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So glad I faced fear and went - just back from R, F, Tuscany, V - happy to answer ques

So glad I faced fear and went - just back from R, F, Tuscany, V - happy to answer ques

Old Oct 20th, 2001, 07:51 PM
  #1  
meg
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So glad I faced fear and went - just back from R, F, Tuscany, V - happy to answer ques

After 2 state dept warnings I was very scared to go, but decided to anyway. We left the day the bombing started. I couldnt have felt safer in Italy, and was so happy to be there as the anthrax began hitting my home town. Still I missed this country more than I thought I would. Reading USA Today felt sooo good, and once in a store they started playing American Pie and I had to leave bc I almost starting crying.

The only negative was my friend and I didnt get along so I ended up spending most days alone, but women traveling alone, dont worry. I did fine and had no problems. I only got semi lost once, had memorized enough Italian before going to ask directions when I needed to and never felt unsafe.

ROME
Wasnt as blown away by it as I thought I'd be; actually felt like I was in NY but w. smaller buildings. Many of the facades actually reminded me of New Orleans w. the dark shutters against pastels. The hardest thing was trying to cross the street. I would just wait for someone else and cross w. them, lol.

Hotel: Quirinale. Good location, around the block from a metro stop. Very nice hotel, only complaints: rude,unhelpful all male staff at desk and the front rooms are noisy. Also, the furniture shook when heavy traffic went by which was disturbing and woke me a few times. Felt like someone was sitting on my bed bouncing up and down!! Not sure if all rooms do this, I assume just the front ones. Great buffet breakfast - eggs,ham, cheese, fruits, cereals, yogurt. I got so spoiled.

Pickpokets/Gypsies: saw none, had no probs and we rode the subway 2x, once during rush hr. It's ugly, dirty and even more crowded than NY w. no AC, but otherwise easy to navigate. I never used my neck wallet. I kept a regular wallet in my bag, a Samsonite body bag that went across my body. It was perfect, even had a pocket for my water bottle. My friend carried one of those purses like a shopping bag thats totally open and had no probs.

Transport: usually could hail cabs from the street or took the metro. Didnt have a bus map so didnt use the buses.

Water: drank from the tap once and got horrid stomach cramps that day. Coincidence? (continued....)

 
Old Oct 20th, 2001, 07:53 PM
  #2  
meg
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Clothing: I dont know who started the rumor/myth that Europeans dress better than we do. W. rare exception, I wasnt able to pick the americans out till they spoke, 9 x out of 10 the jeans/white sneaker wearing folks were French. Still, jeans and sneakers were rare. If you wear jeans, make them black or dark indigo, and make the sneakers dark as well. I would see a woman I'd swear was from trailer park USA only to hear her speak German or French. And I saw many European women dressed in such as way that if they were American well, you pick the word- here's an example: black jeans w. the cuffs rolled half up the calf, elf-looking booties, aqua colored polyester halter top w. clear bra straps showing, denim jacket w. really tacky fake fur trim. plastic purse.

Looking American: I was asked by 5 Italians if i was a native italian, amazing since I have no Italian heritage at all. ONe man's second guess was french. They'd ask me in Italian and I'd say no. Then when I said I couldnt understand everything they were saying, theyd say in English "student? oh visiting?" I was never prouder to tell them American, from New York. (I gotta work on that French thing. I'm clearly doing something horribly wrong ) All seemed thrilled to be in the company of someone from NY. One said, 'oh New York? Well, WHATS UP?!' LOL I dressed like I do in NY, minus the jeans. I had a dressy pair of dark grey pants designed like cargo pants w. a pocket on each thigh, a white or black tshirt and black cardigan around my shoulders, and thick black Ralph Lauren shades. I had techno, Swedish style sneakers, black w. grey soles and rubber nubbins on the soles to look like cleats. Very good for walking. I was thrilled to fit in so well, it made me feel safer.

Pollution: no worse than NY.

110 bus tour - highly recommend. You can stay on as we did or hop on and off your choice, same price. Lasts 1.5 hrs. Can also use it as your main means of transport for sightseeing.

Sistine: (major walk to the chapel, hot crowded and stuffy at times) but probably the only thing in Rome that really did blow my mind.

