Italy Trip Report: July 5-19th 2007

Hello Fodorites.

My husband and I returned from a two- week trip to Italy last year, and we’ve been itching to post a trip report since then, so here goes... It was my first time there and our first time there together. I was somewhat nervous about planning the trip myself without the help of a travel agent or booking with a group tour, but after returning, I can say that it was the best decision ever! I took advice from my brother-in-law who used this website to plan his honeymoon to Italy three years ago. I want to thank everyone for their helpful posts and advice which really helped us with all the major planning details as well as finding great places for food and snacks.

A little bit about us: I would classify us as “foodies” who enjoy good food at reasonable prices, and prefer to stay at clean, comfortable, and modern hotels i.e. not Rick Steve’s bargain picks (the ones without a bathroom). Our main goals on vacation are to sight see, visit museums and experience the local culture. We budgeted about 40 euro/day/person for food.

Itinerary:
Venice: 4 Nights Hotel: Pensione Accademia (aka Villa Maravege)
Rome: 5 Nights Hotel: Sofitel Roma
Positano: 4 Nights Hotel: Albergo California

Pretrip planning resources:
Rick Steves Italy videos
www.tripadvisor.com
www.Fodors.com
www..Fodors: Europe forum.
www.tourofitaly.com
www.trenitalia.com
Map: Berlitz Venice City Guide Map; pocket sized, includes vaporetto stops, and useful phrases.

Flight: We recommend open jaw tickets because it saves time on ground travel and costs about the same. We flew Air France from Boston to Charles DeGaulle on a red eye, then from CDG to Venice. Our return flight took us from Naples to CDG to Boston. The flight was fine but one of our suitcases got lost on arrival in Venice. We recommend you pack light and carry on if possible. Lost luggage seems to be the norm in Italy. In the Venice airport, there are rows upon rows of lost luggage sitting out in the open along the walls sorted by date. Really! Rows upon Rows!

Venice Venezia

How to Get to Venice proper from the Airport
We purchased a bus ticket (1.5 E) from the airport to take us to Piazza La Roma. At Piazza La Roma we purchased a three-day Vaporetto pass for 30 Euro (unlimited rides). We took Vaporetta # 82 (the express, down the canal that stopped nearest our hotel). If you’re like us, you’ll do a lot of walking throughout Venice (there’re no cars or motorcycles), but it’s nice to hop on the vaporetto to get along the Grand Canal. NOTE: remember to get your ticket stamped at the vaporetto platform before getting on the water bus.

Venice Hotel:
Pensione Accademia – www.pensioneaccademia.it daily rate 200 E/night for classic double room includes private bathroom, working air conditioning, excellent hot breakfast

We found this hotel through the recommendations of other Fodorites (also called Villa Maravege). It’s a block or so off the Accademia vaporetto stop. It is located 1 block from the Accademia Gallery. We weren’t able to book a suite, which is larger and priced the same. This hotel books out quickly. The room was clean, small, and had a nice view of one of the side canals. The bathroom was incredibly small, but clean. Each room in the hotel is different and the rooms off the lounge on the second floor are much larger. The breakfast buffet in the morning consisted of the regular cereal, yogurts, tea, coffee, fresh juice, croissants, and breads. There was also fresh fruit, a different pastry tart each morning, scrambled eggs, sausage, proscuitto and assorted cheese. There is a free afternoon cold drink with a light snack if you make it back to the hotel during the day. We would stay here again, but we will definitely ask for a larger room.

Next up: food!

Gelato: We discovered our love for gelato in Italy. We thought the best gelato place in Venice was Gelateria San Stefano. The nocciola (hazelnut) was my favorite. It was creamy, not overly sweet and just a taste of heaven! We usually got a mix of two or three flavors and they were generous with the portions. Sometimes, when we went there they would not allow take it out and you had to sit down to order.

Restaurants:
Alle Zattare- Dorsoduro located on Zattere al Gesuati- Only so-so food. The location is nice because it looks out on Canale della Giudecca. There are many restaurants on this street, which we returned to several times.

