az

Just returned from 17 days driving Rome, Amalfi Coast, and all the way south to Maratea. Willing to share info w. interested travelers as my way of repaying all of those on this forum who helped me w. planning the trip.

xxx

So go ahead and share, az. I'd love to hear about your trip.

az

See my response to "Positano Hotel Recommendations" just posted on this forum for a starter. Will add additional info later.

az

If you like touristy, crowded places, w. lots of "action", then stay in Positano. But if you want quiet quarters w. spectacular views, the Hotel Tritone near Praiano is the place to stay. We have been there twice; cancelled our trip to Sicily to return for a few more days just last week. EVERY room has a view to the west all the way to the Faraglioni (the 3 "rocks" for which Capri is famous), and on a clear day you can actually see the arch in the middle one from your room balcony. To the east is a magnificent vista of the village of Praiano, w. its twin-steepled church in the center of your view and the ancient church on the horizon about half way up the mountain. Straight down about 1000 feet is the sea. You can watch the ship traffic in and out of Salerno from your balcony as well. <BR>The beach facilites are superb (although the beach itself is rocky, like all of <BR>them along the Amalfi Coast), and you walk through a long tunnel carved out of <BR>the rock to get there after a long elevator ride. There is a bar and a second swimming pool down at the beach as well. <BR> The breakfasts (which are included in the room rate) are sumptuous, including different pastries/cookies of the region every morning (including almond cookies and cannola), and you can get delicious omelets w. ham/cheese and apricot juice along w. the standard breakfast fare most hotels provide. They are served on an outdoor terrace w. to-die-for views. <BR> The hotel is literally carved into the side of the cliff below the road, so it is very quiet and very private, if that is what you want. You may even hear the "cock of Praiano" crowing in the sunrise if you leave the doors to your balcony open, and you can easily hear the church bells toll the quarter hours. It is the loveliest place I have ever stayed in decades of travel. <BR> The downside, if there is one, is that you really need a car to see the other sites along the Coast and inland if you stay there. The hotel does have adequate parking, however. <BR> The service is superb. <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR> <BR>

Mike

We are searching for a good / central hotel in Rome. Obviously we will be visiting Vatican City, and all of the tourist sites. Would like to be central, but trying not to spend $200+ a night. We will be in Rome 5 nights. More suggestions would be appreciated from someone just getting back.

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Diane

Mike - the Hotel Due Torri has been mentioned favorably on the forum for years (do a search on the name and you'll see! Plus you may find recs for other nearby hotels.) We just came back and it was a fabulous place to end our 3-week vacation. Very centrally located - we walked EVERYWHERE! A double room was 320,000 lira, and was quite comfortable (I think our floor had recently been re-done). Great bathroom (excellent and good-sized shower, no bath) air conditioning worked well, nice furniture, good bed, hair dryer, bath sheet-size towels. My sister had a single which was very tiny but came with its own bath, too. We teased her that it looked like a single room in the oldest dorm on campus! But at 190,000 lira it is an excellent value for the location. The staff at Due Torri are wonderful, the breakfast room and other lobby-area rooms were lovely. www.hotelduetorriroma.com Vicolo del Leonette, 23 Tel. 39 (frm US) 0668806956 Multiple languages are spoken fluently by the desk staff.

Sue

Az, <BR> <BR>I loved your rave review about your hotel on the Amalfi. We are on our way in two weeks for a three and half week vacation. One week is in Praiano. Our hotel I do not think is as fancy, but it is on the cliff with a pool and a VIEW. Can't wait to go. <BR>Thanks, Sue

