My husband and I went to Italy from September 5-21, 2009.

Bad weather has delayed our holiday travel plans so I am finally getting around to posting this! I’ve tried to organize this as best as possible. It is lengthy and I cannot guarantee perfect grammar, so please bear with me.

Background:
This was our second time to Italy and my third. Our honeymoon started in Rome and went north. This time we started in Rome and went south. We are in our mid-30’s, active and live in a major city.

We greatly enjoyed both vacations. This one gave us more of an authentic Italian experience. We were lucky to have perfect weather - Sunny and about 80 each day.

Day by Day:

Sat, Sep 5 – Depart 7:15 pm – Swiss Air with layover in Zurich

Sun, Sept 6 – Arrive Rome Fiumincino at 2:05 pm

Taxi to hotel for set price of 40 euro.

Hotel:
Westin Excelsior Rome
Via Vittorio Veneto 125
Rome 00187
39 06 47081 Phone
[email protected]

We were upgraded to a suite, which was a nice surprise. This is a beautiful hotel with a service-focused, friendly staff. We stayed here for our honeymoon and could not be more pleased. It is located near the Spanish Steps.

We felt pretty good upon arrival. Conquering jet lag: We started waking up very early at home and we also took the “No Jet Lag” pills. We did really well avoiding jet lag.

After taking showers, we strolled around. We ended up at Piazza Navona and had dinner at Navona Notte. A friend who lived in Italy recommended this to us last time we went and we really enjoyed it. We really liked the food again this time. They have outdoor seating. This blog offers a detailed description with photos: http://phelan.wordpress.com/2008/07/05/navona-notte/

We had gelato around the corner at Blue Ice. Yes it is a chain but we really enjoyed the flavors we tried.

We went back to the hotel and were in bed by 8, but glad to make it that long!

Mon, Sept 7 – Head to Naples

We had breakfast at our favorite coffee bar/pastry shop down a few blocks across the street from our hotel. We stopped there so many times and still don’t know the name.

We heard and read so much negative commentary about Naples we were very curious to see it for ourselves. We asked the woman at the hotel front desk about Naples and her response was, “beautiful people! … just watch your pockets and you’ll be fine.”

Train to Naples: We decided to take the local, slower train. It was 10 euro each and 2.5 hours. The EuroStar was 50 euro each and about an hour quicker. The price difference was so drastic we went with the slower train. It ended up stopping twice for delays but we were still glad to save 80 euro and arrive at a reasonable time.

The Naples Central train station was busy, but a typical train station in a busy city. We walked to the taxi stand and took a taxi to our hotel. We were advised to ask for a meter but were told it was a flat fee of 25 euro. We were later told we were ripped off (which we knew), but we weren’t about to shop around for a taxi at that point.


Hotel:
Hotel Excelsior Naples (Starwood Property)
Via Partenope, 48
39 081 7640111
www.excelsior.it

This was another gorgeous hotel with top-notch customer service. Our terrace overlooked the Bay of Naples. They have a wonderful rooftop bar also overlooking the Bay. We also stayed here using points (combo of points and the Starwood free weekends promo).

The Bay was beautiful to look at – blue water, boats against the water, Castel Nuovo and Mount Vesuvius.

We took a walk throughout Naples. Our walk loosely followed the “Slice of Neapolitan Life” walk in the Rick Steves book.

Piazza del Plebiscito – they were setting up for an Elton John concert. We were sorry we were leaving before the concert. What a neat place to have the show.

Galleria Umberto I – beautiful building. We aren’t big shoppers on vacation but we did a bit of window shopping.

Teatro di San Carlo – Walked around this building. They have guided visits which would have been neat to do, but we hadn’t planned this.


We ate a quick lunch near the Galleria. We took our food on the sidewalk and people watched.

From here we wandered around Via Toledo and mostly just took it all in. It’s a busy area with many shops and eateries.

We walked through the Quartieri Spagnoli (Spanish Quarter) area and went up and down many streets. We got ourselves far away from Via Toledo. We really wanted to see how people lived. It was neat to see in person – kids playing in the streets, people hanging out their windows observing or talking/yelling to one another, laundry hanging outside each window and shrines on almost each corner. The buildings are so close together and about 6-8 stories high. This makes for very tight streets. Still though, kids found a way to play soccer not only on these streets, but throughout Naples – street corners, piazzas, sidewalks, etc (no green space!). I especially loved embracing the energy in this area.

