Trip Report: Family of 4 enjoys "La Dolce Vita" for 2 weeks
Apr 13th, 2005, 03:01 PM
#21
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i see your family took several tours with context rome. our family is going to italy next week- do you think the tours were worth it? they are quite expensive compared to other tours. if you could do only one with them which would it be? how much were the private tours? my kids are your age
beth
beth
Apr 13th, 2005, 10:05 PM
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Carmen & 4Bams: Both our Vatican and Rome Antica(Forum, Colesseum, etc.) tours with Context Rome were private so were limited just to the four of us. They were 300 euros each and were set to last 4 hours. (They charge 60 euros for the regular 4 hour tour so with four of us the private tour was an extra 60 euros). The Rome Antica one went for about 4.5 hours. The Vatican tour we extended that day to include Castle St. Angelo so was about 6 hours and they billed us for the extra hours.
We thoroughly enjoyed both tours, although I think our Vatican tour guide was better with the kids. Her name is Sara Yeoman (she can do other tours as well.) We chose Context Rome due to the high praises received here and were not disappointed. The details they gave us were fascinating, and they were always able to answer our many questions, which was invaluable.
The private tour was really helpful for us due to the kids. We were able to change our itinerary midstream (i.e. we decided to skip Palatine Hill and go to St. Peter's in Chains instead, and went into the Mammertime Prison), and we were able to stop and eat when the kids got hungry.
There are many other tour companies that are less expensive and still highly rated on this board. My only suggestion is that you find out what the maximum number of people is. Following one of the tour guides holding up the umbrella, flower or whatever, walking around with 15-20 people will NOT keep your kids engaged. We chose to go with the private tour as we wanted to be sure it was a good experience for the kids as well as us (frankly my husband & I weren't interested in being herded around either). We would definitely do a Context Rome tour again.
Carmen - tell your daughter she will be in touristy areas on these tours, so it is a bit hard to avoid looking like a tourist, but in a smaller group she will truly feel privileged. Especially when you notice all the people trying to eavesdrop on your tour! She will thank you for not putting her in one of those large tours!
4bams - if I had to pick only one tour to have the tour guide I would have to say the Rome Antica. Our 4.5 hr. tour included Colesseum, Forum, Domus Aurea (Nero's Golden House), St. Peter's in Chains, Mammertime Prison and Pantheon. The reason we chose to skip Palatine Hill is because we felt the kids had gotten their fill of Roman ruins and the church and prison turned out to be the perfect diversions.
We thoroughly enjoyed both tours, although I think our Vatican tour guide was better with the kids. Her name is Sara Yeoman (she can do other tours as well.) We chose Context Rome due to the high praises received here and were not disappointed. The details they gave us were fascinating, and they were always able to answer our many questions, which was invaluable.
The private tour was really helpful for us due to the kids. We were able to change our itinerary midstream (i.e. we decided to skip Palatine Hill and go to St. Peter's in Chains instead, and went into the Mammertime Prison), and we were able to stop and eat when the kids got hungry.
There are many other tour companies that are less expensive and still highly rated on this board. My only suggestion is that you find out what the maximum number of people is. Following one of the tour guides holding up the umbrella, flower or whatever, walking around with 15-20 people will NOT keep your kids engaged. We chose to go with the private tour as we wanted to be sure it was a good experience for the kids as well as us (frankly my husband & I weren't interested in being herded around either). We would definitely do a Context Rome tour again.
Carmen - tell your daughter she will be in touristy areas on these tours, so it is a bit hard to avoid looking like a tourist, but in a smaller group she will truly feel privileged. Especially when you notice all the people trying to eavesdrop on your tour! She will thank you for not putting her in one of those large tours!
4bams - if I had to pick only one tour to have the tour guide I would have to say the Rome Antica. Our 4.5 hr. tour included Colesseum, Forum, Domus Aurea (Nero's Golden House), St. Peter's in Chains, Mammertime Prison and Pantheon. The reason we chose to skip Palatine Hill is because we felt the kids had gotten their fill of Roman ruins and the church and prison turned out to be the perfect diversions.
Apr 13th, 2005, 10:51 PM
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I'm loving reading your report. You have a very engaging style and it is great fun to read. My favorite part, so far, is your description of how the taxi driver dictated which catacomb you toured and where you were dropped off. This kind of thing happens to me so often when traveling, I just had to laugh. It's all part of the wonder of travel, isn't it?!
