Trip Report: Venice, Rome, Positano
Jan 31st, 2008 | 06:12 PM
#21
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
dina4,
The Vatican was pretty amazing, and definitely worth another visit. I'm sure we'll stop in again when we go back to Rome someday. Then again, since we've heard so many things about the Borghese museum, we may make arrangements to see that museum, too!
As for lines at the Vatican - we went in around 1pm in the afternoon. I remember because my husband kept asking if we could stop for gelato as we walked toward the back entrance. There was definitely a line... in fact, the sidewalk was sectioned off from the road with police tape. But, the line moved pretty quickly. I think we were inside within ten minutes.
The Vatican was pretty amazing, and definitely worth another visit. I'm sure we'll stop in again when we go back to Rome someday. Then again, since we've heard so many things about the Borghese museum, we may make arrangements to see that museum, too!
As for lines at the Vatican - we went in around 1pm in the afternoon. I remember because my husband kept asking if we could stop for gelato as we walked toward the back entrance. There was definitely a line... in fact, the sidewalk was sectioned off from the road with police tape. But, the line moved pretty quickly. I think we were inside within ten minutes.
Mar 31st, 2008 | 04:09 PM
#33
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
Hi All,
Sorry we haven't finished the final segment of our trip report in Positano. We've been planning our trip to London/Paris- leaving tomorrow morning. I promise to finish the Positano portion when we return. We really enjoyed our time there so I'll have lots more to report on.
White rabbit
Sorry we haven't finished the final segment of our trip report in Positano. We've been planning our trip to London/Paris- leaving tomorrow morning. I promise to finish the Positano portion when we return. We really enjoyed our time there so I'll have lots more to report on.
White rabbit
Mar 31st, 2008 | 06:40 PM
#35
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 927
Likes: 0
Thanks, white rabbit,
We're planning our trip to Italy this summer & still deciding on destinations. We've been to Venice, Florence & Rome, but not Positano. I can't wait to read your report when you return from your current trip.
Have a great time!
We're planning our trip to Italy this summer & still deciding on destinations. We've been to Venice, Florence & Rome, but not Positano. I can't wait to read your report when you return from your current trip.
Have a great time!
Apr 18th, 2008 | 06:58 PM
#36
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
Well, here it is, the last leg of our trip to Italy. I still miss it and can't wait to go back again!
Positano/ Amalfi Coast
Transportation: Trenitalia Rome to Naples
Private car: www.tourofitaly.com from Naples train station to Positano (190euro RT)
We chose to end our trip of Italy with relaxing Positano. We reserved a private car to pick us up from the Naples Train station and bring us directly to our hotel. The company, Tour of Italy, is a family business that runs out of Sorrento. Giovanni, the father, met us at the train station and drove us through the windy roads along the Amalfi Coast in his Mercedes. He had cold bottled water for us and stopped along the way to treat us to a refreshing cup of lemon ice. It was actually the best that we had our whole stay in Positano! We stopped along the way to take photos at particularly scenic spots. Originally we had not planned to stop in Pompei but he offered to make a two hour stop there on our way back to Naples during our return trip home. His son, Giancarlo, drove us on the return trip. Each leg of the journey they were on-time and very congenial. They even had a nice gift for us to remember Positano by. I highly recommend them as a great way to see the Amalfi coast. Also, they provided door to door service without the hassle of having to tote luggage up the many stairs in Positano’s steep coast.
Hotel: Hotel California/ Albergo California
We were slightly nervous about reserving this hotel based on mixed reviews on tripadvisor. However, we were very, very happy we stayed here. The hotel is mid way up from the beach in Positano. It has three floors and a nice covered patio where breakfast is served. Maria, who is mentioned on several trip reports, is a very friendly and helpful person. She greeted us when we arrived and brought us to the room where “Under the Tuscan Sun” was filmed (room #62). The room was located on the second floor. It was very spacious and clean. The large French doors open up to a beautiful view of the beach and ocean. Every view of Positano is absolutely amazing, but this view was really breath-taking. My only complaint about the room was that the bed was slightly soft. I have a bad back and therefore need a really firm bed. Otherwise, all the necessary amenities were there including a small mini-fridge to store water. Maria offered to book a day trip to Capri for us on a private tour boat. We were hesistant at first because we were nervous that she was pushing us into some deal, but after a day of checking out prices at the dock, we decided to book the trip through her.
The hotel is located pretty conveniently close to the top of the stairs that lead down to the Positano beach. Also, it was just a few doors down from one of our favorite restaurants in Positano.