Ae Oche- Dorsoduro 1414 www.aeoche.it - Surprisingly good linguine carbonara. You can sit outside next to the water. The first meal made us want to come back again. The second meal was not as good, and the pizza took a while to get. The risotto with scampi was undercooked. We can’t recommend it wholeheartedly but it’s worth checking out for the pizza and pasta.

Pizza San Sovino- Small shop for take out pizza. It was a delicious, thin, crispy crust that was a great place for a snack or lunch on the way to San Marco along the main tourist thoroughfare.

Vino Al Bottegon- Dorsoduro on Fondamenta Pruili- We had “cichetti”, which are like cold tapas. It’s a great way to have lunch and get a sampling of authentic Italian food. It cost about 12 euro for 5 small plates with two drinks. This place happens to be very popular with the locals and is mentioned in several guide books. It was also right outside our hotel.

Alla Botte- Calle della Bissa 5482, Rialto- This place is tough to find. We came here on a recommendation from another fodorite. It is another cichetti bar. We had large grilled crawfish, fried zucchini flowers, some other grilled vegetables, and white wine for 8E total. It’s worth finding if you like cichetti and you have the time.

Ristorante San Stefano- located in Piazza San Stefano. We thought this place was reasonably priced. I ordered squid ink pasta, which was delicious. My husband had the menu turistico with mussels marinara and veal Milanese. There is live music in the square at night.

Snack Bar Toletta- Dorsoduro 1191 on Calle Toletta. We bought sandwiches for the train trip from Venice to Rome. The sandwiches were good, though they did get soggy after sitting in our bag for a few hours.

Sights:
Vaporetto #1 stops at every stop. We took this on our first day to get a view of the entire Grand Canal.
St. Mark’s Cathedral- Basilica di San Marco- Long tourist lines by mid morning. We arrived at 9:40 and waited about 30 min to get in. It opens at 9am. The line moves quickly but there is no shade while you wait. Inside there is a side chamber called St. Mark’s Treasures, which cost 2 euros extra to see. It is a display containing old crosses with small containers holding vertebrae, long bones, and a shrunken hand of doges and other saints. You can pay an extra 3 euros to see the museum and go to the top of Basilica. I recommend going to this area. You ascend a set of narrow stairs, which lead to a gift shop and museum. There is a replica of the cathedral and four bronze horses. You can access the roof of the cathedral overlooking Piazza San Marco from the museum. It’s a great photo op.

St. Mark’s Bell Tower- Campanile San Marco- We went here on the start of our first whole day in Venice. It has spectacular views of Piazzo San Marco and the surrounding area. It was nice and breezy up there too.

Campanile di San Giorgio Maggiore- Another Bell Tower facing Venice Proper, it was well worth the trip. We didn’t have time to walk the gardens, since it was close to closing time.

Doges Palace- Palazzo Ducale- We took the self guided audio tour here. We couldn’t get the “secret itineraries” tour, which is only offered from 9am-1pm daily. (A sign inside the museum lists the tour and times- not such a secret, but it does book up quickly so you may want to reserve ahead of time. The audio tour was way too long. After three hours we skipped ahead. The audio description of each and every fresco gets a little repetitive. The Bridge of Sighs is a highlight of the tour.

Murano- Our hotel arranged for a free complimentary trip to Murano. A private water taxis brought us there. We happened to be the only ones going, so we ended up getting a private boat ride along the canal. This was perhaps my favorite part of the trip. As soon as we arrived at Murano, the boat brought us to a specific glass blowing store. There was someone waiting at the dock to bring us directly to their store. We saw a glass blowing demonstration first then were whisked up to the store where that same person tried to sell us their wares. It was definitely high pressured selling, but they were still very polite. All in all, I didn’t feel any obligation to buy, but this may not be the best way for everyone to see Murano.

Burano- I really enjoyed seeing this small fishing village, which is also famous for their lace. Each house was painted a different brilliant shade of blue, green, red, purple, etc. We snapped so many photos here. We arrived around 4 pm. I recommend going earlier since most stores close by 5pm and there aren’t many restaurants here.