Apr 14th, 2005, 01:38 PM
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thanks for your tour advice/reply. It was great to read about a family with similarly aged kids who just got back from a place we are going next week! I have written down your restaurant picks as well. Our trip is a bit different in that we are doing anacapri and pompeii for the kids as well, but your trip sound amazing
Apr 14th, 2005, 01:52 PM
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Thank you all for your patience. Her is the third and final installment - Florence:
Our train ride is about 3 hours. Quiet and relaxing. We are debating whether to take a taxi or not as our hotel appears not too far from the train station, but at the last minute we opt for the taxi. We don’t mind finding our way with a map, but with luggage, kids, etc. the taxi seems like a good idea. We arrive at our place The Tourist House Ghiberti B&B. It is a smaller establishment, I believe they only have 5 or 6 rooms, on the 1st floor (2nd in US) of an apartment building. We are greeted by Claudio the proprietor. Not the overwhelming, effervescent greeting we received in Venice, but that was unique. We have two rooms again, which are really quite large, and the bathrooms are also very big. Definitely the nicest bathrooms, with a tub and nice tile work. We are right across from the hospital, but as long as the windows are closed we hear no noise. (for summer travelers they do have air conditioning). They also have a computer with internet access in every room. This was very handy and really appreciated. I believe Claudio said they have some form of satellite tv as well, but we never turned it on.
We go for a late lunch at a little Trattoria on San Lorenzo, walk around for a bit and locate Vivoli gelateria (Via isola delle stinche 7)for our first taste of gelato in Florence. It is very crowded, definitely have the best giandua so far. We head back to the room. DH & DS stay to rest. DD & I head to the market stalls and stores in Campo San Lorenzo.
For dinner we eat at Trattoria Roberto on Via Castellini near the Uffizi. It was quite good. We feel as though we are really getting spoiled with such great food everywhere! We share bruschetta pomodoro, caprese & pomodoro, pasta di mare and bistecca. The bistecca had a wonderful flavor.
We head out to try a new gelato place, but turns out they close early on Tues. nights. Head back to Vivoli’s for our gelato nightcap, then head to the B&B.
We find Florence a little bit more difficult to navigate than Rome, just because the streets are longer and wider so the cars are bigger and go a little faster.
Wed. 3/23/05
Wake up and enjoy breakfast. The breakfast here is similar to the one at the Cesari in Rome. Today we are going to visit the La Marzocco espresso machine factory. DH is ordering some equipment from them, and when his Seattle rep. found out we would be in Florence she set up a meeting for us. We take the bus out to Pian San Bartolo. It is about 20-30 minutes outside of the city in a small area called Cercina. We are greeted warmly by Ron, the President. He is an enjoyable and gracious host. DH is completely in his element, fascinated by seeing the inner workings of the machines. He asks the production manager many technical questions about the features. This is a small factory about 30 total employees where everything is done by hand.
After our tour Ron and Claire, who I believe is the VP of marketing take us to the most incredible lunch. We drive out another 10-15 minutes to a restaurant called I Ricchi (Via della Docciola 14 in Cercina). We sit with a stunning view of the countryside. Ron orders for us all. First the antipasti – bresola, proscuitto and lard (yes it is lard!), fried polenta with a mushroom pate, crostini with liver pate, and little fried bread balls that you eat with a soft goat cheese. Now, we prefer our polenta creamy rather than fried, but this was the best fried polenta ever! We are then served a plate of fried vegetables, and a plate of astounding sausage and ribs. Lastly, the centerpiece of the meal - the bistecca. (Now this was true Florentine bistecca). The waiter had brought it to our table earlier when it was uncooked for Ron to inspect, it is atleast 4 if not 5 fingers thick. It is cooked very rare (which works for us as we like our meat on the rarer side). It is heavenly with a wonderful flavor. We are all completely stuffed! Head back to the factory for espresso and La Marzocco goodie bags!. Then Ron drives us back into Florence just in time for our 4:00 reservation at the Accadamia.
We are all awed by the David. (okay, maybe DH and I more so than the kids). I just want to interject here that if you are going to Rome and Florence you MUST read Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone. It is a historical fiction novel about Michelangelo and will give you a much deeper understanding and incredible insight into his work. There were also several other unfinished works of Michelangelo there. Oddly there was some very modern art scattered throughout the museum that did not seem to go with the rest of the collections.