Gelato and Ice
We continued on our quest for more gelato in Positano, but the pickings were slim. We tried some granita at Buca di Baca, a restaurant down at the beach area, but it was only so-so. We also found a lemon ice stand at the Positano bus stop. That ice was a bit better, but in the end, we enjoyed the lemon ice at the stand that Giovanni took us too along the drive from Naples to Positano. The granita outside the gates of the Pompeii dig was also pretty good, but it should be for 2.50 euro a piece. In the end, we felt refreshed to have some ice in the hot weather, but missed the gelato in Venice and Rome.
Restaurants
We avoided the restaurants down near the beach – some of them had prices like 120-180 euro for a kg of lobster or 78 euro per kg of fresh fish! We stuck to eating breakfast at our hotel (included in the room price), some pizza or sandwiches for lunch, and enjoyed dinner near our hotel or at spots in Montepertuso, the town above Positano.
Ristorante Bruno
This was just a few doors up from the Hotel California. Frank (I think he’s one of Maria’s relatives, at the very least, he works at the hotel) pointed it out to us as a close by spot for dinner. It was tasty – we would order some antipasti each night, and my husband would have different pastas while I tended to stick to the gnocchi with clams and mussels. The seafood was just so fresh! Dinner usually ran us about 60 or so euros.
Scirocco
We booked seats at this restaurant through Maria, who arranged for a car to come pick us up and bring us to the restaurant in Montepertuso. On the drive up, the driver was nice enough to pause once in a while so that we could see the views. I think the drivers are kinda used to pausing so that us tourists can enjoy the views as we drive up the Cliffside. The restaurant had a wonderful fresh, cool breeze blowing through it. I ordered a pasta with melon and shrimp, which was an interesting flavor combination, and quite good. My husband ordered a pasta with salmon. We both ordered sea bass prepared in different ways. The overall meal was pretty good, and a driver was ready for us when we were ready to go back down to Positano.
La Tagliatta
We also booked this restaurant on Maria’s recommendation, and another car came to bring us up the mountainside to Montepertuso again. This restaurant was even higher up than Scirocco! We had a lot of fun here for the first part of the evening, especially because the live music the night we went was very entertaining. And the view was still stunning, although it got a little hazy due to a fire on one of the mountains. The food was good, but nothing great. We definitely enjoyed our antipasti, but the rest of the dishes were all grilled meats. They tasted good, but nothing to write home about. Toward the end of the night, my husband and I started feeling tired, and we were hoping to get back to our hotel earlier. But, it seems that only one set of buses/vans was coming to take all the Positano tourists back.
Trattoria Pizzeria Cupa Cosino (Ravello)
This little trattoria has been mentioned by other folks on Fodors, and it was especially tasty to eat up on top of the mountain. We ordered some grilled veggies and a pasta sampler plate at the suggestion of the waitress. Our waitress was even nice enough to get extra pasta for us once we cleaned off our plate. On our way out, our waitress brought us some figs, which were also delicious and fresh.
Positano/ Amalfi Coast
Transportation: Trenitalia Rome to Naples
Private car: www.tourofitaly.com from Naples train station to Positano (190euro RT)
We chose to end our trip of Italy with relaxing Positano. We reserved a private car to pick us up from the Naples Train station and bring us directly to our hotel. The company, Tour of Italy, is a family business that runs out of Sorrento. Giovanni, the father, met us at the train station and drove us through the windy roads along the Amalfi Coast in his Mercedes. He had cold bottled water for us and stopped along the way to treat us to a refreshing cup of lemon ice. It was actually the best that we had our whole stay in Positano! We stopped along the way to take photos at particularly scenic spots. Originally we had not planned to stop in Pompei but he offered to make a two hour stop there on our way back to Naples during our return trip home. His son, Giancarlo, drove us on the return trip. Each leg of the journey they were on-time and very congenial. They even had a nice gift for us to remember Positano by. I highly recommend them as a great way to see the Amalfi coast. Also, they provided door to door service without the hassle of having to tote luggage up the many stairs in Positano’s steep coast.
Hotel: Hotel California/ Albergo California
We were slightly nervous about reserving this hotel based on mixed reviews on tripadvisor. However, we were very, very happy we stayed here. The hotel is mid way up from the beach in Positano. It has three floors and a nice covered patio where breakfast is served. Maria, who is mentioned on several trip reports, is a very friendly and helpful person. She greeted us when we arrived and brought us to the room where “Under the Tuscan Sun” was filmed (room #62). The room was located on the second floor. It was very spacious and clean. The large French doors open up to a beautiful view of the beach and ocean. Every view of Positano is absolutely amazing, but this view was really breath-taking. My only complaint about the room was that the bed was slightly soft. I have a bad back and therefore need a really firm bed. Otherwise, all the necessary amenities were there including a small mini-fridge to store water. Maria offered to book a day trip to Capri for us on a private tour boat. We were hesistant at first because we were nervous that she was pushing us into some deal, but after a day of checking out prices at the dock, we decided to book the trip through her.
