What a delightful trip report! Thank you!

Hi everyone ... I'm sorry I've been off all weekend! We just moved into a new house before we left for Italy and still don't have phone service ... which means no internet at home ... but I'm back!<BR><BR>Eye Spy ... I will go into more detail about the De La Ville later ... but I would definitely stay there again ... it was a quaint, yet urban hotel with pretty nice rooms (large bathroom!) and a cute little breakfast room with ample breakfast. We thought the location was good too.<BR><BR>Diane, I booked our Scala Reale tours before we left ... which I think is a good idea. Since there are only 6 people in each tour, they fill up fast. And if you are limited by which days you can do it, I would definitely reserve ahead of time. We only had to pay the $20 registration fee to reserver our spots, and then paid for the tours in cash the day of. <BR><BR>I recommend check out their website, www.scalareale.org for a full description of all their tours and prices. The two we took were called Roma Antica and Arte Vaticana, listed under in-depth walks.<BR><BR>The $20 reg. fee also includes a free (so-to-speak) Orientation walk and there are two to choose from. We weren't able to take one since we got into Rome too late on our first day, but I would imagine it would be worthwile to get a feel for the city when you first arrive.<BR><BR>I don't believe they offer a tour under the Vatican. You must contact the Vatican directly to reserve a spot.<BR>Send an email to [email protected] requesting tickets for the Scavi tour with the dates you will be in Rome and they will email you back with a time ... if there is anything available. If you don't hear from them, you are to assume that there is nothing available.<BR><BR>I did hear back from them ... but the time they gave us coincided with one of our Scala tours. When I emailed them back for a different time, they responded with a time on the next day ... but unfortunately it also coincided with our OTHER Scala tour. Oh well ... I've heard it is an amazing tour ... so if you can be totally flexible ... I'd say go for it. It took me about a month to hear back from them the first time.<BR>

ROME cont'd<BR><BR>Our next day in Rome we were supposed to meet our Scala Reale tour guide in front of the Colloseum at 9am ... so we got up, had a quick breakfast and walked over there. We were really struck by seeing the Colloseum for the first time. As you approach it ... there is just this unbelievable feeling of &quot;Wow. There it is ... this structure I've seen in a hundred different pictures, movies, ads ... etc.&quot; But it is much more impressive close up.<BR><BR>We really enjoyed the Scala tour which started with some history of the Colloseum (from the outside) before heading over to the Circus Maximus, up to Palatine Hill and then down to the Forum before heading back to the Colloseum and going inside.<BR><BR>We were a little frustrated by the tour, however. But it wasn't totally the fault of our guide. There were two single women in our group of 6 that asked a million and one questions ... most of them not really having to do with what we were seeing. It wasn't even just questions ... but it was as if they were each trying to show how much they knew about Italian history and politics and trying to outshine the other. Our poor guide, who was very nice, kept answering their questions and engaging them ... but to the detriment of our hearing more about what we were actually seeing.<BR><BR>The tour was supposed to be 4 hours ... and about 3 and a half hours into it, we were just getting into the Forum and hadn't even been in the Colloseum. We were standing just outside the Forum as these two started in on the politcal philosophies of Italy when my husband spoke and asked if we could just get back to the tour. Our guide felt bad ... and was able to keep things more on track after that. <BR><BR>At one point he had said that he would just drop us at the front of the Colloseum since we were running out of time ... but after my husband's comment, he took it upon himself to stick around an extra half hour and take us inside himself. <BR><BR>Overall, we really enjoyed ourselves ... I guess that's just one of the risks you take with a small group like that ... but still, I think the benefits outweighed the negatives.<BR><BR>After the tour we headed up to the Spanish Steps area for some SHOPPING! ....<BR><BR>More tomorrow!

Amy: I am glad you liked the La<BR>Tagliata: I recommended it! I liked it better than the Sirenuse, although, it was my husband's birthday on our night at the Sirenuse, and they did make a big deal out of it!! Oh, I would love to be in Positano or Venice or Rome right now.

Amy: Keep sending your report. I am really enjoying it. What did you buy in Rome? What else did you see? More more more please! <BR><BR>

