This is my first trip report for Fodor's, so bear with me. Here goes ...

Just got back last night from two weeks in Italy. My husband and I met up with my brother and my parents for part of the trip and travelled alone for the other part. We started in Venice. Three nights at the Pensione Accademia in the Dorsoduro section, which came highly recommended on this board and which we LOVED. Very pretty, if small, room, full of charm, lovely view of a small canal, very helpful, charming concierges, lovely garden out back, nice breakfast room with delicious cappucini. Just a pleasure.

As much as we loved the hotel, we did feel it was a little out of the way. While my brother and parents stayed at hotels that were more centrally located, my husband and I felt pretty far from the action where we were located. Of course, to some, that may be an asset. It was quiet, after all. But we wished we were a bit closer to the main sights.

Venice, of course, was magnificent. Our favorite city of the trip. The decaying glamour of the place took our breath away. And do take a gondola ride. We were a bit sheepish, fearing it was too touristy. But it was magical.

To be continued in a moment ...

Continuing ...

Leaving the riches, warmth and beauty of Venice, we drove (all five of us) to Tuscany for the next part of the trip. We rented a villa (through Villas and Apartments Abroad) on the Tenuta di Riseccoli wine and olive oil estate in Greve in Chianti. Heaven!

The villa was lovely -- an old farmhouse with all the atmospere you would want. Magnificent views. Canopy beds. Comfy couches. A beautiful pool, though it was way too cold for swimming. Nice bathrooms. Old stone floors and wood beamed ceilings, etc. etc. The owners of the estate are a charming old couple who were nice enough to have our family over for drinks one night. We really enjoyed meeting them, and they imparted a certain old-world European glamour to the place. The rest of the staff was very helpful, too.

We hired a woman to cook dinner three nights for us at our villa, and this was one of the highlights of the trip. The meals were sumptuous, and not having to worry about finding out way back to the villa at night was worth the price!

From our base in Greve (which is a charming and lovely town -- an excellent base), we took day trips to Siena, Florence and San Gimignano. Loved all three (Siena especially). Our trip to Florence was badly planned (by us). We waited on line for FOUR HOURS to get into the Uffizzi Gallery, which nearly ruined the whole day for us. Nightmare. GET TICKETS AHEAD OF TIME AND AVOID THIS DISASTER! Of course the Botticellis at the Uffizzi and the David at the Accademia made all better.

We also took half a day to drive to the Prada outlet. Difficult to find but worth it!

Continuing ...

Continuing on now ...

We said good bye to my parents and brother after one week in Tuscany and contined on to Rome, the final stop of our trip.

Rome, as everyone knows, is glamorous, impressive, fascinating, fast-paced, surprising and more. We loved it, though by this point in the trip we were already beginning to yearn for home. The ancient ruins were extraordinary. The magnificent art in the Vatican was breathtaking. We took in many beautiful churches, stood beaming in front of the Trevi Fountain, strolled through the Piazza Navona, marvelled at the scene at the Spanish Steps. Rome was wonderful.

Not wonderful, however, was our hotel. Cesari comes highly recommended on this board, but WE HATED IT. Our room was charmless, and it smelled. Nearly everyone working there was obnoxious. And we had BUGS in our bathroom, coming out of a drain in the sink, which we complained about to several people, none of whom seemed at all concerned or eager to help us.

I know many people on this board love Cesari, but frankly I just don't see what there is to love about this place. The location, yes, was ideal -- right near the Pantheon. But this hotel was a great disappointment. Think twice before you book this place.

So, that was our trip. An amazing two weeks. I hope this report was helpful.

Hi brook,

Thanks for sharing.

What was the cost for the cook?
Did you plan the menus with her?
Who did the shopping?
Who did the dishes?

Thanks for the Cesari review , it was on our shortlist of 3 hotels to book for next summer. Did you train or drive into Rome?

Thanks for your report brooksari.
Do you know if the estate near Greve, Tenuta di Riseccoli, gives tours of their winery and olive groves to people not staying there? How did you get in touch with them?

Hi all,

In answer to your questions:

We paid the cook, I believe, $100 per dinner. We did not plan any of the meals with her; we left it all to her discretion, and she did not disappoint. Amazing roast chicken one night, delicious spinach ravioli, a great roast another night. Lots of courses, yummy dessert. Amazing. We booked her through the estate we were staying on. (She is a housekeeper on the estate.) She did the shopping. She did most of the dishes, though we told her not to stay until we were done eating, so we did all the final dishes ourselves.

To get to Rome, we took a bus from Greve to Florence, and then a Eurostar train to Rome. Very easy train ride.

I don't actually know if Riseccoli gives tours to people not staying on the estate. They are a pretty small operation, compared to other giant estates in Chianti. But the grounds were certainly lovely, so it'd be worth a try. To book the villa, we went through Villas and Apartments Abroad, and actually did the whole thing via e-mail. Very convenient.

We did take a tour and winetasting of another area estate -- Villa Vignamaggio, I believe it was called. Gorgeous. The estate is where 'Much Ado About Nothing' was filmed, and the woman who posed for the Mona Lisa grew up on the estate, which we all thought was really kind of thrilling. I would recommend that tour. The only thing -- The winetasting part of the tour was not particularly sophisticated. We literally just tasted the wines, with little explanation of what we were tasting. So if you are a very serious oenephile, this tour may not satisfy you.

I'm happy to answer any other questions. It was a great trip!

Thanks, brook

Thanks brooksari. I will check out Villa Vignamaggio. I'm not even looking for a wine tasting so much as a look at the winery operation and thr groves. None of us drink alcohol and I'm not going to start when I'm driving the hilly roads in Tuscany
I love the whole romance of wine and wine making even though I dont like the taste (sacrilege, I know, but I've been to some wine tastings in Napa and elsewhere, but truly don't like it ).
Thanks again.

thanks! I love these reports and really like the idea of hiring a cook. Had not thought of that! I don't understand how anyone can yearn for home. I love home but after 2 wks in Italy, DH adn I were considering staying on the train from CInque terre to Milan (to catch our fflight) and heading up into the Lakes or Switzerland. We just loved Italy!

I know it seems strange to yearn for home. Believe me, the trip was incredible. But after two weeks, I was ready to be home again. I guess I just really love New York!

brooksari -- do you have a web site for the villa in Tuscany? It sounds lovely. How close to Greve or a village is it -- within walking distance?

Can you tell us what room or what floor you were on at Cesari? It was a hotel we were considering booking and the other reviews are good so I hate to let one negative change my mind but would just stay away from that room if it was so bad.

brooksari, that estate you stayed on in Greve sounds wonderful! I looked up the website but all the listings are done by number, not estate name. Which one is yours? My parents' 50th wedding anniversary is coming up soon and they are confirmed Italy lovers--that estate might be just the thing for all the family to gather at (and the cook sounds like a treasure!).