More Feedback on Rick Steves' Italy
Please share any ways we can improve or fix this guidebook. Are there recommendations in this book that disappointed you? Do you have any new experiences or new places we should consider? Any warnings or tips for people traveling with existing edition?
(Please note: Feedback on specific hotels, costs, etc. is deleted yearly after Rick uses it to update his guidebook. However, general, timeless recommendations are left here online.)
I went to Italy for the 4th time this past August. It was the first time using Rick Steves' guide & it really was invaluable. I bought Mona Winks too & was very thankful to have it! I traveled with my husband and two young daughters, ages 4 and 7. My husband is Italian and we have a villa near Sperlonga, so we are no strangers to travel in Italy.
We spent several days in Sorrento and stayed at La Minerva, based upon the guide's recommendation. The hotel was lovely and everything was as described, with one very significant exception. Although we had called to confirm that the room was air-conditioned, we found out after we arrived that the hotel only provides this service (regardless of your offer to pay extra) during very limited hours: 7:30am-9am, 1pm-4pm and 9pm-1am. After 1am in the morning, the air goes off and you spend a very restless and uncomfortable night in a hot, airless room.
We complained and were shown a very small sign in an unobservable location in the main office where this policy is posted. Even my Italian husband was surprised at this "fine print" and unaware of this practice. The hotel would not provide fans.
This is the perfect hotel in cool weather & I subsequently sent friends
there in September on their honeymoon. They raved. But please do not recommend
this hotel to Americans during the hot summer months as one offering air
conditioning. They would be better off staying at a lower-priced inn where
they are forthright about their lack of air conditioning, or at a more
expensive hotel where they can sleep through the night in peace.
Beth Graham <gramom123@aol.com>
Boston, ma USA 01/23/01
I was in Italy last week and I visited the Cinque Terre and the nearby
town of Levanto. I highly suggest to you these gems! What a surprise was
Levanto, especially the old part of it that nobody mentioned — a castle,
a wonderful church (S.Andrea), and little roads that told me about MEDIO
EVO (middle age) in Italy. I found a lot of tips in www.cinqueterreonline.com
where you could find some of the best photos on the net about 5 Terre.
Francois Le Pen <esperienzeinrete@yahoo.it>
Nice, fra 01/16/01
We stayed in Bellagio on Lake Como and found it a charming place and not as overpriced and stuffy as Rick seems to make it. We loved it! We stayed at the Hotel Belvedere which was great. The staff was very friendly, breakfast yummy with views of the lake, the room clean with a balcony. Instead of taking the train back to Milan we took the two-hour boat into Como. Amazing is the word that comes to mind.
In Milan we loved staying at the Antica Locanda dei Mercanti. The room was small, but gorgeous and we had a real shower. Bottled water was given to us at check-in, breakfast was served in our room, and the front desk attendants were very friendly. Easy walk to the Duomo.
In Venice we stayed at the Locando Sturion right on the Grand Canal.
Though our room did not face the Grand Canal we had a great view overlooking
the rooftops of Venice. Our first morning I opened the window and the
gentleman from a few buildings away was singing loudly in Italian. Beautiful!
Starr and David <scarr@iex.net>
Highlands Ranch, CO USA 01/15/01
We were disappointed in Rick's recommended Trattoria Al Cugnai in Venice.
Long wait for a table, with many people walking in and being seated ahead
of us. We were told they had reservations, but we never did see a list.
Food was OK but overpriced. They kept pushing the higher-priced items
and kept asking if we wanted full courses. We just didn't feel comfortable.
Joe and Kay DeVita <jdevita@qwest.net>
Phoenix, AZ USA 01/15/01
We just got back from an 11-night stay in Milan, Venice and Florence. Being a teacher, I am forced to travel during the peak weeks. Therefore, I haven't worked up the courage to go without hotel reservations and most of the time I am glad. We used Rick's book to plan a general itinerary and he was right on the money!
FLORENCE: As one traveler previously noted, HOTEL CASCI is a real find. They have clean, comfortable rooms with ALL the amenities at an extremely affordable price. We paid $93/night in the high season. You cannot beat the location — within walking distance of ALL the sights. They offer on-line reservations and will answer any questions by e-mail. It is modern, with firm beds, TV, and hair dryers. They serve a great breakfast and the staff, the Lombardi family, is extremely helpful. They gave us information, made phone calls to confirm theater tickets and are very friendly warm people. They even have an extensive library of guidebooks to lend, a lounge with free e-mail and internet access, coffee bar and board games. Although a 2-star hotel, it rose far above the 3-star hotels we stayed at.
I was happy to see that Rick is including info on buying tickets to the UFFIZI and ACCADEMIA online. It is well worth the small extra price to buy these in advance! At both museums we saw lines waiting 90 min. to get in.
We were enticed by the Florence Ballet and purchased tickets online. Being used to the Boston ballet, we were quite surprised: best described as "interpretive dance" to the rhythm of heavy breathing! Most of the international audience walked out after the first act.
We agree that PISA is not worth much time. Literally the only thing to see is the tower and cathedral. But I am glad I did it.
MILAN: I definitely recommend HOTEL BAVEIRA. Although not within walking distance of major sights, it is one block from a metro stop, and one metro stop from the Duomo. The rooms were a bit tacky, but clean, comfortable and affordable. The breakfast was very nice and the staff was helpful. Being a bit off the beaten path, it was easier to find affordable local restaurants and we were within walking distance of the popular Buenos Aires street.
Milan is a wonderful, clean, small city that is easy to navigate and I wish we had spent more time there. Please take the elevator to the roof of the Duomo, definitely worthwhile! Breathtaking!
Note that the MALPENSA EXPRESS TRAIN that runs directly from the airport terminal to downtown, at the Cardona Metro stop, IS FREE to people traveling on all the major airlines. Ask at their ticket counter if your airline covers it. They will ask to keep or make a copy of your boarding pass/ticket. It is the same both to/from.
VENICE: Arrange for someone from the hotel to meet you at the closest vaparetto stop if you are staying off the canal. We have traveled independently all over Europe and never get pre-arranged transfers, always relying on public transport. This was a mistake here. Our hotel was only a few blocks off the canal, but it took us nearly two hours to find. It is hard to be prepared to navigate Venice, and best to wander aimlessly and enjoy the quaint charms of the back alleys and side streets. This is not possible while carrying luggage after a long train ride, and it can be very frustrating. Vendors and locals are often not helpful or forthcoming with directions and initially it is difficult to imagine how something that looks to be a doorway or ally is actually a street. Have the hotel staff meet you and get settled, then you can go out and really enjoy all Venice has to offer.
