| Michelle |
Jan 30th, 2000 07:37 AM |
I think your itinerary sounds great. I agree with Patrick, Positano is a wonderful town, but 5 days there might be too much unless you just want to relax. Three days is just right. My husband and I were there in October and had a wonderful time. Here's our itinerary - it was busy but not overwhelming: <BR> <BR>Hi All, <BR>> <BR>>I was on the Fodors forum and found you all responded to marisa kramer <BR>>regarding her trip to Italy. My husband and I just returned and had a <BR>>wonderful time and wanted to share out itinerary since it worked out <BR>>amazingly well. <BR>> <BR>>We flew to Rome, rented a car and drove to the Amalfi coast (only drive <BR>>there if you don't have a heart condition!). After much investigation, we <BR>>ended up renting the car at Hertz - they had the cheapest rates. We stayed <BR>>at the Hotel Poseidon which I highly recommend. It's a 4 star, all rooms <BR>>have a beautiful, large terrace with an incredible view of the city, <BR>>mountains, and sea. Staff was wonderful, rooms were clean and a decent <BR>>size, bathroom was very large. We stayed in Positano for 3 days and <BR>visited <BR>>from there. We didn't use the car at all for the whole 3 days. We took a <BR>>ferry to Capri which is a definite must do. While there, make sure to <BR>visit <BR>>the Blue Grotto - a cave off the sea, that because of it's location and the <BR>>reflection of the sun on the water into the cave, the water in the cave is <BR>>bright, brigt blue!! Put aside a full day for Capri. In Positano we ate <BR>at <BR>>Da Vincenzo twice - that's how good it was! It's very close to the <BR>Poseidon <BR>>and inexpensive - try the fresh grilled anchoives (very different from the <BR>>canned version). If cost is no object for hotels, try La Sirenuse in <BR>>Positano. It was recently rated one of the top 10 hotels in the world. <BR>>Weather could not have been better - sunny and 75-80 degrees everyday. <BR>> <BR>>After three days, we drove to Tuscany. Highways are great in Italy but <BR>>tolls and gas are expensive. The scenery, however, is worth the cost <BR>>because by car you can stop anytime you want to take pictures. We stayed <BR>in <BR>>a small town called Greve-in-Chianti because it was central to all the <BR>towns <BR>>we wanted to visit (between Sienna and Florence). The hotel we stayed in <BR>>was Villa Vignamaggio and is a working vineyard. It was spectacular (I'm <BR>>running out of adjectives!). Ask for apartment #21 - it's a loft room with <BR>>a huge bathroom with 2 person jacuzzi, kitchenette, large terrace and <BR>>georgeous pool for just 3 or 4 rooms right in front of your door. Since <BR>>it's an active farm, hotels like these (called Agriturismo) don't have the <BR>>normal 2/3/4/5 star ratings but I would rate it between a 4 and 5 star. We <BR>>travelled to the cities during the day to visit. The only problem with <BR>that <BR>>is that travelling back to the hotel at night through winding roads was not <BR>>a soothing experience. Also, Villa Vignamaggio is to be enjoyed. I would <BR>>recommend staying there for a weekend - it has spectacular views, amazing <BR>>grounds and facilities, and the rooms are incredible. We spent a day in <BR>>Florence - drove there, parked the car, and walked everywhere. Have the <BR>>hotel reserve museum tickets for you - its a small service charge for a <BR>>great benefit, you can then bypass the long lines at the museum. The other <BR>>2 days we visited San Gimignano, Sienna, Castellina-in-Chianti, and Lake <BR>>Bolsena. All worthwile. <BR>> <BR>>We then drove to Rome, dropped off the car (driving in Rome is yet another <BR>>heart stopping experience). We stayed at the Crowne Plaza near the <BR>Pantheon <BR>>which was central to everything. We walked almost everywhere - we ate like <BR>>crazy for 12 days and each lost 5-10lbs. We got a AAA rate at the Crowne <BR>of <BR>>495,000 LIT which was very reasonable for Rome for a 5 star hotel. In 2 <BR>>days, we managed to see the Colliseum, the statue of Moses, the Vatican, <BR>>Spanish Steps, Villa Borghese, and shop our faces off! <BR>> <BR>>>From Rome, we took an overnight train to Venice (we reserved a private <BR>>compartment with bunks). Left Rome at 10:30pm and arrived in Venice at <BR>>6:00am. It sounds a tad early, but it turned into a priceless experience. <BR>>We were able to visit Venice and take pictures when absolutely no one was <BR>>around. There are typically thousands of people in St. Mark's Square at <BR>any <BR>>one time but this early in the morning with the sun rising, it was us and <BR>>the pigeons. We stayed at the Hotel Metropole very near to St. Mark's <BR>>Square on the grand canal. We reserved a standard room, but it turned out <BR>>to be very large with a beautiful pink marble bathroom with a glass door! <BR>>Very nice hotel (4 or 5 star), but don't eat there - very expensive and <BR>food <BR>>was mediocre. Ask the locals where to eat (don't ask at the hotels, they <BR>>send you to the most expensive, and not necessarily the best restaurants). <BR>>Venice is very small and yes, we walked everywhere there too. The hotel <BR>>offered free boat ride to Murano to see the glass factories. Go see but <BR>>don't buy there, it's no bargain. <BR>> <BR>>All over Italy, we found it advisable to make dinner reservations, or you <BR>>didn't eat! Lunch reservations are typically not required. Italy is an <BR>>amazing country with wonderful people. Enjoy your time there. Sorry I <BR>>rambled on, but it was a great trip!! If any of you have an
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