Trip Report: Tauck Tour- A Week in Italy and Venice on our own
May 24th, 2006, 05:07 PM
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Trip Report: Tauck Tour- A Week in Italy and Venice on our own
Occasionally on this board questions have arisen from people looking for information on Tauck Tours. While I know most of you prefer independent travel, this review of the May 7 departure of Tauck's A Week in Italy tour, will serve as a guide to those who have inquired about Tauck. Keep in mind that this was my first trip to Italy, Europe or on an escorted tour. We are a group of 3 travelers- myself early 30s and parents late 60s. I will also review our experiences in Venice, traveling independently after the tour ended.
Departure Day
We departed Boston 6:45pm for Rome Italy, flying Lufthansa via Munich (we booked it ourselves- not through Tauck). Never having flown this airline before, I was pleasantly surprised. We flew Economy class, but were impressed with the services provided. The beverage service included beer and wine for no extra charge. Prior to the first meal being served was a hot towel service. The meal was a choice of chicken or pasta and included a small, fresh tasting salad, roll, cheese and tiramisu dessert. Wine was also included if one chose, with the meal service. After the coffee and tea were brought around, they also offered cognac or Bailey’s to everyone.
Prior to landing in Munich at 8:10am local time they also came around with a small breakfast snack of yogurt and shortbread cookies. Never having flown trans-atlantic before, maybe these services are offered by all airlines flying similar routes, but we are used to United States airlines and flights which offer very little, so were pleasantly surprised.
Prestay day
Upon landing in Munich we had a 2.5hr layover. Munich airport is large and modern. At the time we arrived it did not take long to pass through the passport control area and then security.
For our flight on to Rome, there were no gates available for our plane to park at, so we were bused to our plane waiting out on the tarmac. Even though the flight was only about 1.5 hour, we were again served a small sandwich.
Rome Fiumicino/Leonardo Da Vinci airport is not a terribly modern airport. It has a sort of old, well used look about it. It sort of reminded me of Boston Logan. We waited an hour from the time we deplaned for them to begin to bring out the baggage from our flight.
Our hotel reservation for the one night before our tour was to start was at the Rome Hilton Airport (booked ourselves- not through Tauck). The hotel is about a 10min walk via moving walkways from the terminal. Check in was extremely easy—we had 2 rooms reserved. Both were twin bedded rooms with 2 twin beds. Rooms were smallish as is the norm in Europe as I understand it. Bathroom was also a bit cramped due to the inclusion of the bidet. I had read reviews of this hotel before we left and many were not favorable. However, our rooms were clean and everything was in working order. We had no complaints with this hotel; it is not a luxury property, but it is fine for a convenient, airport hotel.
The hotel provides a free shuttle bus into the city of Rome. It leaves every other hour starting at 8am and drops you off near the Teatro di Marcello and Capitoline Museum. We got the 4pm shuttle into Rome and went to the Capitoline Museum, Victor Emanuele Monument and Aracoeli Church. For dinner that night we just ate a small establishment near the shuttle bus stop called Antico Caffe Del Teatro ( all the hotel shuttles seem to let off at this same location). I’m sure they get tons of tourists at this place, so the food was not terribly inspired, but if you want outdoor dining, relatively quick and close to the bus stop this is an option.
The bus on the way back to the hotel was extremely crowded. In fact there were more people who wanted to get on than there were seats available. I think they left a few people behind rather than allowing people to stand. Try to be assertive if you want to get on the bus and there is a large crowd. Otherwise, you may have to take the next one or take a cab.
Departure Day
We departed Boston 6:45pm for Rome Italy, flying Lufthansa via Munich (we booked it ourselves- not through Tauck). Never having flown this airline before, I was pleasantly surprised. We flew Economy class, but were impressed with the services provided. The beverage service included beer and wine for no extra charge. Prior to the first meal being served was a hot towel service. The meal was a choice of chicken or pasta and included a small, fresh tasting salad, roll, cheese and tiramisu dessert. Wine was also included if one chose, with the meal service. After the coffee and tea were brought around, they also offered cognac or Bailey’s to everyone.
Prior to landing in Munich at 8:10am local time they also came around with a small breakfast snack of yogurt and shortbread cookies. Never having flown trans-atlantic before, maybe these services are offered by all airlines flying similar routes, but we are used to United States airlines and flights which offer very little, so were pleasantly surprised.
Prestay day
Upon landing in Munich we had a 2.5hr layover. Munich airport is large and modern. At the time we arrived it did not take long to pass through the passport control area and then security.
For our flight on to Rome, there were no gates available for our plane to park at, so we were bused to our plane waiting out on the tarmac. Even though the flight was only about 1.5 hour, we were again served a small sandwich.
Rome Fiumicino/Leonardo Da Vinci airport is not a terribly modern airport. It has a sort of old, well used look about it. It sort of reminded me of Boston Logan. We waited an hour from the time we deplaned for them to begin to bring out the baggage from our flight.
Our hotel reservation for the one night before our tour was to start was at the Rome Hilton Airport (booked ourselves- not through Tauck). The hotel is about a 10min walk via moving walkways from the terminal. Check in was extremely easy—we had 2 rooms reserved. Both were twin bedded rooms with 2 twin beds. Rooms were smallish as is the norm in Europe as I understand it. Bathroom was also a bit cramped due to the inclusion of the bidet. I had read reviews of this hotel before we left and many were not favorable. However, our rooms were clean and everything was in working order. We had no complaints with this hotel; it is not a luxury property, but it is fine for a convenient, airport hotel.
The hotel provides a free shuttle bus into the city of Rome. It leaves every other hour starting at 8am and drops you off near the Teatro di Marcello and Capitoline Museum. We got the 4pm shuttle into Rome and went to the Capitoline Museum, Victor Emanuele Monument and Aracoeli Church. For dinner that night we just ate a small establishment near the shuttle bus stop called Antico Caffe Del Teatro ( all the hotel shuttles seem to let off at this same location). I’m sure they get tons of tourists at this place, so the food was not terribly inspired, but if you want outdoor dining, relatively quick and close to the bus stop this is an option.
The bus on the way back to the hotel was extremely crowded. In fact there were more people who wanted to get on than there were seats available. I think they left a few people behind rather than allowing people to stand. Try to be assertive if you want to get on the bus and there is a large crowd. Otherwise, you may have to take the next one or take a cab.
May 24th, 2006, 05:09 PM
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Day 1
We got up and went downstairs to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. Our rate included breakfast. There is a girl at the podium who has a list of names. Your name must be on the list if you are to get the included breakfast. When you check in, it may be worth verifying that your rate does include breakfast to insure you will be on the list. The buffet was very extensive and included juices, dry cereals, pastries, meats, cheeses, bacon and more.
After breakfast we checked out and made our way to the meeting point of our tour. We followed the directions given to us by Tauck and found it easily. There were several different Tauck Tours going out that day, so the representative directed us to the correct bus.
Our tour director Andrea, was at the bus to check us in and help to sort out luggage etc.
Tauck assigns seats on their buses and you rotate through the different rows each day so that nobody is ever able to take over “the best seats”. The seat assignment is posted on the door, so you must check it each day before you board the bus.
Once we were all on board and underway, Andrea began by introducing himself and giving us an overview of what to expect en route to our first destination of Orvieto.
Upon our arrival in Orvieto, we had to board a small shuttle bus to take us up to the town (approx 1 min drive) and we were then give free time to explore on our own. We decided to enter the Duomo and to explore some of the shops. In Orvieto, pottery and olive wood products are the things to look for. Then it was time to meet the Tauck group for our included lunch at La Grotta. This was really the first opportunity to meet the other people we would be traveling with. There were about 3-4 large tables and it was open seating, so when you arrived you just chose a table and sat down. Lunch was a multi-course affair starting with vegetarian lasagna, salad, veal stew and finally tiramisu for dessert. While I thought the food was good and I know that Italians prefer a leisurely meal, I felt that we spent too much time dining. This was time that could have been used for more sight seeing. Luckily, after our lunch we were given about 30 min more free time, so we took advantage of it to climb the clock tower (many steps) and enjoyed the view of the countryside from there.