Don't expect to find the real Italy in these cities. They are extremely
commercial and tourism is their primary industry. This means that they
are overrun with high-priced souvenirs and restaurants and little of the
true Italian culture is left. Go to see the uniqueness of Venice's architecture,
and the beauty of Florence's art, but don't expect a whole lot more. After
visiting Prague right after the Velvet Revolution, before the tourist
trade was up and running, I can only imagine what Venice and Florence
must have been like 20 years ago. I could not help feeling that much of
the charm had been drained from them, but they were still well worth the
experience.
Cathy Routhier <cathyrouthier@mediaone.net>
Rehoboth, MA USA 01/13/01
We had a great visit to Rome, Florence, and Venice the last 11 days. We went with Rick's recommendation of the HOTEL ABERDEEN in Rome and the HOTEL MARIN in Venice. We were more than pleased with both hotels as I will explain below. We also slept on a night train from Venice to Rome in a couchette. We tried to sleep on the night flight to Italy without much luck.
ROME: The staff at the Hotel Aberdeen was pleasant, helpful, and spoke English. They helped us find a bank that gave good exchange rates for our traveler's checks; made reservations for us to an opera; helped us find a nearby church for Sunday mass in English (at a very nice church — St. Susanna); and picked up Vatican tickets to a Papal event for us since we weren't in town early enough to pick them up before the event. (And we left a tip but Sabrina insisted we did not have to).
The rooms were very nice and clean, with TV, mini-bar refrigerator, and hair dryer. Breakfast was very good with many choices. The hotel is on a quiet street close to many points of interest as well as a bus stop, subway stop, and the Termini train station. We pulled our bags from the train station to the hotel with no problem.
There was a very nice inexpensive pizzeria about a block away from the hotel on the little street, Via Napoli, running parallel between Via Firenze and Quattro Fontane Oepretis. There was also a very nice little food place diagonally across the street from the hotel on Via Firenze where we bought drinks and ice cream. If we make it to Rome again again, we will definitely stay at the Hotel Aberdeen.
VENICE: The Hotel Marin was also very nice and clean, with hair dryer in the bathroom, and a satisfying breakfast. Best of all, the hotel was close to the train station. We recommend this hotel to everyone.
TRAINS: One unexpected problem we faced was figuring out how find the right track for the train we wanted to catch and which train car we were reserved for. It took some time to find an English speaker who could explain how to read our reservation cards. We also finally found someone who showed us how to use the departure board to figure out at what track (binario, abbreviated as BIN) and whether or not it was on time.
We used the kilometric pass but had to pay extra for the trains we needed. We could not make reservations from the USA on the trains we wanted. When we arrived in Italy, first class was the only room they had on one train. First class seats are much bigger than second class and they electrically reclined. You received a beverage at your seat. Train travel was an experience not to be missed.
PICKPOCKETS: We traveled as a group of nine. Four of us had hands in our pockets. We managed to catch it as it was happening and avoided getting anything taken. Three of us had the experience on a crowded subway or bus. Since we three had money belts as Rick suggests, nothing much but a small amount of Lire was vulnerable. When caught, they drop what they were after. The fourth instance was two gypsies on a streetcorner who managed to get the wallet of one of us who did not have a money belt. He noticed it missing immediately and saw it in her hands. She claimed she found it on the ground and he took it back from her.
CHURCHES: In Rome I recommend visiting St. Susanna (many gorgeous frescoes and pleasant nuns) and St. Mary of the Victory (stunning statue by Bernini of Ecstacy of St. Teresa) which are across the street from each other close to the Hotel Aberdeen. We also recommend visiting the major basilicas: St. Peter's, St. Mary Major, St. Paul's Outside the Walls, and St. John Lateran. We were able to walk through the Holy doors of each one. The churches are large and very beautiful.
Rick's Rome 2000 book was indispensable for Rome. Our trip to Italy
was well worth it!
Mike <maljdougherty@netzero.net>
Cuyahoga Falls, OH USA 01/08/01
I stayed at some great hotels on my 2-week visit to Italy in Oct. 2000. Recommended: Hotel Casci in Florence (www.hotelcasci.com) is a 2-star but let me assure you it is perfect — just a 2-min. walk to the Duomo and San Lorenzo market (great outdoor market). Hotel is extremely affordable and very nice — friendly Lombardi family runs the show.
If you are fortunate enough to travel to the Amalfi coast, I stayed at Hotel Aurora in Amalfi (www.amalfinet.it/hotelaurora), a lovely hotel with beautiful rooms and view of the waterfront. Once again affordable for the location and rooms. I really loved Amalfi.
In Venice I stayed in Hotel Tintoretto (www.hoteltintoretto.com), which is a 3-star hotel kinda off the beaten path but still close to a vaporetto stop on the Grand Canal. No elevator, however, decent rooms and the rates for Venice weren't bad.
In Milan, Hotel London in Rick's book proved to be a decent, relatively
inexpensive, well-located 2-star. We had a very short stay in Milan but
I was able to see the Duomo, shop at the Galleria and explore the shopping
area in the old section of the city.
ckeathley <ckeathley@earthlink.com>
st. louis, mo USA 01/05/01
We spent the Christmas/New Year's holidays in Italy. Comments:
TRANSPORTATION: We rented a 7-passenger van in Rome, which worked out great (6 adults plus luggage). We parked the car and used public transportation or walked in Venice and Rome, but it came in very handy in Tuscany, and of course for traveling between areas.
The autostrada is excellent, and you can tool along at 140 or 150 KM per hour very safely. One danger however is the cars going MUCH slower in the righthand lane — very scary when you come upon them quickly.
Driving in Tuscany is very slow, since the roads are extremely hilly and hairpin curves constantly slow you down. But the countryside is awesome, with astounding views. So just allow plenty of time and enjoy the ride. And don't even think about driving the backroads of Tuscany if you have been drinking.
Driving in Rome is certainly not for the faint of heart, but the trickiest part of it is not the drivers but rather trying to figure out where the heck you are and how to get to where you're going. Just trying to drop our luggage off at the hotel (near the Pantheon) and then park the car at the Villa Borghese took a good three hours, mostly because we couldn't find the hotel. My advice would be to try to find a large boulevard-type road and use it to get near your destination, then ask for help.
VENICE: The Antica Locanda Al Gambero is nicely situated between the Ponte di Rialto and Piazza San Marco. It was great, and was only about $115 per double with bath. We had a nice meal at the "Bistro" that the hotel runs on the first floor of the same building.
Venice is wonderful. We took Rick's advice and just wandered through the tiny streets like rats in a maze and had a blast. The vaporetto boats are reasonable and are a great way to see the palaces along the Grand Canal. Make sure the vaporetto you get on goes along the Grand Canal — we got on one by mistake that didn't.
TUSCANY: We stayed in a 3-bedroom, 2-bath apartment on the Il Caggio estate (booked through Cuendet on the Internet), about 10 miles north of Siena. This worked out great. The apartment was recently renovated, so we had all the modern conveniences in a circa-1400 building. The downside of this (villa/apt.) approach was that we had to pay for an entire week even though we were only there for 3 nights (these places mostly don't rent for less than a week, even in the off-season, and those that do are REALLY expensive on a daily basis). The 3-bedroom apt. cost us $850 + $210 cleaning + $75 heat, or a total of $1135.