We stop at Carabe (Via Ricasoli, 60) known for it’s granita, and enjoy incredible tasting fruit granitas. Probably even more enjoyable on a warm summer day! Boys go back to the hotel to rest, while DD and I hit the main shopping streets from the Duomo to the Ponte Vecchio.
We head back to the rooms, I am exhausted as I didn’t get my rest, and still full from lunch, but the boys are ready to eat. We have a reservation at Buco Marios (Piazza Ottaviani, 16r). It is a very large restaurant with many different rooms. We all agree to have a very light dinner. We order cannelloni fagioli with olive oil, fried artichokes, caprese and proscuitto e melone. Everything was quite good, the melon being excellent. We head to Perche No! (Why Not!) for gelato which had been closed the night before. I deem it some of the best hazelnut (nocciola) gelato.
Wed. 3/24/05
We have a 9:00am reservation at the Uffizi. We are so thankful once again that we have a reservation as the line is already winding through the interior courtyard. I had photocopied pages from Rick Steve’s book on the guide to the Uffizi. It worked out quite well. It took us from the medieval period to the high renaissance period picking out select paintings to discuss. DD enjoyed reading the information. DS would read the information sometimes, but always enjoyed helping us find the picture we were looking for in the room. I would definitely do this method again, only I would make a copy for each family member so we would not all have to read off the same sheet. It discussed how art changed from one period to another. In addition, the kids learned what a Pieta, Madonna & child, Annunciation, Adoration of the Magi and Holy family paintings are. Yes, we missed some art, but the kids had a good experience and I would do it that way again.
It is just starting to sprinkle, and then the rain really starts to come down. (the first and only rain of the trip!) We duck in to the Nuovo Mercato and shop for leather goods. By the time we are done the rain has stopped.
We walk across the Ponte Vecchio, and decide we are hungry. We had not planned where to eat for lunch so stop in at the Golden View Open Bar Ristorante (Via dei Bardi 58r). Yes, it looks like a tourist restaurant – right along the Arno with a nice view of the Ponte Vecchio. However, the food is good and not expensive. DH has caprese with delicious tomatoes and a mussel soup. DD and I split bruschetta mozzarella with pomodoro and risotto with gamberi (4 EXTREMLEY large prawns), DS has a proscuitto pizza.
We walk back over to the Duomo and go inside. The inside is quite stark compared to the designs and color on the outside. Michael lights candles for Nonna and Poppa.
The boys go back to rest, DD and I head to Zara(a clothing store) in Piazza Repubblica. Everyone in the city is carrying a bag from Zara and we need to find out why! We see why when we get there. The store is packed, has stylish clothes at reasonable prices.
Back to the hotel to freshen up before dinner. We have a reservation at Il Ritrovo (Via de Pucci). It is highly recommended on both Slow Travel and Fodors. It is a wonderful restaurant run completely by the husband and wife. Marco explains that his Mom and Dad come in early in the morning to help him with the prep work before lunch, which is his busiest time as he is located in a government building. She does not speak English so will only ask what kind of water you want, but waits for Marco to take our order. She is very charming. We order a house antipasti which includes – salami, bresolo with cheese – wonderful! cheese biscuits, crostini with spinach pate and cucumber. We also order proscuitto with melon , cannelloni fagioli with sage and garlic ( DD has found she really enjoys the cannelloni beans), and caprese. Then we order the filleto with mustard sauce to share. Everything is excellent. I have the chocolate soufflé with crème anglaise which is very good. We try to make it to Carabe as DS is craving the granita, but when we get there they are closed.
Friday 3/25/05
Our last day in Italy. We take the 10:10am bus to Siena. It is an easy and nice 1 hour and 15 minute drive. We just walk around exploring. We already notice that we prefer Siena to Florence (perhaps not a fair comparison as Siena is larger than I was expecting but clearly smaller than Florence). However, we like the cool streets and little traffic. The campo is stunning and I can only imagine what the city is like during the Palio.
We eat at a little restaurant called La Torre. We had read about it somewhere but didn’t have an address. We just happened to walk by it so were pleased it was a familiar name.
