tedgale

Yes, I guess I do have enough material to write a bit about Florence and Venice, which I will do tomorrow. We did enjoy ourselves in both places -- my reluctance is only because I feared I would have nothing new to say. But the photos I assembled this morning are stirring up some thoughts and ideas....

Nepenthe

I loved your observations about the Italian collective psyche, which I found to be highly intuitive. You are an amazing writer.

esm

I enjoyed reading your report; thanks for all the useful information. I have to confess that on my trip to Venice I had 2 gelato (gelati?) on a very hot day but I certainly walked it off.

MsLizzy

Welcome back tedgale,

Your descriptions and photos take me back to my travels in Italy and I am lost in my nostalgic desire to see and taste and enjoy that culture you are sharing with us. Thank you for being so generous because I know it takes alot of time to edit and give us your best shots. I just love it.

JLKarina

tedgale, I am interested in the apartment you rented a few years back in Rome: http://www.vrbo.com/75004 Was it a OK experience for you last time, in terms of paying for the apartment, checking in, etc.?

The owner asked me to bank wire the deposit to her. I am fine with the deposit, but not sure about the bank wire thing.

Thanks for your time and reply.

Karina

tedgale

I seem to recall we handed over a wad of cash on arrival; I do not recall sending a deposit. My memory is fuzzy though -- it was 3 years ago.

Check in was no problem -- we requested an early check in, outside their normal hours, for wh we had to pay a supplement. The website lays out the hours of check-in and the supplement payable. (We could not have done otherwise, really: I was not about to sit in a cafe for 3 hours.) The owner's rep was prompt and professional.

The apartment location is the great feature: about 3 minutes from the Metro and even less to Piazza di Spagna.

As I mentioned in my post, the place could use a coat of paint and a good scrub, though the general level of cleanliness (kitchen, bath, bed) is quite OK. Some of the furniture is actually quite nice antiques. The living area is very generous; the bedroom -- a space without an external window, though bright enough -- is a good size.

The bath and kitchen likely date from the 80s. Washing machine in the apt -- a BIG plus.

Good food shop a couple of streets north (via della Vittoria, I think), just off via del Babuino.

In what season would you be there? I do not recall seeing any air conditioning equipment.

JLKarina

tedgale, really, really appreciate your comments. That helps a lot. I will be there in the first week of June, so it is getting close. I have no problem paying cash on arrival, but I dislike a bank wire. I wish the owner would use paypal. The total cost is Euro 515 (including a cleaning fee) for 4 nights.

Another choice is: http://www.vrbo.com/227107. I am not sure how good this one is. The location seems to be good too, but it is my first time in Rome and I do not know much about the neighborhoods.

Thanks again,

Karina

tedgale

I will cehck that one out.

In the interval between my last post and this one, I looked up another VRBO Listing that we wd likely have rented, had not the Lungotevere Marzio one been free and SOOO reasonable:

http://www.vrbo.com/222436

This is a completely renovated space on via Mario dei Fiori at the corner of via Frattina ie the very same neighbourhood, possibly even a little bit quieter.

The ONE negative with this apt is a low ceiling (easier to air condition, though) of only 7 feet in at least one of the rooms. That troubled me -- though I've just realized I am writing this in a small bsmt room in my home: The ceiling here is not even 7 feet and it has never troubled me, though I spend hours here.

(Bsmts are supposed to be low and rather dark, right??)

I will check out the other one and get back to you.

JLKarina

Thanks so much, tedgale. I appreciate your taking time for my questions. My house does not have a basement, although I really want one. The 7-feet ceiling does not bother me, since I am kind of in "short" supply. I asked the owner of #222436 a few days ago, and I was told it was not available.

Karina

tedgale

I can only comment on the location. Reached from the top of the Spanish Steps, Via delle 4 Fontane is central and relatively upscale, though not as posh as the other locations above.

It is in an historic area of town but one that has been extensively rebuilt in the 19th C.

It does not have a great deal of appeal for me, I must admit -- though there are some important sites nearby: The Quirinale palace, The Palazzo Barberini + 2 of the churches I describe in my trip report: San Carlino (on the corner of 4 fontane) and Sant' Andrea al Quirinale.

The apt looks fine, though I deduce it has not much of a view.

JLKarina

Thanks, tedgale. I really prefer the location of #75004. Well, I guess I might go along with the bank wire thing. My banker was very cautious this morning, and I can imagine her disapproving face when I go back tomorrow morning.