En route to our hotel in Todi, the Fonte Cesia, there was ample time to savor the view of the countryside from the bus. Checking into a hotel with Tauck is a painless affair. The tour director gets all the keys and distributes them to you. Your luggage is then unloaded from the bus and brought up to your room. As with many hotels, no 2 rooms are the same and you take pot luck when it comes to view, size etc. My room was quite dark, but had 2 windows looking out on the main street. As was the typical theme for the trip, the bathroom was also quite small, with just a stall shower. My parent’s room looked out on the hotel patio and had a slightly larger bathroom with full tub/shower. As was also the case for all the hotels we encountered in Italy (with the exception of the airport Hilton) once you entered your room, you had to insert your key into a wall slot in order to have electricity.
After arrival in Todi, there is ample free time explore this small town. One may choose to go to one of the churches, Piazza del Popolo or get a gelato at Gran Caffe (Limone and Cocco were tasty)
This night was also the welcome cocktail reception and dinner. Since it was warm and not raining, cocktails were served on the patio with a few light hors d’oevres. The tour director came out and went around the room introducing where everyone was from and after that it was time to go into the hotel dining room for dinner. For dinner tonight it was a limited menu from which we had about 3-4 choices from each course and wine was included. Dress for this dinner was what I would call smart casual—most of the men wore sport coats but no tie and the women for nice pants or a simple skirt or dress.
Day 2
After our included breakfast buffet, we boarded the bus to travel to Assisi. Here, we picked up a local guide, Maurizio, for our tour of the Basilica di San Francesco. After the Basilica tour we were given a walking tour of the town, after which we were given several hour of free time in which to get lunch, shop or go to any of the other sights we were interested in. We chose to have a lunch of pizza and eggplant parmagiana at Otello and then go our separate ways to enjoy the time. I chose to visit Rocca Maggiore (fortress) and enjoy the view.
Since restaurants do not begin serving until 7pm at the earliest, there is plenty of time to get that last minute sightseeing done upon return to Todi. Perhaps a walk down to the Santa Maria della Consolazione church.
For dinner tonight we were on our own and opted to go to Cavour. They serve pizza, pasta and meats. The pizza margherita and pasta arrabiata were good, but my father’s veal was not as successful- tough and with a bit of a strange taste.
We got up and went downstairs to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. Our rate included breakfast. There is a girl at the podium who has a list of names. Your name must be on the list if you are to get the included breakfast. When you check in, it may be worth verifying that your rate does include breakfast to insure you will be on the list. The buffet was very extensive and included juices, dry cereals, pastries, meats, cheeses, bacon and more.
After breakfast we checked out and made our way to the meeting point of our tour. We followed the directions given to us by Tauck and found it easily. There were several different Tauck Tours going out that day, so the representative directed us to the correct bus.
Our tour director Andrea, was at the bus to check us in and help to sort out luggage etc.
Tauck assigns seats on their buses and you rotate through the different rows each day so that nobody is ever able to take over “the best seats”. The seat assignment is posted on the door, so you must check it each day before you board the bus.
Once we were all on board and underway, Andrea began by introducing himself and giving us an overview of what to expect en route to our first destination of Orvieto.
Upon our arrival in Orvieto, we had to board a small shuttle bus to take us up to the town (approx 1 min drive) and we were then give free time to explore on our own. We decided to enter the Duomo and to explore some of the shops. In Orvieto, pottery and olive wood products are the things to look for. Then it was time to meet the Tauck group for our included lunch at La Grotta. This was really the first opportunity to meet the other people we would be traveling with. There were about 3-4 large tables and it was open seating, so when you arrived you just chose a table and sat down. Lunch was a multi-course affair starting with vegetarian lasagna, salad, veal stew and finally tiramisu for dessert. While I thought the food was good and I know that Italians prefer a leisurely meal, I felt that we spent too much time dining. This was time that could have been used for more sight seeing. Luckily, after our lunch we were given about 30 min more free time, so we took advantage of it to climb the clock tower (many steps) and enjoyed the view of the countryside from there.
En route to our hotel in Todi, the Fonte Cesia, there was ample time to savor the view of the countryside from the bus. Checking into a hotel with Tauck is a painless affair. The tour director gets all the keys and distributes them to you. Your luggage is then unloaded from the bus and brought up to your room. As with many hotels, no 2 rooms are the same and you take pot luck when it comes to view, size etc. My room was quite dark, but had 2 windows looking out on the main street. As was the typical theme for the trip, the bathroom was also quite small, with just a stall shower. My parent’s room looked out on the hotel patio and had a slightly larger bathroom with full tub/shower. As was also the case for all the hotels we encountered in Italy (with the exception of the airport Hilton) once you entered your room, you had to insert your key into a wall slot in order to have electricity.
After arrival in Todi, there is ample free time explore this small town. One may choose to go to one of the churches, Piazza del Popolo or get a gelato at Gran Caffe (Limone and Cocco were tasty)
This night was also the welcome cocktail reception and dinner. Since it was warm and not raining, cocktails were served on the patio with a few light hors d’oevres. The tour director came out and went around the room introducing where everyone was from and after that it was time to go into the hotel dining room for dinner. For dinner tonight it was a limited menu from which we had about 3-4 choices from each course and wine was included. Dress for this dinner was what I would call smart casual—most of the men wore sport coats but no tie and the women for nice pants or a simple skirt or dress.
Day 2
After our included breakfast buffet, we boarded the bus to travel to Assisi. Here, we picked up a local guide, Maurizio, for our tour of the Basilica di San Francesco. After the Basilica tour we were given a walking tour of the town, after which we were given several hour of free time in which to get lunch, shop or go to any of the other sights we were interested in. We chose to have a lunch of pizza and eggplant parmagiana at Otello and then go our separate ways to enjoy the time. I chose to visit Rocca Maggiore (fortress) and enjoy the view.
Since restaurants do not begin serving until 7pm at the earliest, there is plenty of time to get that last minute sightseeing done upon return to Todi. Perhaps a walk down to the Santa Maria della Consolazione church.
For dinner tonight we were on our own and opted to go to Cavour. They serve pizza, pasta and meats. The pizza margherita and pasta arrabiata were good, but my father’s veal was not as successful- tough and with a bit of a strange taste.
May 24th, 2006, 05:12 PM
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Day 3
Today it was on to Florence by way of Siena. We were instructed to place our luggage outside our rooms by 6:30am so that it could be picked up and loaded on the bus.
Upon arrival in Siena, we once again picked up a local guide who took us on a walking tour including entry into the Duomo. Once again, after conclusion of the tour we were given about 2hrs free time to eat, shop, explore. We opted for lunch at a self serve place called Ciao (I think) which is on Piazza del Campo and gelato at La Costarella as suggested by our tour director. After lunch we once again split up to do our own exploring.
By about 2:30pm we were on our way to Florence. Once we arrived in Florence we were taken directly to the Accademia for our reservations to view Michelangelo’s David statue, as well as the other art. This was a self guided activity, but I believe we had about 45min-1 hr to complete our viewing. While inside the museum, our luggage was taken to our hotel, Plaza Hotel Lucchesi so that it would be in our rooms when we arrived. This hotel is located in the vicinity of Santa Croce and is located along the Arno River. Rooms here seemed much brighter than the previous hotel, with hard wood floors, glass chandeliers, mirrored wardrobe doors. My room as well as my parent’s looked out on the Arno River, which was nice to see.
Prior to dinner, we were treated to an art history lecture by a woman who was from the U.S but is now living/teaching in Italy. Tonight a 3 course dinner in the hotel restaurant was included with our tour. We were able to choose anything we wanted off the restaurant menu. Food was inventive and tasty.