We took day trips to Florence and Siena, and went to San Gimignano and Castellina-in-Chianti at night. All were interesting and worthwhile. I definitely recommend the Gallopapa Restaurant in Castellina-in-Chianti: great atmosphere, food, and wine, and the waiters were charming and fun (ask for Fabio).
By the way, we (six reasonably intelligent adults) spent about 30 minutes trying in vain to find the "Osteria Sapori" restaurant that Rick recommends in Florence. If anyone can find it, I recommend a career with the FBI.
ROME: Hotel Navona has an incredible location between the Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, and we would highly recommend it. The English-speaking staff was very helpful and knowledgeable. They recommended two restaurants ("Tre Amici" and "Pizzeria Monte Carlo"), both of which were excellent. We found that going to dinner early (arriving by 8:00) worked best for avoiding the crowds.
A word of warning when timing your sightseeing: do not trust the hours of availability listed in Rick's book! This is not a knock on Rick — the fact is that these places seem to change their hours on a whim. For example, we waited in line for 45 minutes at St Peter's only to find out that they would not sell us tickets to ascend the dome, even though it was more than an hour before the listed closing time, because they "had a lot of people today, and the lift is very busy." So, get there early in the day to avoid this problem.
Also, we arrived too late to get into the Colosseum on New Year's Eve afternoon, but were told by some dude outside dressed up like a Roman soldier that "it will be open again tomorrow at 9:00." Who better to trust in Rome than a Roman soldier? Well, we returned the next day only to find out that both the Colosseum and the Roman Forum were closed the entire New Year's Day.
GENERAL: We found Rick's book to be really helpful. Three top reasons
to use Rick's book: 1) It's light — when you're lugging stuff around all
day, you really appreciate a small, light, book; 2) Hotel recommendations;
3) the cut-to-the-chase, no-nonsense sightseeing information. One suggestion:
list three or four internet sites for booking a villa.
Jay <james.keeley@unisys.com>
Erdenheim, PA USA 01/03/01
My husband and I just returned from Rome after a one-week stay. Wonderful
city, great food, best pizza restaurant EST EST EST. We lodged at Hotel
Pensione Italia — very clean, comfortable with a great buffet breakfast;
our host Andrea was extremely helpful as well. The only word of caution
with this hotel: there's a bar next door that has a disco on the weekends,
so Fridays and Saturdays don't plan on falling asleep much before 3:00
A.M.
Vera and Yves Hebert
Toronto, on canada 01/02/01
Bologna definitely merits an entry in any guidebook to Italy — Europe's
oldest university, numerous churches, some of the best food produced in
Emilia Romagna (Parmiggiano Reggiano cheese, culatello, prosciutto, real
balsamic vinegar), what some people consider to be the gastronomic capital
of Italy, an ancient and compact town centre just excellent for walking,
a vibrant lifestyle with 80,000 students from the university, etc. To
miss Bologna is to miss what some consider to be the 2nd best-looking
city in Italy (after Venice) and some of its best food.
John <jman@home.org>
London, UK 01/01/01
I suggest adding a wonderful hotel in Venice that is away from the crowds but close to everything. It is located on the opposite side of the Accademia Bridge from San Marco. It is an absolutely charming place with plenty of cafes and a pleasant plaza filled with an open market of vegetables and fruit. Steps away from the hotel is a nice little drug store that seems to carry everything you might have forgotten...toothpaste, brushes, umbrellas, etc. The hotel name is Antico Capon (Campo Santa Margherita 3004/B,30123, Tel/Fax:o41-5285292, 12 rms., 9 w/toilet & shower or bath, 80,000-160,000L). Breakfast included in rate but can be deducted. The breakfasts were at a restaurant across the plaza and well worth keeping not only for the wonderful croissant and drink, but the restaurant owners were also pleasant and helpful.
The hotel manager Elias speaks English. He is also very, very helpful
and patient especially to a firsttime European visitor as myself. The
hotel is not hard to find if you go the opposite direction of the yellow
signs directing you to San Marco, and the Vaporetta 80 or 1 leaves one
off at the Accademia bridge from the train station. It is the only wooden
bridge crossing the Grand Canal, so I always knew when to get off. Remember
this is not a fancy starred hotel but a quaint, clean room that made me
feel that I was living like some of the natives. Also there are stairs
to climb-no elevator. (If you go there please tell Elias Linda sent you
as I am so grateful for all the support he gave me.)
Linda H. <Jolie61563@aol.com>
Los Angeles, Ca USA 12/31/00
For my first trip, in November, I made reservations thru the internet for our hotels in Rome and Venice and had no trouble with confirmations. We loved the Hotel Italia in Rome. It is close to the Termini station and, though close to busy Via Nazionale, it was a quiet place to recuperate at the end of the day. We lived on paninis, pastry and Peliggrino water.
We reserved two first-class tickets on Eurostar Italia from Rome to Venice. The train was fantastic, clean and on time. A super way to travel.
Venice: Hotel Guerratto's staff was friendly and the proximity to vaporetto service can't be beat. But we were woken up every morning by the market noisily setting up right out our window. It's a beautiful market where the sellers are proud of their vegetable and flower displays so I can't really complain.
Florence: Hotel Bellettini was perfect. The rooms were prettily decorated in an Italian Provincial style. It felt like we were staying in a chalet. The free internet service was welcome too.
It's hard to go wrong in Florence since everything is within walking distance. I especially liked the Pitti Palace and Boboli Gardens up behind. The view of the Florentine landscape was indescribable. The rose garden at the top even had some blooms still hanging on. And being a cat lover, I was happy to finally see where all the cats have gone: they are all at Boboli Gardens. You can smell them even.
Our last night we splurged and stayed at the Hilton Airport in Rome
as I had an early-morning flight. The trip was much too short but a good
taste of what's possible. I will definitly be returning.
mary marotta <mary.marotta@dot.state.mn.us>
St. Paul, mn USA 12/30/00
Just returned from a short exploration trip. Hotel Certosa on the Amalfi Coast was a treat. Clean, quiet rooms (unless you consider hearing the surf a problem), spectacular views and hikes, good food/wine and reasonable prices. Considering the get-away-from-it-all location, bus access to Sorrento and Amalfi coast is good and cheap.
Jet boat to Capri from Sorrento is a good day trip.
Catch the Vesuvius stuff as a daytrip, or better, on the way out or back on the Circumvesuviana train.
A tip for Heculaneum: get off at Erculano Scavi (not the other one).