We were hungry for a snack and made our way to a café/pastry shop which I believe was called Café Imperial. It is a large shop with ample outdoor seating overlooking a busy street. I asked what the best pastry was and he gave me a pastry filled with sweet ricotta and citrus bits (close to cannoli filling). It was not a sfogliatelle though. The crust was not flakey. The man did not speak any English but was somehow able to understand what I was asking for. He gave it to me and said “Naples, Naples.” It was the only area I saw that dessert so I am sure it was a Naples specialty. We enjoyed sitting outside and people watching as it is in a very busy pedestrian and traffic area.

We went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We headed to Pizzeria Brandi. The streets were lively and packed with people. Brandi was very busy but we got a table inside without waiting. Our waiter was extremely friendly and helpful. We each had a pizza (Margherita and sausage with rapini). We both thought our food was delicious. We especially liked the texture of the crust.

We went back to the hotel and had a drink at the hotel’s rooftop bar. It has a gorgeous view. We relaxed there for a while.

Tues, Sept 8 – Naples

We went to Café Gambrinus for breakfast. We read many positive reviews. We had delicious pastries and espresso/cappuccino here. Where else is a cherry crostata considered a usual breakfast. We threw in some fruit salad for good measure. The crostata was one of our favorite things we ate. Again we sat our sat slowly enjoying our food. This is also on a busy street so we were able to observe many people heading to work. It was about 9:30-10 am. People were dressed up in suits and dresses with briefcases and clearly headed to work. They just weren’t in much of a hurry! In my corporate days you were late if you got there after 8 am. I could get used to this.

We walked around Naples again and took our time taking it all in. We walked along Via Toledo and found Piazza Dante. We sat down to relax and observe. Two girls, age 17, sat next to us on a bench and I started to talking to them (one spoke English). They were on summer break until Sept 14th. She said most kids learn English in school. She grew up in Naples. She said this is what they do on summer break…hang out in piazzas. There were several teenagers meeting up in this area and giving the kiss on each cheek and a hug. It seems everyone was very social and knew one another. It was nice chatting with Carlotta and Francesca about life in Naples.

Next we saw a march/protest of some time which blocked all of Via Toledo for hours. A bad day for cars to take that route!

We passed by the Archeological Museum which is closed on Tuesday. We knew this in advance but just did not have the energy on Monday to go. We hope to back another time as this is one of the gems of the city.

We went through the Piazza Bellini area where there is a university and several book and music shops. We saw craftsman binding journals and books by hand.

Next we visited the Duomo. It was gorgeous and ornate. We spent time here just admiring the beauty.

We decided to go to the very popular Antica Pizzeria da Michele for lunch. We thought the lines could be shorter for lunch. The restaurant had a large group of people (all locals…or at least fluent Italian speakers) waiting outside. Since there is not much of a sidewalk, people were spilling into the street with cars whizzing by. You take a number and wait for it to be called. They only call the number once or twice so listen carefully and don’t miss your turn. Be sure you know what your number is in Italian too or do what I did. I kept an eye on the person who had the number before me. Once she went, I knew we were next.

We each had the margherita pizza (there are only two kinds on the menu). We absolutely loved this pizza. We both thought the sauce was the best part. We saw everyone else eating the middle of the pizza first and then eating the crust last. We took their lead. This worked well because you don’t fill up on crust. I ate most of the crust last but was stuffed by that time. If I lived in Naples I’d be in here all of the time. Our bill was 12 euro for two pizzas and two beers. I’m still not sure that is possible. I always say the best food is simple and inexpensive…this place is another example.

Just a warning – this is not the place to go for a fancy ambiance. It is busy, loud, tight quarters and you are shuffled in and out. We prefer food much over ambiance – and in fact we liked the ambiance of observing all of the locals and employees. This place has energy!

We headed to Polo Nord for gelato and really enjoyed it.

We continued to walk and went through the Spaccanapoli area. There were several shops, delis and eateries along this long stretch. It was very busy and lively. We wound our way throughout the neighborhood.

Castel Nuovo is near our hotel so we went there on the way home. It is beautiful, but we could have skipped going inside. Maybe we were just tired at this point, but admiring from the outside would have been enough for us. It was 5 euro per person.

After resting a bit and getting ready for dinner, we stayed near the hotel. We ate Da Ettore. This was also filled with locals and it got very busy toward 9 pm (we went around 8). We enjoyed this place. We agreed with reviews, which said it was tasty, casual and inexpensive.


Wed Sept 9 – Naples in the morning, then head Bracigliano to meet family, then to Positano

I had coffee at our hotel while DH went to get the rental car. He took a taxi to the Hertz “at the train station.” The location turned out to be quite elusive. Even the driver had trouble finding it, but they finally did. It was near but not “at” the train station.