Ponte di Rialto- This is a busy thoroughfare for tourists and locals alike. We thought it was interesting to see the shops along the bridge, and the area around the bridge is good for some shopping in local shops for wares and food. There’s an open air fish and fruit market, which is also quite a sight to see. I have good memories of the area because I purchased some very comfy sandals there for a great price, which I wore the rest of the trip!

More to follow on Roma....

Hello white_rabbit, you obviously did just fine planning your trip on your own. You have posted lots of good information for those who will be taking their first trip to Venice. Do you think your lost luggage was the fault of the Marco Polo Airport or the CDG airport? In otherwords did your luggage not get put on the plane you took to Venice?

Just one small correction, not a big deal but for anyone that has not been to Venice before, actually the name of the area where the bus took you to is Piazzale Roma not Piazza LaRoma.

Burano, isn't it a photographers delight? All the beautiful colors, I was almost overwhelmed when I first visited there.

I look forward to your next installment of your time in Italy!

Thanks for the correction!

About the lost luggage- it was probably the fault of Air France. The electronic coding system was down when we checked in to our flight in Boston. They hand wrote the information on the tag, which is where the error probably occurred. Still, when we arrived in Venice, an entire flight on Alitalia lost their luggage.

We did absolutely love Burano! I think it's by far more interesting than Murano, but a bit of a hike to get there.

Hi White Rabbit,

Thank you for sharing your trip report. I am looking forward to more!

dina

white rabbit, I'm really enjoying your trip report. It looks like you had a great itinerary.

WR,
Great Trip report! Lots of useful information. We are just now putting the finishing touches on our first trip to Italy(4 days in Rome, 4 in Florence and 4 in Venice). Fodor's forum has been a wealth of information and enjoyable reading as well. Looking forward to reading the rest of the story!

WR,

looking forward to the Roma report. My husband and I are making our trip to Italy at the end of April as well! Would love to hear where you stayed and what sights you visited during your time in Roma.

thanks!

whiterabbit, I'm enjoy the report and look forward to more!

Rome Roma

Map: Insight Pocket Map of Rome- pop up map that fits in your pocket. Has useful phrases, list of restaurants, and metro map.

Bus schedule: I recommend you purchase one of these pocket sized schedules at a tabacchi. It will have a listing of the local routes and times.

Travel from Venice to Rome and getting around in Rome
My husband purchased tickets for the Trenitalia at the train station (San Lucia/Ferrovia) about a day before we planned to leave for Rome. We heard that during the high season it can be difficult to get tickets for your desired departure time. All the Trenitalia train tickets have assigned seating, so we were guaranteed a seat. We purchased second class seats because all the first class seats were sold out. The price difference was minimal between the two. All the seats were roomy and fairly clean.

Once in Rome, I put our passports and money into a silk travel pouch because we heard from some other travelers in Venice that they were pick-pocketed on the escalator in the Rome train station on their first day there! I highly recommend getting a nice, water-resistant travel pouch, though, because by the time we reached our hotel, my sweat had soaked my husband’s passport and warped it!

We took the subway from the Rome main train station to the Spanish Steps stop, then had to walk at least a half mile underground to find the correct exit that would place us on the road leading to the Sofitel Roma. The Rome subway is divided into two lines, the A and B line. When we were there, they had begun construction on a C line, too. The subway, though efficient for getting across large distances, ended up being our second or third choice for transportation. We found that purchasing a bunch of biglietti (tickets) from the tabacchi (kinda like magazine stands) for 1 euro a piece allowed us freedom to board the buses quickly and take them to whatever stops interested us. A side benefit was that we could sight see a little out the bus windows as we traveled, too. Plus, the bus tickets were good for as many bus rides as we wanted within 75 minutes from the time we first got the ticket stamped. Sometimes, we would take a bus, hop off for a quick look around, then take another ride on the same ticket to our final destination. Taking the taxi did not turn out to be a good experience for us because some drivers seemed to take us around town using longer routes than was necessary, and one driver pretended not to have change for a 10 euro bill on a 6 euro fare! One helpful hint we heard from one of our tour guides was to take down the driver’s number and inform him that we’d be calling in a complaint, though this could be a risky maneuver that would anger the driver.