ROME cont'd.<BR><BR>Well, we were pretty pooped after the Colloseum and Forum ... and it was a bit of a hike back to the Spanish Steps area ... so we found a little cafe on one of the streets parallel to Via Condotti where we stopped to recharge with (another!) caprese salad and a couple panini's. And then ... we were ready to hit the streets!<BR><BR>A lot of the shops in this area are quite expensive ... but it was fun to look ... and we did make a few select purchases. My husband got a really nice pair of brown leather dress shoes and a few shirts and ties.<BR><BR>I bought a small black purse from the Prada store overlooking the Spanish Steps. I must admit, I wasn't all that impressed with the prices ... though I did get the VAT tax back, which helped bring the price of my purse down a little bit. I thought perhaps they would have some different or unique styles too ... but it was a pretty basic collection.<BR><BR>I don't own anything else from Prada ... but I figured that if I was ever going to get a Prada purse ... I might as well get it in Italy ... I will always remember looking out at the Spanish Steps while buying my purse!<BR><BR>I also bought several pairs of gloves at a tiny little shop right at the base of the Steps. They had every color imaginable and I thought they'd make good gifts ... you could get a nice pair for $25-$35 Euro.<BR><BR>We also found that Via Corso ... the street that runs perpendicular to Via Condotti was a great street for shopping, with stores that were more affordable. I got a scarf and a sweater from a great store called Stefanel, a fun peasant blouse at a store called Etam and a pair of brown suede-like pants and a light blue top at Habana.<BR><BR>(I had quite an experience at Habana however ... I went into the dressing room to try on several things. My husabnd was waiting just outside and when I stepped out to show him some pants and a shirt I had on ... one of the clerks came running over and started yelling at me. She kept pointing to a sign on the mirror of the dressing room that was written in Italian. I had no idea what it said ... and she didn't speak much English. Finally I determined that she was telling me that I wasn't allowed to try on any shirts that I had to pull over my head ... I could only try on things that were buttoned down the front! I was so close to walking out of the store ... but I REALLY loved these pants! Even at the cash register, they gave me a lot of attitude. It took everything my husband had in him to keep quiet ... he was so mad that I was actually giving them my business! Ah ... what we do int he name of fashion ! I still really do love these pants though ... I have them on today!)<BR><BR>

Great trip report!<BR><BR>I just hope you get to Venice quickly - we leave for our vacation there on Thursday and I want to read what you did there before I leave!

Hi Amy, I am enjoying your report and your escapades. I felt the same way about a store in Positano, the clerk was so haughty and rude when I tried on one of their peasant blouses that I really wanted to throw it a her and walk out, but I, too, REALLY wanted that blouse. I bought it and now when I wear it I think of her and get upset all over again, I will have to have it exorcised!<BR>Keep up the report!

Well, for our last night in Rome we decided to have dinner on one of our favorite piazzas ... the Piazza Rotunda in front of the Pantheon ... it's much smaller than Piazza Navona ... but very charming with several trattorias spilling out onto it, offering front row seats to viewing the Pantheon (which is one of my favorite monuments in Rome.) After dinner we walked down the street for some gelato ( two scoops!) and then meandered over to the Trevi Fountain ... which was packed with people ... even at 11 o'clock at night! We did the obligatory tossing of coins into the fountain to ensure our return to Rome!<BR><BR>The next morning we had to catch a 7 am train to Florence. We were originally booked on a 10:30 train but found out that day that there was going to be a transportation strike from 9 to 5 pm that day. At first we panicked ... but a travel agent was able to get us on an early train that got us to Florence before the strike started ... a minor inconvenience, but no big deal.

Sue ... just for you I am going to report on Venice next ... and then Florence ... so hopefully you can glean some helpful info before your trip!<BR><BR>VENICE:<BR><BR>We left Florence mid-morning on a train that got us into Venice around 1:30 pm. Unfortunately, this was the first bout of bad weather we experienced on our whole trip. I was cloudy, rainy and cold ... yet even so ... walking out of the train station to see the Grand Canal is an experience one never forgets.<BR><BR>Our hotel, the Giorgione, had advised us to take Vaparetto No. 1 to the CaD'oro stop. We bought a two day pass right at the ticket stand on the canal, stamped our tickets in front of the boat dock and got onto the next vaparetto. We were debating what kind of ticket to buy and settled on the two-day pass, which was worth it ... although no one ever checked for our passes. When you buy a multi-day pass, you don't have to pay extra for your luggage ... which cost 3 Euro per roller bag if you just purchase a one way ticket.<BR><BR>Anyway, we traveled down the Grand Canal, taking in the view in the rain. Our stop was the 4th one from the train station ... our hotel was in the Carneggio section ... a great location, I thought. We were far enough away from St. Marks to get away from the crowds when we wanted to ... but still less than a 10 minute walk to the Rialto Bridge ... 15 min. to St. Marks.<BR><BR>Our hotel, the Giorgione, was very charming from the outside. A cute little lobby with a bar, a pool table room and a pretty little courtyard greeted us. They also had a computer hooked up to the Internet ... which was the first hotel on our trip that had that. <BR><BR>Anyway ... as charming as the hotel and lobby were ... the room left a little to be desired. It was not BAD by any means ... it was very clean and neat ... but it was basically the size of a double bed ... with (barely) enough room for a small desk.<BR><BR>And the bathroom was not any better. My husband and I could not both stand in there at the same time. I was a little worried that my husband wouldn't even fit in the shower ... but he did.<BR><BR>Anyway, it wasn't horrible. I had heard that a lot of the hotel rooms in Europe are small anyway ... so I was somewhat prepared for that ... we were just lucky in that all of our other hotel rooms were fairly large ... so we were kind of spoiled at this point.<BR><BR>