He stopped at Café Gambrinus to get us some pastries. We had sfogliatelle, the traditional Naples pastry. It was our last chance to have it and I am glad we did. It was delicious! Very flakey with a sweet ricotta filling.

We left in our Fiat Panda during rush hour. It took us about 45 minutes to get to the highway which was just a few miles away. DH did very well with driving in Italy. He preferred the “no rules” approach to driving – making your own lanes, having traffic lights and signs as optional and of course the super fast driving on the highway. He did really well with it and remained calm the entire time. Better him than me!

We were headed to Bracigliano. It is an hour away/65 km east of Naples, population 5000. We were to meet family of mine for the first time. My grandfather grew up in the town. I remember him sharing his memories and I’ve always wanted to visit. Luckily there is still family there and some speak English.

The directions were clear until we got the actual town. There were barely any street signs and we simply could not follow the directions we had. We printed directions from Google maps and didn’t have a GPS. Our family gave us some directions as well but they didn’t know any street names! And they had lived in the town their entire lives. We made a few stops to ask for directions. No one spoke English but we would just point out our final destination on the map and they’d point us in the right direction.

We absolutely loved spending time with them once we finally found them. They were incredibly warm and inviting. We had more food than we usually eat in a week. They gave us a tour of the town. It was so neat to see how Italians really live. They were so disappointed we weren’t staying with them. We’ll have to spend more time there next time. It was such a wonderful and memorable experience.

We were off to Sorrento to drop off our rental car later that evening. Needless to say, we had a very tough time finding the highway to head to Sorrento. We were going in circles. We were on a tight timeline to get to Hertz in Sorrento too. It was around 6 pm and we needed to get there by 8!

We stopped at a service station and the employees only spoke Italian. One was nice enough to get on his scooter and lead us to the highway! I kept saying this man saved us!! It was about 20-30 minutes, but he led us the whole way. It was so incredibly nice. We were so thankful and appreciative. All we had was 3.50 euro but we gave it to him. We also took his picture.

We made it to Hertz in Sorrento at 8:10 pm as they were closing. We were so relieved! We were too exhausted to deal with the bus and we had read that a taxi to Positano was very expensive. My husband asked the Hertz employees if they were headed that way and if so, could we pay them for a ride. An employee drove us to the hotel for 40 euro and my husband gave him 50, saying it was the best money ever spent and I agree. We were so tired and just wanted to get to our hotel.

We arrived at our hotel, Residence La Tavolozza close to 10 pm.

Positano Hotel:
Residence La Tavolozza
Via C Colombo 10
84017 Positano (SA)
Italy
+39 089/875040 – Phone
[email protected]

We reserved the room by email. They ask you to mail a check for the deposit and it is only cashed if you cancel at the last minute. The rate was 95 euro per night for a double room. Breakfast is an additional 11 euro per person and is ordered the evening before. Full payment is due in cash at the end of your stay.

We were greeted by Paola (Celeste runs the B&B with her daughters Paola and Francesca). Paola could not be any nicer. She is a tiny girl but grabbed our big suitcase and carried it all the way up and down several sets of stairs to our room. She asked us if we wanted breakfast for the next day and we said yes. The room is basic, but spacious and clean. We had a terrace with a partial view of the water down below. We skipped dinner since we were still full from lunch.

Thurs, Sept 10 - Positano

Breakfast was taken to our room the next morning and set up on the terrace. It was an assortment of breads, 2 jelly filled croissants, fresh orange juice, cappuccino and espresso. We enjoyed it on the terrace, which was really nice.

Next, we headed to the pier area, which was just a 10 minute walk from the hotel. The path down is lined with touristy types of shops as well as restaurants and cafes. We reserved the Gennaro and Salvatore boat tour of the Amalfi Coast through email a few weeks ahead of time. We found their booth and paid for the tour. It is 80 euro per person, cash only. It includes a huge lunch. The tour starts at 10:30 and we were home around 5:30.

Gennaro and Salvatore boat tour - 089811613 Phone, [email protected]

We both really enjoyed the tour. Salvatore told us some stories and sang as we went along. The scenery was stunning and it was just a very relaxing day. We were lucky to have gorgeous, sunny weather too. Salvatore stops a few times along the way for swimming, including swimming inside a grotto. I didn’t swim (didn’t even wear my swimsuit), but everyone had a great time swimming.

We stopped for lunch in Amalfi at a restaurant called Bar Ristorante Da Teresa. We had a huge, 8 course lunch. We were so stuffed!