Follow the street outside the station downhill 6-7 short blocks where
it deadends at the excavation site entrance. The blue Vesuvius bus was
weird when I was there (12/26) but eight of us waiting for it got one
of the small, white vans in the railstation lot to take us up the mountain
for L10,000 a head.
Norm Holmberg <boris813@aol.com>
Minneapolis, MN USA 12/29/00
We were in Italy for two weeks in October 2000. I used information from books (Rick Steves as well as Sandra Gustafson's "Cheap Sleeps Italy") and the internet. Most helpful was the Italy Hotels site (www.venere.it). I also highly recommend using e-mail for requesting rates and making reservations. Not only is it much cheaper than making international calls but it's more convenient and you don't have to worry about the English skills of the person answering the phone.
This was my first trip to Italy. I was delighted by how nice the people were, the fact that almost everyone spoke English (well, at least well enough for these non-Italian-speaking tourists to get by), and the exchange rate made the trip very affordable. I can't wait to go again.
As for trains: ALWAYS make advance seat reservations! I've never needed seat reservations in the rest of Europe except for holidays but even though we were in Italy in October we learned very quickly to make reservations for all of train rides unless the station told us it wasn't needed.
Venice: I highly recommend the Hotel San Gallo (3 stars). It's a small second-floor hotel on a nice small quiet square behind San Marco. The hotel was clean, quiet, and very reasonably priced. Our room was about $140 per night for a double. When I booked via e-mail I asked for the "Rick Steves Discount" and they gave us 10% off. Room #11 is at the end of the hall and therefore very quiet because no one walked past our door.
Venice is good for a couple of days. Stay near San Marco; it's more expensive but you'll be glad that you can walk everywhere. For eating stay away from the places right on San Marco as they are very expensive. Be adventurous and walk until you find something to your liking.
Sorrento: Hotel Minerva (the jewel of our trip thanks to the recommendation in Rick Steves' book). This hotel is on a spectacular site on a cliff just outside of town and the view from our window was incredible. The hotel was everything I hoped for: clean, quiet, reasonably priced ($105 per night for a double) and only a half-hour walk from the town center. It's quite a haul with luggage so I recommend a taxi (about $12) to and from the Circumvesuviana station when you arrive and depart. A bonus if you go during warm weather is the pool on the terrace about 5 stories up.
Sorrento is a great place for relaxation or to explore Herculaneum, Pompeii, Capri, Amalfi, etc. As for the debate of Herculaneum vs Pompeii. If you can plan a whole day exploring, go to Pompeii. It's huge and you'll need at least 4-5 hours to see the major parts. I found Pompeii to be better than Herculaneum (and I saw Herculaneum first) so if you can spare a whole day for Pompeii you won't need to see Herculaneum. On the other hand if you only have a few hours then go to Herculaneum instead of Pompeii. Yes, Pompeii has more crowds but that's because it is a better site (IMHO).
Florence: The gelato at Vivoli's is good and worth the effort to find the place but I was truly embarrassed at the number of loud Americans fawning over the place all because Rick Steves recommended it. The most outrageous was the older woman who, in a voice loud enough for even the people in the street to hear, announced, "I'm going to have Rick Steves' favorite-est flavor of all."
For the Accademia go late in the day to avoid the lines. For the Uffizi buy advance tickets on the Internet if you can. We tried going late in the day (4:00 pm) and still had to wait 90 minutes to get in. And we weren't even sure we would get in.
Skip Pisa and pick some other day trip that has fewer people and more charm (like Siena). You've seen pictures of that damn tower and trust me, you won't need to see it in person.
Rome: What a wonderful place in spite of the noise, crowds, and dirt. It will hypnotize you with its charms (or was I just drugged on the fumes from the scooters?). One pleasant surprise was the Castle Sant Angelo for its great view over Rome (and of the nearby Vatican).
The Vatican Museum was overwhelming and the crowds were awful. On this Board back in August or September someone recommended going on Wednesday morning when the Pope is in the plaza and the crowds are outside to see him instead of in the museum. We tried that and the museum was still packed. In addition, the Vatican Museum is not laid out like other museums and you can't just wander around. They force you to follow a path (although you can choose the 2, 4, or 6 hour tour).
In Rome, my favorite area for finding restaurants was the Piazza Navonna.
Patrick Wessels <pwessels@earthlink.net>
Milwaukee, WI USA 12/26/00
I am in the Army stationed in Germany and decided to drive down with my wife and 1-year-old. Follow Rick's advice on this one: Never, Never, Never drive in Italy. Road signs are few and far between, our Toyota Camry seemed like a stretch limo, parking costs about $20 a day in guarded garages, and highway tolls are very, very high. However, we were able to quickly cover time between cities and carry the large amounts of luggage my wife insists are needed for our baby. Mixed blessing.
I found that the only tour worth taking in Rome was the Vatican. Otherwise, maybe one tour to orient yourself to the city is needed and save your money on the others. We took one that tried to cover the entire Roman Forum in 30 minutes. What a waste of time. And money.
Most everything else major in Italy can be seen by train.
Chris Reich <csdreich@yahoo.com>
Ansbach, GER 12/24/00
I highly recommend the Casa Olmata in Rome — prices can't be beat, people are absolutely sweet, and they have good internet service too!
Also, the Hotel Tina in Milan has very good rates and great service
(and an elevator!).
Nicole Apostola <napostola@yahoo.com>
Worcester, MA USA 12/17/00
I was in Italy for 2 weeks in Oct.-Nov. I absolutely loved my 2nd trip — used lots of tips from Rick's book, including pulling into Milan's train station with his list of recommendations, and after just 2 calls got a room at the last minute.
I would highly recommend that you travel to spectacular Amalfi, one of my all-time favorite spots. Stay in one of the villages. You get to experience the busy and laid-back sides of village life.
Always re-verify your train number and platform. I made the unfortunate
mistake of letting the ticket clerk convince me my train was leaving early
("Adesso" — "now" — she says). I didn't confirm the train number on the
signs they post for you everywhere. So we rushed over to the platform
and I did ask a train attendant in pidgin Italian if this was the train
to Bologna. "Si." He tells me to get on, I did, and an hour and half later
I find out I am headed north instead of south to Rome. I had the experience
of a lifetime being stuck on a 10-hr. overnight, packed train to Rome — we
were miserable! But we did survive and now I have a great travel tale.
c keathley <ckeathley@earthlink.com>
St. Louis, Mo USA 12/15/00
Rick's book proved invaluable on our recent trip to Rome, Florence and Milan.
The Hotel Pendini in Florence was adorable. It was right in the middle of everything. We loved it. The staff was terrific! Our room overlooked the Piazza. This was great except for the night the cafe next door decided to play music until 1am. An inside room would cure that.
Also, we discovered a great family restaurant in Florence not mentioned in the book. It is called L'Che Che at Via Magalotti, 11r Firenze. Our hostess Monica was the best ever and the food outstanding for a very reasonable price. You need to call or stop by early to make reservations. We got lucky and walked in, but the rest of the night was reserved so no one else got in.
