Background

Who: My husband and I, both age 30, both pretty active.
Budget: Low. (Or, at least we tried) We are a little older than the backpacking set, but nevertheless, basically took of and "winged it" with few reservations.
Where: Venice, Florence/Tuscany, Cinque Terre

Day 1 and 2- Venice

My husband and I began our trip by leaving the states from JFK. Because we were using Delta buddy passes, we were flying standby, so we were ecstatic when we learned that we not only got on the direct flight to Venice, but also got seats in Business Class. Business class was a treat because we were able to drink wine, eat good food and then sleep in the comfortably reclining seats. We landed in Venice around 9 am. We were a little disoriented and made a hasty decision to take the Aliluna waterbus into Venice. As soon as we walked outside we could feel the salt water and humidity in the air. Maybe I was just tired and thirsty, but I did not particularly enjoy the ride. The trip took a long time- 1 1/2-hour maybe? And the boat was stuffy and hot. I think it cost about 10 Euro per person. Next time we will take the land bus because the trip is much shorter and cheaper. Got of the bus at St. Marks and began walking to our hotel and all was well! It was very crowded walking through the Piazza San Marco and the Rialto shopping area. We didn?t mind a bit because we glad to finally be in spectacular Venice after the long trip! The piazza San Marco was flooded with big shallow puddles that we had to skip through. Walking through the Rialto area, or everywhere in Venice for that matter, is shopper's heaven! Not that I can afford most of the designer merchandise, but it's fun to window shop and dream a little. We got to our hotel, which was the Bernardi-Semenzato in the San Marco Siestre very near the Campo San Apostoli. They put us in the annex for the first night but said we would have to move for the second night, which was fine with us. Our room was only 60 Euro and when I booked it they told us it was going to be a very small room. Both nights we had a spacious room with a double bed and a smaller single bed. From the annex room, we could even see a small canal by leaning out the window. The staff at the Bernardi was extremely helpful and spoke great English. It was a great value and we loved the neighborhood. I would definitely recommend it for anyone looking for a budget level hotel. We dropped of our backpacks and set out exploring Venice! After walking around for several hours, we were both deliriously tired and jet lagged. It was getting dark and windy and all of the street vendors were rushing to bring their merchandise inside, so we decided it was a good time to return to the room for a much-needed nap. Everything was closing up for the afternoon anyway. We slept for a couple of hours to the sounds of a thunderstorm. I woke up before my husband and went down to the campo to walk around and take some pictures. When I got outside, Venice had cooled off considerably and the city was just waking up from the afternoon siesta. The sky was the bluest I have ever seen. I bought a phone card from the tabachi and used a pay phone to try to book the Secret Itinerary Tour. Unfortunately, the tour was full for the next day. Went back to the room to retrieve my husband and went exploring again. We decided to get on the #1 vaporetto and ride around the Grand Canal. Somehow we missed the Ca D'oro stop, which was supposed to very near our hotel. The other stops that we passed did not have ticket stands so we ended up walking down the Strada Nuova all the way to the train station. We used this as an opportunity to buy our train tickets to Florence, where we were picking up our rental car in 2 days. We then boarded the vaporetto and sailed down the Grand Canal! By this time the sun was going down and the light was spectacular. After the vaporetto ride we just walked, wandered and got lost in Venice. It is a totally different experience at night and we had a full moon! We went back to the Campo San Apostoli and had a very good dinner at a restaurant there and then retired for the night. The next day we had a lot of sites to see. Back to the Piazza San Marco first thing in the morning. I wanted to mention here that we were very disappointed when we found the Clock tower was completely covered with scaffolding. This was the first of many sites during our trip that were covered in scaffolding- but hey- we'll just have to go back, won't we? First we went to the Correr museam to buy our tickets for that and the Doge's palace. We walked around the Correr and found it to be pretty interesting for a little while. We then went to the Doge's Palace where there was no line at all. I had copied the applicable section from Rick Steve's Mona Winks so we read through it as we toured the palace and prisons. It was a helpful guide and in the end we were glad we didn't get the Secret Itenerary tour. The tour groups looked a little slow for us. They got on my nerves because they would crowd around and block the entries and passageways. After the Doge's palace, we needed a break from museums, so we walked across the bridge to the Dorsoduro Siestre and walked along the waterfront Zattere. Sat on the steps and rested for a while after going in the Santa Maria della Salute. I loved the quainter, quieter more artsy feeling in the Dorsoduro. I bought a watercolor from a funny little man in a tiny alley near the Guggenheim for only 10 Euro! Of course, I had to carry it around with me the rest of the trip- but worth it! We then headed to the Campanile. Waited in line for about 10 minutes and headed to the top to for the amazing views. After the Campanile we waited in line at the Basilica San Marco for only another 10 minutes. Again we used Rick Steve's guide. The mosaics and overall opulence of the basilica blew me away. Saw the bronze horses and also enjoyed the view of the piazza from the roof. Went back to our neighborhood to pay for our room since we were leaving early the next morning. Also called ahead to make reservations for the next night in Sienna. Wandered into an osteria across from the Bernardi for an ombra and some cicheti. Walked over to the Campo St. Bartholomy (sp?) to hang out and watch the Italians on their passagiatta. Apparently this is the campo where all of the Italians with babies in strollers meet. Wandered around for a bit longer at an outdoor restaurant near the fish market building for a wine and pizza dinner. Had planned on trying a restaurant recommended on this site by NYFoodSnob but decided not to blow our budget on our second night in Italy. After dinner, we walked back to the area near our hotel for a few drinks at a bar on the Strada Nuova, before calling it a night. I am in love with Venice! We should have stayed another day- mainly to recoup more from the jet lag, and just sit and absorb the magical atmosphere. The crowds were a little annoying, but expected and only concentrated around the Rialto and Piazza areas during the day. It's a totally unforgettable place that has really stayed with me. Next day on to Tuscany!

