Rome and Southern Italy
 

Hi!

I am getting ready to go to Rome in October for two weeks with my best friend. We are both single women in our late twenties and this is our dream vacation. We want to see and experience all that Italy has to offer.

I have been looking for hotels in Rome and Capri, but have not found very many websites that have reasonable rates. We would like to be near Piazza Navona or another active area. Does anyone have suggestions for a good, but reasonable hotel?

I am still studying Capri, so any advice in that area would be greatly appreciated.

Lastly, we are driving down the Amalfi Coast to Sicily and spending about 4 days checking out the island. Does anyone have suggestions?

Needless to say, we are thrilled to go to Italy. I've read some bad reviews recently on the way Americans are treated in Rome, but we are both pretty savvy travelers. Any advice or thoughts?

Thanks!

<<Lastly, we are driving down the Amalfi Coast to Sicily and spending about 4 days checking out the island. Does anyone have suggestions?>>

My suggestion would be to allow MUCH more than 4 days to see even just part of Sicily. If I'm understanding correctly, your plan seems to be to spend two weeks in Rome, a few days along the Amalfi coast or in Capri, and four days in Sicily. I think it would be better to reverse the distribution of days, that is spend four days in Rome and two weeks in Sicily.

If you are both savvy travelers, then you will likely already realize that "treatment of Americans in Rome" is a highly individual, highly subjective thing, often (not always) having as much to do with the expectations/behavior of the traveler as with the way he/she is treated.

I think it's much more likely that you will go in with a friendly attitude, and be well treated.

Try searching for "Piazza Navona" here, I have seen a number of posts mentioning reasonable places to stay in that neighborhood. You might also consider Trastevere (my favorite), a neighborhood across the river. Hotel Trastevere is one place to check out there.
There is also a wealth of information available online about reasonable accomodations- try these to start- cheapsleeps.com, italyby.com, and venere.com
I agree that 4 days is not sufficient to "check out" the island of Sicily, and that it would be smart to give yourself more time on that end.

If you are planning to drive down the Amalfi Coast (does this mean you are going to use the Amalfi Drive?) you are making quite a large time commitment just for the driving portion of your journey.
Have a excellent trip!

Hi jane,

> We want to see and experience all that Italy has to offer.<

That will take most of a lifetime.

What is your budget for Rome Hotels? Have you gone to www.venere.com?

Are you going to be in Rome for two weeks or two weeks total in Italy?

BTW - Americans are not treated badly in Rome.

What made you pick Sicily?

Janelle:

I am going to Rome in three weeks, and have not been there in 28 years, so I do not have alot of personal hotel experience. However, my research has been extensive and I have quite a few resources and hotel suggestions that I have amassed, largely with the help of others on this webiste. Could you post your budget for what is a "reasonable" hotel rate for you, and I will forward my suggestions.

Dave

Hi,

I apologize, I should have been more specific. We will be in Italy for two weeks. Rome for a few days, Naples/Capri for a few days, Sicily for 4-5 days and then driving back up to Rome to depart for the States.

We have friends stationed in Sicily so that will be our main stomping ground so to speak. Since they are relatively new to Italy, that's the area they have explored the most and feel the most comfortable in.

Hotel pricing... we were looking for something in the $100-$200/night range.

I know we won't be able to do everything Italy has to offer on this trip, but we are already planning for two more weeks next summer. Next year we will focus on Northern Italy! I'm already concerned I won't want to return to the States after this visit.

Oh, and one other very strange question... I've been told that deodorant is not popular in southern Italy. Is that true? As much as I've traveled, I've stuck to North and South America so I'm not sure if people are just teasing me or not.

Thanks again!

Yes you can find deodorant in Southern Italy too. Believe me, there are many people that don't use a deodorant everywhere: I have had the same doubt over and over again while being stuck in the Rome Metro on a Summer day during commuting time... A gas chamber.....:)

Driving Rome to Sicily and back will take lots of time. Consider an open jaw ticket -- fly into Sicily, pick up car and drive north, fly out of Rome.

I don't think an open-jaw ticket to Sicily is the answer.

Fly in and out of Rome, and fly with one of the discount airlines -- Air One, Volareweb or Meridiana -- between Rome and Sicily.

Eloise is right. Fly out of Catania or Palermo back to Rome--do not drive it.

Janelle:

Try the Fellini B&B in the Trevi Fountain area. http://www.fellinibnb.it/inglese/index.htm

Hi Jane,

Weather on Capri in Oct can be iffy. If the seas are rough, you won't be able to get on/off the island.

If you want to see Naples, you could train from Rome (see www.trenitalia.com) fly to Palermo (see www.volarewb.com) and then fly back to Rome from Palermo or Catania.

Or you could do Rome and Sicily this trip and save Naples for when the weather is nicer.