Dear Liz, just sending you a shout out, I do so hope the two of you are ok after this bridge collapse in our area.

Much love and prayers from DH & I

Oh Tiff, thanks for thinking of us. We are fine, as is my sister, my PhD dissertation adviser (very important!), and my closest friends. I sure hope that everyone else close to us and to you is ok as well. I am on campus every day and know so many people who use that bridge...

cls2paris, I hope you and yours are safe as well.

Thanks, Liz! As far as I can tell, no one I knew was near the bridge, thank goodness. Thanks for the thought.
BTW - I had a little backyard party and served the Wine Spritz with aperol - it was a big hit!! Thanks again for telling me where you found the aperol. I'm heading up to Il Vesco Vino next week, I'll look around for people calling each other Tim or Liz and stop and say hi! :)

Dear Liz (and Tim),
Thank you for such a beautifully detailed and well written report! I just had time to read the first day, but I am 'hooked' and printed it off to read in the car this weekend. (We are going with our daughter's family and inlaws down to Table Rock Lake in Missouri for a week, and it is a lonnngg boring car-ride.) ...This is just what I need :>

The TI's I have been reading are so well written, and I never have kept a journal or notes of any kind, so I am already getting nervous that my report will not be up to the "standards" here, sigh! You have set the bar high, my dear!!! Thanks again.

Cindy- I love it that you had spritzes at your party! It should be our "signature drink" when hosting parties.

For Il Vesco Vino, we have not yet enjoyed their dinner menu (just sat in the bar), but I can *highly* recommend the antipasti misti and lemons alla sorrentina appetizers.

As I re-read this report tonight, I fear that it makes Tim and I look like we drink *a lot* more alcohol than we normally do. We were not stumbling around Italy as you might guess by reading this report! ;)

lovesroses-- thank you for the feedback! I don't always write such detailed reports, but I thought this information would be helpful to those planning similar trips. I hope you see my note above about keeping restaurant receipts and writing details of your meals on the back-- I am so glad we did that!

I hope you have a fun and safe trip with your family.

Thank you for the receipt tip, Liz, that would be a great way to "remember" easily.

Thank you also for the well wishes. This is our 6th annual trip...our grandchildren are ages 8, 5 so it is a very fun time at the lake. :> Thanks again. I look forward to reading your report. I am planning on reading either "Bruneschelli's Dome" or "The Agony and the Ecstasy" while there, to get me in the mood for Italia!

bookmarking. Thanks!

bookmarking - thanks

Hi Liz - What wonderful trip reports. Thank-you for posting all your information here. I am currently planning a trip to Venice, Rome and Florence in a few months and I'm having a hard time getting my head around the train system.
It seems like you used the train to get between each city. Did you buy a rail pass? Did you buy your tickets in advance? What types of tickets were they? I am very confused by the rail website.
Thanks

slowtrav.com has a great explanation of the train system, right down to photos of tickets with detailed explanation.

The train system is easy to use, passes generally not practical versus point to point, you can buy online and save time, buy in a kiosk at the station or stop at a local TA, which is the easiest of all.

Jennifer--

Buying train tickets is very easy. You do not need a rail pass to go to Rome, Florence and Venice. We did not purchase our tickets ahead of time. In Rome, our inn's staff recommended a travel agent. We purchased our own tickets using a machine in the Florence train station. The machines are the easiest way to purchase tickets, and they have English displays. We purchased our tickets one day in advance in both cases. I know it seems intimidating, but it's quite easy to do! Let me know if you need more help.

Also, thank you to the above posters for your compliments on this report!

Liz

Hi Liz, great trip report. We are going to Rome & Florence this November and really appreciate your restaurant recommendations.
Question, do the menus have English translations or are they just straight forward Italian?

frestonia-

All restaurants except for two (pizzeria in Florence and Osteria Antico Dolo in Venice) had printed English menus.

Liz

That's good to know, thanks Liz!

bookmarking

I have to admit, I registered just so I can thank you for your report! I've been devouring posts (mostly TA) as I plan our trip for next month, and yours was the best I've read so far - because you two seem to travel, eat and enjoy things exactly as we do (we are 26 & 29, not married but together forever, and we travel extensively).

Thank you so much for your detailed descriptions and directions... I only wish we had friends like you guys to travel with. I hope your next trip is just as spectacular!

Bookmark - thanks for all the great info, Liz!

Thanks so much, LauraFL and ralloyd01!

Let me know if I can help you plan anything for an upcoming trip!

Hi Liz
Your descriptions are so fantstic! My husband and I just booked a 10-day trip to Rome/Florence/Venice. I hope we can do as much as you did!

Is there anything that you wish you had made time for and didn't? We want to see as much as possible, but hope to avoid being in big tour groups. The after-hours tour you took of the Vatican isn't available for early March '08. Did you have a second choice?

Did you get around mostly by public transportation? Since we only have 3 days in each city, do you think that we should look for small tours to the top spots or go it alone? We love to walk, but don't know if it's best or not in each city.

Thanks so much for your help!

Thanks for any tips and after-thoughts you might have!