VENICE cont'd.<BR><BR>Well, unfortunately ... our first afternoon and evening in Venice were not high points of our trip. I think the weather had a lot to do with it. It's hard to compare places you've fully explored in the glorious sunshine to a place that's cold, damp and dreary.<BR><BR>After checking in, we decided to go out and wander ... making our way towards the Rialto Bridge. It was raining, so I brought my umbrella .... but quickly learned that you just cannot use an umbrella in Venice. The streets are so narrow and crowded that you spend all of your time worrying about poking someone in the eye. So I put away the umbrella and just decided to look like a drowned rat. Of course, we almost got poked in the eye with other people's umbrellas about 47 times.<BR><BR>(Sue ... don't worry ... our time in Venice DID get better and we were able to enjoy ourselves ... I promise ...)<BR><BR>We kept encountering these huge groups of Japanese tourists ... 50 or 60 of them walking in groups ... literally making the streets impassable ... we finally made our way to the Rialto Bridge and shopped around a little bit ... but it soon became apparent that we were both a little too crabby and hungry to deal with all of the people around us. We found a little cafe to get a light lunch and then made our way back to our hotel. We decided to go back to the room and take a nap, see if the weather cleared and then hopefully be in a better mood for dinner.<BR><BR>Well, the weather wasn't any better ... but after seeing the crowds that afternoon, I suggested we get out of the tourist areas for dinner and head into the Dorsoduro section.<BR><BR>First we decided to take the Vaporetto again all they way down the Grand Canal and get out at Harry's Bar. I really wanted to go there to get Bellini's and see the place where Hemmingway and countless others have enjoyed a drink and a meal.<BR><BR>It was about 8 o'clock and the bar area was packed with people. We couldn't even get close enough to order our drinks. The prices are outrageous, I know ($14 euro for a tiny little Bellini, I think) but we were willing to splurge for the sake of doing it at Harry's Bar. But this was ridiculous ... there was no point in doing it if we were going to have to stand in front of the door and get bumped and shoved the entire time ... so we left and decided to wander over to the Accademia bridge, where we would cross and head into Dorsoduro. On the way, we passed by the Hotel Brauer ... which looked quite impressive from the outside ... and decided to go inside and have a drink there. <BR><BR>They had a lovely bar towards the back ... where my husband had a martini and ordered a Prosecco ( a light and delicious sparkling white wine). But the place seemed deserted ... it was so quiet! They also had a wonderful looking outdoor patio overlooking the grand canal that no doubt is delightful in good weather.<BR><BR>By this point we were both famished and looking forward to finding a casual little dinner spot.<BR>

VENCE cont'd.<BR><BR>Well, it was drizzling ... but we crossed the Accademia and decided to make our way to Santa Margherita Square. I had read on this board that this was the place in Dosoduro to find some good, inexpensive pizzarias and eateries.<BR><BR>In contrast to the crowds we experienced earlier ... now Venice seemed desserted ... almost eerily so. There was something sort of exhilirating about it ... here we were walking in the dark foggy streets of Venice where every once in a while a dark stranger would turn the corner, nod and hurry by.<BR><BR>But the exhiliration soon passed as the rain began to come down harder and we just were still trying to make it to Santa Magherita square.<BR><BR>Keep in mind, we had passed several small little places a while back... one that smelled very good ... but I kept telling my husband &quot;No, no ... let's keep going to Santa Magherita Square ... I read that it's really neat and there will be lots of good options.&quot;<BR><BR>So FINALLY we made it to S.M. Square ... and I'm sorry to say ...we were quite disappointed. There were only like 3 places open ... one looked more like a bar ... so we stopped into one of the other one's which was a pizzeria. I can't remember the name ... probably because it wasn't worth remembering. Sadly to say ... this was our only bad meal of the trip. <BR><BR>We had two very bland salads ... some grilled calamari and what were essentially two bowls of noodles in olive oil ... <BR><BR>Mine was supposed to be a mixed mushroom pasta ... but there were only about 3 and a half mushrooms on my plate. Likewise, my husband ordered linguiini in clams sauce and found about 5 tiny clams buried under his pasta.<BR><BR>What's more, the wait staff was quite rude and seemed insulted by some of our simple questions about the menu.<BR><BR>It was just not a good way to reward our long effort of venturing out into Dosoduro.<BR><BR>I don't know if it was just an off night for Santa Margherita Square or what (I'm sure the weather had something to do with it) but I personally would not recommend going out of your way to find it and eat there. I saw so many other cute places in the Cannaregio and San Palo sections that I so wished we had not wasted one of our two meals here.<BR><BR>(I will look back in my notes and see if I have the name of the restaurant anywhere ... so that no one else has to make the mistake of going there. It was on the east side of the square.)<BR><BR>But alas ,,, we still had reservations at Osteria de Fiore the next night ... which just had to make up for our first dismal evening.<BR><BR>Sue ... tomorrow I will continue with the more POSITIVE aspects of our stay in Venice! But hopefully you were still able to pick up some helpful insights from what I have posted today!<BR>