We rode back to Positano and Salvatore stopped once on the way back. He doesn’t do that, but some kids on the boat wanted to stop again so he did which was nice.

We ended up relaxing the rest of the day, taking a nap and walking around the town. We were so full from lunch we ended up just having a gelato from Il Covo at 11 pm!

Fri, Sept 11 - Capri

Stopped for a quick breakfast at one of the pastry/coffee shops on the way to the pier.

We went to the pier and found the best price and departure time to Capri. We decided to rent scooters from Oasi Motor in Capri and we had a blast! Capri itself was gorgeous but extremely crowded with tourists, far too much for our taste. We just had fun riding all over on the scooter. The scooter rental company gave us a map of Capri and Anacapri and let us know where we could ride and park.

We rode for a while sightseeing and stopped in Capri town for lunch. It reminded us of Disneyland, but we found a spot to eat outside. We had prosciutto sandwiches, Caprese salad and then coffee.

We went to Anacapri where DH took the chairlift to the top. He really enjoyed that and snapped some beautiful pictures. I got a beer at a local bar/café. We rode around some more, stopping at sites until it was time to return the scooter. We had a gelato and took the boat back.

All in all, Capri was beautiful, but we could have easily skipped it. It reminded us of a Disneyland type of place. We both felt like we wasted an entire day.

We had dinner back in Positano at La Cambusa which is close to the water. There is a terrace with beautiful views, but we sat inside. It was crowded and we were glad to get a seat. We really enjoyed our meal.

Here is where I’ll pause to add my commentary of the popular Cinque Terra or Amalfi Coast question. My husband and I both answer CT. There is not even a question. We enjoyed the CT far more than the AC. We just felt it was so much more authentic and less commercialized. This really shows to each his own because I feel like most people love the AC. I can see why, but we just didn’t seem to enjoy it as much as other vacation destinations in Italy and otherwise.

Sat, Sept 12 – Leave Positano for farmhouse in Salerno

We ate breakfast at the same spot as the day before in Positano (crossaints, OJ, café).

We called Hertz the day before to see if they’d pick us up in the morning. We paid 50 euro (the cost was 40, but we gave 50). It could not have been more convenient. In fact, the Hertz employee ended up dropping the car off to us at the hotel and doing the paperwork on the spot. This was so nice. We were able to leave right from our hotel instead of going back to Sorrento.

We drove to La Morella farmhouse outside of Salerno.

Agriturismo La Morella
Strada Provincale 8
84090 S. Lucia di Battipaglia SA
Italy
+39 0828 51008 Office Phone
+39 393 9447177 Cell
+39 338 7159958 Alternate Cell
[email protected] (Emilia Rinaldi)
www.la-morella.it

It was easy to find by car and about 1 ½ hours from Positano. You drive to Bellizi and it’s nearby.

I read about the growing popularity of agritourism and was very interested. I found La Morella online and it had great reviews. It is an organic farm. They grow seasonal produce and have a winery.

We arrived at the farm and checked in. The grounds were so beautiful, expansive and serene. The room is basic and quite large. In the area we were, the rooms all opened onto a large courtyard. There was a pretty sitting area outside our room with a sitting area shaded by grapevines.

We took a walk around the farm. They gave us a detailed informational packet upon arrival. There is a booklet about the farm, including a self-guided tour. We walked and followed along with the map of the farm. It was so quiet. We felt like we were the only ones on the farm. Eventually we came across another family walking around the farm. There are also 3 farm dogs who are always hanging around. They were a lot of fun and we enjoyed seeing them each day. We relaxed the rest of the day. I enjoyed reading by the pool.

We opted for the half board option, which included breakfast and dinner. They give your dinner menu to you ahead of time and you are able to select between a few choices for each course. Meals are served in the farm’s restaurant which was just steps from our room. Our meals were delicious and made with fresh ingredients from the farm. There were about 5 total families for dinner. Dinner is at 8 and they start serving when you arrive. Some people were a bit earlier or later. The food was absolutely delicious. It was so simple and fresh. The dinner is generous with about 5 or 6 courses. Save room for dessert.

Sun 9/13 – Day Trip to Paestum

We had breakfast at the farm’s restaurant. It was a buffet with a nice variety of food: assorted homemade pastries and cakes (chocolate, lemon and apple coffee cake), breads, cereals, omelette, meat, cheese, oj. The server comes around to bring espresso or café latte. Breakfast is served between 8:30 and 9:30, but they will also accommodate you if those times do not work.