If you are standing in the Campo facing the tower, just to the left of the tower is a street. It is down that street a short way on your left. There is no menu and they only speak Italian. While this may have been difficult our first day in Italy, we are now 2 week seasoned travelers so we are up to the challenge. The “Poppa” comes over and recites the primi – basically a long list of different pastas. We can do that. DH orders the ravioli, me the tortellini, DD the gnocchi and DS spaghetti. We have no idea what is in the ravioli or what kind of sauce we will have, but when everything arrives it is fabulous. It is all served with a delicious Bolognese sauce. DH says it is the best ravioli he has had ever!! We are done with the pasta and “Poppa” comes by again and starts reciting. We pick up on “pollo”, “pesce”, and “osso bucco”. We chose osso bucco and insalata mista to share. The osso bucco is incredible. Also the best we have had – ever. So incredibly tender, cooked in a wonderful sauce. We had noticed another table eating something out of a frozen lemon. The kids each order one, it is a cool presentation. Lemon sorbet served in a hollowed out frozen lemon. The kids dub it best limone sorbet in Italy. DH & I order the tiramisu to share. Unfortunately they serve us a prepackaged dessert – a real disappointment, but the only one of the meal. In order to get your bill you go up to the counter and you go over with Poppa what you ordered and he adds it up. This is a wonderful restaurant. The kitchen is VERY open to the seating area so you can see the two cooks at work. And all the freshly made pasta is lined up on tables near the front as the waitress hand cuts it when not busy. When we first arrived, we were definitely the only tourists in there, although a group of two Americans arrived just as we were leaving.
We head over to the church. The first church we have to pay to enter (3 euros each – the kids are free). It is really interesting. Black and white horizontal stripes everywhere and beautiful stained glass windows. We would have liked to stay longer in Siena, but want to get back to pack a bit before dinner. So we take the 3:10 bus home. I think we would definitely enjoy staying in Siena for a night or two or possibly using it as a base to visit more in Tuscany in the future.
We get back to Florence and I realize I haven’t bought the leather gloves I had wanted and I had promised my Mom I would get a pair for her. We head over across the Ponte Vecchio to a famous glove store – floor to ceiling gloves, but frankly more than I want to spend. Stpehen says he has heard that Santa Croce has good leather shopping as well, so we head over there. By this time it is almost 6:00pm and some stores are beginning to close. Clearly though this area has the best selection of leather goods stores. (Much better than San Lorenzo and Mercado Nuovo – all those stores and stalls tended to have the same items. In Santa Croce we notice more unique products). In our third store I find nice gloves and DH actually buys a leather jacket. DD was convinced they wouldn’t let us go without buying one but DH kept bargaining until he got the price he wanted. By now it is 7:15 and we have a 7:30 reservation at Il Ritrovo so we hurry over.
I think they are truly pleased to have us return. The wife is more comfortable now serving us and takes our order. She then returns with a bottle of champagne and asks “Bambini?” wanting to know if the kids can have some too. Well, it is our last night – let them celebrate a little. DS thinks this is SOOOOOO cool! (When he returns to school and is asked to say what he liked best about his spring vacation he of course announces to the class “ Drinking champagne!!!”) We have proscuitto et melone, carpaccio, crostini and bruschetta, and caprese. Then we order bistecca to share. Everything is wonderful again, however, we must admit the bistecca at I Ricci is still unsurpassed. Marco comes out and chats with us. Explains that he can trace back his family to the 1300’s when they were butchers on the Ponte Vecchio. (I had just read earlier in the week how the Ponte Vecchio used to have all the butchers, but the leaders of the town had kicked them out because they were polluting the Arno – they just threw their scraps into the river, and they got the jewelers to start moving in). Anyway, it was very interesting to have that tidbit come full circle.
We head to Perche No! for our last Italian gelato – boy do we savor this one. Go back to the hotel to pack and go to bed.
Sat. 3/26/05
Wake up about 6:00am for our 9:45am flight from Florence to Frankfurt. Then Frankfurt to Portland then Portland to Medford. Take a taxi which really only takes about 15 minutes, and the Florence airport is quite small. As soon as we arrive at the airport we notice our flight is delayed. With a 50 minute layover in Frankfurt we are definitely at risk of missing our connection. The airport says it is due to weather in Frankfurt and all flights are delayed. However our flight doesn’t actually take off until noon, and we find out we missed the connection when we arrive in Frankfurt. Oh well, we get to extend our European vacation one more day as there is only one flight a day from Frankfurt to Portland and we had missed it. All the Lufthansa agents were very nice and helpful. They put us up in a hotel for the night. One good thing was we were able to get our boarding passes that day, and pick our seats so DH and I got exit row seats (at 6’2” DH was in heaven – definitely said it was worth the extra night). The kids were in the first row of our cabin so right in front of the movie screens. Everyone is happy. We arrive at our hotel, and slowly see most of the passengers from our flight arrive as well. Well, took off the next day at 1:00pm and arrive safely home that evening.