Re: <i> [The Bernardi-Semenzato] was a great value and we loved the neighborhood.</i>

Grazie! In Reid Bramblett's &quot;Little Wonder Hotels of Venice &amp; Florence&quot; article, I believe he ranks the Bernardi-Semenzato as the best of these &quot;little wonder&quot; hotels in Venice.

The mosaics in the basilica blew us away too. We were lucky to be inside when the lights got turned on. Glad to hear you loved Venice so much; we did also.

(Nice report but a tip on your future posts: add some paragraphs to make it more readable.)

Enjoying your report so far, tiffpolm. Keep posting! Venice also enchanted us.

I wonder if the guy you bought the watercolor from near the Guggenheim is the same guy who accosted us. If so, he was in fine form the day we saw him. He was very nice, but it was rather humorous the way he would draw deep breaths and then talk non-stop over and over. We did have a bit of trouble getting away from him....ha.

Looking forward to more of your report.

Glad to hear you experienced Venice when you are young. Now you have a great place to return to time and again. My wife and I first saw Venice at age 23 when I was in the Army in Germany. That was 32 years ago and we never tire of going back anytime we can. Sure beats seeing it once in your 70s and never returning.

Statia- had to be the same guy. He barely took a breath and I couldn't understand hardly anthing he was saying. At first he said 35 Euro and I was trying to get a way but then when he said 10 Euro I thought it was a good deal because I liked his work. A friend of mine was in Venice a few months ago and I was telling her about it and we think she bought one from him too! He was really sweet.

How funny, tiffpolm. Yes, he seemed nice, but we weren't planning to buy, so we didn't want to lead him on. We had not experienced his &quot;way of selling&quot; anywhere else in Italy, so it was rather odd. It must work, though! Thanks for the info.

I forgot to mention that his work was very nice, in case anyone else ventures that way. I, myself, had already bought enough artwork, however. He also explained to us the way his father taught him his craft.