We were also happy with the Hotel Speronari in Milan — great location,
great price.
Dana McAleer <anadmc@cs.com>
Jacksonville, fl USA 12/13/00
We spent about two weeks in Italy in early November. We took the train throughout Italy and it worked great.
Hotel Marin in Venice is rated one star but I'd give it two. The hotel is about five minutes from the train station. I'd stay there again. The breakfast was pretty spartan, but enough to get by on.
Next was Florence where we stayed at the Hotel Pendini, which is rated as three stars but I'd give it two. It's a bit rundown, but good central location.
Day-tripped to Pisa and Lucca. Pisa is not worth the time; however it is a touristic must-do. Lucca was a 20-minute train ride from Pisa, so it was easy to see both cities in one day.
In Rome Hotel Aberdeen was simply great. The staff is wonderful and super helpful. Walking there from the train station is disconcerting, 'cause it's a pretty rough neighborhood outside the station. However, as Rick's book indicates, there are armed guards across the street. Once you get a few blocks away from the station, it's nice.
We didn't find the free tours in the Collosseum, however we did stumble across one at the Forum. We gave him 10000 lira tip and it was well worth it. They do try to drum up business for their other tours, but the freebies are great!
All three dinners were great in Rome. La Scala (not in Rick's book) is one set of stairs off Via Veneto. A little pricey but good. Hostaria Romana was GREAT! We will definitely go back for dinner when we return. Last was Est Est Est. Food was good, but the server was pretty poor. He forgot our potatoes, but did subtract them from the bill with no complaint. Did I say the house wine was GREAT everywhere: "Un litro vino rosso de la casa per favore."
Allow 4 to 4-1/2 hours to get from Rome to Sorrento via the train, connecting to the Circumvesuviana to Sorrento. The ride on the Circumvesuviana is scenic and simple. Hotel Desiree in Sorrento on the Via Capo is a nice place with good views of the Bay of Naples. The bathroom was a bit dirty and has a funky "telephone"-type shower. It's about a one-mile walk into town, but a beautiful view the whole route. Pretty good breakfast here.
We toured Pompeii (AWESOME) on a very hot morning. Check out Vesti's place! Great artwork. The plaster casts of the ashed remains at the corner of Pompeii is really amazing. You can almost see the anguish of those people.
We also did the Amalfi Coast bus ride. What a view. Rick's right, you
gain respect for the road builders and the bus drivers. We connected from
Amalfi to Ravello, a small town about 1000 feet above Amalfi, with spectacular
views of the Med and the coast. Tour a couple palaces while you are there.
Tim <tim.lynch@worldnet.att.net>
Pacifica, CA USA 12/12/00
Lucca is a lovely Tuscan town. However, I have a warning about accommodation there: DON'T STAY AT AFFITTACAMERE LA TORRE IN LUCCA! They are unscrupulous!
I reserved an apartment for my group of 5 at "Affitta Camere La Torre" run by Alfredo and Paolo Lazzarini in Lucca. I know that accommodation in Lucca is limited, especially during the festival of Santa Croce in September, so I phoned them in April. They confirmed my reservation over the phone but also told me to e-mail them. I did this the same day and got a confirmation back. They NEVER said that because it was so far in advance I should contact them nearer the time as well. However, just to be thorough, I e-mailed them again in early August. I never got a response so I tried again later in August and again got no response. So when I arrived in Florence, 4 days before my group was due to go to Lucca, I phoned them.
I spoke with Paolo and he could not find my reservation. I reminded him that I had called in April and told him that I had his e-mail confirmation in front of me. (I print these things and bring them with me in case of problems.) He just brushed me off and said, "Look, don't worry, there's some rooms." I was left not knowing what was going on.
We got to Affitta Camere La Torre and without telling me anything, they had us follow them away from their place, dragging our luggage, to a totally different affitta camere where they showed us rooms in a hallway with no bathrooms, which were clearly NOT the apartment that I had reserved.
I said, "Hey, this is not the apartment!" And the nice lady who ran the place realized that I had not been expecting this setup. Once she heard the runaround that Paolo had given me, she took my side.
I was trying to gently tell him that I understand that sometimes reservations get lost, but that the right thing to do was to admit this to me when I called from Florence and give me the option of NOT COMING!
We stayed at her place, and she was very nice and I would for sure recommend her place. The beds are rather saggy but other than that, it's good, simple accommodations for very reasonable prices. It is centrally located on a charming street and she is a sweetheart. She really tried to make me feel better and apologized for what had happened although of course she had nothing to do with it.
Another stunner was that she told me that Paolo had only called her 2 days ago to see if she had rooms and only by chance she had a cancellation. So this meant that when I had spoke with him by phone from Florence 4 days ago and he told me, "Yeah, there's some rooms" in fact he did not know if he could get rooms, and he did not ask for my number in Florence, so if this woman had not had rooms, how was he supposed to call & warn me?
Here's the nice woman's info:
Affittacamere San Frediano
Via degli Angeli 19
Lucca
e-mail: sanfrediano@tin.it
Chandi Wyant <chandi@sogniitaliani.com>
Boulder, CO USA 12/10/00
Just returned from a 7-day trip to Rome. Took Rick's advice and booked three seperate guided tours with Scala Reale. This is a great organization, very professional, and very knowledgeable. The prices weren't bad either.
Also, definitly get reservations for the Necropolis below St. Peter's
Basilica. This little-known and little-seen excavation was one of the
most thrilling things we saw on the trip.
John Martin <jpm@john[nospam]pmartin.com>
madison, wi USA 12/07/00
Rick's suggestions are great, but if you go to the Dolomites for hiking don't expect to do his trip around Sassolungo in 4-6 hours. We are experienced, fit hikers, got an early start (or as early as possible with the bus and chairlift route). We moved right along, but by 2:30 were at a pass on the back side, less than halfway around. There was no way to finish in time to make the last chair lift down at 5:30.
Luckly, there was an alternate route — a 2-person gondola that carried
us up to the notch above Sella pass, and a rocky route down from there
back to the start. It was lots of fun to do it that way — but it was only
half the hike Rick describes. But his other recommendations for the area — Bolzano,
Castelrotto, and Kompatsch — are great.
Lura <lura.smith@stanfordalumni.org>
Seattle, Wa USA 12/04/00
I want to warn others from staying at Mike Castiglione's place in Vernazza, in the Cinque Terre. He is the New Yorker that Rick Steves refers to in his book. Mike will approach you as you leave the train station in Vernazza, saying that he is Rick's friend. Mike's place is dank, dirty, and freezing cold. Even after pleading at Mrs. Castiglione's door to lend me their extra heater during a rainstorm in 6 degree weather, she refused to do so.
