Hi Everyone,<BR><BR>Well, I have read so many trip reports on this board over the last 2 years as I prepared for our trip to Italy .... I can't believe that I am now actually writing one! I hope that my report can be as helpful to some of you out there as the ones I read in the past. I will probably write this in installments when I have the chance or a break at work.<BR><BR>Anyway, our Itinerary was as follows:<BR>3 nights Positano at Palazzo Murat<BR>3 nights Rome at the Colonna Palace<BR>3 nights Florence at Hotel de la Ville<BR>2 nights Venice at Hotel Giorgione<BR><BR>Overall ... a WONDERFUL trip! I was so sad to see it end. My husband and I tried to combine seeing some of the main sights in each city with taking time to just wander, shop, sit and watch the world go by. <BR><BR>We were SO lucky with the weather. In Positano and Rome it felt like summer. Glorious sun and in the upper 70's ... though it felt even warmer sometimes. In Florence, it cooled off ... fairly chilly in the early morning and evenings .... but the days were sunny and in the sixty's ... perfect crisp fall days. The only bad weather we had was in Venice ... it poured rain the day we arrived and the next morning ... but by the afternoon it was beautiful.<BR><BR>Anyway, on the the report. <BR><BR>POSITANO:<BR><BR>We arrived in Naples about 12:30 pm (left Chicago at 4:30 pm the day before!) and had a driver waiting for us right at the exit holding a sign with our name. This was arranged by our travel agent. Our driver was a funny little old Italian man ... who spoke no English! During the hour and a half ride down to Positano he kept saying things to us that we couldn't understand ... and he didn't know what we were saying or asking him at all! No big deal ... but since this was our first introduction to the country, it seemed like we had a long 2 weeks of not being able to communicate with anyone. In retrospect ... this was really the only time we had a problem with the language.<BR><BR>It was actually raining the day we arrived ... but I will never forget my first view of Positano ... as we came around a cliff ... there it was ... all of the colorful buildings nestled into the mountainside. I have seen a million pictures of Positano ... but nothing compares to seeing it in person. I was really taken aback. It just seems like a magical little fantasy world. <BR><BR>Our driver stopped at the edge of the traffic free zone, and before we knew it our luggage was whisked away by another man on a little cart. That made us a little nervous ... but our driver just pointed down a little road ... so we followed it for about 2 minutes and came upon our hotel, the Palazzo Murat ... and there was our luggage!<BR><BR>Anyway, we checked in and decided to go get some lunch. By this time it was was close to 3 o'clock. It was kind of a dreary day and we were exhausted ... so the plan was to eat lunch and then take a nap so we'd be feeling recharged for the evening. <BR><BR>We stopped at La Zaraga for lunch ... partly because it was the first thing we came across ... just up the hill from our hotel ... but it was just what we needed. They have the most delectable looking pastries in the window ... lots of little tables, outside ... but under a covered roof. We ordered a 1/2 carafe of red wine and my husband got a tomato, basil and mozzerella panini and I got a little tomato, basil and mozzerella pizza (pizza marghuerite). Both had huge thick, fluffy slices of mozzerella ... sooo good! Then we decided to delve into our first gelato ... our waiter brought out a huge bowl of chocolate chip! Mmmm. Sure we were tired and a little cranky ... but our first taste of Italy was a great one!

<BR><BR>We napped from about 4 to 7:30 then got ready for dinner at Da Vincenzo ... a recommendation I got on this board and one that the concierge at our hotel confirmed was a good choice.<BR><BR>Da Vincenzo was quite a hike uphill from our hotel (more on it later) ... but it felt great to walk and enjoy the twinkling lights of Positano all around us. Da Vincenzo was great ... bustling with people ... but it had a great warm and cozy atmosphere. The food was good ... we both had salads, simple pasta dishes and a huge platter of calamari. Great bottle of wine too ... I don't remember the name off hand ... but it was only about $20 euro.<BR><BR>After dinner, we walked back down into town and stopped at a little cafe for cappucino and biscotti. <BR><BR>Not sure if that was a good idea ... combined with our long afternoon nap. neither of us could fall asleep until about 2 am! Oh well.<BR><BR>Palazzo Murat was very nice and very centrally located. However, we didn't have a view from our room ... and I wished we could have been able to sit out on our terrace and enjoy the view. I think next time I would choose a place that was a little higher up with balconies overlooking the town and sea.<BR><BR>Well, that's all for now ... I 'll continue with more later! Feel free to ask any questions!<BR><BR>

top for amy

Amy, I'm anxiously awaiting your report on Venice. Please tell us all about the hotel, how much it cost, location, and whether or not you'd stay there again.