DAY 3, 4, 5- TUSCANY
Woke up in Venice and walked from our hotel down the length of the Strada Nuova to the train station. It was early in the morning and as we walked we passed hundreds of kids walking to school. Later we realized that it was a Saturday and thought it was odd that children were going to school. The train ride from Venice to Florence was uneventful. The Eurostar is nice enough, but the seats are not good for napping in. We were glad we bought tickets two days in advance because the train was completely full and our seats were not even located next to each other, albeit right across the aisle. We arrived in Florence and walked the 2 long blocks to the Via Ognissanti (sp?) where our rental car was to be picked up. There are tons of rental car companies on this street. Stopped for a &quot;toast&quot; snack along the way. In Venice we had developed and affinity for these grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, and made a daily habit of eating a croissant for breakfast and then either pizza or &quot;toast&quot; for lunch most days, saving our big meal and money for dinner. We had reserved our car online through AutoEurope, but the actual vendor was Europcar. All of the rental car companies were completely empty until we got to Europcar, where we discovered a long line of angry prospective renters. We had to wait nearly two hours! Finally got our Fiat Punto and using the directions provided by the rental car agent, headed out of town. Driving in Florence was the worst place that we had to drive, only because of the traffic and the fact that they don't observe lanes. It still wasn't that big of a deal. Got on the S222 with no wrong turns! I was the driver and my husband the navigator. Mainly because I was the one who wanted to rent the car and he is better with maps. It worked out well. It was fun to drive the Punto, almost like driving a little go-cart around the curvy Tuscan roads. The room that we had reserved in Sienna told us that we needed to be there by 3:00. Since we were held up at the rental car agency, we were in a bit of a hurry to make it. We stopped in Greve, where they were having a huge Chianti wine tasting. Tons of people with wine glasses hanging from pouches on their necks and hundreds of wines to taste. It would have been fun to participate, but we had to move on to Sienna to keep the room. I'm not much for driving drunk around a foreign country anyway.

The drive to Sienna was more beautiful than I had envisioned. I felt this way throughout Tuscany and we pulled of the road to take pictures many times over the next three days. When we got to Sienna we were past our 3:00 deadline and could not find a place to park. All of the parking lots had signs that said the cars would be towed if not moved by 7am the next morning because they were having a huge soccer match (Sienna vs. Inter). Finally we just parked anyway and ran to our hotel just in the nick of time because the said they were about to take the next caller. Apparently Sienna was booked solid for the game, so we got lucky. Stayed at La Perla. The room was fine but the bathroom was a little weird and it was on a noisy square. We ended up going back to move the car to a space pretty far away, but at least it enabled us to sleep in the next morning. Explored Sienna and it's amazing striped Duomo. Had to pay to go in because they had all of the floor carvings on display, which I read they display only for a limited amount of time each year. I especially liked the vivid colors in the libreria on the side, which I almost missed. Tried some of the local specialties for dinner at a restaurant across from our hotel and then hung out in the campo for a while. All night long we heard crowds of people cheering, I am assuming for the soccer teams. Sienna is a pretty late night town from what I could tell.

The next morning we grabbed a croissant and got back in the Punto. First stop of the day, Asciano. It was market day, and we tasted a lot of typical Tuscan meats and cheeses. Back in the car we stopped at Mt. Olivieto for a while. Its location is so serene, being high up on the mountain in the midst of a cypress thicket. We enjoyed seeing the painted cloister and monk's dining room. Leaving Mt. Olivieto, we thought it was going to storm but fortunately we missed it and the sun was in and out the rest of the day.

Next we stopped in Montelcino. Again, the drive was gorgeous. We couldn't believe lush, fat grapes hanging from the vines. In Montelcino we splurged and ate lunch in a charming wood beamed restaurant where we treated ourselves to a glass of Brunello. For dessert they gave us a bowl of what we thought were grapes. I commented on how they tasted different than our grapes at home. Funny, because a little later we were walking down the street and saw some fruit that had fallen from a tree onto the street. My husband pointed out that the fruit was what we had eaten for lunch. Must not have been grapes- plums maybe? I wanted desperately to buy some wine to take home, but did not want to have to carry it around the rest of the trip. We probably should have looked into having some shipped. In Montelcino, we found a lot of the shops were closed. Not sure if the reason was because it was Sunday or the siesta. They were having a honey festival in the fortress on the edge of town. We strolled around looking at the beeswax products, and tasting the different flavors of honey an we went along.