I just want to say this was by far our best family vacation ever! We were so glad we took the kids. My kids are typical. My daughter plays, soccer, basketball, loves fashion, reading People Magazine, and I-Ming her friends. my son plays soccer, basketball, baseball and loves the NBA! They have never shown a fascination for art or a desire to explore history beyond the classroom. They did however, thoroughly enjoy the trip. Just being there and experiencing it was enough to keep them excited – the gelato didn’t hurt! This is just meant to encourage those traveling with teens or pre-teens who don’t seem as overwhelmed with excitement as you do in the planning stages. They will LOVE it. They will be fascinated by the art and intrigued by the history, fully satiated from the food, and broke from the shopping, and hopefully ready for the next trip.
Did we miss Maui?? To be honest there is some majoring lobbying going on for Maui at Christmas, but everyone is excited for a week in London and in week in Paris next spring break!! Maybe this time they won’t even complain when I bring home a movie that takes place in Paris or London or this book they have got to read!!
Ciao!!
P.S. Anyone know a place in Paris or London like Locanda Orseolo???
Our train ride is about 3 hours. Quiet and relaxing. We are debating whether to take a taxi or not as our hotel appears not too far from the train station, but at the last minute we opt for the taxi. We don’t mind finding our way with a map, but with luggage, kids, etc. the taxi seems like a good idea. We arrive at our place The Tourist House Ghiberti B&B. It is a smaller establishment, I believe they only have 5 or 6 rooms, on the 1st floor (2nd in US) of an apartment building. We are greeted by Claudio the proprietor. Not the overwhelming, effervescent greeting we received in Venice, but that was unique. We have two rooms again, which are really quite large, and the bathrooms are also very big. Definitely the nicest bathrooms, with a tub and nice tile work. We are right across from the hospital, but as long as the windows are closed we hear no noise. (for summer travelers they do have air conditioning). They also have a computer with internet access in every room. This was very handy and really appreciated. I believe Claudio said they have some form of satellite tv as well, but we never turned it on.
We go for a late lunch at a little Trattoria on San Lorenzo, walk around for a bit and locate Vivoli gelateria (Via isola delle stinche 7)for our first taste of gelato in Florence. It is very crowded, definitely have the best giandua so far. We head back to the room. DH & DS stay to rest. DD & I head to the market stalls and stores in Campo San Lorenzo.
For dinner we eat at Trattoria Roberto on Via Castellini near the Uffizi. It was quite good. We feel as though we are really getting spoiled with such great food everywhere! We share bruschetta pomodoro, caprese & pomodoro, pasta di mare and bistecca. The bistecca had a wonderful flavor.
We head out to try a new gelato place, but turns out they close early on Tues. nights. Head back to Vivoli’s for our gelato nightcap, then head to the B&B.
We find Florence a little bit more difficult to navigate than Rome, just because the streets are longer and wider so the cars are bigger and go a little faster.
Wed. 3/23/05
Wake up and enjoy breakfast. The breakfast here is similar to the one at the Cesari in Rome. Today we are going to visit the La Marzocco espresso machine factory. DH is ordering some equipment from them, and when his Seattle rep. found out we would be in Florence she set up a meeting for us. We take the bus out to Pian San Bartolo. It is about 20-30 minutes outside of the city in a small area called Cercina. We are greeted warmly by Ron, the President. He is an enjoyable and gracious host. DH is completely in his element, fascinated by seeing the inner workings of the machines. He asks the production manager many technical questions about the features. This is a small factory about 30 total employees where everything is done by hand.