Day 4
My morning began with an early morning walk around Florence. The main areas of interest to tourists in Florence is really quite small in the scheme of things, so it is easy to walk around and explore. I went back to the hotel to join the tour group for a walking tour of Oltrarno conducted by our tour director and then for a walking tour of Florence and the Uffizi given by a local guide. After the tour ends, you are welcome to stay as long as you would like in the Uffizi. Once again, my parents and I split up to explore our own interests. My father remaining in the museum and my mother and I going across the street to La Loggia for a quick lunch of Toast (grilled ham & cheese)and a mozzarella & tomato panino. We then walked over to the Duomo and Baptistry stopping at Perche No for gelato along the way (cioccolato and coffee crunch were wonderful). We found the gelato at Perche No to be excellent- among the best of the trip. I opted to climb to the top of the Duomo. There is no lift, so do not attempt the climb if you tire easily. It is 400+ steps and the closer you get to the top the steeper it gets. The view however is a real reward. I felt it was worth it.
After the Duomo, I went to Ponte Vecchio and the Santa Croce church. Santa Croce church is where the Santa Croce leather school is located. They have many leather products to choose from there including, wallets, belts, jackets. I was able to purchase a nice leather wallet there that is quite similar to one I wanted to replace, After my shopping I decide to head back over to Piazza Signoria for a hot chocolate at Café Rivore. The hot chocolate is excellent there—it is of the thick, rich European variety served with whipped cream if you wish.
Dinner tonight was not included in our tour, so we were tasked with finding a place to eat. Seeing as the meals we ate with the tour were all huge, we wanted something smaller for tonight. We do not especially look for places that locals go, but more for places that suit the atmosphere we want. Tonight we opted for a simple restaurant on the Piazza Signoria where we just had a pasta dish apiece. After that we strolled around and then back to the hotel by way of Vivoli for gelato (amaretto and chocolate coffee crunch were my picks). Vivoli also had wonderful gelato- in my opinion it is a toss up as to whether Vivoli or Perche No win the award for best gelato of the trip.
Today it was on to Florence by way of Siena. We were instructed to place our luggage outside our rooms by 6:30am so that it could be picked up and loaded on the bus.
Upon arrival in Siena, we once again picked up a local guide who took us on a walking tour including entry into the Duomo. Once again, after conclusion of the tour we were given about 2hrs free time to eat, shop, explore. We opted for lunch at a self serve place called Ciao (I think) which is on Piazza del Campo and gelato at La Costarella as suggested by our tour director. After lunch we once again split up to do our own exploring.
By about 2:30pm we were on our way to Florence. Once we arrived in Florence we were taken directly to the Accademia for our reservations to view Michelangelo’s David statue, as well as the other art. This was a self guided activity, but I believe we had about 45min-1 hr to complete our viewing. While inside the museum, our luggage was taken to our hotel, Plaza Hotel Lucchesi so that it would be in our rooms when we arrived. This hotel is located in the vicinity of Santa Croce and is located along the Arno River. Rooms here seemed much brighter than the previous hotel, with hard wood floors, glass chandeliers, mirrored wardrobe doors. My room as well as my parent’s looked out on the Arno River, which was nice to see.
Prior to dinner, we were treated to an art history lecture by a woman who was from the U.S but is now living/teaching in Italy. Tonight a 3 course dinner in the hotel restaurant was included with our tour. We were able to choose anything we wanted off the restaurant menu. Food was inventive and tasty.
Day 4
My morning began with an early morning walk around Florence. The main areas of interest to tourists in Florence is really quite small in the scheme of things, so it is easy to walk around and explore. I went back to the hotel to join the tour group for a walking tour of Oltrarno conducted by our tour director and then for a walking tour of Florence and the Uffizi given by a local guide. After the tour ends, you are welcome to stay as long as you would like in the Uffizi. Once again, my parents and I split up to explore our own interests. My father remaining in the museum and my mother and I going across the street to La Loggia for a quick lunch of Toast (grilled ham & cheese)and a mozzarella & tomato panino. We then walked over to the Duomo and Baptistry stopping at Perche No for gelato along the way (cioccolato and coffee crunch were wonderful). We found the gelato at Perche No to be excellent- among the best of the trip. I opted to climb to the top of the Duomo. There is no lift, so do not attempt the climb if you tire easily. It is 400+ steps and the closer you get to the top the steeper it gets. The view however is a real reward. I felt it was worth it.
After the Duomo, I went to Ponte Vecchio and the Santa Croce church. Santa Croce church is where the Santa Croce leather school is located. They have many leather products to choose from there including, wallets, belts, jackets. I was able to purchase a nice leather wallet there that is quite similar to one I wanted to replace, After my shopping I decide to head back over to Piazza Signoria for a hot chocolate at Café Rivore. The hot chocolate is excellent there—it is of the thick, rich European variety served with whipped cream if you wish.
Dinner tonight was not included in our tour, so we were tasked with finding a place to eat. Seeing as the meals we ate with the tour were all huge, we wanted something smaller for tonight. We do not especially look for places that locals go, but more for places that suit the atmosphere we want. Tonight we opted for a simple restaurant on the Piazza Signoria where we just had a pasta dish apiece. After that we strolled around and then back to the hotel by way of Vivoli for gelato (amaretto and chocolate coffee crunch were my picks). Vivoli also had wonderful gelato- in my opinion it is a toss up as to whether Vivoli or Perche No win the award for best gelato of the trip.
May 24th, 2006, 05:14 PM
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Day 5
This morning we were told to leave our bags packed inside our room, ready to be picked up by 7:30am. This morning we transferred from our hotel to the Santa Maria Novella train station for travel to Rome via rail. The approx travel time from Florence to Rome is 1.5 hrs, however our train was delayed by 40min so we were a little off schedule by the time we arrived in Rome. Upon arrival we transferred to our hotel the Grand Hotel Parco dei Principi for a lunch buffet. After lunch we re-boarded the bus for a driving tour or Rome and once again we picked up a local guide for a tour of the Roman Forum and Colosseum. After the Colosseum portion of the tour we were given 30min inside the Colosseum on our own. From there we continued the walking tour over to San Pietro in Vincoli to view the Moses sculpture. After a little free time inside the church we transferred back to our hotel and checked in. This is a lovely hotel with a very nice outdoor pool area. The only drawback is the hotel location. It is on the far side of Villa Borghese in a nice residential area, so is not as convenient to sight seeing as some other properties. My room looked out on a street and my parents room looked out over the pool. Each room at this hotel has a balcony.
Dinner tonight was on our own and we opted to go with one of the tour directors suggestions of Fiore di Zucca which is walking distance to the hotel. This restaurant attracts a more local crowd and the food was quite good (eggplant croquettes, pizza margherita, veal, tiramisu). We had wanted a night tour of Rome this evening, so our tour director arranged for the car to pick us up at the restaurant at 9pm for our tour. We really enjoyed doing this tour. The driver showed us the Roman Forum, Capitoline Hill, Victor Emanuele Monument, Trevi Fountain and Vatican. Seeing everything lit up was wonderful—an added bonus was fewer crowds!
Day 6
Today we had a 7:30am departure from the hotel in order to get to the Vatican for our tour. My only complaint was that they only showed us the Candelabra Gallery, Map Room and Tapestry room en route to the Sistine Chapel. Had I gone on my own, I would have liked to have seen more of the Vatican Museum, as it is extremely vast and there is a lot to look at. When we arrived at the Sistine Chapel I found that I was not as impressed with it as I’m “supposed” to be. I thought that some of the ceilings in the galleries we saw leading up to the chapel were more impressive. We were given 30 min free time to admire the Sistine Chapel, after which we continued our guided tour into St. Peter’s Basilica. Part of the Basilica was closed off, as they were preparing for a large event the following day. After the basilica portion of the tour concluded we were given a bit of free time to look around St. Peter’s Square on our own before reboarding the bus. Once back on board the bus we were given the option of of either being dropped back at the hotel or in the Piazza Navona area. We opted to get off at Piazza Navona in order to maximize our sight seeing. We took this opportunity to dine at Tre Scalini. The pasta carbonara was okay, but the meat tortellin/lasagne combo was very good. Of course Tre Scalini is know for their tartufo, so we all ordered that and enjoyed the rich, chocolaty creation.