az

We stayed at Hotel Viminale (***) for L340,000 per night for two, breakfast included. Rooms are standard size (for a 3-star hotel, smallish by American standards), and include all amenities--in-room bath/shower, AC, hair dryer, safe, fridge, etc. Breakfast is very ordinary, and served in a quiet little courtyard at ground level. It's got to be the safest hotel in Rome--located right across the street from the Ministry of Police--there are literally two armed policemen on the quiet little street 24 hr per day. It is centrally located on Via Cesare Balbo(#31), a very quiet, narrow, one-way street w. little traffic just off two major streets (west of intersection of Via Cavour and Via Depreti) about a 10 min walk from Termini, Vittorio Emanuele Monument, Colosseum, Santa Maria Maggiore (a must-see church; its Sixtine Chapel and Borghese Chapel rival anything you will see in St. Peters). Both trattoria and market w/in half block. Outdoor courtyards--w. lawn swings!--on both 4th and 5th floors, w. nice view of Maggiore about 3 blocks away. <BR>For more info and pix, see their web site: <BR>http://www.travel.it/roma/hotelviminale/ <BR> <BR>E-mail: [email protected]

az

OK, here's more info on our driving trip. Will be doing this in bits and pieces--copying and pasting from my responses to others on this forum, as well as integrating text from word processed documents-- so no guarantees about format (or spelling!). <BR>We started in Rome w. a heavy, organized schedule of the usual tourist stops. Our strategy was to do lots of stuff while we were still pumped w. adrenaline, and then relax in quiet villages outside Rome after 3-4 days of all-out touristing. This proved to be an excellent strategy. <BR>The nicest surprises, those which we felt the tour guides didn't really do justice to, were the Sixtine Chapel and Borghese Chapel in Santa Maria Maggiore (central Rome, intersection of Via Cavour and V. Merulana)-- they rivaled anything we saw in St. Peters or elsewhere; the Vatican Treasury (inside St. Peters)--this was an unplanned stop, but since we were right there, we did it on the spur of the moment, and it was fantastic--the Popes have accumlated some impressive "hardware" over the centuries!; and the Borghese Gallery (reservations necessary;did them over the internet)--WOW! <BR>We used the "back door" exit from the Sistine Chapel suggested by someone else on this forum some time ago, and it worked slick--saved us the long walk from the usual exit back around to St. Peters square. We also chose the "visit St. Peters in the morning and let the long waiting line for the Vatican Museums disperse" approach, and it worked well--we got in line a little after noon on a Friday, and it took about 10 min to get to the ticket window. <BR> We did all this on foot before picking up our rental car at Termini Station; there is little point in driving to the attractions since they are all in easy to reasonable walking distance from any central hotel (info about our Rome hotel, Viminale, provided earlier on this forum) and walking Rome is one of the better parts of the whole experience anyway. Plus, Rome traffic/parking is a hassle. Even if you don't enjoy walking, public transportation--inexpensive and readily available--still beats driving. In fact, you should take at least one taxi ride in Rome just for the experience! <BR>More later.

Betsy

Hi Diane <BR> <BR>We have reservations at the Due Torri in October. Was your bed a regular double, queen-size or twins pushed together? What was your room number? View? <BR> <BR>Thanks for the info.

az

Part 4 of trip report: <BR>(Part 1 was comparison of Positano to Hotel Tritone posted above on 6/9/01, 1:57. Part 2 was description of Hotel Viminale in Rome, posted above on 6/10/01, 7:42. Part 3 described the Rome portion, posted above on 6/10/01, 8:31) <BR>We carefully mapped our route out of Rome on a Sunday morning, thinking traffic would be light, using a detailed map we obtained at no cost from the Italian Govt. Travel Office (ENIT) in Chicago. To our dismay, the streets in Central Rome were all blocked because of the national holiday and a major soccer match b/w Rome and Milan; all our plans were useless. So after picking up our rental car at Termini Station, we drove around parts of Rome we had no intention of seeing for about 30 minutes before finally finding an unblocked route toward the coast. <BR>Our objective was to go to Ostia (on the coast SW of Rome) and drive the coast all the way to Naples. This was mistake #2. Since it was a beautiful, sunny day, most of Rome decided to go to the coast as well! Traffic was VERY heavy. Furthermore, after we got to the coast, there wasn't much to see because the shoreline is built up w. buildings (hotels, cottages, restaurants, etc.) and there is little to no view of the beach until you get well down the coast from Ostia. Once past Terracina, however, the views were beautiful. <BR>Then we cut across the mountains just before we got to Naples to pick up the Autostrada (A3) around Naples to the Amalfi Coast. The mountain scenery was spectacular! <BR>Just south of Naples, we took SS145 off of A3--also spectacular views of the Bay of Naples--to Meta, where we took the short cut across the Sorrentine peninsula (it avoids going through Sorrento and all the way around the cape) to the Amalfi Coast. <BR>Total drive time from Rome, including blocked streets in Rome, multiple wrong turns along the way, and a stop for lunch/gas, a little over 7 hours. On the Autostrada, you can drive Rome to A. Coast in 3 hours if you push. <BR>On the coast, we stayed at Hotel Tritone (see Part 1) near Praiano. Rate for a large double room L400,000, incl. breakfast, AC, bath/shower, fridge, TV,etc. and a STUNNING view from a large, private balcony which had a table, chairs and sunbathing lounge chairs. On several evenings, we "dined" on the balcony after stopping at a local market to pick up bread, salami, cheese, olives, anchovies, and wine/beer, all for less than $10, but w. a million dollar view! <BR>More on our Amalfi Coast experiences in Part 5.