After our tour Ron and Claire, who I believe is the VP of marketing take us to the most incredible lunch. We drive out another 10-15 minutes to a restaurant called I Ricchi (Via della Docciola 14 in Cercina). We sit with a stunning view of the countryside. Ron orders for us all. First the antipasti – bresola, proscuitto and lard (yes it is lard!), fried polenta with a mushroom pate, crostini with liver pate, and little fried bread balls that you eat with a soft goat cheese. Now, we prefer our polenta creamy rather than fried, but this was the best fried polenta ever! We are then served a plate of fried vegetables, and a plate of astounding sausage and ribs. Lastly, the centerpiece of the meal - the bistecca. (Now this was true Florentine bistecca). The waiter had brought it to our table earlier when it was uncooked for Ron to inspect, it is atleast 4 if not 5 fingers thick. It is cooked very rare (which works for us as we like our meat on the rarer side). It is heavenly with a wonderful flavor. We are all completely stuffed! Head back to the factory for espresso and La Marzocco goodie bags!. Then Ron drives us back into Florence just in time for our 4:00 reservation at the Accadamia.
We are all awed by the David. (okay, maybe DH and I more so than the kids). I just want to interject here that if you are going to Rome and Florence you MUST read Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone. It is a historical fiction novel about Michelangelo and will give you a much deeper understanding and incredible insight into his work. There were also several other unfinished works of Michelangelo there. Oddly there was some very modern art scattered throughout the museum that did not seem to go with the rest of the collections.
We stop at Carabe (Via Ricasoli, 60) known for it’s granita, and enjoy incredible tasting fruit granitas. Probably even more enjoyable on a warm summer day! Boys go back to the hotel to rest, while DD and I hit the main shopping streets from the Duomo to the Ponte Vecchio.
We head back to the rooms, I am exhausted as I didn’t get my rest, and still full from lunch, but the boys are ready to eat. We have a reservation at Buco Marios (Piazza Ottaviani, 16r). It is a very large restaurant with many different rooms. We all agree to have a very light dinner. We order cannelloni fagioli with olive oil, fried artichokes, caprese and proscuitto e melone. Everything was quite good, the melon being excellent. We head to Perche No! (Why Not!) for gelato which had been closed the night before. I deem it some of the best hazelnut (nocciola) gelato.
Wed. 3/24/05
We have a 9:00am reservation at the Uffizi. We are so thankful once again that we have a reservation as the line is already winding through the interior courtyard. I had photocopied pages from Rick Steve’s book on the guide to the Uffizi. It worked out quite well. It took us from the medieval period to the high renaissance period picking out select paintings to discuss. DD enjoyed reading the information. DS would read the information sometimes, but always enjoyed helping us find the picture we were looking for in the room. I would definitely do this method again, only I would make a copy for each family member so we would not all have to read off the same sheet. It discussed how art changed from one period to another. In addition, the kids learned what a Pieta, Madonna & child, Annunciation, Adoration of the Magi and Holy family paintings are. Yes, we missed some art, but the kids had a good experience and I would do it that way again.
It is just starting to sprinkle, and then the rain really starts to come down. (the first and only rain of the trip!) We duck in to the Nuovo Mercato and shop for leather goods. By the time we are done the rain has stopped.
We walk across the Ponte Vecchio, and decide we are hungry. We had not planned where to eat for lunch so stop in at the Golden View Open Bar Ristorante (Via dei Bardi 58r). Yes, it looks like a tourist restaurant – right along the Arno with a nice view of the Ponte Vecchio. However, the food is good and not expensive. DH has caprese with delicious tomatoes and a mussel soup. DD and I split bruschetta mozzarella with pomodoro and risotto with gamberi (4 EXTREMLEY large prawns), DS has a proscuitto pizza.
We walk back over to the Duomo and go inside. The inside is quite stark compared to the designs and color on the outside. Michael lights candles for Nonna and Poppa.
The boys go back to rest, DD and I head to Zara(a clothing store) in Piazza Repubblica. Everyone in the city is carrying a bag from Zara and we need to find out why! We see why when we get there. The store is packed, has stylish clothes at reasonable prices.
Back to the hotel to freshen up before dinner. We have a reservation at Il Ritrovo (Via de Pucci). It is highly recommended on both Slow Travel and Fodors. It is a wonderful restaurant run completely by the husband and wife. Marco explains that his Mom and Dad come in early in the morning to help him with the prep work before lunch, which is his busiest time as he is located in a government building. She does not speak English so will only ask what kind of water you want, but waits for Marco to take our order. She is very charming. We order a house antipasti which includes – salami, bresolo with cheese – wonderful! cheese biscuits, crostini with spinach pate and cucumber. We also order proscuitto with melon , cannelloni fagioli with sage and garlic ( DD has found she really enjoys the cannelloni beans), and caprese. Then we order the filleto with mustard sauce to share. Everything is excellent. I have the chocolate soufflé with crème anglaise which is very good. We try to make it to Carabe as DS is craving the granita, but when we get there they are closed.