After gaining our sustanence we walked to see San I’vo church, Santa Maria Sopra Minerva church, Gesu church and the Pantheon. The Pantheon area, Piazza della Rotonda is also a good bet for al fresco dining. There is a gelateria Cremeria Monteforte nearby as well (the pistacchio is great). If you are facing the front of the Pantheon, take the street to the right that goes along side the Pantheon and it is on your right.
From here we walked to Trevi Fountain which was absolutely wall to wall people and then on to the Spanish Steps. At this point it was fairly late in the afternoon so we walked back to our hotel, which turned out to be a rather lengthy walk, as we made the mistake of walking around the Villa Borghese and not taking the cut through the park. One thing I enjoyed about the hotel, despite it’s farther location was the lovely pool area. It was nice to come back each day after doing so much walking and be able to relax by the pool.
Dinner tonight was included in our tour and it was held at a restaurant in Trastevere called Sabatini. This was not one of my favorite meals of the trip. For one thing it was a set menu and I did not especially love the food. The first course was prosciutto and melon, followed by porcini mushroom pasta, a mixed grill plate (beef, chicken, pork, lamb) and dessert which was fruit salad with ice cream. In addition, there was an accordionist and other musician, which were extremely loud and unfortunately played right behind our seats the entire night. If I had chosen to sit at a different table, it would likely not have been as loud. Again, perhaps the restaurant would have been better had we not been a part of a large group—it would have been nice to order what I wanted and not have to eat what I was given.
This morning we were told to leave our bags packed inside our room, ready to be picked up by 7:30am. This morning we transferred from our hotel to the Santa Maria Novella train station for travel to Rome via rail. The approx travel time from Florence to Rome is 1.5 hrs, however our train was delayed by 40min so we were a little off schedule by the time we arrived in Rome. Upon arrival we transferred to our hotel the Grand Hotel Parco dei Principi for a lunch buffet. After lunch we re-boarded the bus for a driving tour or Rome and once again we picked up a local guide for a tour of the Roman Forum and Colosseum. After the Colosseum portion of the tour we were given 30min inside the Colosseum on our own. From there we continued the walking tour over to San Pietro in Vincoli to view the Moses sculpture. After a little free time inside the church we transferred back to our hotel and checked in. This is a lovely hotel with a very nice outdoor pool area. The only drawback is the hotel location. It is on the far side of Villa Borghese in a nice residential area, so is not as convenient to sight seeing as some other properties. My room looked out on a street and my parents room looked out over the pool. Each room at this hotel has a balcony.
Dinner tonight was on our own and we opted to go with one of the tour directors suggestions of Fiore di Zucca which is walking distance to the hotel. This restaurant attracts a more local crowd and the food was quite good (eggplant croquettes, pizza margherita, veal, tiramisu). We had wanted a night tour of Rome this evening, so our tour director arranged for the car to pick us up at the restaurant at 9pm for our tour. We really enjoyed doing this tour. The driver showed us the Roman Forum, Capitoline Hill, Victor Emanuele Monument, Trevi Fountain and Vatican. Seeing everything lit up was wonderful—an added bonus was fewer crowds!
Day 6
Today we had a 7:30am departure from the hotel in order to get to the Vatican for our tour. My only complaint was that they only showed us the Candelabra Gallery, Map Room and Tapestry room en route to the Sistine Chapel. Had I gone on my own, I would have liked to have seen more of the Vatican Museum, as it is extremely vast and there is a lot to look at. When we arrived at the Sistine Chapel I found that I was not as impressed with it as I’m “supposed” to be. I thought that some of the ceilings in the galleries we saw leading up to the chapel were more impressive. We were given 30 min free time to admire the Sistine Chapel, after which we continued our guided tour into St. Peter’s Basilica. Part of the Basilica was closed off, as they were preparing for a large event the following day. After the basilica portion of the tour concluded we were given a bit of free time to look around St. Peter’s Square on our own before reboarding the bus. Once back on board the bus we were given the option of of either being dropped back at the hotel or in the Piazza Navona area. We opted to get off at Piazza Navona in order to maximize our sight seeing. We took this opportunity to dine at Tre Scalini. The pasta carbonara was okay, but the meat tortellin/lasagne combo was very good. Of course Tre Scalini is know for their tartufo, so we all ordered that and enjoyed the rich, chocolaty creation.
After gaining our sustanence we walked to see San I’vo church, Santa Maria Sopra Minerva church, Gesu church and the Pantheon. The Pantheon area, Piazza della Rotonda is also a good bet for al fresco dining. There is a gelateria Cremeria Monteforte nearby as well (the pistacchio is great). If you are facing the front of the Pantheon, take the street to the right that goes along side the Pantheon and it is on your right.
From here we walked to Trevi Fountain which was absolutely wall to wall people and then on to the Spanish Steps. At this point it was fairly late in the afternoon so we walked back to our hotel, which turned out to be a rather lengthy walk, as we made the mistake of walking around the Villa Borghese and not taking the cut through the park. One thing I enjoyed about the hotel, despite it’s farther location was the lovely pool area. It was nice to come back each day after doing so much walking and be able to relax by the pool.
Dinner tonight was included in our tour and it was held at a restaurant in Trastevere called Sabatini. This was not one of my favorite meals of the trip. For one thing it was a set menu and I did not especially love the food. The first course was prosciutto and melon, followed by porcini mushroom pasta, a mixed grill plate (beef, chicken, pork, lamb) and dessert which was fruit salad with ice cream. In addition, there was an accordionist and other musician, which were extremely loud and unfortunately played right behind our seats the entire night. If I had chosen to sit at a different table, it would likely not have been as loud. Again, perhaps the restaurant would have been better had we not been a part of a large group—it would have been nice to order what I wanted and not have to eat what I was given.
May 24th, 2006, 05:15 PM
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Day 7
This morning the group had 9am reservations at Galleria Borghese. Some of the group opted not to attend and do their own thing instead. My family did however go to the museum. Tickets for the Borghese are good for 2 hours. We finished viewing by 10:30am (no guided tour—you are on your own in the museum) and exited the museum and strolled through the park to Via Veneto. We walked down the lovely tree lined Via Veneto admiring the glass enclosed restaurants on the sidewalk. Unfortunately it was too early for lunch, as there were many nice looking establishments from which to choose. We proceeded to walk toward the Pantheon and by that time found a place to eat 1-2 streets over from the Pantheon. It was called La Maddalena (I think). I thought the food there was adequate. The atmosphere was nice though, in a small piazza looking over a church. After lunch we walked over to Giolitti for gelato, which was quite good. This was the first time while in Italy that we experienced the system of order where you must first obtain a ticket from the cashier and then place your order at the counter. Luckily we noticed that everyone had receipts, so we were able to go back and pay before we got to the head of the line. So if you go to Giolitti and want your gelato to go, remember to pay first!
After Giolotti’s I struck out on my own and went in search of more gelato at San Crispino (near Trevi Fountain). It had been recommended in guide books, but I was not overly impressed. While the strachiatella was very tasty, the pistacchio was terrible—totally devoid of any flavor at all; it may as well have been vanilla.
Tonight was out last night with our Tauck tour group and a farewell reception and dinner was included. We began with cocktails in the hotel lobby for an hour or so before moving into the dining room for dinner. I enjoyed this meal, as we were able to order off the entire menu. I thought the food was quite tasty and well prepared.