I just returned from a 5-week trip around western Europe and, other
than that experience, I had no difficulties at all in securing a good
hotel.
USA 12/03/00
My wife and I returned on 7 Nov. after two weeks in Italy using Rick's book exclusively for hotels.
Most were great, especially Hotel Umbria in Assisi. My wife was not feeling well and they sent dinner up for us from their restaurant. Best "room service" we've ever had!
Most hotels charged less than the prices in the book and we had no trouble getting reservations a day or two ahead. EXCEPT for our last night in Milan. Everything was full until I called the Giulio Cesare Hotel. They charged MORE than the highest price in the book. We were flying home the next morning so we didn't have much choice. It was the WORST hotel we stayed in, cold and bleak. They said the heat would come on at 8:00 pm but it never did. They said we could get breakfast at 7:00 am, but when we came down in the morning the new staff said no breakfast till 8:00. They wouldn't reduce the price and we needed to leave for the airport, so we paid up and left, feeling ripped off. We wouldn't have minded so much if we didn't think we were paying too much to begin with, 270.000 lire. I hope this hotel is removed from the book next year.
I don't want to end this on a negative note. This was our 3rd trip using
Rick's books including Mona Winks and wouldn't go without them.
Roger Geisler <geislerr@cs.com>
Encinitas, CA USA 12/02/00
I just went to Italy and it was great. I would like to make the following recommendations.
Venice: Pensione Guerrato is a fantastic hotel, service was extremely good and the guys at the front desk were friendly and helpful. I felt very comfortable there. They also gave us a Rick Steves reference discount when I didn't even ask for it. Do not eat at the restaurants on the side of the Grand Canal by the Rialto — ripoffs. Just pick a restaurant on a small street and you can't go wrong. Saw the city flood — very neat.
Florence — Hotel Torre Guelfa. Older hotel with a great view of the city from the tower. Christina (Wynona Ryder lookalike) was very nice at the front desk.
Rome: Hotel Miami's 4th floor is redone very nicely and is different than the older 5th floor, but the bed was as hard as a rock, and Via Nacionale is very noisy. Other than that a real nice floor and hotel. Loved Rome, and the highlight was the "Walks of Rome" tour of the Vatican. So good we did the "Evening Stroll Walk" through the Forum, Trevi Fountain and Piazza Navona — which I recommend doing the 1st night in Rome for a good overview of these sights. Eat at a restaurant called "Antonio's" by the Pantheon. The service was excellent and the owner very nice! Good authentic Roman cooking.
November is a great month to do Italy — fewer crowds, thieves, and lines;
complete Vatican access, more intimate smaller tours, soccer and easy
weather (no heat but a little rainy).
Robert <blaze1071@earthlink.net>
Austin, TX USA 12/01/00
We just returned from Italy and were in the Cinque Terre between Nov. 12-15, 2000. The trails between the towns were closed. Some were "more closed" than others (read below) but the first two between Riomaggiore, Manarola and Corniglia were blocked off.
You probably recall a month or so ago there were terrible storms and floods along the Ligurian coast and in the Po Valley. One of the nights we were in the Cinque Terre, the papers mentioned a meeting earlier that day between the mayors of the 5 Cinque Terre towns and the government agency who is supposedly responsible for maintaining the trail. Anyway, the outcome (more or less) was that neither group would assume responsibility for repairing the damage. The "damage" consists of washouts of the trails in places, particularly the easy one, the Lover's Walk, between Riomaggiore and Manarola. I saw some of that damage and it looked like places in Southern California when the mudslides wipe out a road. There was supposedly damage to other trails but I did not see those. The trail is closed with gates in places (at the start in Riomaggiore for example) and not in others.
With that wonderful Italian consistency we all love I saw a policeman stop one group who tried to go past a barrier, and blithely ignore another group five minutes later. I also spoke to two Australian young men who had hiked the first two "closed" stretches by just crawling over the washed-out places, although they admitted it was a bit hairy in spots.
The owner of a local hotel said he predicted it could be years before the trail was open, given the usual Italian bureaucracy. Unless, he mused, somebody put up some ropes to help people navigate the bad spots. Was that a hint of his intentions?
What to expect? Well, most certainly the usual Italian speed and efficiency.
Beyond that, I would say you could probably start out and then turn back
if it got too hairy.
Charles Luther <cmluther@swbell.net>
Katy, TX USA 11/29/00
Re: the Palazzo Ravizza in Siena, recommended by Rick. After faxing
and e-mailing and hearing no response, I called this morning and found
out their e-mail/web system isn't working, but they didn't say for how
long. The price for a double room facing the countryside is L360,000.
This is for late March, which they consider high season, so they are requiring
dinner to be included in the price.
cindy <cindy.hilton@seminis.com>
Oceano, CA USA 11/25/00
Just got back from holiday in Italy. Using a local phone card (purchased at all places that sell cigarettes) to call the United States was a real moneysaver, but there are a lot of numbers to dial.
Really enjoyed the mini-guides of what to see in Florence. Thanks.
Elizabeth Magill <emagill@isc.upenn.edu>
Philadelphia, PA USA 11/25/00
Re: Hotel Pasquale in Monterosso, Cinque Terre. Very nice people who own
it but you will be doing NO sleeping there! It literally sits on top of
the train tracks connecting the towns. The train starts very early in
the morning. Additionally, the hotel is right at the docks and at the
pathway between the old and new town so the traffic is constant. A better
alternative (I believe) is the hotel on the bluff directly across the
water from it. Sorry, I don't know the name.
Shannan
Marathon, FL USA 11/21/00
We had the most wonderful experience in Rome with Scala Reale Tours.
We took tours of Pompeii, ancient ruins, Vatican, and the evening fountain
tour. All three of our guides were very knowledgeable and interesting
and fun as well. Can't praise them enough!
becky smallwood <smllwd@flash.net>
Flower Mound, Tx USA 11/20/00
We just stayed in a wonderful little hotel in Florence which is a former
1500's convent turned into a 10-room hotel, only a 5-minute walk to Michelangelo's "David." The hotel is called the Morandi alla Crocetta (ph# 055-2344747,
e-mail: welcomehotelmorandi.it). There were two outstanding restaraunts
there: Maximillian and La Giostra both were excellent food and value.
Becky Smallwood <smllwd@flash.net>
Flower Mound, Tx USA 11/20/00
We propose a new rating for hotels in Venice — whether they are in a high or low area of town, i.e. how much they can be expected to flood during high tides and stormy weather. For those of us who prefer to travel off-season, flooding in Venice could be a definite issue.
In Venice in the winter, if you hear air raid sirens, or prolonged church bells, this means the tides are beginning to rise. If they begin to rise before 6 pm, it is a sign that flooding can be expected, and perhaps rough waters. (During the recent severe floods, the sirens rang at 3 pm. Very ominous to the locals.)