Sorry everyone! I have been swamped at work since my return!<BR><BR>Heather ... we stayed at the Hotel Giorgione in Venice. It was a charming little hotel in a great location. The staff was very friendly and they had a great breakfast. My only complaint was that our room was TINY! As was the bathroom. Two people could not fit comfortably in the bathroom unless one person was in the (tiny) shower.<BR><BR>It was probably the least desirable room of our stay ... but it was also the least expensive place we stayed ... about $185/ night. <BR><BR>Having said that, we really were not in our room all that much ... so it wasn't a big deal. I would still recommend it as a pretty good place to stay.<BR>

POSITANO, cont'd. <BR><BR>Well, we awoke to glorious sunshine on our first morning. (We had slept through the hotel's breakfast ! ... so we went out for coffee and croissants.) As amazed as we were by the scenery the day before ... it was a hundred time more magical in the sunshine.<BR><BR>We decided to walk back up the hill we went up for dinner to take some pictures then meandered around the little sidewalks checking out some of the stores. A lot of them are little boutiques ... a found some great hand beaded evening bags ... got one for myself and one for my sister. <BR><BR>Eventually we made our way down to the beach which was bustling with activity. It was like a summer day! We decided to have lunch at La Cambusa which sits on the second floor of a building right on the beach.<BR><BR>We lucked out and were seated right the windows (although the windows were all open) ... so we had a front row seat on all the action. We enjoyed mussels and a &quot;rocket salad&quot; ... which we learned was made with &quot;rocket&quot; lettuce. Maybe others have heard of it before, but I hadn't. It was wonderful ... it really has a bite to it ... you don't even need much dressing because it is so flavorful!<BR><BR>Anyway, we did a little more shopping after lunch, then ventured to find Le Sirenuse ... the 5 star hotel I had heard so much about. <BR><BR>Would have loved to stay there, but it was a bit out of our price range. Instead we had dinner reservations for the restaurant the following night. (More on that later ... it was fabulous!)<BR><BR>Anyway ... after seeing Le Sirenuse, I would say ... if you can afford it ... do it! What a charming place ... and the views were amazing. We were so taken by them that we decided to just sit on their verandah and read our books for a while as the sun went behind the cliffs. It was delightful ... and so quiet. I kept thinking someone was going to come and ask us if we were guests ... but no one ever did.<BR><BR>

That night we had reservations at La Tagliata ... another rec I got from this board.<BR><BR>Our concierge made the reservation and said that a Mercedes van would be waiting for us, just up the hill at 8:15 to take us to the restaurant.<BR><BR>There were two other couples in the van as the driver took us up, up, up over Positano. We were so high up ... with the lights of Positano twinkling way below. It was about a 15 minute drive until we finally stopped on a dark stretch of road at a little stone building that was right on the edge of the cliff.<BR><BR>Inside the room was warm and bright ... a large Italian family had one long table in the middle of the restaurant and were celebrating someone's birthday.<BR><BR>The place had the feel of someone's cottage or a very a large tree house.<BR><BR>We started with the caprese salad ... which honestly was the best one on our whole trip (and we had one almost every day!) Huge slices of tri-colored tomatoes and the fluffiest, tastiest mozzerella cheese!) <BR><BR>Next we were trying to decide on pastas and our water said he would just bring out a sampler platter of several different kinds. It was huge! Gnocchi, canneloni and ravioli in a flavorful tomato sauce. Delicious. As if that wasn't enough we ordered one grilled chicken and one grilled steak. <BR>They had a huge open grill right in the restaurant ... clearly ... grilled meats are a specialty. Again, the plates were huge ... but we sampled both and they were extremely tender.<BR><BR>Finally, we ended with 2 limoncello's ... the liquer everyone talks about because it is prioduced n the Amalfi Coast and Capri.<BR><BR>It comes in a shot glass, but you are supposed to sip it. I know this is blasphemous to say ... but I didn't really like it. (I'm sorry to all those who love it.) It was just too sweet or something for me ... it tasted like lemon cough syrup. <BR><BR>In hindsight, I probably should have tried it again somewhere else just to compare ... but from this one experience I was not inclined to try it again. <BR><BR>Overall a great experience at La Tagliata! I would definitely recommend it ... it was one of our most unique dining experiences of our trip. It is nothing fancy or elegant ... but it is also quite inexpensive. Our same driver drove us and 3 other couples back down to our hotels ... by this time, everyone had had enough wine that the trip down was much more lively than the trip up!