jo

AZ <BR> <BR>can you please tell me about the secret door at the Sistine chapel to get back into St. Peters? <BR> <BR>Thanks

az

Jo-- <BR>It's not a "secret" door, just one used by tour groups. I learned about it from someone else who posted on this forum. You might try a text search on "Sistine Chapel" or some such to see if you can find the original post. My notes indicate it was posted on 5/8/01. <BR>When you get ready to exit the S. Chapel. you will go through a door in a wall that divides the main part of the Chapel into two parts. The normal exit is to the left when you get on the other side of the wall. The tour group exit is to the far right hand corner when you get on the other side of the wall. It is marked w. some sort of sign indicating it is for tour groups; don't recall the exact wording. Just wait until a group starts to exit, fall in behind/with them, walk down the stairs and you come out almost right at the front of St. Peters--you actually emerge where the line forms to go to the cupola. <BR>Obviously, don't select a tour group in which you clearly would stand out. We are Caucasian, Sr. citizens, so we avoided a student group and an Oriental group and walked out w. a group of older German tourists. <BR>az

Lee O in oregon

Jo, When you receive the info of the secret back door to Sistine Chappel, please forward to me!Thanks so much [email protected] We leave first of July!

az

TtT for Angela

az

Angela et al.-- <BR>Experiencing pc/I-net problems trying to post follow-up reports as promised. Also fearful of multiple postings of the same info if/when I solve the problem(s). Please be patient/understanding if this happens.

az

Part 5 of trip report: <BR> <BR>Our decision to stay at Hotel Tritone was pure serendipity. We had planned to stay in Sorrento and do Capri, Pompeii and Amalfi Coast from there. However we were unable to obtain Sorrento hotel reservations for the locations/dates we wanted, so I started searching the Web for other options. When I stumbled across the site showing the pix of H. Triton perched on/in the cliff near Praiano, I immediately knew we had to try it. What a stroke of luck! It is the perfect location for doing the Coast and only an hour or so from Pompeii and Sorrento. It is THE place to stay if you are seeking quiet, relaxed accomodations w. awesome views. Fodor's guide to Naples and the Amalfi Coast sums it up very accurately: "No other hotel on the coast has such a dizzying perch over the sea." However it is not the place to stay if you want night life and lots of tourist shops, restaurants, etc. It also requires a car to easily do the other sites mentioned. <BR> <BR>We drove to Sorrento and took the ferry to Capri. We got terribly lost in Sorrento, due to an inadequate map and few street signs just when we needed them! However, we used our usual rule of thumb: when lost, just follow most of the traffic, and you will wind up somewhere! We finally found the small, winding, stone street that leads to the ferries; like many "main"streets in Italy, it did not appear to be a main street to any place important. I was surprised by how much the traffic/noise/number of tourists had increased in Sorrento since my last visit there in the mid-80's. For this reason, I will have second thoughts about trying to get a hotel there the next time we go to Italy. <BR> <BR> Since this was our first visit to Capri, we hired a native of Anacapri who approached us on the ferry as our guide ($15/person, including private mini-bus to/from Anacapri and funicular ticket). Although we didn't realize it at the time we hired him, the private bus turned out to be one of the best parts of the deal. The regular busses were packed, and there were long waiting lines to board them. Our private mini-bus had only 9 people, and we were able to enjoy the ride and the view w. no crowding or waiting. His knowledge of local lore was also insightful.