If the tides begin to rise when you're out in the lagoon, on a boat, or an island, it would be wise to head back to Venice ASAP before the water can get too rough in the open lagoon. (And before the vaporetti stop running, and you find yourself stranded.) The water rises rapidly, so don't assume you can just wait another half hour for the next boat after you finish your shopping on Murano.
Recently, our vaporetto pitched dramatically from side to side (almost as bad as we ever experienced in Puget Sound) and waves crashed over the top for most of the crossing. Locals were shrieking nervously, though no one seemed truly fearful. But Italy is not quite a first-world country regarding safety — don't expect lifevests for every passenger, or even for most passengers.
The flooding often has nothing to do with rain or flooding in the rest of Italy. It is purely a tidal phenomenon, which can be exacerbated by wind or stormy weather.
Don't let any of this intimidate you, and keep you from Venice. We have no real complaints — the flooding last week, the third worst this century, according to our hotel keepers, added to the overall experience, and gave us a new insight into how the modern culture copes.
We loved the location of the Hotel Doni, as well as the hospitality and accommodation (room 8 is best, with fresco and sparkling new bathroom cubicle unit). The great location, close to San Marco, puts it at one of the lowest points in Venice. It is, in fact, lower than the Hotel Danieli, though it is not quite so close to the waterfront.
Note that Hotel Doni handled the flood with grace, lending out all the boots they had, even as driftwood was floating down their first floor hallway. Also note that there are no Italian boots large enough for my husband's big American size 12 feet. Large heavy plastic trash bags on each leg were adequate substitutes, though they didn't allow us to plow into Piazza San Marco when it was waist deep. Needed fishing waders for that.
While it would have been a shame if Venice had been flooded on a one and only evening spent there, we had 5 nights on this trip, so one evening eating pizza in our room was no great loss.
Venice still has the magical feel of being its own country, with its
own culture, much more than do Monaco or San Marino.
Jill and Gary Keeley <jgkeeley@tin.it>
Rome, Italy 11/16/00
Listen to Rick! He knows what he is talking about! His hotel recommendations were right on.
We especially enjoyed Pension Sole in Florence — it was a great deal. However we did not reread the book when we arrived in Italy and I wish I had. Rick said first thing when you arrive in Florence to go see the statue of David because you never know when there will be a strike in Italy. He wasn't kidding: we waited to see David, and what do ya know, there was a strike that day!
Also, in Rome we wandered around the Forum looking at piles of rubble
wondering what they were. Then later I read in Rick Steves' book to pick
up the small red guidebook sold on the streets that have plastic overlays
of the ruins to see what they used to be. It's a very cool book. We picked
it up later, but wished we had it at the Forum. Do as Rick says, and you
won't go wrong!
Jen Parks <paul-jen@gci.net>
Anchorage, ak USA 11/12/00
In Bolzano, there is no Dolomite TI anymore. Also, if you patronize the fancy restaurants, Vogele or Forst, you pay 2000/each cover. The museum where Oetzi resides(6000 y/o man) now costs Srs. 9000 lire.
If Srs. are going to Varenna, be warned that Hotel Olivedo may put you in a 2 stair flight room, w/outside bath & toilet; front rms. are illuminated from signs at night.
Hotel Suisse in Bellagio locks its gate to your staircase at night & there's no one around until 7:30 am to open up. So, if you have to catch early ferry, out of luck. Also, they didn't honor price with show of book, as indicated.
Bolzano is a great little town...superb.
Rick has been so accurate on distance from train station to hotels.
Also, in Milan Central Station, the info man doesn't understand English.
Go to Polizia Booth, instead. Don't believe that most people speak English.
Arrivederci!
Jan Evans <fredjan@medford.net >
Medford, OR USA 11/08/00
I'm a great fan of the Cinque Terre area. I visit every year, choosing
every time a different town. This year Monterosso and all the other towns
were overcrowded (first days of September). Well, as per Rick's suggestion
I stayed at the Hotel Nuova Riviera (http://space.tin.it/viaggi/gsabin/)
in Santa Margherita Ligure: simply worthy! Nice old villa with large and
bright rooms, most with private bath; good service (the friendly atmosphere
created by the Sabinis is really magic!); homemade pesto and fresh fish
prepared by Senora Sabini. For just Lire 160.000 you can have a nice accommodation
(but reserve far in advance) and Papa Sabini offers you also a ride to
the station! This could be a valuable alternative solution to the all
other tourist-invaded villages of the area. Try it!
Jenny + Mark COHEN <cohen@yahoo.com>
San Diego, CA USA 11/07/00
Shame on you for not recognizing Levanto just north of the Cinque Terre! We visited all of the Cinque Terre towns as well as Portofino and Portovenere, the latter two which you didn't include in the book. All these towns are lovely but the latter two especially. We used your guidebook which was helpful in Florence.
We suggest you insert some blank pages in between chapters in the book. There, you can make notes about the area for the next visit. We scribbled notes on the pages which messed them up a bit.
This was my second stay at the Villa Margherita in Levanto and it is delightful, beautiful, and I highly recommend it again to your readers.
Note, the walk to the first of the Cinque Terre villages, Monterosso,
from Levanto is about 3 hours. If you're weak, it's better to take the
train which is an easy few minutes. Ciao!
LouAnn King <laking@earthlink.net>
Visalia, CA. USA 11/03/00
Just back from two wonderful weeks in Italy thanks to Rick's books and contributors' advice. Thank you everyone!
Hotels, trains and museum tickets booked on line saved us countless hours. We highly recommend it.
We booked rooms at the Holiday Inns in Milan and Florence because we were late and couldn't find accommodations elsewhere. Seemed any grief we experienced was in some way connected to those two hotels. For instance, in Florence the hotel offered a shuttle service to downtown. The bus was always over booked, the driver kept a bottle of alcohol in the vehicle and dropped us off at a bar a good distance from the sites but where he could have a drink. Just say NO to Holiday Inns in Italy.
The Hotel Aberdeen in Rome was wonderful. Sabrina is very patient with guests prior to arrival and just as wonderful afterward. As a matter of fact, we found the entire staff to be a delight. Location of the Hotel Aberdeen turned out to be ideal.
We found that in nine days we rarely needed transportation unless we traveled to Tivoli or Ostia Antica or went out at night.
Rome was incredibly inexpensive compared to Milan and Florence.
Rick's instructions on using subways and buses should be heeded. We spent an hour waiting for a bus after we got off a subway too early. After that, no more deviations for us!
In the Hotel Aberdeen area, we found the Snack Bar Gastronomia a great windingdown place after a long day of walking. The Flann O'Brien Irish Pub turned out to be a fabulous surprise and we loved the two full evenings we spent there. Get away from the tourists inside the front door and head toward the back where the locals are.