Dear Amy,<BR><BR>I'm really enjoying your report - makes me want to go back desperately !!<BR><BR>Had a similar first opinion of Lemincello - but let me tell you, it gets better and better. I just wish I had talked my husband into buying more to bring back home <BR><BR>Looking forward to the rest of your trip report.<BR><BR>Nancy

Amy, rocket (or roquette) in the US is known as arugula. It's available here in CA in farmer's markets and some grocery stores. You're right, it does have a bite and it's deliciously bitter. Just planted some in the back yard, and if the snails don't get to it first, I plan to enjoy it this winter.

Betsy ... I thought that roquette reminded me of arugula! I will have to start buying more of it now that we are home.<BR><BR>Anyway, the next day we took a 10 am ferry to Capri which left right from the beach in Positano. (We had bought tickets the day before from a little booth right on the water below the Covo dei Saraceni hotel. This really helped as we didn't have to wait in the long line that morning!)<BR><BR>The ferry ride is about 40 minutes (I felt a little queasy .... the waves were high) and we were dropped off at the Marina Grande.<BR><BR>I know that many people have said that to truly enjoy Capri, you must stay the night ... but I must say, that we really had a fun day. Yes, there were a lot of people bustling about ... but not too bad. I can imagine that it would be even nicer to stay overnight and enjoy the peace and quiet of the evenings ... but if you can only go for the day ... I would still encourage you to go.<BR>

CAPRI:<BR><BR>We took a bus from the Marina up to Anacapri ... which was quite an adventure in itself! I thought for sure we weren't going to make it on this bus because it already looked full and there were 8 or so people ahead of us in line. Not only did we make it on ... but about 10 more people packed in behind us! And our driver even stopped along the way to let more people on! <BR><BR>The winding road up to Anacapri is what I would consider a one-lane road ... but not in Capri ... we passed by buses and cars coming the other direction with less than an inch of space between us! My husband and I were laughing the whole way up.<BR><BR>We got off the bus in Anacapri and went to our right, hoping to reach a look out point where we could take some pictures. Instead, we walked past shops and cafes and finally found ourselves lost in a kind of residential section ... but that in itself was kind of interesting!<BR><BR>Anyway, we should have gone to the left from the bus stop ... throught the little main square. If you go back around the Villa San Michelle there is a lookout point that offers incredible views of the island and the marina.<BR><BR>BUT ... don't stop there. Back by the main square is where you catch the funicular which takes you to the very top of the island and the views are magnificent! It was much quieter up there and you could just see for miles and miles. I felt like I was on top of the world. <BR><BR>After that, we took the bus down to Capri Town. We shopped around a little bit than grabbed a table at one of the little cafes and just enjoyed the sunshine and the people watching while having a little pizza and panini.<BR><BR>I do wish we had had more time to check out the beach and some of the bigger hotels ... the day really goes by so quickly ... so I would certainly recommend taking the earliest ferry you can get in the morning and the latest one you can get in the afternoon.<BR><BR>As sad as I was to leave Capri, I was anxious to get back for our dinner at Le Sirenuse!

Amy,<BR> Thank you for your report. Very helpful in planning my trip.

