Thank you for the compliments!

Anna1013- I know you will like the Alloro! Yes, the rooms were clean and very quiet. The only noise we heard was occasionally some other guest in the hallway (but we had the room closest to the main door and it did not bother us.) The owners, a father and son, were very unobtrusive. Helpful when contacted but otherwise kept to themselves. They are available from 7:30-5 each day at the B&B. I don't believe they will be serving breakfast prior to 7am but you could always ask...

LoveItaly- I am sorry for your computer glitch-- so annoying when that happens! We did have a wonderful time and I am glad you have enjoyed reading the report.

ellenem- We most likely would not have traveled to Omero without your help, so thank you very much! We just loved the walk down the hill into Florence. We did see Galileo's home across from the restaurant-- I believe you told us about that, too.

missypie-- Yes, I would imagine that traveling through Italy with three kids in tow would be a different experience. Perhaps you can assist me in planning such a trip in, oh, say 10 years or so? ;)

Susie CII-- If you find a good recipe, let me know. I attempted to recreate the spaghetti verde but did not come close! I loved that dish!

I still have two more days in Venice to write about. I will try to do so tonight.

Liz

Liz, I think Sam's Wine and Liquors in Chicago has Aperol. Maybe they can ship it to you? Or ask a big liquor store (like Haskell's) if they can order it for you.

Looking forward to reading about the rest of your trip.

Am loving your report. So happy to read about your experience with Accidental Tourist tour. DH and I will be in Italy in 30 days and the Accidental Tourist day is something I'm really looking forward to now! Also thanks for the many great restaurant recommendations. Am taking notes.

I am enjoying your report! Look forward to the rest of Venice! We will be @ Locanda Orseolo in July-1st trip to Italy. Did you see any signs of the plumbing issues I read about? Regarding the restaurant in Venice that you visited 2x....would it be suitable for an anniversary dinner? We will be there for our 20th...

Your report is great! We will go from Rome to Florence in a few weeks. Ristorante Omero, is it very expensive at night, or did you just plan on lunch there because it was convenient? Would it be hard to find at night? Thanks, kp

rialtogrl--
Darn, I was just in Chicago and forgot to check! Anyone have any leads in Denver? (We're headed there this weekend.) Otherwise I called some more stores today and am waiting for people to call me back.

kaybee--
If you enjoy yourselves half as much as we did, you will be thrilled! I hope you have fun-- let us know how it goes!

tinamidon-- happy early anniversary! We saw no signs of any plumbing issues. Actually I was unaware of them until your post! The restaurant is small and quaint but not really fancy. I would ask the staff for a recommendation-- they were spot on with everything they recommended to us and I think they would know the perfect place for a special dinner.

kp-
We chose to have lunch at Omero so that (a) we could see the view, (b) there was enough daylight for our walk down the hill to Piazzale Michelangelo. I don't know what the view would be at night, if anything. The restaurant was nice but it's location makes it worth the trip. I would imagine the lunch and dinner menus are similar, though I do not know for sure.

Tim and Liz,

Thanks for your info on Alloro B&B.

I did have a question about Trattoria Omero - how long was the taxi ride to get to the restaurant from Florence? How long was it to get back into Florence on the walk back down?

Do you remember the average price of a main dish? We are on a moderate budget, but we did want to have a "special" meal, especially if the food/view was good.

I believe the taxi was 10 minute and around 8-10 Euro. The walk down took about an hour including stops.

Prices:

2 cover charges = 5.2 Euro

Wine= 16 Euro

Water =2.2 Euro

Antipasti (dried beef with arugula) = 12 Euro

Soups= 10 Euro each

Main dishes= 13 and 15 Euro

Vegetables= 10 Euro

2 Cafes= 5.2 Euro

Obviously you can cut out a number of courses here.

Let me know if you have any more questions!

Oh Liz, I am so glad I came across your report! I am taking notes for Rome. I may have some follow up questions later.
Thanks so much, it is a great report!

Liz, enjoying your report and taking notes. I am going in October for (probably have read all my questions).

I might have to check this out too, thank you for the tip! (Omero).

Thanks for the compliments!

Tiff, I would love to help you plan your upcoming vacation with your <b>brilliant</b> DH! ;) Please let me know how I can help.

(ljc4creb, you too!)

I will try to finish up the report (two more days in Venice and Burano) soon!

Liz

Loving your report. How do you keep track of all the information on restaurants and meals ect.? I find I'm just not that organized, or diciplined. We were in Italy last year with our three girls and also did the Accidental Tourist cooking class. The picture of us showing off our homemade pasta ended up being our Christmas card and was loved by everybody!

kraav-

I read a tip (was it ekscrunchy's?) to keep restaurant receipts and write the detail of the meal on the back if it. That way, I have the meal details, prices, and restaurant contact info all in one place.

Right now the receipts are spread out all over the dining room table-- one more reason to finish up my trip report!

The accidental tourist cooking class was so neat. We just loved it! Your Christmas card sounds lovely-- wish I would have thought of it :)

Liz, just a few questions...1. How do you handle a flight delay from US, did you call private car? 2. How far ahead did you book the Scavi Tour? 3. Did you make your dinner reservations before you left on-line or did you wait and have hotel help you? 4. Did you find it easiest to use your credit cards for dinners, hotels, or run to the ATM a lot? --still checking out fees. Thanks so much.

ljc-

1. We booked the car through the Daphne B&amp;B. They told me at the time of booking that if my flight was delayed, the driver would know by checking my flight. I was only to call them if we missed or changed our flight.

2. We booked it the last week of November (3.5 months ahead).

3. The only reservation we made ahead of time was for Omero outside of Florence. The Daphne B&amp;B made two dinner reservations for us, and the Locanda Orseolo made all three of our dinner reservations for us.

4. We always use our CC (Capital One-- no charges for foreign currency) if a place accepts it.

Let me know if you think of anything else!

Thanks for the great trip report! How far in advance did you book your Sunday lunch at Omero?

I emailed them and apparently for Saturday you don't need a reservation. Perhaps you could try for Saturday instead of Sunday, if you are in town? They did mention that Sundays you did need a reservation.

Liz- is the after hours tour of the Vatican really 250e per person? or am I misreading something.

Thanks for a very informative report.

Lynnie

Your account was fabulous. I'll be doing the exact same trip but in reverse so all the info will be very helpful. You mentioned PalenQ's directions to the Leaning Tower from the station. Where can I find those directions - are they posted here? Thanks.