Ciao,

Karina

cigalechanta

Loving your report!!!!

tedgale

Knowing the via del Babuino one as I do, I wd probably opt for it.

Just be prepared for the possibility of a slight sinking feeling when you enter. Remove frumpy tablecloths and so on from furniture -- there is good stuff underneath.

Offsets are LOADS of space + light; quiet neighbours; great location including restaurants + great street life.

BTW: The common entry hall is crummy. ALL common entry halls in Rome are crummy. The Lungotevere Marzio one was gloomy, depressing and full of plaster dust from someone's renovation. This is normal there.

Rasputin1

tegdale
It has been very interesting reading your trip report. We are planning a trip to Northern Italy in Sept/Oct. We arrive in Milan on 9 Sept and fly out of Venice on 15/10 with trips to Lake Maggiore, Walking tour around the lakes, Bergamo, Verona, Vicenza Padua, Brenta Canal in between. We have found it difficult to get reasonably priced B&B accommodation without a lot of frills and a reasonably priced apartment in Venice (6 nights). Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated.

tedgale

Here is the link to a very comprehensive guide to Bergamo and the upper Veneto region:

http://www.italyheaven.co.uk/bergamotourist.html

From the website of a fairly pricey B&B near Bergamo, here are a set of links for tourism in Bergamo and Lecco, which may be of use:

http://www.casaclelia.com/eng/links.html

This agriturismo in the Padova/ Padua area looked quite enticing; we thought of staying there:

http://www.agriturismofattoriagriman...attoriaen.html

However, the best source of B&B recommendations for Italy is Alistair Sawday. If you agree to sign up (it's free) online you can read all his B&B reviews. That is where we found our B&B near Florence, for example. The coverage of the north is thinner but still there are some decent places:

http://www.sawdays.co.uk/accommodation/italy

As you will gather from my trip report, we did not love the Brenta area, which has been devastated by industrial, commercial and housing developments. We have only praise, however, for the B&B Le Risare:

http://www.lerisare.it/english/home.php

We decided to stay at Le Risare for our whole time in the Veneto; otherwise we would likely have stayed at this enchanting place, in the hills just above Verona:

http://www.bblabella.com/la_bella/index.html

...Or at this place near Vicenza:

http://www.lecanossiane.it

And here is a large inventory of Veneto B&Bs:

http://www.bed-and-breakfast-in-ital...e_speciali.cfm

For Venice rentals, we have used veniceapartments.org (which is not the same as veniceapartments.com):

http://veniceapartments.org

But I also noted the apartment Turchette, ideally located near Campo Santa Margherita, on this website:

http://www.wenicevenice.it/apparteme...uer-venise.htm

As well as this spacious one, listed on VRBO:

http://www.vrbo.com/209059

I will add more items if I can think of them.....

3delaney3

Just wanted to say , we just came back from 4 days in Venice and we too stayed at Fegalliano (veniceapartments) - but with a zillion bug bites and NO sleep. The place was infested, bed bugs, fleas... no air conditioning though it states there is, and the vaparetto terminals were right beneath the apartment windows - VERY, VERY noisy. Bus drivers and customers yelling all hours of the night and the engines from the ferries sound like tornadoes coming in. I would not recommend this apartment at all.

auerjac

Hey Ted - great report, thanks so much. You did however throw a wrench into my plans which were to stay for 4 nights in Vicenza and do day trips to the villas in the Veneto but you've kind of put me off that idea. Now that you have done it any suggestions? Let's say you were going to do it again knowing what you know now. I am thinking now of staying outside of Vicenza and doing it as a day trip as well. Anyway, thanks for the post, it is great and very helpful.

annhig

ttt for later

annhig

how did I miss this 1st time round??

a great trip report and one which WOULD have been very useful if I'd found it before we went to Rome in Feb this year.

tedgale

Thanks, annhig.

auerjac: If I were doing it again I would, quite simply, choose another region.

We had a delightful time this March just outside Lucca. North of Lucca are many, many fine villas and gardens. My trip report is called "Tedgale Italy Trip Report, Part II: Florence, Lucca and their environs ".

Another area we grew to like -- though first impressions were a bit negative -- was the province of Cremona, Lombardy, where we found terrific walled towns:

Search under "Ted Gale Italy Trip Report, Part III: A very few days in Lombardy (Cremona)"

NOTE: At the end of that thread there are some comments and suggestions from others about Palladian villas in the Veneto!!!