az

Part 6 of trip report: <BR>(Looks like I've solved the problem, so will try to post backlogged parts of the report in bits and pieces as I am able to access the Web.) <BR>We also did a day trip to Pompeii, again getting lost on the way there and back. A guide book w. map is essential to understand Pompeii, or you can hire one of the many guides that are available when you get there. Since I had visited before, we chose the guide/map so we could set our own schedule, and it worked well. Had a nice pasta lunch at the snack bar just north of the Temple of Jupiter. If you travel by car, look for signs to Pompeii Scavi ("ruins"), not Pompeii, or you will wind up in the city of Pompeii. We took the mountain road back to Ravello from P., and it was a very nice drive, although not as beautiful as some of the other mountain backroads we drove. <BR> <BR>We did day trips to Positano, Amalfi, Ravello, and several of the other small towns along the Coast. By far, P. and A. are the most "touristy"--shops, restaurants, cruises, nightclubs, hotels, etc. But they are not particularly easy to get in/out w. a car. At Hotel Tritone, I was on the road w/in 60 seconds of walking out of the front door; no way you can do that in Positano when the tour busses are "in heat"! <BR>

az

Part 7 of trip report: <BR>(If this posts, only one to go!) <BR>We visited Ravello three times; the views of both mountains and coast are the most spectacular on the Coast. The best view is from Villa Cimbrone's Terrazza dell'Infinito, the far end of the Villa from the entrance--absolutely stunning view. Villa Rufolo's gardens also offer spectacular views. If you don't want to pay the entrance fees for the Villas, walk up Via R. Wagner (right next to the Information Office beside the Duomo) to Via S. Giovanni del Toro/Via dell'Episcopio (same street, two names--one to left, one to right). Go left about 100 meters--just past Hotel Palumbo Palazzo Confalone--and there is a public courtyard (Belvedere Principessa di Piemonte) w. a beautiful view of the countryside and coast. In the early evening, you can also hear the strolling musicians from the restaurant just below while you enjoy the view. <BR> <BR>If you enjoy classical music, the Ravello concerts are a wonderful experience. Performed in the courtyard of Villa Rufolo at 9:30 p.m., you have time for a wonderful meal at Cumpa' Cosimo, the sunset, and a unique evening of fine music in a charming setting, plus a tast of limoncello at intermission! Reservations for the concert are on a FCFS basis; I booked over the Web about two weeks in advance, and got front row center seats. The food at C. Cosimo is great: the home-made pasta is fantastic, and the veal in lemon sauce ("gravy"), is the best I have ever eaten! Reservations are needed. <BR> <BR>We had no trouble parking in Ravello; used the public lot just below the Piazza Duomo each time w. no problem. You can pick up a free map of Ravello at the Information Office. <BR> <BR>We also did a day trip to Amalfi, and it's much the same as Positano in some respects: lots of shops, tourists, and things to do, but also dozens of tour busses, inadequate parking, etc. We did all of the guide book things in Amalfi, and spent a wonderful day there. We even found the covered passageway (Via Annunziatella) leading up to Cappuccini Convento, w. spectacular views along the way. It's a pretty steep walk and difficult to find, so the easiest approach is probably to take the elevator up to C.C., and then walk down V. Annuziatella to Amalfi. <BR> <BR>We also checked out Hotel Onda Verde near Praiano since we had seen it mentioned several times on this forum. It is a great setting w. a very nice seaside walk. It appeared to be clean and well kept, and parking was no problem, but we did not actually stay there so I cannot comment on the quality of service/food. It is less expensive (L300,000) than Hotel Tritone (L400,00), but the views are not as sweeping--it is much lower, nearer the water--and some of the balconies don't offer much privacy. <BR> <BR>Driving the Coast was exhilirating. Will bring to the top some empirical "rules" I concocted after a week of this exciting experience. <BR> <BR>