The hotel is located pretty conveniently close to the top of the stairs that lead down to the Positano beach. Also, it was just a few doors down from one of our favorite restaurants in Positano.
Gelato and Ice
We continued on our quest for more gelato in Positano, but the pickings were slim. We tried some granita at Buca di Baca, a restaurant down at the beach area, but it was only so-so. We also found a lemon ice stand at the Positano bus stop. That ice was a bit better, but in the end, we enjoyed the lemon ice at the stand that Giovanni took us too along the drive from Naples to Positano. The granita outside the gates of the Pompeii dig was also pretty good, but it should be for 2.50 euro a piece. In the end, we felt refreshed to have some ice in the hot weather, but missed the gelato in Venice and Rome.
Restaurants
We avoided the restaurants down near the beach – some of them had prices like 120-180 euro for a kg of lobster or 78 euro per kg of fresh fish! We stuck to eating breakfast at our hotel (included in the room price), some pizza or sandwiches for lunch, and enjoyed dinner near our hotel or at spots in Montepertuso, the town above Positano.
Ristorante Bruno
This was just a few doors up from the Hotel California. Frank (I think he’s one of Maria’s relatives, at the very least, he works at the hotel) pointed it out to us as a close by spot for dinner. It was tasty – we would order some antipasti each night, and my husband would have different pastas while I tended to stick to the gnocchi with clams and mussels. The seafood was just so fresh! Dinner usually ran us about 60 or so euros.
Scirocco
We booked seats at this restaurant through Maria, who arranged for a car to come pick us up and bring us to the restaurant in Montepertuso. On the drive up, the driver was nice enough to pause once in a while so that we could see the views. I think the drivers are kinda used to pausing so that us tourists can enjoy the views as we drive up the Cliffside. The restaurant had a wonderful fresh, cool breeze blowing through it. I ordered a pasta with melon and shrimp, which was an interesting flavor combination, and quite good. My husband ordered a pasta with salmon. We both ordered sea bass prepared in different ways. The overall meal was pretty good, and a driver was ready for us when we were ready to go back down to Positano.
La Tagliatta
We also booked this restaurant on Maria’s recommendation, and another car came to bring us up the mountainside to Montepertuso again. This restaurant was even higher up than Scirocco! We had a lot of fun here for the first part of the evening, especially because the live music the night we went was very entertaining. And the view was still stunning, although it got a little hazy due to a fire on one of the mountains. The food was good, but nothing great. We definitely enjoyed our antipasti, but the rest of the dishes were all grilled meats. They tasted good, but nothing to write home about. Toward the end of the night, my husband and I started feeling tired, and we were hoping to get back to our hotel earlier. But, it seems that only one set of buses/vans was coming to take all the Positano tourists back.
Trattoria Pizzeria Cupa Cosino (Ravello)
This little trattoria has been mentioned by other folks on Fodors, and it was especially tasty to eat up on top of the mountain. We ordered some grilled veggies and a pasta sampler plate at the suggestion of the waitress. Our waitress was even nice enough to get extra pasta for us once we cleaned off our plate. On our way out, our waitress brought us some figs, which were also delicious and fresh.
Apr 18th, 2008 | 06:59 PM
#37
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
Il Solitario
This little pizzeria in Anacapri had some good grilled antipasti and tasty pizza. Unfortunately, it also had as many hungry mosquitoes as hungry people. A good meal was had by all.
Sights/Tours
Capri
We took a boat called the Mila I to Capri via a company that Maria recommended. The boat tour took us through several touristy spots such as the blue grotto, the white grotto, the green grotto, and some other rock formations around Capri. We took the boat ride into the blue grotto, knowing that it was a very touristy thing to do – it took a while to wait in line in our motor boat until a row boat was ready to take us on board. There must have been half a dozen or so boats in front of us. But, I think it was definitely worth it, even if just for the one time, because the grotto was so surprisingly blue and beautiful inside. We tried to take a photo inside, but it didn’t do the grotto justice. We think that the boatmen that take you inside are not supposed to expect tips, but our boatman made a point to stick out his hand and almost demand a tip after dropping us off on our motor boat.
Once in Capri, we took the funicular up to the main area of Capri, then we got on a train to get to Anacapri. After more winding and narrow roads with plenty of hairpin turns, we made it up to Anacapri. In Anacapri, we took a chair lift even higher to the peak of the mountain, where we enjoyed the incredibly views. Amazing!