St. Peters (line for the elevator to the top didnt move so we skipped it)

Colosseum - inside is skippable IMO

Forum - a bit of a trek to do the whole thing and very little shade but worth it. I started at the hill by the Capitoline Museum, bc from here you get a great view of the whole thing from above so you can pick and choose what you want to explore before starting out.

Rome by night tour - did Greenline's tour, very good, ended at Piazza Navona, 2 hrs long. This plus the 110 will pretty much show you everything you'd want to see from the outside.

Chiesa dell Immaculota Concezione - ok so 2 things blew my mind. This crypt w. bones arranged in different patterns was amazing and creepy as hell. You have humps in the dirt floor marking each grave, and bones on the ceiling & walls, along w. the skeletons of several monks in their robes. Unfortunately for my friends, no pics were allowed (continued...)
 
Old Oct 20th, 2001, 07:53 PM
  #3  
Emperor's
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Fascinating report!


P.S. When in word, click on "Edit," then choose "copy," then minimize page. Then go to Fodors, fill out what you need to do a "reply" and then go to "Edit" again, and this time click on"paste." Just "copy" and "paste" part of your Word doc each time insted of the whole thing.
 
Old Oct 20th, 2001, 07:54 PM
  #4  
meg
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Florence:
My least fave place, only bc i got tired of grey, beige and stone. And night was very creepy. Many deserted dark streets; I felt like I was in a jack the ripper movie. Just too stuck in the midieval past for my taste. Still I loved the smallness and walkability of it, and the streets are arranged more sanely than Rome. The view of the river from our hotel was terrific, and the churches were all stunning.

Hotel: Plaza Lucchesi. Highly recommend; no complaints. Friendly helpful male and female staff. Buffet breakfast was good, only they make u pay extra for the eggs.

Over 400 step climb to top of Duomo: if you're a view freak like me do it, but be warned, its a bitch of a climb! I thought the old lady in front of of was going to pass out. Most peoples faces were red by the time they got to the top.

Piazzale Michelangelo - across the arno opposite our hotel. Again, great view, a must see at sunset IMO.

Uffizi - I spent one hr here but then I can only take so much of museums. I went knowing I'd focus on a few artists, ie Rafael, as opposed to trying to see it all. I made reservations the same day I went.

David - this was the mindblower in Florence. There was no line.

Open air leather market - not good quality but still fun, if for no other reason than being flirted w. by the vendors. I found a great, funky purse there w. a chinese design embroidered on it, priced much lower than in US for an all leather bag.

Sienna/San Gimignano - Did an all-day bus tour of these, and went through Chianti as well. I used CAF tours, and our guide was pretty slack. You might want to make another choice (Italiatour has one as well). Still I loved it. Everything I saw was beautiful. Got a 2 hr walking tour in Sienna by a very passionate native of Sienna. She was so good and knowledgeable. We also had time on our own to shop or eat.

Fiesole - highly recommend for dinner, for the view alone. Take #7bus to last stop. We ate at the restaurant right at the bus stop w. a great view of the lights of Florence from our table.

(continued one more
 
Old Oct 20th, 2001, 07:55 PM
  #5  
emperor
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Sorry, posted the above BEFORE I actually saw your report. Obviously you've figured out how to post it. I would delete my comment above if i could but I can't so I won't. I didn't read your postings yet.
 
Old Oct 20th, 2001, 07:56 PM
  #6  
meg
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Venice:
My personal fave, though it got old after 3 days (and I was there for 4). Walking through mazes of narrow streets that all begin to look alike, still every view was beautiful it just got a bit claustrophobic.

Smoke: This was the only place where it bothered me, bc of the narrow streets. Otherwise I was no more bothered by it than I am in NY, and I didnt smell it at all in any hotel. I had taken a list of non smoking restaurants but never used it and Im allergic. Still I wonder what the cancer rate is in Italy?

Hotel: Carlton Exec. It sucks. It was all I could get bc we postponed our trip from Sept. Tiny room, and seemed like an attic, dirty in a musty old way, not a filty way. Windows didnt lock or completely close, carpet in halls needed repair. View of canal was okay but looking at the train station was not. Breakfast wasnt much better - they premixed the eggs w. ham, not good for vegetarians and they were amazingly runny. Luckily they had hard boiled eggs too. Desk staff was aloof. Why this place is 4 star is beyond me.