The booklet from La Morella also included information about things to do in the area. Since we didn’t make it to Pompeii, we decided to visit Paestum. It is 27 km south of the farmhouse. It was easy to find and we got there in about 40 minutes. It was also easy to park. We parked very close to the entrance for free on the street.

We really enjoyed Paestum. It was one of our favorite parts of the trip. We had the Rick Steves’ book and followed along with the tour. We both felt the ruins are something much better in person than in a book. We didn’t expect to enjoy it so much. We went to the Paestum Archaeological Museum as well. We bought a combo ticket for both the site and museum for 6.5 euro each. We were there about 2 hours. It was an easy day trip. I benefitted greatly from the advice to bring an umbrella for shade. I’ve never done this before and boy was I glad I did! It wasn’t sweltering but the sun was hot enough. It was nice to have the shade and avoid sunburn (even though I do wear sunscreen.)

We went back to the farm and decided what to do next.

We decided to head to Salerno. Someone from the farm gave us directions, a map of Salerno and a walking tour of things to do. Salerno was easy to find by car (we passed it on our way to the farm). It was also very easy to park. We parked in a lot near the water.

Salerno is definitely not touristy. We among all Italians, which was really neat. It was one of the places in which we didn’t see anything we recognized. No chain restaurants, hotels, etc. We really like trying to have that authentic experience.

We walked through the historical center as well as a large strip of shopping. Since it was Sunday, everything was closed. We were able to step into a few shops, along Corso Vittorio Emanuele, but that was about all. The Duomo was closed so we walked around it from the outside. The Minvera Gardens were also closed. We kept walking up and were able to take an outdoor elevator down to the bottom. I was a little worried about getting onto the elevator. It was tiny and hot. It went so slowly and I was afraid we’d get stuck. But we made it! It was nice to have a quick way down.

We were craving sandwiches for lunch but could only find pizza. We probably walked past 100 pizzerias. We finally found a place with paninis on our way out and that hit the spot. We also took some pastries home from a shop we found.

We were going to stop at the Arechi Castle which overlooks Salerno on our way out. We had a tough time finding it and finally decided to go home. We figured we’d spend all that time finding it and it would probably be closed!

We did some more relaxing at the farm and enjoyed another delicious dinner.

Mon, 9/14 – Leave Farmhouse, Head to Formia

We had breakfast at the farmhouse and left for Formia. We booked one night in Formia to see if we could get to Ponza. I read about the transportation to Ponza being unreliable. We did not book a hotel for the following 3 nights. If we were able to get to Ponza, we’d find a hotel there. If not, we had a few ideas of where to go next. I researched hotels in each area ahead of time and brought a detailed list.

Two posters on Fodors (Waldo and StCirq) had a lot of advice about the Formia, Gaeta and Sperlonga areas. We were excited to visit this area outside of just trying to get to Ponza.

We found the area easily by car, but had a bit of trouble finding our hotel from the center of town. A nice man pointed us in the right direction and we found it. Hindsight is 20/20 as there are several signs pointing up to our hotel.

We stayed at:

Castello Miramare

Via Balze di Pagnano s.n.c.
04023 Formia (Lt)
+39 0771 700138 Phone
+39 0771 700139 Fax
www.hotelcastellomiramare.it
[email protected] (Marialuisa d'Andrea)

Room Rates:
- Double room with breakfast 125,00 euro per night per room – we booked this option
- Half board 210,00 euro per day per room, beverages are not included
- Full board 230,00 euro per day per room, beverages are not included

You drive all the way up and find Castello Miramare. I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. The pictures do not do it justice. The grounds are just stunning. There was a wedding the night we stayed. We saw the room set up before anyone got there. It would be a perfect spot for a wedding. We were curious why there was a wedding on a Monday night. Maybe they have weekday weddings in Italy? It was a quite a large wedding.

We checked into our room. It was a very small room but clean. We had a nice view of the city and water from our window.

We walked around our hotel grounds for a while then drove to the base of town. We did a lot of walking. I thought it was pretty. It’s a medium sized town against the water. It’s very clean and the people were friendly. We found a Salemeria with a wonderful selection of meats, cheeses and other foods. We wanted a Panini (again!). The employees didn’t speak a word of English but they were very patient with us. We got paninis with prosciutto and salami. The bread and meat were delicious. We ate outside on a bench and watched the people around us.

We had gelato at the Grand Café and it wasn’t as good as other places.

We drove to the pier to check into Ponza transit. Both Caremar and Vetor had options to Ponza twice a day and they were running consistently. The gentleman at the front desk of the hotel had the schedule as well but we wanted to confirm everything at the pier. We were still undecided about Ponza so we didn’t buy our ticket at that time.

