September Italian Holiday
 

Ciao everyone,
My husband and I (I?m 27, he?s 30) are going to be in Italy this September. I absolutely love everything Italian: The food, the culture, the history, the wine, the people, the scenery, the fashion?.All of it!!

This will be my husband?s first trip to Italy. I?ve been a few times before when I was younger and most recently three years ago, but never had the chance to thoroughly explore and enjoy it. Bear with me as I share my itinerary and questions with you.

We will start in Rome for 5 days (September 15-20). We?ll spend two days seeing all the important sites and the rest strolling around, sitting in cafes, shopping, taking it all in. Some of the restaurants recommended to us by friends are: La Pergola, Agata e Romeo, Alfredo e Ada, Ripa, Otello alla Concordia. We?re big foodies..we appreciate good food and wine and great atmospheres and design. We?ve eaten at tons of trendy ?hot spot? restaurants all over and would certainly like to eat at some of them in Italy but would much prefer eating in rustic, ?hole in the wall?, noisy, fun, bustling, local restaurants serving good food where not too many tourists are found. I welcome all ?not to miss? restaurant recommendations. Also, which area in Rome is the most fun at night? Campo di Fiori? Trastevere?

After Rome, we?ll take the train to Florence for another 5 days (September 20-25.) We?ll be staying at the Athenaeum Personal Hotel on via cavour. Has anyone ever stayed there or heard anything about it. It apparently just opened in May of this year. Is it an ideal location? How close is it to the piazza rebublicca? Is it walking distance to shops, attractions, etc? In Florence, restaurants recommended to us were San Michele at Villa San Michele in Fiesole. Enoteca Pinchiorri, La Giostra. I welcome any other recommendations or feedback about any of these. Again, which is the most lively, fun place in Florence at night?

Next, we?ll spend 3 days spontaneously driving around Tuscany. We?ve booked our first night at La Romita ( a small hotel in Montisi), mainly because it?s a few minutes from where we?ll be taking a hot air balloon ride over Tuscany the next morning followed by a champagne breakfast in the field where we land. I can?t wait! Basically, we?ll have September 25th (all day before spending the night at La Romita in Montisi) September 26th (the first part of the morning will be ballooning) After that, we have 1 ? more days to explore Tuscany. What should we do? Where should we go? We were thinking of moving on to Siena for two nights and using it as a base to explore other towns. What do you think?

After Tuscany, we?ll spend 3 days in Positano. We?ll take the train from Florence to Naples on the morning of September 28th, then have a driver pick us up (do you recommend anyone?) and take us to hotel. We wanted to stay at Le Sirenuse in Positano but it was fully booked. We?re staying the hotel Poseidon. Any feedback about it? Is it a good location? Where should we eat while we?re there? Looking for great restaurants with great views.

After Positano, we?ll take the train from Naples to Rome; spend one night there before our departure. Where should we stay on our last night in Rome? We?re staying at the Marriott on via Veneto for our first 5 days (got it free with points!) and would like to stay somewhere different the last night.

I think I included quite a few questions, but to sum it up I basically want advice for great restaurants to eat in Rome, Florence, Tuscany, and Positano( All sorts of restaurants, from Michelin starred, trendy, to rustic holes in the walls) Advice on the hotels, places, sites, activities not to miss. In addition to all my questions, please feel free to include any information you feel I should have!

I apologize for being overly detailed. I?ve never joined a forum before and I?d like to get as many recommendations as possible. I promise to write a detailed report of our trip filled with tons of juicy tidbits and recommendations when we return!!

We too are great foodies. We stayed at the Hotel Poseidon last year and the food was so good that we only ate dinner out once - at a restaurant (forget the name) which was the only Positano entry in the Michelin guide but was very disappointing. A highlight of each day became the appearance of the menu of that night's specials c.3pm, after which we never wanted to risk going out and being disappointed again !

Great. Thanks for the tip, Caroline!

Hi lala,

Two recommendations:
In Florence
Il Ritrovo
Via de? Pucci 4/A
Full dinner w/wine abt 40E pp Closed Monday
From Pzza San Giovani (NW corner of the Pza del Duomo) walk one blk East to Via dei Martelli. Go left to Via dei Pucci. Turn Right. Look very carefully on left. No sign. Door could be locked. Ring bell.

For a driver from Naples to Positano
Renato Cuomo
www.cuomonet.it [email protected]

hi lala8,

My husband and I will be in Florence the same time as you (we're 31 and 28, respectively) and we love food as well. On September 23rd, we're having lunch at Trattoria Mario and dinner at La Giostra. On the 24th we're having lunch at Cantinetta Antinori and dinner at Beccofino.

If you're in the area, we can try to meet up for drinks!

We thoroughly enjoyed Beccofino and Giostra in Florence and Myosotis and Maccheroni in Rome. Macherroni is near the Pantheon and is a bit of a hole in the wall restaurant with wonderful food.

For a change for your last night in Rome, I suggest the Hotel Portoghesi. The atmosphere in this area is totally different from the Via Veneto, and a lot of fun.

There are great restaurants nearby (both Myosotis and Maccheroni are a very easy walk), good shopping, lots of the "best" churches to visit are basically in this neighborhood. Piazza Navona and Pantheon nearby.

And for the poster having lunch in Firenze at Mario, I envy you. It isn't fancy but the food is the very best.

Many thanks to all of you for your recommendations! Jgray, it might be fun to meet since our paths might cross.

Again, has anyone heard anything at all about the Athenaeum Personal hotel in Florence? I can't find any reviews about it on the internet since it's fairly new. Was hoping maybe someone out there has either stayed there or heard something about it.

Athenaeum is very nice boutique hotel, ok but not great location, a bit of a walk to the center. The staff is very pleasant. Modern decor though, not what you would expect to find in Florence