Dinner at Le Sirenuse was a magical experience. The setting was one of the most romantic I 've experienced in all of our travels. <BR><BR>The room was lit with hundreds of votive candles with views of Positano twinkling below. The service was impeccable and the food was delicious. We tried two new fish we've never had before ... amberjack for my husband and sea bream for myself. Both were delicious ... although we liked my husband's amberjack a little better because it was topped with luscious olives and tomatoes, while mine ... though good was simply grilled and could have used a touch more flavor.<BR><BR>Overall, a wonderful experience.<BR><BR>The next day we slept in a little, had a lovely breakfast in the Palazzo Murat couryard and packed up our things.<BR><BR>We were supposed to meet a driver at 11 am that was going to take us to Pompeii .... wait for us there for 2 hours and then take us on to the Naples train station where we would catch a train to Rome.<BR><BR>POMPEII:<BR><BR>Like I said, we only had 2 hours at Pompeii, and while we felt a tad rushed ... it was still an amzing experience. <BR><BR>It seems there are many ways to go about visiting Pompeii. Certainly, we did the &quot;short an sweet&quot; way ... which I'm sure would not suit some people ... but if you don't have a lot of time to devote a full day or half day to Pompeii ... this was a good way to see it. We simply purchased a book from the bookstore outside the entrance that had descriptions and pictures of all of the sites along with a several different &quot;walks&quot; to take along these sites ... a 2 hour walk, a 4 hour walk, a 6 hour walk.<BR><BR>Be prepared ... you'll do A LOT of walking ... I had no idea the area would be so big ... but, it was an actual city ... so it is quite spread out. It was a beautiful sunny day when we were there ... in the 70's .... and even then we kind of broke a sweat walking around. I can't even imagine what it must be like on a 90 degree day in the summer. There really is no shade and the sun reflects of off all of the light stone structures.

Dinner at Le Sirenuse was a magical experience. The setting was one of the most romantic I 've experienced in all of our travels. <BR><BR>The room was lit with hundreds of votive candles with views of Positano twinkling below. The service was impeccable and the food was delicious. We tried two new fish we've never had before ... amberjack for my husband and sea bream for myself. Both were delicious ... although we liked my husband's amberjack a little better because it was topped with luscious olives and tomatoes, while mine ... though good was simply grilled and could have used a touch more flavor.<BR><BR>Overall, a wonderful experience.<BR><BR>The next day we slept in a little, had a lovely breakfast in the Palazzo Murat couryard and packed up our things.<BR><BR>We were supposed to meet a driver at 11 am that was going to take us to Pompeii .... wait for us there for 2 hours and then take us on to the Naples train station where we would catch a train to Rome.

Hi Amy<BR>sounds like a wonderful trip! you didn't happen to see the Grand Hotel Tritone did you? wondering what you might have thought of it.<BR>Thanks

Ooops. Sorry ... part of that last post somehow got posted twice.<BR><BR>Anyway, we finally caught a 3:30 train from Naples to Rome. We had our travel agent reserve first class tickets on the Eurostar.<BR><BR>I must say that our experience with trains was quite easy. My husband, who sits in traffic for at least 2 hours a day here in Chicago and does a lot of driving for his job wanted no part in renting a car. Although I do think that would be a fun way to travel ... I knew that we'd both be a lot happier if my husband didn't have to get behind the wheel of a car! And the trains were great. (Except for the fact that we had to slightly change our schedule due to a train strike on the say we were supposed to go to Florence ... more on that later.)<BR><BR>I'll never forget coming out of the train station and hopping in cab to our hotel. The city was alive and bustling with people ... such a contrast from Positano. It hit us that we were in one the world's greatest, largest cities ... and it was so exciting.<BR><BR>We checked into the Colonna Palace which was in a great location. We were a two minute walk from the Pantheon and a 5 minute walk from Trevi Fountain.<BR><BR>The hotel was situated on a quiet square across from the Parliment building. I would definitely stay there again. Our room was quite large and they had the most delightful breakfast served up on the roof, offering views out over the city. Nothing super luxurious about it ... but it served us well.<BR><BR>That night we decided to find a casual pizza place for dinner . We found a very small square called Piazza Maddelena, just north of the Pantheon that was lined with 5 or so little pizzerias. We chose one called Pumarossa (I think!) Though they all looked good and had tables spilling out onto the street. <BR><BR>What a great , lively atmosphere for our first night in Rome. <BR><BR>After dinner we meandered over to Piazza Navona and got a table facing the square at Ai Tre Tartufi ... the little cafe right next to Tre Scalini ... we wanted to get gelato ... and they had many more flavors than Tre Scalini. <BR><BR>Talk about people watching. I couldn't believe how many people were out and walking through the Piazza. We order a large bowl of gelato ... 3 huge scoops of tiramisu, creme caramel and pistachio and two cappucinos. Wonderful.<BR><BR>Afterwards, we wandered back past the Pantheon to our hotel. We almost felt guilty going to bed ... there were still so many people out around 11:30 ... but we were beat from all the walking at Pompeii.<BR><BR>Tomorrow would be our tour of the Vatican with Scala Reale!