We headed back to our hotel to relax and get ready for dinner.

We decided to visit Gaeta. We drove around for a bit and stopped at Serapo Beach. It was dusk so the beachgoers had already left. It was a very beautiful beach. We would definitely have gone to the beach for a day if we had more time in the area. There were several areas of chairs you could rent.

We parked and walked along Via Independenza. It’s the street with many shops and restaurants, no cars. We wanted more of a sit down restaurant and we weren’t find anything (which is not to say there was nothing). We just didn’t see anything that sounded good.

We decided to go back to Formia to find a restaurant. We spotted Il Nostromo on the way out of Gaeta. I remembered one of the Fodorites called this the best restaurant in Italy. We were really happy to come upon it. It’s a large restaurant with a very friendly staff. It became more and more busy as we were there. It seems like they have a lot of regulars.
The reviews are spot on. We absolutely loved this restaurant. I had the spaghetti Nostromo, which has to be one of their specials. It is spaghetti with marinara, mussels and shrimps. This was one of my favorite dishes of the entire trip. I was so full but kept eating. DH had pasta arrabiata. It was spicy enough for him. Most places make it far too mild for his taste. We were way too full for dessert.

We got back to the hotel pretty late that night and went to bed. At this point we were leaning against going to Ponza. We were going at a slow pace over the last few days and wanted to go back to a city. We knew Ponza would be beautiful and relaxing, but we felt like going back to Rome instead.


Tuesday, 9/15 – Leave Formia, Head to Rome

It was raining the next morning and we confirmed our decision to go Rome. We were able to see the ferry leave for Ponza that morning from our window. We figured it had to be going to Ponza since it left at the exact time the ferry to Ponza was to leave. This meant the Ponza transit would still leave in the rain – at least in this case. We had read the ferry is very dependent on weather. It was just a steady rain. I’d imagine a thunderstorm would have impacted the ferry.

We booked our Rome hotel from our hotel in Formia through Priceline. We got 3 nights at the Hotel Accademia for 120 euro per night with breakfast.

We dropped our car off at the rail station and took a train to Rome. It was about 1 hour to Rome on the ES. The cost was 13 euro per ticket.

We took a taxi from the train station to our hotel:

Hotel Accademia (near Trevi Fountain)
Piazza Accademia S. Luca 74
06.69922607 Phone
[email protected]

The hotel was sufficient. Our room was tiny but it had a refrigerator, blow dryer and decent closet space. The walls in this hotel are very thin and it faces a loud Piazza. If you are sensitive to noise at just about any hour, this is probably not the place for you. It was fine for us and fit the bill for a last minute, inexpensive place to stay.
The breakfast buffet has a nice selection of pastries, eggs, fruit, cereal and toast. If you want excellent food and coffee, you will need to go elsewhere. We ate that buffet each morning and then went to get some espresso at a nearby café.

We settled into the hotel and got lunch nearby.

We didn’t make it to the Pantheon last time we were in Rome so we made a bee line for it after lunch. We downloaded the Rick Steves podcast tour to our iphones. We really enjoyed listening to the tour. It was detailed, but not too long. Plus it’s free. We had a nice time admiring the Pantheon. We even got to see a proposal. We aren’t sure how we missed it last time but were glad to see it this time.

We visited Santa Maria Sopra Minerva church nearby. It’s the only Gothic church in Rome. It was stunning. It is definitely worth seeing.

We strolled around and ended near Trevi Fountain and our hotel where we had dinner. We called it a night after dinner.

Wed, 9/16 – Rome

We had the breakfast buffet at the hotel.

We had been to the Colosseum and Roman Forum during our last trip. We thought about it for a while and decided to go back. This time we used the Rick Steves free podcast tours of both. It was a little dreary that day, but it ended up being a great day to the tours because it wasn’t so hot. We are both glad we went back this time. The podcasts were really informative and we enjoyed listening to them. We didn’t do a tour the first time and we got a lot more of of it this time. We had a book to follow along with the first time, but the podcast was much better. The tickets were 12 euro each. It’s a combo ticket for the Colosseum, Forum and Palatine Hill.

After a bit of searching, we found the Cafe dello Studente which was recommended in the RS book. We sat outside. We both really liked the food here and this ended up being DH’s favorite place. The staff was very friendly.

We strolled around the city after lunch and got an espresso. Later in the afternoon after stopping in the hotel we walked around some more and got gelato.