Friday 3/25/05
Our last day in Italy. We take the 10:10am bus to Siena. It is an easy and nice 1 hour and 15 minute drive. We just walk around exploring. We already notice that we prefer Siena to Florence (perhaps not a fair comparison as Siena is larger than I was expecting but clearly smaller than Florence). However, we like the cool streets and little traffic. The campo is stunning and I can only imagine what the city is like during the Palio.
We eat at a little restaurant called La Torre. We had read about it somewhere but didn’t have an address. We just happened to walk by it so were pleased it was a familiar name.
If you are standing in the Campo facing the tower, just to the left of the tower is a street. It is down that street a short way on your left. There is no menu and they only speak Italian. While this may have been difficult our first day in Italy, we are now 2 week seasoned travelers so we are up to the challenge. The “Poppa” comes over and recites the primi – basically a long list of different pastas. We can do that. DH orders the ravioli, me the tortellini, DD the gnocchi and DS spaghetti. We have no idea what is in the ravioli or what kind of sauce we will have, but when everything arrives it is fabulous. It is all served with a delicious Bolognese sauce. DH says it is the best ravioli he has had ever!! We are done with the pasta and “Poppa” comes by again and starts reciting. We pick up on “pollo”, “pesce”, and “osso bucco”. We chose osso bucco and insalata mista to share. The osso bucco is incredible. Also the best we have had – ever. So incredibly tender, cooked in a wonderful sauce. We had noticed another table eating something out of a frozen lemon. The kids each order one, it is a cool presentation. Lemon sorbet served in a hollowed out frozen lemon. The kids dub it best limone sorbet in Italy. DH & I order the tiramisu to share. Unfortunately they serve us a prepackaged dessert – a real disappointment, but the only one of the meal. In order to get your bill you go up to the counter and you go over with Poppa what you ordered and he adds it up. This is a wonderful restaurant. The kitchen is VERY open to the seating area so you can see the two cooks at work. And all the freshly made pasta is lined up on tables near the front as the waitress hand cuts it when not busy. When we first arrived, we were definitely the only tourists in there, although a group of two Americans arrived just as we were leaving.
We head over to the church. The first church we have to pay to enter (3 euros each – the kids are free). It is really interesting. Black and white horizontal stripes everywhere and beautiful stained glass windows. We would have liked to stay longer in Siena, but want to get back to pack a bit before dinner. So we take the 3:10 bus home. I think we would definitely enjoy staying in Siena for a night or two or possibly using it as a base to visit more in Tuscany in the future.
We get back to Florence and I realize I haven’t bought the leather gloves I had wanted and I had promised my Mom I would get a pair for her. We head over across the Ponte Vecchio to a famous glove store – floor to ceiling gloves, but frankly more than I want to spend. Stpehen says he has heard that Santa Croce has good leather shopping as well, so we head over there. By this time it is almost 6:00pm and some stores are beginning to close. Clearly though this area has the best selection of leather goods stores. (Much better than San Lorenzo and Mercado Nuovo – all those stores and stalls tended to have the same items. In Santa Croce we notice more unique products). In our third store I find nice gloves and DH actually buys a leather jacket. DD was convinced they wouldn’t let us go without buying one but DH kept bargaining until he got the price he wanted. By now it is 7:15 and we have a 7:30 reservation at Il Ritrovo so we hurry over.
I think they are truly pleased to have us return. The wife is more comfortable now serving us and takes our order. She then returns with a bottle of champagne and asks “Bambini?” wanting to know if the kids can have some too. Well, it is our last night – let them celebrate a little. DS thinks this is SOOOOOO cool! (When he returns to school and is asked to say what he liked best about his spring vacation he of course announces to the class “ Drinking champagne!!!”) We have proscuitto et melone, carpaccio, crostini and bruschetta, and caprese. Then we order bistecca to share. Everything is wonderful again, however, we must admit the bistecca at I Ricci is still unsurpassed. Marco comes out and chats with us. Explains that he can trace back his family to the 1300’s when they were butchers on the Ponte Vecchio. (I had just read earlier in the week how the Ponte Vecchio used to have all the butchers, but the leaders of the town had kicked them out because they were polluting the Arno – they just threw their scraps into the river, and they got the jewelers to start moving in). Anyway, it was very interesting to have that tidbit come full circle.