Vaporettos - very easy once you get the hang of the system, took a good 20-30 min to reach San Marco from our hotel but so what, the ride is half the fun.

Lido: Quaint but the beach is hideous and trashy. Nothing special and utterly skippable. Water was freezing.

Tour of Murano, Burano, Torcello - Murano has all the beauty and charm of Newark. Only go if you're reaaaaaally into glass blowing. Burano was sooo quaint w. the crayola colors, but I liked Torcello best. Very serene, very spiritual place, beautiful church and surrounding grounds. Great place to meditate.

Ducale - don't skip the prison.
My only complaint about Italy - I didnt have a really good meal the entire trip. I went to expensive and cheap restaurants, I went to ones recommended by books and ones I just found bc i was exhausted. I had 2 good meals, but still Ive had much better in NY. Pizza was bland and I had A LOT of pizza. Gelato - dont get it. Ben and Jerry's is just as good. Many meals were bland and a few were downright bad. One wasnt even warm! EVen the 2 desserts I had were bad. Very sad indeed. If I see a plate of pasta or pizza again in the next 6 months it'll be too soon!


 
Old Oct 20th, 2001, 07:57 PM
  #7  
hmmm
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What do they do w. their sewage in Venice? Is the ticket system basically an honor system, bc at not time did anyone check anyone's ticket on any vaporetto that I rode. Whats to stop you from not paying or not stamping?!
Why don't they cut the pizza's?
Why can't they find the soft toilet paper?
 
Old Oct 20th, 2001, 08:09 PM
  #8  
loveithere
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Great report Meg - I also want to add that it really is true how the more you travel the more you appreciate the US. There's just something about touching down in this country that nothing else comes close to. Italy was fun and pretty but after 2 weeks I was ready for cable, pizzas that arrive at my table pre cut, and toilets higher than a foot off the ground. NY may be gritty and dangerous right now, and most of the blgs aren't as pretty as Rome's, but it's got SOUL.
 
Old Oct 20th, 2001, 08:36 PM
  #9  
claire
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how big a bag did you take?
 
Old Oct 20th, 2001, 08:37 PM
  #10  
meg
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I'm not a high maintenence chick; I took one rolling duffel small enough to make Alitalia's carry on requirements but it didnt meet the weight requirement so I checked it. I was so glad I packed light in Venice bc our hotel is right over the bridge from the station.
 
Old Oct 20th, 2001, 09:08 PM
  #11  
scooter
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Meg, a New Yorker, for sure. Your trip report gave me a chuckle. I think you enjoyed your trip ??? My perspective on Italy certainly differs from yours. You do have a 'tell it like it is' style and I appreciate the candor.
 
Old Oct 21st, 2001, 03:13 PM
  #12  
guilty
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What can I say scooter, i love the US. The only place ive ever been where I didnt miss it was the Caymans.

Still the food thing really disappointed me.
also FYI I wasnt born in NY i just live here.
 
Old Oct 22nd, 2001, 11:02 AM
  #13  
samehere
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I didnt like the food either. Interesting. Guess we went to the wrong places.
 
Old Oct 22nd, 2001, 11:17 AM
  #14  
Patti
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I can commiserate with your friend. You sound very shallow and/or very young. Have you no appreciation for, say, history? I wouldn't want to travel with you to Europe either.
 
Old Oct 22nd, 2001, 11:21 AM
  #15  
cj
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Great report, that is where I was suppose to be right now. I am the person who chose to stay in New York State and listen to the Amthrax scares. For my own sanity I made the right choice but am so glad to hear about your trip.

We have been to Rome before and did not eat at a tourist place. We found a little place on a side street (One of thousands) and had an awesome meal. I am of Italian Decent and critical of the food. I have to agree with pizza - to be honest - I think its an american thing. So how was New York when you came back? We are in the process of rescheduling now. Chow
 
Old Oct 22nd, 2001, 12:14 PM
  #16  
topper
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ttt
 

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