This morning the group had 9am reservations at Galleria Borghese. Some of the group opted not to attend and do their own thing instead. My family did however go to the museum. Tickets for the Borghese are good for 2 hours. We finished viewing by 10:30am (no guided tour—you are on your own in the museum) and exited the museum and strolled through the park to Via Veneto. We walked down the lovely tree lined Via Veneto admiring the glass enclosed restaurants on the sidewalk. Unfortunately it was too early for lunch, as there were many nice looking establishments from which to choose. We proceeded to walk toward the Pantheon and by that time found a place to eat 1-2 streets over from the Pantheon. It was called La Maddalena (I think). I thought the food there was adequate. The atmosphere was nice though, in a small piazza looking over a church. After lunch we walked over to Giolitti for gelato, which was quite good. This was the first time while in Italy that we experienced the system of order where you must first obtain a ticket from the cashier and then place your order at the counter. Luckily we noticed that everyone had receipts, so we were able to go back and pay before we got to the head of the line. So if you go to Giolitti and want your gelato to go, remember to pay first!
After Giolotti’s I struck out on my own and went in search of more gelato at San Crispino (near Trevi Fountain). It had been recommended in guide books, but I was not overly impressed. While the strachiatella was very tasty, the pistacchio was terrible—totally devoid of any flavor at all; it may as well have been vanilla.
Tonight was out last night with our Tauck tour group and a farewell reception and dinner was included. We began with cocktails in the hotel lobby for an hour or so before moving into the dining room for dinner. I enjoyed this meal, as we were able to order off the entire menu. I thought the food was quite tasty and well prepared.
May 24th, 2006, 05:22 PM
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Day 8
This morning we were on our own, as our tour had ended. We had a 10:55am train departure for Venice and arrived at the train station at about 10:10am via a prearranged car/taxi service. The train was already in the station and ready for boarding when we arrived and there were already quite a few people on board. Keep in mind that the train cars only feature luggage racks at one end of the cars, so make sure you are boarding the end with the rack if you have luggage, otherwise you will end up hauling it through the train.
The ride to Venice was about 5-5.5 hrs and uneventful, making about 5 or so stops along the way. Upon arrival into Venice-Santa Lucia station, we headed out to catch the water bus. A one time ticket is 5 euros. We found it a little confusing as to which stop was the correct one to get off at for our hotel. We had done lots of reading before the trip, but failed to remember that the San Marco stop is called Valleresso. We took the #82 bus in what we thought was in the direction of San Marco by way of the Grand Canal. It turned out to be one going in the opposite direction, so we went around Venice into the bay. We still got where we wanted to go, but not how we wanted to get there. By this time we were a little confused so ended up getting off at San Zaccaria instead of San Marco/Vallaresso. This made a longer walk to our hotel.
We had 2 rooms booked at Locanda Orseolo. This hotel is on a small courtyard and would be difficult to find without the directions provided by the hotel. Once inside the courtyard the entrance is still unmarked, but it is pretty much the only door. We were greeted by name by the hotel’s proprietor, Matteo and staff member Gigi (this hotel is amazing the way they know who everyone is before you even tell them). Our rooms were on the first floor- one looked out over a canal and the other into the courtyard. Color scheme was red and gold and each had a mural painted on the wall and mirrors behind the bed made the rooms seem larger.
After settling in for a few minutes we came downstairs to head out to explore. Matteo and Gigi asked if they could help us with any restaurant reservations etc. Since it was our first night we took them up on the offer and told them our preferences for cuisine. They booked us at Vecio Bragozzo in the Rialto area and showed us on the map how to find it. The restaurant is located on a well traveled street and has both indoor and outdoor dining. The food was tasty enough but I don’t think it was any better than any of the other places we encountered by walking around by ourselves the next couple evenings.
Day 9
I got up early this morning to go for a walk. I walked along the Riva degli Schiavoni by the waterfront. It was nice, as there were not too many people out yet. I also enjoyed walking some of the back streets and smaller canals and observing the delivery boats making their rounds.
Breakfast at the hotel goes from 8-10:30am so I returned to the hotel by 8am. They offer a small buffet breakfast in the cozy breakfast room including breads, meats, cheeses etc. You also have the option to order eggs, omlettes or crepes made fresh by Matteo. Each day I ordered the chocolate cookie crepe, which is a a thin crepe filled with chocolate sauce and cookie pieces, artfully displayed on the plate. The cappuccinos were also good.
After this filling breakfast my parents and I split up our 3 separate ways to explore on our own, as well all have separate interests. My father is an architect who specializes in churches, so his fun was to view as many churches as possible, my mother enjoys soaking up the atmosphere and I move really quickly from place to place, so it always works out better if we do our own things. I walked over to the Rialto area for a bit, crossed the bridge to look at the fruit/vegetable market on the other side. After poking around there for a while I went down to the Accademia area, crossed that bridge and walked around the Dorsoduro area and the waterfront there “Zattere”. This area definitely had fewer crowds. The walk along the water was nice and I stopped for a gelato at a place called Gelati di Niero (I think). I had the coffee flavor, and found it too be a little too icy- not creamy enough compared to others I had during the trip. After wandering around Dorsoduro and viewing the Santa Maria della Salute church, I took the traghetto across the canal (costs 50 cents) to spend the remainder of my free time in the San Marco area.
At 2:30pm I met back up with my parents and we entered St. Mark’s Basilica. It was maybe a 5 minute wait in line to get in- not bad at all. We did not pay for any of the optional museums inside the Basilica except for the Museum which contains the original Triumphal Quadriga (the 4 horses that were the orginal ones displayed over the entry loggia of the basilica). After finishing inside the Basilica, we walked across the square to the Correr Museum. If you purchase a ticket for the Correr it is also good at the Doge's Palace. We spent a little while in the Correr before heading over the the Doge’s Palace that same day. We did not sign up for the Secret Itineraries tour (includes viewing the private quarters and the torture chambers), but merely did the self guided tour. There are signs directing you which direction to go and signs in each room that tell you a bit about the function of that room. By the time we finished the tour it was about 6:20pm, so we decided we had enough time to enter the Campanile before it closed. At this hour the wait was about 5 min. We rode to the top in the elevator and enjoyed the views over Venice. It was great timing because by the time we were ready to come down, the restaurants were starting to open for dinner. Tonight we decided to just walk along until we found a place that attracted us. We settled on Birreria Al Leonoini (I think was the name)—I’m not sure where it is located- but it is on some street behind St. Mark’s Square. The food was pretty good—not the best of the trip, but not the worst. I believe I had the spaghetti with pesto sauce and a tartufo for dessert.
This morning we were on our own, as our tour had ended. We had a 10:55am train departure for Venice and arrived at the train station at about 10:10am via a prearranged car/taxi service. The train was already in the station and ready for boarding when we arrived and there were already quite a few people on board. Keep in mind that the train cars only feature luggage racks at one end of the cars, so make sure you are boarding the end with the rack if you have luggage, otherwise you will end up hauling it through the train.
The ride to Venice was about 5-5.5 hrs and uneventful, making about 5 or so stops along the way. Upon arrival into Venice-Santa Lucia station, we headed out to catch the water bus. A one time ticket is 5 euros. We found it a little confusing as to which stop was the correct one to get off at for our hotel. We had done lots of reading before the trip, but failed to remember that the San Marco stop is called Valleresso. We took the #82 bus in what we thought was in the direction of San Marco by way of the Grand Canal. It turned out to be one going in the opposite direction, so we went around Venice into the bay. We still got where we wanted to go, but not how we wanted to get there. By this time we were a little confused so ended up getting off at San Zaccaria instead of San Marco/Vallaresso. This made a longer walk to our hotel.
We had 2 rooms booked at Locanda Orseolo. This hotel is on a small courtyard and would be difficult to find without the directions provided by the hotel. Once inside the courtyard the entrance is still unmarked, but it is pretty much the only door. We were greeted by name by the hotel’s proprietor, Matteo and staff member Gigi (this hotel is amazing the way they know who everyone is before you even tell them). Our rooms were on the first floor- one looked out over a canal and the other into the courtyard. Color scheme was red and gold and each had a mural painted on the wall and mirrors behind the bed made the rooms seem larger.
After settling in for a few minutes we came downstairs to head out to explore. Matteo and Gigi asked if they could help us with any restaurant reservations etc. Since it was our first night we took them up on the offer and told them our preferences for cuisine. They booked us at Vecio Bragozzo in the Rialto area and showed us on the map how to find it. The restaurant is located on a well traveled street and has both indoor and outdoor dining. The food was tasty enough but I don’t think it was any better than any of the other places we encountered by walking around by ourselves the next couple evenings.