We had dinner at Ristorante Pizzeria Sacro e Profano. It was raining so we wanted to go somewhere close to the hotel. We absolutely loved this restaurant. It has 3 levels and outdoor seating. Our table was on the top floor overlooking the open kitchen where they make pizza. The food and service were outstanding. The ambiance is romantic. It’s dimly lit and quiet. We would definitely go back here next time.

Thurs, 9/17 – Rome
We decided to wander over to the Trastevere area on foot. It is really charming, pretty and quieter on this side of the river. It seemed like more of a neighborhood. It is very residential with tree-lined streets. We walked through a large park and spent a good amount of time there. There were many people walking through the park and relaxing. It seems like the place the moms go with their babies for a walk. There were many strollers. We found an area with a small pond and several turtles. It was very picturesque and relaxing.

We walked through Piazza di Santa Maria and went into Santa Maria church. The mosaics in this church are stunning.

We found another park as we strolled around the area.

We had a delicious lunch at Trattoria da Lucia. The restaurant is somewhat tucked away on a small side street. We sat outside. It was quiet. They serve traditional Trastevere style food.

We came back across the river and walked around some more. DH found a barber shop for a haircut. It wasn’t the most clean place, but it worked.

We had dinner at Antonio’s which was decent. It was very close to our hotel.


Fri, 9/18 – Rome
We moved to the Excelsior. We were glad to be back at our favorite hotel. I also prefer the location better although DH liked being near Trevi as well. Excelsior is in a less busy spot and I just like much better.

We had breakfast at our favorite café.

We planned to go to Villa/Galleria Borghese since we hadn’t gone last time. It was just a few blocks from hotel so we walked there. We thought we had a 10:00 reservation to the gallery. Well, our online reservation didn’t go through so we actually did not have a reservation. They were able to reserve the 1:00 slot for us. If you make online reservations just be sure it goes through. We both have backgrounds in software development so I am not sure what went wrong!

We walked back near our hotel and had lunch. Then stopped at our favorite café/pastry shop for some cookies. That hit the spot!

We went to our 1:00 reservation at the gallery. We are not art experts in any way but we used the guide from the RS book as well as informational pages that were in each room. There are some very important pieces of art in the gallery. While we did not study each piece, we each had our favorites. My favorites were some of the sculptures. There was also a special exhibit, which we really enjoyed.

It was a gorgeous day so we decided to rent one of the buggies you peddle around in. It was 10 euro. We rode all around the park and were laughing hysterically most of the time. The buggy is a bit cumbersome. It’s not that it is so difficult to maneuver, it’s just pretty rickety and difficult to turn around. We got a lot of great laughs out of it though. Looking back, we should have just rented regular bikes, which they also had.

We went back to the hotel and had a nice swim and steam (free at hotel).

We went to Navona Notte again for dinner and ordered as much as we could. We knew it was one of our last dinners so we didn’t hold back!

Sat, 9/19
Day trip to Orvieto

We decided to rent a car at the last minute (Friday afternoon) for our trip to Orvieto. Our hotel concierge highly recommended it and we are glad we did. We walked over to the Hertz in Borghese and were able to reserve a car for a great rate. It was a quick and easy drive to Orvieto. Parking is easy as well.

The funicular to town is right next to the parking lot. The TI is there as well and the person working there gave us some good direction. We also had the Orvieto chapter from the RS book.

We strolled around the town for quite a while. It is small and charming. There are some great look outs where you can see the countryside. There were plenty of tourists, but there weren’t overwhelming crowds.

We went into the Duomo. It was neat to read about the Duomo and follow along with the descriptions.

We didn’t do any of the other activities in Orvieto. We were pretty tired out by that time and were more focused on strolling and relaxing.

We ate lunch at Trattoria del Moro Aronne. We weren’t crazy about it.

Sun, 9/20

Our last full day! We spent the day strolling around and relaxing.

We moved to the Sheraton Roma West near the airport. We did this last time and liked being close to the airport the next morning.

Four Points by Sheraton Roma West
Viale degli Eroi di Cefalonia, 301
Rome, 00128
39 06 50834111 Phone
[email protected]
No hotel shuttle

We taxied to the airport on Monday and headed home. We can’t wait to go back!


