Travel experts, I need your help. Honeymoon in Italy: What are the musts for Amalfi Coast? Rome? Rent a sailboat? Buy Italian pottery? Go to the opera in Rome?
 

Hi,<BR>I'm going to Venice, Rome and the Amalfi coast for 2 weeks in August. I have an idea of which restaurants to go to (although if you have any favorities in these cities/towns, I'd love to hear 'em). But I wondered what 'special' things we could do; ie, rent a sailboat, or have someone sail us around in Amalfi. Get tickets to the opera in Rome? I'd love to hear any suggestions. I don't want to be a typical tourist, I really want to get the feeling of Italy. I just read "As the Romans Do" by Alan Epstein and loved it. I want that experience!

We spent our honeymoon in Venice, Rome and the Amalfi coast. My favorites were wandering around Venice, where we found wonderful food at Corta Sconta. It rained quite a bit in Rome. The Amalfi coast is lovely but do go off season if you can (we were there in May). Ravello is the most brealthtaking place on the coast--don't miss the 2 stunning gardens there. I think we'd stay here if we returned: Also, a day trip to Capri was not enough; we would have stayed at least 2 days if we had to do it again. Avoid Capri town the back roads are far more beautiful. Feel free to send mail if you have specific questions. Have fun!

Hello Molly,<BR><BR>Here are a few websites for boat hire / excursions on the Amalfi Coast:-<BR><BR>www.amalfisails.it/index1.html<BR>www.lucibello.it<BR>www.bludream.it <BR>www.starnet.it/ornsay<BR>www.syrene.it/gennaroesalvatore<BR>www.coopsantandrea.it<BR>www. mitopositano.it/barca.htm<BR>www.nolobarchesaturno.com<BR><BR>Hope this helps ...<BR><BR>Steve

I can recommend a terrific little hotel in Praino, which is just a few miles south of Positano, but much more scenic and not so congested. It's the Le Fioriere at Via Nazionale 138. Tel. 089 874203. Very helpful owners.

Hi Molly,<BR><BR>I returned from Venice, Florence and the Amalfi Coast in April and shared my travelogue with great sightseeing, shopping and dining tips. You can go to it by typing in "kiki" into the search box and scrolling down to the large message. FYI, the restaurant La Strada in Priano is also excellent - it just opened and the chef came from Palazzo Murat in Positano, but La Strada's service was fantastic and the cuisine outstanding, plus 1/2 the price of Murat.<BR><BR>Have fun!

Hi,<BR>I just came back from my honeymoon on Capri, Florence and Venice. Capri was our absolute favorite. We stayed there for 5 nights and had the best time. Took a day trip to Sorrento and Positano. I have friends who went to Capri as a day trip and didn't like it. The best time on Capri is when the last hydrofoil takes the day trippers back to Naples. We also likes Florence a lot. We weren't crazy about Venice but a lot had to do with the fact that is was in the 90's plus extreme humidity. The canals were very unique but we stayed there for 3 nights and that was too much. Florence has a lot more to offer. Hope this helps...

Kim,<BR> No matter how many people tell others not to travel to Italy in the summer, people continue to go. It is very hot and humid. I hope you can go back to Venice in the fall months sometime when it is heaven on earth.<BR> Jackie

Hi Jackie,<BR><BR>My point about Venice was not not to go there. My point was that the reason we weren't crazy about it was the extreme hot weather. The Italians that we spoke with said it was unusually hot for the middle of June. They are in a heat wave. A friend of mine was there the weak before I was and had cool and rainy weather. So it just depends on when you go.

Hi Molly;<BR>a honeymoon in Italy... You can not go wrong where ever you choose; but I will suggest you do the Amalfi coast and Capri at the end of your honeymoon. It's a geat place to relax after all the stimulation of the bigger cities.I have stayed at the Luna in Capri and I agree with whoever said that Capri is best a night. I liked the Luna alot it is a 4 star with a pool; but it's only worth it if you stay in one of the deluxe rooms.<BR> There is a geat book called Hip Hotels Italy there is a feature of a hotel in Ravello that I want to stay in for my honeymoon; next year. Check it out for fun it will give you some inspiration. It also has features in all the major cities and regions of Italy.<BR>La Dolce Italy!<BR>Sherri Kardell

Molly,<BR><BR>Would HIGHLY recommend buying spaghetti bowls, platter etc. from Vietri, Italy (on the Amalfi coast). Mine have individual recipes for spaghetti (in Italian of course) on each one. I always smile when I use them, remembering how I adore the Coast! Good luck.<BR><BR>Laura

Yes, it will be hot, but just wear what you want and try to drink lots of water and stay comfortable. I found linen to be the coolest and lots of Italian women wear it also. In Rome be sure to wonder around some of the small streets at night. Rick Steves has a night walk in his Italy 2002 book that we enjoyed. We ate at La Tartaruga and thought the food and atmosphere was excellent.<BR>You can wear what you want in Venice, it is FULL of tourists and it was hot and humid when we were there. We ate at a nice little restaurant on a small canal with outdoor seating called da Raffaele. It's expensive but worth it!<BR>Too bad you are not visiting Florence as it was beautiful and that is where we had the best food in Italy. Have a great honeymoon.