Hotel – Sofitel Roma
The Sofitel Roma is a nice hotel, and generally lived up to the Sofitel name. The hotel isn’t very close to the Spanish Steps like the website says – it’s more like a half mile to mile away. Also, it was difficult to find bus lines that would travel up to the hotel area. On the plus side, though, it was always a downhill walk for us to get to the center of Rome, plus the hotel was right next to the Villa Borghese. Our bed was not a ‘Sofitel bed’, but it was comfortably firm and our room and bathroom were very nice and spacious, with nice carpeting, drapery, and marble. The tub shower had an interesting design where the glass enclosure only went about halfway across the tub, so that when we showered, water would generally splash out of the tub onto the bathroom floor. A very substantial breakfast was included in our daily rate of 214 euros. Breakfast was in the basement restaurant and included many different items in the buffet: breads, croissants, jams, pate, meat, eggs, cereal, yogurt, etc. The servers even began to memorize that I take tea in the morning while my husband drinks milk. Also to note- nice view from the rooftop terrace of the Rome skyline.

Gelato
Rome was where we really began to find out how much yummy gelato there is to try in Italy, and the weather was always warm enough to make us want another couple of scoops.

San Crispino – Via Paneterria 42, near Trevi Fountain – We had a tough time finding our way to this shop, and the sign outside is just small, elegant, blue lettering that is parallel to the wall, so you have to walk right up to the shop to see it. But, it was definitely worth finding – there are so many different flavors to try! Plus, since the Trevi Fountain was on our way back from the city center to our hotel, and the Trevi Fountain was always a great sight to see, whether in the daytime or at night, we stopped by this gelateria several times. My favorites flavors were the honey, meringue nocciola, and bergamot. There were plenty of flavors to try, and though the prices were a bit higher than other gelateria, it was well worth several visits.

Giolitti – Via Uffici del Vicario 40, near Pantheon – This was our favorite spot for gelato, though we couldn’t find it until we walked by it one day on a guided tour. The store is very bustling and busy, with dozens of people enjoying their snacks outside and even bigger crowds jostling inside. The first step is to pay for your gelato or granita (water ice), and then to go to the appropriate counter to place an order. I felt that the gelato here was the creamiest and tastiest of all the gelato spots we went to on our whole trip. Also, the granita was a very refreshing treat in the summer heat. On top of that, there were all sorts of interesting pastries and candies to see in the counters. Unfortunately, it was so busy in the store that it was difficult to really spend any time lingering in there. Still, I’d highly recommend finding this spot if you like exploring for gelato.

Blue Ice, Gelateria near the Trevi Fountain, etc. – the rest of the gelateria we tried in Rome were generally good, though none of them really made our mouths water like San Crispino and Giolitti. They are worth trying, though, since it was always nice to take a break from walking in the heat to enjoy a creamy, cold, and tasty snack!

Restaurants
Ditirambo –Piazza della Cancelleria 74-75. www.ristoranteditirambo.it- We had one of our best meals in Italy here! It is a cozy and romantic restaurant just one block from CorsoVittorio Emanuele II opposite Piazza Navona. We each had a primi piatti, secondi and dessert. I ordered clams with gnocchi in a lemon butter sauce. This dish was heavenly! The gnocchi melted in my mouth and the lemon butter sauce was a delicate blend of citrus balanced against the creaminess of the butter. For my main entrée I ordered the veal kabobs that were grilled with eggplant and sesame seeds. The gelato dessert was unique since each flavor was backed into its fruit (a peach flavored gelato was in the peach skin, the hazelnut was in a hazelnut shell). I still salivate at the thought of going back to this restaurant someday. Every dish we had was incredible and the price was very reasonable (80 euros for both of us including glass of wine). We went early -7pm, but noticed that the restaurant filled up very quickly.

