Sept. first time trip to Italy, first vacation / honeymoon in 22 years, 50 active years, kids are grown and gone, need advice fast!

Starting in Florence 9/18/08, where to stay? Primary goal is to eat and see, not shop and sleep....Center of activity, moderately priced, ideas, suggestions anyone?

9/21/08, train/bus for a.San G., b.Montalcino, c.Orvieto??? Favorites or combo? Where to stay, same reasons as in Florence.

9/23/08, take train to Rome until departure home on 9/27, again, where to stay? The more I read, the more I'm confused, too many good places!

Thanks for any/all suggestions.

In Florence, we stayed at Hotel Europa (140 Euros).

This hotel has a perfect location for walking to all the important sights.

We had a very large, quiet room with high ceilings (#37). The bathroom was unusually large, too.

Breakfast is served in a very pleasant, recently remodeled dining room.

The staff was pleasant and helpful.

http://www.webhoteleuropa.com

Gee, it is getting a bit late!! Here's where we stayed in May.

We stayed at Alloro B&B in florence, which is about 4 blocks from the Duomo on a side street. It's on the second floor, with elevator. Breakfast is delivered to your room. The room and bathroom were very comfortable and spacious which is unusual. We liked it a lot. It does have air conditioning, too. Here's their web site:

http://www.allorobb.it/Eng/index.html

In Rome we stayed at Giulia Gold apartment, which is on Via Giulia about halfway between Castel Sant'Angelo and Campo de'Fiori. (The website says 50 meters from the Campo, but it is really about 500 -- or half a kilometer, or about 1/3 mile.) It's 2blocks from Corso Vittorio Emmanuele, which is a major bus access street. there's also a supermarket on the Corso. two blocks in the other direction is the river. It's on the ground floor in an old palazzo. it's very big, very light, beautifully furnished, with a pretty usable kitchenette with frig and freezer. The shower is decently sized, which if often not true in Italy. However the toilet and bidet are crammed close together in a nook, which might be a problem if you have any physical impairments (knee problems or oversized). Although I have bad knees and handled it OK. there is a doorman/concierge which is helpful. the website is:

http://www.sleepinitaly.com/files/apt_giulia-gold.html
the bedroom is comfortable .

Somehow a sentence got left out of my post about Giulia gold. There is a doorman/concierge, who can be helpful in answering questions.

Thanks for all the suggestions, I am looking into them.

Anyone have thoughts on must see places and hotels as we leave Florence on 9/23/08 on the way to Rome via train/bus?

We just returned and stayed at an apartment in the middle of everything, just down the block from San Lorenzo market. They have a number of aparments, reasonably priced. Try sleepinginflorence.com.

Good luck.

Not sure if this will help you. We have stayed at the Hotel Porta Faenza in Florence and will be staying there again in October. It is close to the train station which is handy if using the train for daytrips etc. We emailed the hotel directly and they gave us a cheaper rate.
We will take daytrips to SG, Lucca, Siena and Pisa.
You can check Fodors and also tripadvisor for hotel reviews. This trip we are staying overnight in Assisi at Hotel Berti on our way to Rome. In Rome we stay at Hotel villa del Parco. We like the neighborhood where we can get the bus on the corner, there is a supermarket close by and a couple of nice neighborhood restaurants.
The bus goes directly to the Vatican and we have not had any problems with pickpockets etc. It is mostly people of the neighborhood going to work.

Is Orvieto an "overnight place" or day trip? We have 3.5 days to visit the area on our way to Rome via train.

What are recommendations for San G. and Orvieto stops?

Hi T,

>Is Orvieto an "overnight place" or day trip? We have 3.5 days to visit the area on our way to Rome via train. <

Definitely overnight.

What's your hotel budget?

Hotel budget is 2-300.00 +/- USD per night, is that doable?

Last year we stayed at De Mori B&B in the heart of Florence. It was centrally located, quiet and the rooms nice. We're staying there again when we go back in October. The only drawback is that they are on the second floor w/ no elevator. We figured that justified some extra gelato!

In Rome we liked B&B Fellini by the Trevi Fountain. We've stayed there twice now and would stay there again.

Hotel prices in Rome will be more than in Florence for a comparable room. You are also going during high season.

Enjoy the planning as well as the trip!

We also took our first trip to Italy last September. We loved Florence and the B&B where we stayed was very walkable to everything. The owners are very friendly, recommending restaurants and pointing you in the right direction. They also made reservations for us at the museums when we made our reservations. The Residenza Il Villio is rated #1 in small hotels, B&Bs in Florence. www.residenzailvillino.com A lovely breakfast was put out every morning and they even have two computers available for you to use free of charge. It is a beautiful place with a lovely courtyard and nice rooms. We would stay there again and recommend to anyone who asks.
Have a great trip!
We also took a day trip/cooking class in Tuscany with The Accidental Toursit. I would also recommend that if you want to see the countryside and enjoy wine tasting and italian cooking. www.accidentaltoursit.com

Sounds like an exciting and well
deserved vacation !
We really loved www.touristhouseghiberti.com in Florence. A lot of folks here also
like www.hotelcasciflorence.com.
Be sure to eat at www.ristorantelagiostra.it. This has
been our favorite meal so far in Italy. We have stayed in many hotels/apartments in Rome, and the place I liked the best has gotten poor reviews in the past. I was there 5 months ago, and I guess they have cleaned up their act. We really loved it and are returning
in November. Hotel Genio -- great
room,wonderful breakfast buffet, lovely rooftop terrace with lemon trees, nice lobby with computers, and best of all, right across from
Piazza Navona. Have fun