Amy, I am really enjoying your trip so far!<BR><BR>I found it interesting to hear about the problems people had of trying on clothes. I had the opposite experience in Montefalco (a quaint little, very UNtouristy town in Umbria) where my grandmother and I were encouraged to try on many different sweaters before making our purchases. I guess it depends on where you are! I'm glad I have read about your experiences though - I will be sure to ask and not to assume it's ok next time I go!!!<BR><BR<BR>

I am looking for some help, if you can. I am going on a trip to Italy in Dec-Jan. I booked the flight,but am unsure if I should book a land only package. I saw the you flew from Chicago. Did you go thru a travel agent in Chicago? That is were I will be flying out of &amp; just not sure if I want to go thru an agent or book the hotel &amp; train myself. I am flying into Rome then going Florence, Venice &amp; back to Rome. If you could help I would appreciate it. <BR><BR>

Connie, I recently returned from Rome, Florence, Venice traveling solo. I also flew out of Chicago. I booked everything myself on the internet. Very easy and convenient. Just make sure you print off confirmations and bring that with you (also reconfirm a couple of days before you go). Enjoy!

Lastly, for Vaux-le-Vicomte: http://www.vaux-le-vicomte.com<BR><BR>Hope this all helps!

Sorry Amy. Wrong post. My apologies. Can't wait for your next episode.

Amy<BR><BR>Thanks for bringing Venice forward - I'm really grateful.....and looking forward to the enjoyable bits!

Connie,<BR><BR>We did go through a travel agent who booked our driver to Positano, all of trains, hotels, and a couple of half day tours. But as Dori said ... you could probably do it yourself too.<BR><BR>I found working with the travel agent very easy ... however, I had done quite a bit of research on my own. I had given her a list of hotels I was interested in ... she came back with a list of 3 hotels in each city that were recommended by European Sojurns, the Italian agency she goes through. Some where on my list, some weren't. Based on price, the description of the hotel and the hotel's website, we made our decision and she booked them. She also gave me a lengthy list of 2 hours, half-day and full day tours we could take in each city, so we picked one for each city. (Except Rome ... I booked through Scala Reale.)<BR><BR>Anyway, before we left, we got a really nice packet with all of our documents, explicit directions for everything and all of the necessary contact information. It was great ... I made copies of everything ... but felt really good about having everything we needed to survive in this little packet.<BR><BR>Oh ... one other reason we went through a travel agent was because we wanted to fly into Naples and out of Venice ... I wasn't able to coordinate the flights like that on my own, so she did it for me. We had quick layovers in Munich and Frankfurt.

VENICE con'td.<BR><BR>Well. we woke up the next day somewhat early, had a nice breakfast at the hotel, and made our way to St. Mark's Square where we we supposed to meet our 9 am walking tour. <BR><BR>Unfortunately it was pouring rain again and the Square was beginning to flood.<BR><BR>Our tour took us into St. Marks Basilica which is just so amazing . I cannot get over the millions of tiny gold tiles that cover the walls and all the ornateness. <BR><BR>We also went toured the Doges palace which was equally extravagant. What unbelievable wealth existed in Venice at that time! Whew!<BR><BR>The only problem with this tour was getting out! By the time the tour had ended, St. Mark's Square was flooded with about 3 feet of water! They had set up elevated planks for people to walk on ... but we had to wait in line for about 30 minutes just to get on the plank that lead out of the Doge Palace.<BR><BR>It was just an unbelievable site to see all of the thousands of people walking single file across these planks above the water. As much of a pain as it was ... I feel kind of proud to say I've seen &quot;the flooding&quot; in St. Mark's ... it is like nothing I've ever seen before.<BR><BR>Anyway, we finally got out of there and decided to walk some of the side streets ... we were surprised to see that many of the shops and streets near St. Mark's were even flooded! There were shopkeepers sweeping water out of their shops!<BR><BR>Eventually though the sky started to clear and the sun actually came out! We had fun wandering around all the little passageways ... stopping in shops and at food stands. We were happy to be able to take some better pictures in the sunshine.<BR><BR>We had heard that the flooding in S.M. square usually cleared out around 2 ... so we decided to go back and see ... and sure enough, the water was gone and the Square was filled with people and pigeons. We decided to sit at Cafe Florian with a cappucino and just watch all of the action ... it was delightful! This is what Venice was supposed to be all about!