Ristorante Al Pompiere- via Santa Maria de’ Calderari 38- This restaurant is listed in Fodors and Rachael Ray so we had to try it! It turned out to be quite good. I had the zucchini flowers and penne arrabiatta. My DH had the carbonara that Rachael Ray recommended and true to her word it was delicious. It’s good authentic food at a good price. The service was also excellent.

Da Baffetto II- I list this place only to warn people not to waste a meal in Rome here! I don’t know if Da Baffetto I is better, however, I’m not exactly sure why the lines are so long. The crust on the pizza was paper thin, but burnt on the edges and completely soggy in the middle. The flavors were not particularly fragrant or fresh tasting. Overall, it seems like a tourist trap to me.

Ristorante Grottino de Rino - I’m not sure I got the name of this spot quite right - it also had a big sign that said ‘al Gambero’ underneath the restaurant name. This place was a few blocks walk away from the Colosseum, along the Via Claudia. My husband wanted me to mention it because he got this spaghetti al gambero dish there that came in a big clam shell. I thought the food was just OK, plus it took a while to get to this restaurant (we were trying to explore a bit), and then we had trouble finding the bus to take us back toward the center of the city. But, if you happen upon this place, it’s worth trying out the spaghetti al gambero, if only for the photo op.

Nerone, Via Delle Terme Di Tito, 96 - This restaurant was so-so. We tried it because we read about it in one of our guidebooks and someone else had mentioned it as a place to eat in the Colosseum area. It was nice to be able to sit outside and still have a view of the Colosseum while we ate, but the food itself was nothing special. We shared a fried artichoke plate (that seemed kinda like a fritatta), and I had some pasta al carbonara while my husband had a veal dish. They serve a lot of sweetbreads and offal.

Al Forno, Campo di Fiori - This pizza shop/bakery is a great place to stop for lunch on the go or to grab some pastries. The pignoli cookies were freshly made.

can't wait to read more! thanks for posting

Sights/Tours

Context Rome –www.scalareale.org

We booked tours through Context Rome at the recommendation of my brother-in-law. Tours are given by scholars in the field of history, art, architecture, archeology, etc. The tours are usually in groups of 6 people or less and tend to be pricey but well worth the splurge. We took three tours- Roma Antica (walking tour of Roman Forum, Palatine Hill, Arte Vaticana, and Underground Rome. My favorite tour was Roma Antica- I think that you really need a guide well versed in history to understand the ruins that you are seeing. We learned about things that we wouldn’t otherwise have known about through books and audioguides. For instance, the sculpture right in the entryway to the Vatican Museum, also pictured on the museum ticket, is an incorrect reproduction (an arm was missing from the sculpture, so a bent arm was sculpted and attached). Michaelangelo correctly identified that the arm should have been straight, and later, when they found the correct arm belonging to this figure, he was proven right. The Underground tour took us through ongoing archeological digs, some of which were not accessible to the general public. This was a fascinating tour as well because it took us below the crypts of churches where you can see structures from old Roman temples and markets, along with an explanation of what century and culture the different layers coincide with.

In the end, we were extremely satisfied with all three of the guided tours we took with the Context Rome guides. We feel like we got some great insight into Roman history and culture. We even met one couple who had taken the Arte Vaticana tour two previous times, but always booked it whenever they were in Rome because they felt like they learned something new every time. I guess I can’t say enough good about the tours, if they will fit into your budget. By the way, don’t plan on taking pictures in the Sistine Chapel – apparently, whatever company paid for the recent renovation also got all photo reproduction rights. So, the guards shine a laser light toward your camera if they see you trying to snap a photo of Michelangelo’s masterpiece.

Our own ‘Path of Illumination’
My husband and I had read Dan Brown’s book ‘Angels and Demons’ around the time we were booking our trip to Italy, and we promised ourselves to set aside time to follow the ‘Path of Illumination’ that he described in his book. Admittedly, he took a good amount of literary license, but it was fun to feel like we had a purpose while going to different historical sites. It took us a few days to find each site, but we found all the spots he describes.