We planned on staying in Montelpuciano for the night, mainly because our books listed this town as having the most accommodations in the area. On the way, we stopped briefly in Pienza. This was a charming little village. I loved seeing all of the different wheels of pecorino artfully displayed in the cheese shops. Pienza does not take very long to explore, so back to the Punto and to Montelpuciano, our final destination for the day. First order of business upon arriving was to arrange for our accommodation for the night. We stopped first at La Terrazza, which looked charming, but was unfortunately full. Went down the street a little and found a room above a restaurant at Il Cittino. The room was tiny but fine, and our least expensive accommodation of the trip at 35 Euro. The proprietor was a very sweet lady but did not speak much English. Checking out the next morning, we caught a glimpse of her in the kitchen rolling out the pasta for that night's dinner. Spent the rest of the day relaxing and exploring the town. Saw a magnificent sunset from a little square near the Piazza Grande. For dinner, I wanted desperately to eat at Il Cantuccio, but when we asked for a table they said it was full for the night. There were no less than 4 other couples who were turned away at the same time. Popular place. One of my only regrets from the trip is not making reservations for dinner there. We found another restaurant that was quite good though.

Our last day in Tuscany. Leaving Montelpuciano, we again stopped in Pienza to grab some picnic supplies- meats, cheese, bread, water. On to Montereggioni. Not wanting to go through Sienna again, we got on the Autostrada for a bit. No big deal as far as driving, but not very scenic. I loved Montereggioni and how it is completely enclosed within the walls. However I did not get the feeling that it was a real town that people live in- it seems as if it exists only for tourists to visit. We found a lovely spot and ate our picnic lunch.

San Gimignano was next. We were a little shocked to see the huge paid parking lots at the bottom of the town. My husband said it reminded him of DisneyWorld. This was his least favorite town. Aside from the hordes of tourists, I thought it was beautiful and loved all of the towers. We paid to go up in Torre Grande but my husband got vertigo halfway up and had to stop. I'm usually the one that is afraid of heights and I will say that I was a little shaky at the top, especially when you have to climb a ladder for the last bit. The views were worth it and it included entry to the Museo Communale, where we saw Pinoricchio's Madonna. San Gimignano would have been a nice place to stay for the night to experience after most of the tourists had gone, but the guidebooks said that there were few options and most were expensive, so we opted to drive to Volterra. Volterra ended up being one of our favorite hill towns. Lodging was the Hotel Etruria. This was our most expensive room of the trip at 67 Euro. We probably should have shopped around a little, but it was nice big room with our own bathroom, and a few Euro is worth wasting a lot of time and energy trying to find a less expensive place. There was also a nice rooftop garden. We visited the ruins, which I loved, but after paying we realized you could see them for free from surrounding streets. After walking around and exploring, we found a really nice bar and pastry shop and sat and had some drinks and free bar snacks. Dinner was at Osteria dei Poeti. This was probably our most memorable meal of the trip. My fillet with truffle sauce was divine. Speaking of truffles, I thought that they were in season in September and would be everywhere, but I only saw them on a few menus. After dinner we went back to the hotel for our last night in Tuscany. Before leaving Volterra the next morning we stopped at San Biagio. It's golden fa&ccedil;ade and placement on the cliffs below Volterra is magnificent. On the way out of town we drove to check out the Balze cliffs. We must not have hiked down far enough because we didn't see anything impressive, so we drove on to turn in our rental car in Pisa. Next destination?the Cinque Terre!

Great trip report ... and don't leave me hanging ... what about CT?

Thanks for the wonderful review. I was just in Venice, Florence and Cinque Terre earlier this month. Your stories take me right back...

Great report so far. Sounds like you had the most wonderful time. Having just been there, i could almost imagine walking along with you. Can't wait to hear if you got to &quot;my restaurant&quot; in Florence. So funny about the rental car experience - i think all the women drive and the men read the maps. I think it's because we don't want to be responsible for the inevitable wrong turn.

I'm enjoying this immensely. Thanks, tiffpolm, and continue soon, please. J.

Sound like a great trip. We want to go to Venice in April, and plan to spend 6 days there and some surrounding areas. It looks like you did quite a bit in that many days. If you were to do it over, how would you do it this time?