Amalfi and Ravello
We took the ferry from the Positano dock to Amalfi for 6 euro each. The ride only took around 30 minutes, and, of course, it was another beautiful view of Positano and the other coastal villages. In Amalfi, we bought tickets to take a bus up to Ravello for 5 euros, not realizing that it was a tour bus with an open top. The SITA (public bus) was only 1 euro each way. Either way, the tour bus ride up was fun, although pretty scary, too. We had some amazing views of the lemon groves and the mountainside as we went up. There were still more great photo opportunities.
We only had time to see one major site, so we opted to see Villa Rufolo. Again, more stunning and breathless sights. The views really took our breath away. We saw a stage set up that sort of cantilevered off the mountainside. Imagine listening to a concert with the back of the stage hanging off the side of a cliff! We promised ourselves that the next time we returned, we’d try to get tickets to hear a concert at Villa Rufolo.
Montepertuso
We didn’t actually do any sightseeing here, but every spot in and near Positano was absolutely stunning!
Pompeii
On our way back to the airport in Naples, Giancarlo stopped at Pompeii to give us two and a half hours to see the site. It was tough getting around in the heat, and we had a lot of trouble figuring out the maps and orienting in Pompeii. I think I’d suggest that the price of having an actual tour guide take you around it probably worth it, especially if you have limited time in Pompeii. We ended up wandering around the city, which was incredible, but without a guide, we didn’t find any of the more famous sights such as the remains of people locked in ash and certain key buildings.
This little pizzeria in Anacapri had some good grilled antipasti and tasty pizza. Unfortunately, it also had as many hungry mosquitoes as hungry people. A good meal was had by all.
Sights/Tours
Capri
We took a boat called the Mila I to Capri via a company that Maria recommended. The boat tour took us through several touristy spots such as the blue grotto, the white grotto, the green grotto, and some other rock formations around Capri. We took the boat ride into the blue grotto, knowing that it was a very touristy thing to do – it took a while to wait in line in our motor boat until a row boat was ready to take us on board. There must have been half a dozen or so boats in front of us. But, I think it was definitely worth it, even if just for the one time, because the grotto was so surprisingly blue and beautiful inside. We tried to take a photo inside, but it didn’t do the grotto justice. We think that the boatmen that take you inside are not supposed to expect tips, but our boatman made a point to stick out his hand and almost demand a tip after dropping us off on our motor boat.
Once in Capri, we took the funicular up to the main area of Capri, then we got on a train to get to Anacapri. After more winding and narrow roads with plenty of hairpin turns, we made it up to Anacapri. In Anacapri, we took a chair lift even higher to the peak of the mountain, where we enjoyed the incredibly views. Amazing!
Amalfi and Ravello
We took the ferry from the Positano dock to Amalfi for 6 euro each. The ride only took around 30 minutes, and, of course, it was another beautiful view of Positano and the other coastal villages. In Amalfi, we bought tickets to take a bus up to Ravello for 5 euros, not realizing that it was a tour bus with an open top. The SITA (public bus) was only 1 euro each way. Either way, the tour bus ride up was fun, although pretty scary, too. We had some amazing views of the lemon groves and the mountainside as we went up. There were still more great photo opportunities.
We only had time to see one major site, so we opted to see Villa Rufolo. Again, more stunning and breathless sights. The views really took our breath away. We saw a stage set up that sort of cantilevered off the mountainside. Imagine listening to a concert with the back of the stage hanging off the side of a cliff! We promised ourselves that the next time we returned, we’d try to get tickets to hear a concert at Villa Rufolo.
Montepertuso
We didn’t actually do any sightseeing here, but every spot in and near Positano was absolutely stunning!
Pompeii
On our way back to the airport in Naples, Giancarlo stopped at Pompeii to give us two and a half hours to see the site. It was tough getting around in the heat, and we had a lot of trouble figuring out the maps and orienting in Pompeii. I think I’d suggest that the price of having an actual tour guide take you around it probably worth it, especially if you have limited time in Pompeii. We ended up wandering around the city, which was incredible, but without a guide, we didn’t find any of the more famous sights such as the remains of people locked in ash and certain key buildings.
Apr 18th, 2008 | 11:31 PM
#38
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 728
Likes: 0
I too suggest a guide for Pompeii, though the approved guides are rather expensive. We spent 2-3 hours there in early April with our young children, and, the guide's efforts to keep the children engaged made the trip for our children. The "menu board" at one of the better known brothels was first rate marketing, though our children did not take that detour from the tour.
Believe the "remains" of people to whom you refer are actually haunting casts of some of those who perished. The pregnant mother figure was particularly moving (figuratively).
Thank you for your marvelous trip report.
Believe the "remains" of people to whom you refer are actually haunting casts of some of those who perished. The pregnant mother figure was particularly moving (figuratively).
Thank you for your marvelous trip report.
Thread
Original Poster
Forum
Replies
Last Post
missypie
Europe
4
May 16th, 2006 06:45 PM