Day 9
I got up early this morning to go for a walk. I walked along the Riva degli Schiavoni by the waterfront. It was nice, as there were not too many people out yet. I also enjoyed walking some of the back streets and smaller canals and observing the delivery boats making their rounds.
Breakfast at the hotel goes from 8-10:30am so I returned to the hotel by 8am. They offer a small buffet breakfast in the cozy breakfast room including breads, meats, cheeses etc. You also have the option to order eggs, omlettes or crepes made fresh by Matteo. Each day I ordered the chocolate cookie crepe, which is a a thin crepe filled with chocolate sauce and cookie pieces, artfully displayed on the plate. The cappuccinos were also good.
After this filling breakfast my parents and I split up our 3 separate ways to explore on our own, as well all have separate interests. My father is an architect who specializes in churches, so his fun was to view as many churches as possible, my mother enjoys soaking up the atmosphere and I move really quickly from place to place, so it always works out better if we do our own things. I walked over to the Rialto area for a bit, crossed the bridge to look at the fruit/vegetable market on the other side. After poking around there for a while I went down to the Accademia area, crossed that bridge and walked around the Dorsoduro area and the waterfront there “Zattere”. This area definitely had fewer crowds. The walk along the water was nice and I stopped for a gelato at a place called Gelati di Niero (I think). I had the coffee flavor, and found it too be a little too icy- not creamy enough compared to others I had during the trip. After wandering around Dorsoduro and viewing the Santa Maria della Salute church, I took the traghetto across the canal (costs 50 cents) to spend the remainder of my free time in the San Marco area.
At 2:30pm I met back up with my parents and we entered St. Mark’s Basilica. It was maybe a 5 minute wait in line to get in- not bad at all. We did not pay for any of the optional museums inside the Basilica except for the Museum which contains the original Triumphal Quadriga (the 4 horses that were the orginal ones displayed over the entry loggia of the basilica). After finishing inside the Basilica, we walked across the square to the Correr Museum. If you purchase a ticket for the Correr it is also good at the Doge's Palace. We spent a little while in the Correr before heading over the the Doge’s Palace that same day. We did not sign up for the Secret Itineraries tour (includes viewing the private quarters and the torture chambers), but merely did the self guided tour. There are signs directing you which direction to go and signs in each room that tell you a bit about the function of that room. By the time we finished the tour it was about 6:20pm, so we decided we had enough time to enter the Campanile before it closed. At this hour the wait was about 5 min. We rode to the top in the elevator and enjoyed the views over Venice. It was great timing because by the time we were ready to come down, the restaurants were starting to open for dinner. Tonight we decided to just walk along until we found a place that attracted us. We settled on Birreria Al Leonoini (I think was the name)—I’m not sure where it is located- but it is on some street behind St. Mark’s Square. The food was pretty good—not the best of the trip, but not the worst. I believe I had the spaghetti with pesto sauce and a tartufo for dessert.
May 24th, 2006, 05:24 PM
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Day 10
Once again I got up for my early morning walk. The streets of Venice are most pleasant either in the early morning or in the evening, once all the crowds have died down. Today, instead of walking along the waterfront, I wandered through the back streets. This is a fun way to discover hidden alleys and smaller canals. It is difficult to get truly lost in Venice, as there are signs posted on corners of many buildings calling out which direction certain landmarks such as San Marco, Rialto or Accademia are located.
After returning to the hotel for my daily breakfast of crepes and cappuccino, we once again struck out in separate directions to explore our own interests. I decided to purchase the 24hr vaporetto pass which is 12 euros. This allowed me unlimited use of the water buses for the next 24 hrs, which I found useful. It was fun being able to view the palazzos (palazzi??) on the Grand Canal from the water. I went to the Accademia Museum, did shop souvenir shopping, had lunch at Le Café (in Campo Francesco Marisini San Stefano) and sampled the gelato at both Michelangelo and Boutique del Gelato (I didn’t think either were especially stand-outs)..
I met up with my parents at 6pm and we used this time to stroll and look for possible restaurants for what would be our last night in Venice. We decided to cross the Rialto Bridge to the San Polo side of the canal and ended up eating at restaurant along the canal, in view of the gondolas and other boat traffic. I believe the name of it was Caffe Saraceno. Among us we ordered a salmon dish, veal marsala, veal al limone, tiramisu, a marscapone dessert and lingered over limoncello, savoring the view.
AS we walked slowly back to our hotel, we decided a nighttime vaporetto ride was in order, as we had not yet been on the Grand Canal at night. Even at this hour (approx 8:45pm), there were still quite a few people on the vaporetto, but it was no where near as crowded as during the day. We boarded the #1 at Vallaresso and took it to Piazzale Roma, at which point we got off and then reboarded going the opposite direction down the Grand Canal. It was beautiful to see the twinkling lights of Venice along the canal.
Once again I got up for my early morning walk. The streets of Venice are most pleasant either in the early morning or in the evening, once all the crowds have died down. Today, instead of walking along the waterfront, I wandered through the back streets. This is a fun way to discover hidden alleys and smaller canals. It is difficult to get truly lost in Venice, as there are signs posted on corners of many buildings calling out which direction certain landmarks such as San Marco, Rialto or Accademia are located.
After returning to the hotel for my daily breakfast of crepes and cappuccino, we once again struck out in separate directions to explore our own interests. I decided to purchase the 24hr vaporetto pass which is 12 euros. This allowed me unlimited use of the water buses for the next 24 hrs, which I found useful. It was fun being able to view the palazzos (palazzi??) on the Grand Canal from the water. I went to the Accademia Museum, did shop souvenir shopping, had lunch at Le Café (in Campo Francesco Marisini San Stefano) and sampled the gelato at both Michelangelo and Boutique del Gelato (I didn’t think either were especially stand-outs)..
I met up with my parents at 6pm and we used this time to stroll and look for possible restaurants for what would be our last night in Venice. We decided to cross the Rialto Bridge to the San Polo side of the canal and ended up eating at restaurant along the canal, in view of the gondolas and other boat traffic. I believe the name of it was Caffe Saraceno. Among us we ordered a salmon dish, veal marsala, veal al limone, tiramisu, a marscapone dessert and lingered over limoncello, savoring the view.
AS we walked slowly back to our hotel, we decided a nighttime vaporetto ride was in order, as we had not yet been on the Grand Canal at night. Even at this hour (approx 8:45pm), there were still quite a few people on the vaporetto, but it was no where near as crowded as during the day. We boarded the #1 at Vallaresso and took it to Piazzale Roma, at which point we got off and then reboarded going the opposite direction down the Grand Canal. It was beautiful to see the twinkling lights of Venice along the canal.
May 24th, 2006, 05:28 PM
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Day 11
Up for one last early morning walk before our departure, I decided to explore Castello today. The area I found had many very narrow streets and was more residential with fewer shops than some of the other areas.
Back to the hotel for one last delicious breakfast and then had 2 hours to walk around and savor our time in Venice. My mother and I decided to walk in the direction of Rialto and just enjoy watching the boats on the canals, while my father had one more walk to check out any churches he may have missed in previous days.
We returned to the hotel by 10:30 to check out. One of our hosts, Francesco, brought our baggage down for us and walked us to the door and bid us goodbye. We could have departed the hotel via water-taxi, as they have a water door, but at a cost of approx 90 euros, we opted instead for the Alilaguna service to the airport, which we picked up near San Marco. This service departs San Marco at 20 past the hour and 50 past the hour and we arrived in plenty of time to catch the 11:20am. I believe it takes 1hr 10 min on the Alilaguna and once you arrive at the airport it is approx a 10-15 min walk to the terminal. Venice/Marco Polo Airport is a small, convenient airport. There is only one terminal and all the airline check in desks are located pretty close together. We had no wait to go through security after we checked in, which is a refreshing change.