We head to Perche No! for our last Italian gelato – boy do we savor this one. Go back to the hotel to pack and go to bed.
Sat. 3/26/05
Wake up about 6:00am for our 9:45am flight from Florence to Frankfurt. Then Frankfurt to Portland then Portland to Medford. Take a taxi which really only takes about 15 minutes, and the Florence airport is quite small. As soon as we arrive at the airport we notice our flight is delayed. With a 50 minute layover in Frankfurt we are definitely at risk of missing our connection. The airport says it is due to weather in Frankfurt and all flights are delayed. However our flight doesn’t actually take off until noon, and we find out we missed the connection when we arrive in Frankfurt. Oh well, we get to extend our European vacation one more day as there is only one flight a day from Frankfurt to Portland and we had missed it. All the Lufthansa agents were very nice and helpful. They put us up in a hotel for the night. One good thing was we were able to get our boarding passes that day, and pick our seats so DH and I got exit row seats (at 6’2” DH was in heaven – definitely said it was worth the extra night). The kids were in the first row of our cabin so right in front of the movie screens. Everyone is happy. We arrive at our hotel, and slowly see most of the passengers from our flight arrive as well. Well, took off the next day at 1:00pm and arrive safely home that evening.
I just want to say this was by far our best family vacation ever! We were so glad we took the kids. My kids are typical. My daughter plays, soccer, basketball, loves fashion, reading People Magazine, and I-Ming her friends. my son plays soccer, basketball, baseball and loves the NBA! They have never shown a fascination for art or a desire to explore history beyond the classroom. They did however, thoroughly enjoy the trip. Just being there and experiencing it was enough to keep them excited – the gelato didn’t hurt! This is just meant to encourage those traveling with teens or pre-teens who don’t seem as overwhelmed with excitement as you do in the planning stages. They will LOVE it. They will be fascinated by the art and intrigued by the history, fully satiated from the food, and broke from the shopping, and hopefully ready for the next trip.
Did we miss Maui?? To be honest there is some majoring lobbying going on for Maui at Christmas, but everyone is excited for a week in London and in week in Paris next spring break!! Maybe this time they won’t even complain when I bring home a movie that takes place in Paris or London or this book they have got to read!!
Ciao!!
P.S. Anyone know a place in Paris or London like Locanda Orseolo???
Jul 16th, 2005, 05:44 AM
#30
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Looks like you have some gelato addicts on your hands!I always tell people going to Italy that they must have gelato everyday-apparently you got the memo! Your report was wonderful and it sounds like you really did it right.
Jul 22nd, 2005, 05:43 PM
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Wonderful report! Thanks for all of the insight and deatail.
We're planning a summer '06 trip w/ our two daughters. Curious if your children had a preference for Rome or Venice?
Thanks again.........
We're planning a summer '06 trip w/ our two daughters. Curious if your children had a preference for Rome or Venice?
Thanks again.........
Jul 25th, 2005, 10:10 AM
#32
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Sorry for the delay in answering, but we were gone for a few days. Well, I was pretty sure what the answer to your question was but I thought I would ask the kids to be sure. My ten year old son said he loved the Locanda Orseolo and Matteo and Barbara in Venice, but preferred Rome as a city. My 13 year old daughter said she preferred Rome without hesitation!!
So there you have it! Good luck planning your trip. You will have a wonderful time!! Please feel free to ask any other questions.
So there you have it! Good luck planning your trip. You will have a wonderful time!! Please feel free to ask any other questions.
Jul 26th, 2005, 08:32 PM
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Hi jgg. Thanks for the follow-up. We're looking at Rome and the Amalfi Coast but I've been wondering if I should try to get Venice into the picture. I think I'll keep it for the next time - if we're so fortunate. THX again.
Jul 27th, 2005, 06:38 AM
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jgg, I really enjoyed your report. I am very detailed, like you, so I could appreciate your writing. We are headed back to Venice in October and your report only makes me wish we could include Florence again, as well. I've made some notes of your favorite restaurants, too. Thanks for the report.
Mar 15th, 2012, 02:04 PM
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Kcnewby & donnit - hope you noticed this trip report is 7 years old, so make sure you double check information that you may be relying on to make sure it's still current, and of course, know that prices will be higher than those noted in the report.
didn't notice the dates.. Silly me! How obvious now you point this out... . Thanks for pointing this out