Here are a few tips and observations I wanted to share:

- We ripped out pages of our guidebook for each day. If we were in Capri, we took just the Capri pages. I know some folks don’t want to ruin their book, but this was so much better than lugging a book around.
- Bring an umbrella for the sun. This was a lifesaver in Paestum.
- This is obvious, but bring excellent walking shoes. I made a list of most brands listed on Fodors and tried them on. It was time very well spent. My Naot walking shoes were incredible. They did not even need breaking in. Tons of walking and not one blister or sore foot.
- Stay at the airport hotel the night before leaving. This made things so much easier.
- Pack lightly. Buy items that multi-task. For example, facial lotion with SPF. DH and I also shared deodorant, hair comb, etc. It was so nice to have light bags. We had laundry done at our hotel twice. That allowed us to pack for about 4-5 days instead of 16.

Warning - Lengthy and Detailed Report >>

goody, I love lengthy and detailed trip reports.

I'm looking forward to reading it.

Gina: I can't thank you enough for this fascinating report. It is so great to read about the less traveled pathways. I plan to reread and save for my own future travels in Campania. Would you recommend La Morella to others? Any downsides? Thanks!!

Gina:
We were also in the Amalfi Coast and Rome at the end of september,beauytiful trip!!!! we also enjoyed our gelatto at Blue Ice.tghanks for your report,one always find something of interest.

There is a Blue Ice on the Via Sistina, just down the road from the Hassler.

I dislike the Via Veneto, although it is near the Borghese Gardens. It is just too fake glamour for me.

I despise the Trevi fountain area.

Thin

I enjoyed your report and appreciate that you went off the beaten track a bit. Especially liked the details about your time in Naples, which posters here seem to love or hate!

During our visit to the Amalfi Coast in May we based at a villa in Vietri sul Mare, just north of Salerno, and also spent a night in a Salerno neighborhood B&B, which was really fun. Like you, we found it really nice to spend some time in a less touristed town. (The duomo was closed when we were there, too!) We too found Paestum amazing.

Thanks for the report.

Great report...thanks for posting. You explored some of my favorite places in Italy and I've learned about some new ones!

ttt for when i find time to read this - don't want to miss it!

Thanks for your report. I really enjoyed reading about some of my favorite places and also places I'd like to see (Formia, Gaeta, etc.)--soon.

hi gina,

thanks for the great report. I am always on the look out for unusual places to stay [or at least to think about] and Formia would appear to be one of those. that hotel looks terrific - would it perhaps be somewhere to enjoy an evening's stay on half-board?

I also had a look at the Excelsior - it's a bit [lol] out of my price-range but it certainly looks very pleasant for a few days. it amused me that with those prices, they still wanted extra for the internet, but i suppose that's how they pay for the furnishings!

thanks for taknig the trouble to post your repotr,

regards, ann

Your report brings so many memories. Including of a much less commercial Positano ages ago.I always loved Naples..I found touching your visit to your relatives, it has happened to us too, always welcoming, always great food, always wishing us to stay longer...
( different part of Italy) but I guess North or South they are very much the same..

I dislike often Hollywood for the caricatures that more often than not they like to feed us regarding Italians.....Thank you for your lovely report.

ttt

Very enjoyable! We met a couple who said they loved Naples so it was good to hear more good things about it. Brava!

What a treat to read this report. Your traveling style is very similar to ours. Feel as if I were right there too. Trying to resist searching for air tickets to Italy!

Thanks for the wonderful comments. You are all so nice to read such a long report!! I couldn't have planned it without the helpful people on this board, so thanks again!

Ekscrunchy - You have so many excellent reports and I have always enjoyed reading your posts. I would absolutely recommend La Morella. It was the perfect relaxing place for us after a lot of "go go go." It is very quiet and peaceful. There could be cons for anyone who wants a lot going on. We usually do, but this was a nice way to break up our trip. The closest town of Bellizi is very quiet as well, so it might seem a bit isolated. I'd recommend it for a shorter stay. We really liked the easy access to Salerno and Paestum. Please post if you decide to stay there!

Leely2 - Yes, check out the Formia area. It is really neat. The two posters I mentioned above have some very helpful threads on the area.

Betsy - Don't resist, book another trip!!

Yes we really enjoyed Naples. If you can believe I actually have much more about the visit with family but didn't post b/c it probably doesn't mean much to anyone.

I'd definitely recommend mixing in some "off the beaten path" stuff. We had such a wonderful time and can't wait to back.

Thanks again for all of your nice posts.

Ah, one more thing. Yes! The Excelsior is pricey, but we booked using points and free stays.
If you like Starwood properties, check out their free stay specials. We took advantage of their "stay twice, get one weekend free" program. We chose the cheapest hotels in our area and stayed twice, then used the free weekend for Rome. It was a great deal. Then we used points for the rest of the nights. Can't beat (almost) free hotel stays.