Once inside the security checkpoint we located a place to eat that offered about 15 varieties of panini. We found these sandwiches to be quite good. In fact it was funny, the airport sandwiches were actually better than some we had during the trip!
Once again we were flying Lufthansa—this time through Frankfurt. And once again we were impressed with the service and amenities as compared to most U.S. airlines. Upon arrival into Frankfurt we had a 2 hour layover. This is where things got annoying: We took our time getting to our next gate of departure thinking we had plenty of time (our mistake). (We had to go from something like gate 11 to gate 60). Upon approaching about gate 57, a huge bottle neck of people appeared in the corridor. This turned out to be the security checkpoint. There were some staffers trying to keep order and direct people into the security lines, since it was not actually obvious at first that it was a checkpoint—many people were trying to circumvent the mob. Anyway, there were no walk-through metal detectors—instead they were hand wanding and patting down each person. This was taking forever. In addition, they were being extra picky about everything—when they saw binoculars in my bag as it passed through the X-ray, they stopped me and then pulled me aside for a hand test/inspection of them. There were other instances with other people as well. This process took forever. If we had not been sent to the head of the line when we asked a question about our flight, we may not have made it. I’m not sure if this is the normal process at the Frankfurt airport (or other airports for flights bound to the U.S. from Europe) or if there was something else going on, but be warned if you go through this airport that it could be lengthy.
Once on board the flight we again received the hot towels, dinner meal service (choice of pasta or beef- salad, camembert cheese, roll and tiramisu dessert) with wine and the offer of cognac or Baileys. Once we got about 2hrs away from Boston they offered a “snack” which was a choice of Mexican pizza or a warm ham and cheese sandwich.
Miscelaneous:
Tauck Tour Director: We thought our TD was very good. A native Roman, he spoke excellent English, was extremely organized and very helpful. He would assist everyone with dinner reservations, directions or any other requests they may have had- always with a smile.
Local guides on the Tauck Tour: For many of the places we went, local guides were used to take us through the sights. We found the guides to be very knowledgable about their subjects and that they helped us to get more out of our visits to the sights. At each location the guides used a whisper system. If you are not familiar with this technology, basically you are given a receiver and headphone and you listen to the guide on the headphone.
Gelato: One of my highlights was getting a gelato each day. If you are into desserts, make it a point to try as many gelaterias as possible. I found the best gelato to be in Florence. Overall my favorite flavors were pistacchio, cocco (coconut) and cioccolato. A good pistacchio will have a very robust flavor—much more so than pistacchio ice cream here in the states.
Crime: Before coming on the trip I had read a lot about pickpocket crime in Italy and I think I over-prepared for it. While there are gypsies, we didn’t see too many of them. At no time did we witness anyone become a victim, nor did anyone in our group become a victim themselves. If you take normal city precautions- keep your bag closed, watch your belongings, be mindful in crowds and don’t make it obvious where you are carrying your money you should be fine.
Clothing: Before the trip I had read many discussions of what people wear in Italy. Frankly, I packed what I knew I would be comfortable in. The truth is, people wear everything- including jeans and sneakers (these were Italian speaking people and other Europeans wearing this, not just Americans). Wear what you will be comfortable wearing. There is a lot of walking, so make sure your shoes are comfortable.
Language Barrier: one of the many reasons I chose to do an escorted tour was that I was afraid of the language barrier. Before I went, I was convinced that I would not be able to communicate. I studied my Italian phrases diligently, tried to expand my vocabulary etc. Now I know that communicating is not a real problem in most instances. Most of the hotel staff and waiters speak English and in many cases their English is better than my Italian, so even if I attempted to order in Italian, we ended up speaking English. We only witnessed one instance on the train to Venice (not involving us) where the conductor either did not speak English or just did not want to.
Museums: If you are not fluent in Italian or don’t go with a local guide, I recommend renting the audio tour (or purchasing a book in your language) if one is available. The placards in the museums are in Italian in many cases or just so poorly laid out, that it is hard to know what you are looking at. The Borghese had some placards in English and so did the Doge’s Palace. Some of the museums however did not seem to have much signage in any language- including Italian.
Conclusion: We had a great time on both our tour as well as traveling to Venice on our own. My favorite destinations were Venice and Florence, though every city and town we visited had something different and worthwhile to offer. We really enjoyed our time in Venice and enjoyed our hotel there. I can see why Locanda Orseolo gets such positive reviews- the hosts are extremely helpful and nice and the location is wonderful. It was nice to end the trip in Venice because coming from Rome it was a more relaxed atmosphere.
After doing the tour I see that we could have gotten by on our own in most of the locations we visited. However, the tour was so convenient, I’m not sure I would want to. The only drawback for doing the tour was not being able to chose your own schedule, ie. not be able to spend as much time as one might choose at certain locations. We really liked Tauck tour company- they were well organized to deal with from the time we first booked, to being on the actual tour. The hotels were all very nice and this particular itinerary was great for getting an overview. I look forward to booking another one.
Up for one last early morning walk before our departure, I decided to explore Castello today. The area I found had many very narrow streets and was more residential with fewer shops than some of the other areas.
Back to the hotel for one last delicious breakfast and then had 2 hours to walk around and savor our time in Venice. My mother and I decided to walk in the direction of Rialto and just enjoy watching the boats on the canals, while my father had one more walk to check out any churches he may have missed in previous days.
We returned to the hotel by 10:30 to check out. One of our hosts, Francesco, brought our baggage down for us and walked us to the door and bid us goodbye. We could have departed the hotel via water-taxi, as they have a water door, but at a cost of approx 90 euros, we opted instead for the Alilaguna service to the airport, which we picked up near San Marco. This service departs San Marco at 20 past the hour and 50 past the hour and we arrived in plenty of time to catch the 11:20am. I believe it takes 1hr 10 min on the Alilaguna and once you arrive at the airport it is approx a 10-15 min walk to the terminal. Venice/Marco Polo Airport is a small, convenient airport. There is only one terminal and all the airline check in desks are located pretty close together. We had no wait to go through security after we checked in, which is a refreshing change.
Once inside the security checkpoint we located a place to eat that offered about 15 varieties of panini. We found these sandwiches to be quite good. In fact it was funny, the airport sandwiches were actually better than some we had during the trip!
Once again we were flying Lufthansa—this time through Frankfurt. And once again we were impressed with the service and amenities as compared to most U.S. airlines. Upon arrival into Frankfurt we had a 2 hour layover. This is where things got annoying: We took our time getting to our next gate of departure thinking we had plenty of time (our mistake). (We had to go from something like gate 11 to gate 60). Upon approaching about gate 57, a huge bottle neck of people appeared in the corridor. This turned out to be the security checkpoint. There were some staffers trying to keep order and direct people into the security lines, since it was not actually obvious at first that it was a checkpoint—many people were trying to circumvent the mob. Anyway, there were no walk-through metal detectors—instead they were hand wanding and patting down each person. This was taking forever. In addition, they were being extra picky about everything—when they saw binoculars in my bag as it passed through the X-ray, they stopped me and then pulled me aside for a hand test/inspection of them. There were other instances with other people as well. This process took forever. If we had not been sent to the head of the line when we asked a question about our flight, we may not have made it. I’m not sure if this is the normal process at the Frankfurt airport (or other airports for flights bound to the U.S. from Europe) or if there was something else going on, but be warned if you go through this airport that it could be lengthy.
Once on board the flight we again received the hot towels, dinner meal service (choice of pasta or beef- salad, camembert cheese, roll and tiramisu dessert) with wine and the offer of cognac or Baileys. Once we got about 2hrs away from Boston they offered a “snack” which was a choice of Mexican pizza or a warm ham and cheese sandwich.
Miscelaneous:
Tauck Tour Director: We thought our TD was very good. A native Roman, he spoke excellent English, was extremely organized and very helpful. He would assist everyone with dinner reservations, directions or any other requests they may have had- always with a smile.