Lewis,<BR><BR>No, I'm sorry ... I don't believe we saw the Tritone .... it is in Positano, right? I think I mentioned this before ... but I would definitely ensure that you are getting a room with a view while in Positano ... that was my only gripe about the Murat. No view ... I would definitely go with a &quot;lesser&quot; room in order to have a view.<BR><BR>Anyone who's been to Positano I'm sure would agree ... the view is EVERYTHING!<BR><BR>

ROME cont'd.<BR><BR>The next morning we headed to Campo dei Fiore which was lively and colorful and bustling with people ... although we did not need as much time there as I had anticipated. It would be a great place to go if you want to buy fresh produce or flowers ... but I was glad we saw it.<BR><BR>After that we took a leisurely walk around the city, stopped for a coffee and then finally crossed the Tiber at Castel San Angelo and then headed over to the Vatican. As we approached St. Mark's we could hear a voice over the loud speaker, and then we saw a hug mass of people sitting in front of the basilica. On two video screens we could see the Pope ... he was sitting under a red canopy in front of the basilica ... but from where we were standing he was just barely a dot. The mass was ending just then ... but we felt lucky to happen upon it. This was a wednesday ... and we were later told by another couple we met that you can write to the Vatican and request tickets for this wednesday mass ahead of time. <BR><BR>After that we headed over to the entrance to the Vatican Museums where we were to meet our guide from Scala Reale. <BR><BR>I want to thank everyone on this board who recommended Scala Reale ... I would have never known about them ... but we took two tours with them ... this and the one of the Forum. Colloseum, etc. ... and they were both great. Our guides were so knowledgeable ... and it was just so pleasant to be in a group of only 6 people.<BR><BR>Sara was our guide for the Vatican ... and we spent the rest of the afternoon with her there. Very in-depth. There were so many things we saw that just left us awestruck. Afterwards, we were so tired ... we ended up taking a cab back to our hotel! (One of the few cabs we took!)<BR><BR>After relaxing and recharging a bit, we walked from our hotel over to Trastevere. We had dinner reservations at Sabatini. <BR><BR>We really liked Trastevere ... it defintely had kind of a hip, edgy feel to it. There were tons of quaint little restaurants over there ... and while we loved Sabatini ... I don't think you could go wrong just going over there and finding a place.<BR><BR>Sabatini sits right on Piazza Santa Maria with many umbrella tables spilling out onto the piazza. We sat outside and really enjoyed watching all of the people meeting and hanging around the fountain.<BR><BR>We had a great dinner too ... about 100 euros for the two of us ... so it wasn't cheap ... but the food and atmosphere made for a delightful evening.

Amy: Please continue. I'm really enjoying your posting during my lunch hour. I can't wait to hear about Hotel de la Ville in Florence as I'm going to be staying there. Please tell me how it was, etc. (decorating, room size, bathroom, quiet or not). Grazie!

Amy,<BR>There are 4 of us going to Italy next June, {all women}. Did you reserve Scala Reale before your trip or when you got there? How much was the vatican and the old rome tour? Do you know if they do a tour under St. Peters?<BR>Your report is great, thanks <BR>Diane