Chigi Chapel in Santa Maria del Popolo - This was the first spot we found – it’s a beautiful church with many differently decorated ‘chapels’ that were paid for by various wealthy families. Within the church, we asked a young lady a question and were surprised to learn that she was a docent, specifically stationed in the church to give tours and answer questions, at no cost. She apologized and said that she would only be able to give us an hour and a half long tour of the church since a service was starting soon. After recovering from our shock at our good fortune, we heartily agreed. She described some of the history of the church, showed us some of the more famous works of art, and finished our tour at the Chigi Chapel.

Santa Maria della Vittoria - This church, near Barberini, was a bit tough to find. But, finding it did complete our ‘Path of Illumination’!

The Fountain of the Four Rivers - Unfortunately, this beautiful work in Piazza Navona was under restoration when we were in Italy. We could still admire some of the beauty of this Bernini work through the scaffolding and some plexiglass, but it was pretty disappointing to not get the full effect.

Other interesting spots
Capitoline Museums- fun museum- took some great photos of the giant hand.
Pantheon- Especially spectacular to see the light coming through the dome.
Pedestrian pathway next Via Babuino- many antique shops and unique boutiques.
Colosseum- Long lines (included in Roma Antica tour- bypassed lines)
Area Sacra- Corso Via Emanuele II and Via Arenula- Cat sanctuary- fun to watch cats run around the ruins at night
Trevi Fountain (watch for pickpockets)- worth seeing in daylight and evening

Next up... Positano!!

Hello White Rabbit!

I'm originally from Boston, but currently living in the UK (hubby took a 2 yr int'l assignment). Before we return to the US this summer, we are saying "Goodbye to Europe" with a 10 day trip to Italy, starting with Venice! We are very excited! We'll be travelling with our twin 7 yr old boys and a 3 yr old son.

I have to admit, I'm a little "scared" about taking a bus (is it a bus or a boat?) from the airport, and then getting onto a Vaparetto, and then having to walk to the apartment we rented. I"m so used to taking a taxi door-to-door, or renting a car. I feel anxiety having 3 children in tow plus our luggage in a "new" city where I don't know the language! (I've been to Rome previously, and I am aware of the heavy pick-pocketing).
Do you have any words of wisdom?
Thanks! Anita

ttt

Thanks again, white rabbit.

I took a lot of notes from your Rome restaurant recommendations!

I also have a couple of questions about the Context Tours...
Did you have to wait in line for the Vatican tour?
Was the underground tour at all claustrophobic?

thanks!

Can't WAIT to hear about Positano!!

dina

Dear Anita,

From airport there is a bus (not a water bus) that you catch to Piazzale Roma. This bus is quite large and is similar to the shuttle buses from the T stop in Boston to the airport except that you can store your luggage underneath. The bus ride is about 40 minutes long. Once you get to Piazzale Roma, you can decide to take a private water taxi, which may be quite expensive or the vaporretto (water shuttle bus). We went in August during the high season. The waterbus was crowded and I did occasionally get separated from my husband. If you decide to take a private water taxi you'll want to negotiate the price before hand. Since we didn't take this route I can't tell you how much it will cost.

As for the pick pockets, Venice seemed safer to me than Rome. Perhaps because almost everyone there was a tourist! Everyone pretty much speaks English so we had no problem asking for directions.

Hi Dina,

We absolutely loved the Context Tours. We took the Vatican Tour on a Thursday at 1pm. The line was not long at all- about 20 minutes wait. I'm not sure if this was because of the time of day or the day of the week. During the Colosseum tour we skipped ahead of all the lines. The underground tour is definitely claustrophobic. The ceilings are low in some areas and you are walking through an ongoing dig site. A tour that we wanted to take but didn't have time for was the Borghese gallery tour.

Thanks.

My daughter gets pretty claustrophobic, so that's probably not a great tour for her.

We all had a vatican tour guide for our visit in 2004, but thought it woud be great to go back. We will be in Rome on a Saturday and Sunday, though, so i am a bit worried about the crowds.

You will love the Borghese next time you visit. It blew me away...