Local guides on the Tauck Tour: For many of the places we went, local guides were used to take us through the sights. We found the guides to be very knowledgable about their subjects and that they helped us to get more out of our visits to the sights. At each location the guides used a whisper system. If you are not familiar with this technology, basically you are given a receiver and headphone and you listen to the guide on the headphone.
Gelato: One of my highlights was getting a gelato each day. If you are into desserts, make it a point to try as many gelaterias as possible. I found the best gelato to be in Florence. Overall my favorite flavors were pistacchio, cocco (coconut) and cioccolato. A good pistacchio will have a very robust flavor—much more so than pistacchio ice cream here in the states.
Crime: Before coming on the trip I had read a lot about pickpocket crime in Italy and I think I over-prepared for it. While there are gypsies, we didn’t see too many of them. At no time did we witness anyone become a victim, nor did anyone in our group become a victim themselves. If you take normal city precautions- keep your bag closed, watch your belongings, be mindful in crowds and don’t make it obvious where you are carrying your money you should be fine.
Clothing: Before the trip I had read many discussions of what people wear in Italy. Frankly, I packed what I knew I would be comfortable in. The truth is, people wear everything- including jeans and sneakers (these were Italian speaking people and other Europeans wearing this, not just Americans). Wear what you will be comfortable wearing. There is a lot of walking, so make sure your shoes are comfortable.
Language Barrier: one of the many reasons I chose to do an escorted tour was that I was afraid of the language barrier. Before I went, I was convinced that I would not be able to communicate. I studied my Italian phrases diligently, tried to expand my vocabulary etc. Now I know that communicating is not a real problem in most instances. Most of the hotel staff and waiters speak English and in many cases their English is better than my Italian, so even if I attempted to order in Italian, we ended up speaking English. We only witnessed one instance on the train to Venice (not involving us) where the conductor either did not speak English or just did not want to.
Museums: If you are not fluent in Italian or don’t go with a local guide, I recommend renting the audio tour (or purchasing a book in your language) if one is available. The placards in the museums are in Italian in many cases or just so poorly laid out, that it is hard to know what you are looking at. The Borghese had some placards in English and so did the Doge’s Palace. Some of the museums however did not seem to have much signage in any language- including Italian.
Conclusion: We had a great time on both our tour as well as traveling to Venice on our own. My favorite destinations were Venice and Florence, though every city and town we visited had something different and worthwhile to offer. We really enjoyed our time in Venice and enjoyed our hotel there. I can see why Locanda Orseolo gets such positive reviews- the hosts are extremely helpful and nice and the location is wonderful. It was nice to end the trip in Venice because coming from Rome it was a more relaxed atmosphere.
After doing the tour I see that we could have gotten by on our own in most of the locations we visited. However, the tour was so convenient, I’m not sure I would want to. The only drawback for doing the tour was not being able to chose your own schedule, ie. not be able to spend as much time as one might choose at certain locations. We really liked Tauck tour company- they were well organized to deal with from the time we first booked, to being on the actual tour. The hotels were all very nice and this particular itinerary was great for getting an overview. I look forward to booking another one.
May 24th, 2006, 06:33 PM
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Oh Miramar, while enjoying a glass of wine I have certainly enjoyed reading your trip report!
It is truly a lovely and a most informative report, I cannot even imagine the hours that you must have spent on it. And in that not everyone wants to travel independently how nice that readers will now know about the Tauck Tours and what to expect.
You and your parents obviously travel well together, enjoying each others company and yet feeling free to separate to follow each ones own interest. That is wonderful.
Having been to almost all of the places you visited I felt like you took me on a repeat visit, sigh, how I wish I was in beautiful Italy right in this moment.
BTW, I smiled about the gelataria to the right of the Pantheon, my late husband probably kept them in business for a year he loved their gelato so much, lol. A beautiful memory.
Thank you so much for sharing your time in Italy with everyone. And thank you for all the details. I imagine this will be a report many will bookmark for future referance. Best wishes along with hopes that you and your parents will have many more beautiful trips.
It is truly a lovely and a most informative report, I cannot even imagine the hours that you must have spent on it. And in that not everyone wants to travel independently how nice that readers will now know about the Tauck Tours and what to expect.
You and your parents obviously travel well together, enjoying each others company and yet feeling free to separate to follow each ones own interest. That is wonderful.
Having been to almost all of the places you visited I felt like you took me on a repeat visit, sigh, how I wish I was in beautiful Italy right in this moment.
BTW, I smiled about the gelataria to the right of the Pantheon, my late husband probably kept them in business for a year he loved their gelato so much, lol. A beautiful memory.
Thank you so much for sharing your time in Italy with everyone. And thank you for all the details. I imagine this will be a report many will bookmark for future referance. Best wishes along with hopes that you and your parents will have many more beautiful trips.
May 26th, 2006, 12:14 PM
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I thought of a few more things to add to my report (these are mainly aimed at those who have not been to Italy or Europe before):
Trevi Fountain was wall to wall people during the day. I mean packed. If you want to enjoy the fountain with "fewer" (a relative term) crowds, I suggest going at night. We went at night the first time we saw it and then returned the next day and it was definitely less crowded at night.
Pizza was served a bit differently than in the U.S. Here, if you order a whole pizza in a restaurant, it will come to your table pre-sliced. In Italy, we found that the pizzas are brought out unsliced and just put on the table that way. It is up to you to take knife and fork and saw away at it. However, since the crusts are thin, it isn't overly difficult.
Public bathrooms: I know there have been threads discussing this topic before, so I won't say too much. Just wanted to note, that most of the public restrooms at the tourist sites we went to were clean and easy to use. Many of the public toilets do not have seats though-- it is just a toilet with no seat.
Trevi Fountain was wall to wall people during the day. I mean packed. If you want to enjoy the fountain with "fewer" (a relative term) crowds, I suggest going at night. We went at night the first time we saw it and then returned the next day and it was definitely less crowded at night.
Pizza was served a bit differently than in the U.S. Here, if you order a whole pizza in a restaurant, it will come to your table pre-sliced. In Italy, we found that the pizzas are brought out unsliced and just put on the table that way. It is up to you to take knife and fork and saw away at it. However, since the crusts are thin, it isn't overly difficult.
Public bathrooms: I know there have been threads discussing this topic before, so I won't say too much. Just wanted to note, that most of the public restrooms at the tourist sites we went to were clean and easy to use. Many of the public toilets do not have seats though-- it is just a toilet with no seat.
May 26th, 2006, 05:10 PM
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Thanks for your lovely, thorough report.
I have taken Tauck tours in the US and Canada, and would always recommend this company. I travel independently to Europe, but will consider Tauck when the time comes I don't want to drive myself around and lug my own suitcase. At my age, that time may be fast approaching!
I have taken Tauck tours in the US and Canada, and would always recommend this company. I travel independently to Europe, but will consider Tauck when the time comes I don't want to drive myself around and lug my own suitcase. At my age, that time may be fast approaching!
May 26th, 2006, 05:40 PM
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Thank you Miramar for a great report.
While everyone on this board is mostly into independent travel, you picked one of the top tour companies in my opinion. I've been booking them for clients for 10 years and I've never had any negative comments at all, so that's saying something about the quality of their tours.
Yes, it's a trade off as to taking a tour vs. independent, and that's for everyone to make their own personal decision. For many of my elderly clients who are not able, or not comfortable with travelling on their own, it's always a good bet to put them on a Tauck tour and know that they will have a great time and be well taken care of.
thanks again for your report!
Regards,
Melodie
While everyone on this board is mostly into independent travel, you picked one of the top tour companies in my opinion. I've been booking them for clients for 10 years and I've never had any negative comments at all, so that's saying something about the quality of their tours.
Yes, it's a trade off as to taking a tour vs. independent, and that's for everyone to make their own personal decision. For many of my elderly clients who are not able, or not comfortable with travelling on their own, it's always a good bet to put them on a Tauck tour and know that they will have a great time and be well taken care of.
thanks again for your report!
Regards,
Melodie
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