Molly,<BR><BR>My H and I spent part the first few days after our wedding in Rome. It was early June and very hot so we spent a lot of time in outdoor cafes drinking Italian wine and talking about our future together. We especially loved the Via Veneto - which is probably touristy but absolutely beautiful. The Excelsior Hotel has a beautiful sidewalk cafe where you can have a drink and munch on little hors d'oeuvres (they provide them pretty much at every bar/cafe).<BR><BR>Also, make sure you drink Bellinis (Champagne and Peach Nectar).

Molly,<BR><BR>I found the most unique Italian pottery at a shoppe in Positano. Just exquisite work and the colors were just so unusual. I wrote up the details (name, location, etc) in my travelogue that I posted a month or so ago. If interested, type in "kiki" and look for the posting with alot of replies. <BR>Have fun!<BR>

I agree with others that you definitely picked the perfect place for a honeymoon. I must say that Venice if very romantic and is so magical. You may definitely want to consider taking a tour so you can really appreciate the history of the city. I took a tour of the Grand Canal with Venice Walks and Tours. This tour gives you a birds eye view of the beautiful palaces. Our guide, Jayne, also made the tour interesting by telling us interesting anecdotes about Venice life in the past and in the present. I also liked the tour because it is only an hour and a half so you still have plenty of time to explore on your own. <BR>They also offer walking tours of Venice. So, you may want to check them out (www.venicewalksandtours.com). They are very affordable.

Italy will be a wonderful romantic honeymoon - and each area you go to has a different character and attractions. I strongly concur with the above poster who said to work your way down, and start with Venice, then Roma, then the Amalfi Coast. Venice is great for wandering around and getting lost and just soaking up the atmosphere and the texture of light. Rome is much more about ancient history and outdoor cafes (Colosseum, Pantheon, fountains, churches, Sistine Chapel, Villa Borghese, etc...)(BTW, there is a great restaurant in the Campo di Fiori, at the top of the square on your right as you enter from Piazza Navona called La Carbonara - an institution with really good antipasti, nice service - even with all the tourists! - and a great location to watch the goings on in the square) <BR>The Amalfi coast is wonderful as well, but for different reasons - wild coastal Mediterranean beauty. I know many people like Positano, but my husband and I (and many of my friends) think it is too touristy and too many buses driving through. It really depends on what you want and what you can afford to spend. If you can afford La Sireneuse and all the trappings, it will be wonderful. If not, and if you want fabulous romantic magical views, a lovely village, great restaurants, away from the madding crowd, and more reasonable, try Ravello. Less hot, less crowded and lovely. It's fairly easy to get down to the sea, and wonderful to stay up on the cliffs looking down onto the bays on either side. Utterly romantic! It's where Greta Garbo escaped to... I sent one of my work colleagues there recently on his honeymoon, and he loved it. If you do go that far South, make sure to visit Pompeii (and the Archeological Museum in Naples) on your way to the Amalfi Coast!<BR>As for shopping, there will be wonderful shopping everywhere you go... Just remember the old travelers' adage - If you see something and you love it, buy it then, because you won't find it again and you will regret not getting it! Many congratulations and many happy returns! Buona fortuna et un bel soggiorno a l'Italia!

ttt

GREAT advice. thanks to each and everyone of you. I'm printing this out and bringing it w/ me.

Four words of advice:<BR>Contact Bob the Nav.

Molly, Summer evenings in Italy are magical (not to mention much cooler than daytime). So eat late (9:30 or 10 is good), always outdoors, and choose picturesque spots to do this. You won't have a problem finding them. Save indoor restaurants for lunch on boiling hot days, or for a future trip to Italy in fall or winter. Same for concerts or operas. Do a little research ahead of time, and try to get tickets to anything outdoors. A boat of any sort is a wonderful idea, as it will allow you to explore the little hidden coves along the coast and swim off shore in cleaner, clearer water.