz

Hi Fodorites-

We are heading to Italy for my BIL's wedding at the end of May.

Tim and I have been to Rome before. The other three adults (family members) who will be accompanying us at the end of the trip have not. We are all in shape and between the ages of 25 and 55.

Here is our tentative itinerary. Any comments / advice appreciated!

Day 1:
The two of us depart MSP.

Day 2:
AMS layover, on to Rome. Hire car to drive the two of us from FCO to Praiano. (Any recommendations?)
Check in to Hotel Margherita in Praiano for four nights.

Day 3:
Taxi to Ravello for 12 noon wedding at Villa Cimbrone; spend rest of day with wedding festivities; taxi back to Praiano.

Day 4:
Relax in Praiano, perhaps take bus to Positano or Amalfi.

Day 5:
Day trip to Capri with at least 5 adults. Take bus to Amalfi or Positano, then ferry to Capri? Any suggestions?

Day 6:
Transfer 5 adults from Praiano to apartment near the Pantheon. Suggestions? Driver to Naples, then train to Termini, or take Marozzi bus from Amalfi Coast to Rome? The other three are very budget conscious.
Check into apartment for three nights: http://www.sleepinitaly.com/files/apt_rotonda.html
Evening: Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain,...


Day 6:
Tim and I take cooking class with Maureen Fant or Diane Seed.
The other 3 tour the Vatican Museums (this is a Monday, any special things I should tell them?)
The five of us spend late afternoon/evening in Colosseum/Forum area

Day 7:
Galleria Borghese in the morning
Scavi tour at 1:45pm

Day 8:
Hire transfer to airport for 5 adults (any recommendations?)
Fly home.

Thanks in advance!

rbnwdlr

Don't hire a driver to Priano. Take the Leonardo Express from FCO to the termini and hop the Alta Velocita train to Naples. Takes just over an hour. Get out in Naples and have a driver pick you up there and drive to Priano. Return the same way. Careful that you get a licensed taxi driver at Termini for the trip to the apartment in Rome. After many trips to Rome, last summer we accidently hopped into an unlicensed taxi and he took us for a 'ride.' Dumb!

Jean

Re Day 7, make sure your Borghese reservation (highly recommended) is early. You're allowed only two hours in the museum, but you'll need time to get to the Scavi office and presumably lunch somewhere along the way.

Dayle

Tim & Liz,

Be sure to have dinner at La Brace in Praiano!

Be sure to have your hotel make ferry/boat reservations in advance to go to Capri on the earliest boat. Absolutely necessary.

Buon viaggio!

jjkbrook

You are travelling in a delightful season, and will miss the big tourist rush - congratulations.

Our first trip to Rome many years ago was in late May/early June - I will never forget the wild strawberries we bought in a Rome streetmarket on that trip. Do go to the markets and enjoy the local fruits and vegetables. I also remember the salads with tiny wild greens. Many more of those greens are cultivated now than they were 30 years ago but I bet in the spring the salads are still special.

you might want to allot a few hours to see pompeii or herculaneum on your way back to Rome. Also, you might want to get to Ravello a little early so that you can walk around and see the place - the Villa Cimbrone is great but the rest of the town is worth a visit. Take some shoes you can walk in - its a fair but easy climb up to the Villa.

Id say you want to see the pantheon in they daytime - Im not sure its even open in the evening. Seems like the Scavi tour could link with a short visit to St Peters. Probably better than linking it to the Vatican Museum visit for your family members, which can be a tiring day.

To me going up on the Campidoglio and maybe walking down into the forum from there is a great late day experience in Rome - its good to see it from the overlook on that side. Also go into the Aracoeli church up there, one of the great ancient roman churches. San Clemente is also a good stop, carrying on from the Colosseum.

Personally, while I love museums, I can burn out in them - whereas walking in Rome itself is endlessly interesting with the historical remains mixed in with daily life. I hope you all enjoy.

Steve_James

Hi Tim & Liz - Marozzi is certainly the cheapest option if cost is an issue.

Sorrento-Rome: €17

Steve

tdk320n

bookmarking

ira

Hi T,

A limo from FCO to Praiano will be about 600E.

Is that in your budget?

FCO/Rome/Naples/Limo to Praiano is

(11.5 + 29)*2 + 110 = 191E

kybourbon

I'm confused. You have 2 day 6 itineraries.

Tim_and_Liz

Thank you for all of the comments. They are much appreciated!

I accidentally numbered the days wrong. There should be 9 days on the itinerary.

We have a quote for 480 Euro for four people, FCO-coast, and we are likely splitting it with another couple.

We know day 3 will be draining and hope not to have to deal with the train/train/driver on day 2.

We are also considering the bus from FCO-coast, but we arrive at FCO at 1:10pm and the bus departs sometime just after 3pm. Do you think we should attempt that, or too risky?

Do you think that the lines at the Vatican could be super long on a Monday in early June? I am trying to decide whether the other three should pay for a tour or a set reservation time, or save the 12-17E each and just wait in line. WDYT?

Thanks again!

Tim_and_Liz

Oh and can anyone comment on the comfort level on the Marozzi bus? Is it ridden more by locals, tourists, or both?

Zerlina

I don't think you can reasonably hope to make the 3:00 pm Marozzi bus from Tiburtina if you only arrive at 1:10 pm.

Mondays are always more crowded at the Vatican Museums because they are closed Sundays except the last Sunday of the month.

Tim_and_Liz

Thanks Zerlina. The bus we are looking at for our arrival day leaves from FCO. I can't remember the name of it right now.

Tim_and_Liz

The bus FCO-Salerno is the Buonotourist bus.

http://www.buonotourist.it/

SeaUrchin

I would not want to chance the Mazz. bus connection. I would pop for the 480 connection since you have the wedding the next day and I assume you were just on a long flight.

The M bus was about 80% local on the day I took it from Sorrento.

Zerlina

You *should* be able to make the Buonotourist bus if you get precise details ahead of time on where the bus stop is, but if the Marozzi bus is 80% local, my guess - judging from the stops - is that it will be 100% local.

kybourbon

The Marozzi bus was 95% tourists when I rode it, but there were only a handful of people riding that morning (less than 15). As our hotel owner stated "Nobody ride that bus. Somebody in government's brother need a job so they created that bus route." lol That became our mantra the rest of the trip - "nodody ride that bus".

The comfort level is similar to any tour bus, not a city bus. Plush seats, ac, etc.

SeaUrchin

kybourbon, I wonder if the fact that we took it on a weekday morning from Sorrento made a difference in the tourist/local factor. It seemed like the locals were going to work in Rome, they chatted like it was their usual commuter bus.

I enjoyed the ride much more than being on a train.

Tim_and_Liz

Thank you again for all of your replies.

Tim and I are taking the cooking class on Monday through Context Rome (not Maureen Fant, though).

The other three tried to get a Vatican tour, but there were none available, so they are taking a chance and hoping for a short line.

Tim and I have hired the private driver from FCO-Praiano, 480E split between us and another couple.
<b>Question:</b> Do we tip? How much?

I think we've also decided on hiring a driver from our Praiano hotel to the Naples train station, and train Naples-Rome.

Thank you again for all of your comments, and I would be happy to hear more if you have any!
Liz

ekscrunchy

The 480 E. sounds like a decent price from Rome especially since you are splitting the cost with another couple; I would not tip on that. It is likely that the driver owns his own car.

For the trip from your hotel to the Naples train station, I would wait until you arrive and ask around...I found much better prices by doing that then by booking in advance.