We did try Restaurant Grill Target Pizza and would never recommend it to anyone. Service was atrocious and food mediocre. Instead, try Trattoria Abruzzo on Via Viminale, and Il Barocco. When you get greeted with a handshake, you know you're welcome. Food in both places was wonderful.
For day trips, Tivoli was short, inexpensive and well worth it. We loved Villa D'Este.
For a break from the guidebook we took a day tour to Naples, Sorrento and Pompeii. Naples turned out to be a drive-through, Pompeii a two-hour visit and Sorrento a half-hour visit. These are wonderful stops and really deserve better. We wish we would have gone on our own. Just say NO to day tours. We felt better after visiting Ostia Antica for four hours. Best audio we encountered. We highly recommend Ostia.
ATM's are everywhere. Being able to take out small amounts of money at a time made us feel more secure and we never had a machine problem. We did find that we got better service when we used cash.
No problem finding internet access in any city.
We were approached by a young boy with a newspaper but shooed him away. After giving us a dirty look and spitting at us, an Italian woman got ahold of him and gave him a good bawling out. She got the same reaction we did. We were disturbed at the social commentary the situation represented more than the actual act. We heard numerous stories every where we went from people who had been robbed. Our last night in Milan a man was mugged outside the front door of the Holiday Inn. Don't carry any more with you than you have to and use a money belt. It's better than worrying about becoming a victim, and you'll have a better time.
Lastly, we'd like to say we really did find the Italian people to be
warm and friendly. They do have very strong dispositions and may come
across in an abrupt manner at first, but once they get to know you, will
do anything for you. Take advice when it's given, and you'll find yourself
seeing things and experiencing things no else is. "Please" and "Thank
you" go a long way. Just like they do in other countries. We hope our
coin in the Trevi Fountain is good insurance of our return to the wonderful
and diverse country of Italy!
Dawn <raddmd@uswest.net>
St. Paul, MN USA 10/29/00
Using your guidebook really helped. We used your tour group itinery to plan our own trip. Everywhere we went, we encountered hordes of people with the guidebook in hand.
Our favorite area was the Cinque Terre; we stayed in Levanto at Villa Margherita B&B and throughly enjoyed the area and our rooms.
A "find" that wasn't in the book was the Hotel "Il Gabbiano" near Montecatini. We had a nice room and fabulous dinner for under $100.
Thanks again for great advice.
Frank Latisani
Denver, CO USA 10/29/00
We just got back from 3 weeks in Italy. We found the Hotel Pension Italia, one of Rick's suggestions for Rome, to be excellent. The owners run a excellent little hotel, and are very friendly and super helpful. Rooms are spotless and breakfast (which is included) is large with many selections. Compared to other hotels in his book, it's relatively inexpensive, and only minutes' walking distance fron the Roman Forum, train station, and Spanish Steps.
In Venice we stayed at another Rick suggestion, Albergo Guerrato. Again, spotless with friendly English-speaking desk help. Also a good spot for the money.
Finally we stayed at the mosquito-infested Pensione Bretagna in Florence.
After the 3rd night, when our bodies were covered in bites and we were
drained of blood, we asked for another room. Only then did they tell us
of the anti-mosquito electrical outlet plug-in device. Sure enough, it
worked. But it was too little too late. The young bald guy who runs the
place is not very personable. He looked annoyed when we checked in, never
made eye contact, didn't explain anything, and only smiled briefly when
we said goodbye. Great location, yummy breakfast...just beware of the
mosquitoes!
Tom <tsgibble@armstrong.com>
Lancaster, PA USA 10/25/00
Bring some church clothes! There are many churches and church-run sites
that you will not be allowed to enter unless you have appropriate clothes
on. For men this means long pants. For women, a dress that goes at least
to the knees and sometimes something to cover your head. Our solution
was a pair of surfer baggies for my husband and a long t-shirt dress and
scarf for me. We carried these items in our daypack and slipped them on
over our t-shirts and shorts when we needed them. It worked great!
me <snakebite05@yahoo.com>
los angeles, CA USA 10/25/00
My family and I have been in Italy several times over the past two years. Our tours with Scala Reale in and around Rome were superb, including the Evening Baroque walk.
Another of our favorites is Firenze Antica and its founder, Simone Gaddini. The tours of Florence are full of interesting, accurate detail about the architecture, history and art of the city, carefully organized and great fun. Firenze Antica has a link on the Scala Reale site and its own web site at www.firenzeantica.org. The organization also does single or multiday custom itinerary trips in Tuscany, including hotel and restaurant recommendations.
One of the must-do's is hiking up Mount Penna at La Verna and enjoying
the spirit of the place at the monastery located there, the site of Frances
of Assisi's personal cell in the rock. It's best to get there by car.
katherine <springave@msn.com>
Ridgewood, NJ USA 10/25/00
ROME: We loved Rome, although Rick's description of touring it as 'grueling' is accurate.
We stayed at the Hotel Miami (in Fodor's), 3 blocks down Via Nationale from Repubblica. It was an air-conditioned oasis and amiable Mario took good care of his guests.
We tried the much-lauded (from the graffiti board) Il Frantoio and although the food was good, we felt the attention we received was a bit disingenuous ("I'll take care of you" seemed more like, "I'll serve you what I'm trying to get rid of/I'll run up the bill"). We recommend the Teatro of Pompeii restaurant off of Campo dei Fiori instead.
Be warned: the lines to get into the Vatican Museum were the longest we have seen anywhere, HOURS long, so get there early!
SORRENTO: We loved the perfectly situated and reasonably priced Foreigner's Club, which was not in Rick's 2000 edition, but was in his 1999. Put it back! It's a great place, with not only the best views in town, but good food and entertainment, and bulletin boards with all the transportation schedules in English.
If we had a 'bad' meal in Italy it was at the recommended Zi'Antonio. I felt that the people who ordered the "Tourist Menu" were treated like tourists, rushed and served mediocre food.
CASPERIA: We wholeheartedly recommend a stay with Maureen and Roberto (latorretta@tiscalinet.it; see multitude of recent graffiti under "Virgin Hilltowns"). Thanks to all who recommended their gorgeous 15th-century restored home in this tiny, quaint hill town.
Across from Casperia is Rocantica where we had our best meal in Italy, at "La Rocca." We regret we had not planned to stay longer.
ASSISI: We loved it and found it to be less trampled and more spiritual than expected. The Hotel Italia on Piazza Commune was CHEAP but it served our purpose, and we ate twice at the terraced restaurant next door (try anything cooked 'norcina' style).
CIVITA: Our experience in Civita di Bagnoregio was even better than we dreamed of, and we'd been hearing about it for 10 years through Rick. After our hike up to the town, Franco and his family practically took our packs from us, then sat us down to free bruschetta, wine and water while we relaxed and chatted with them. Later, he made a delicious dinner, for the only 6 guests at Antico Forno.
SIENA: We did not agree with the many ETBD folks/hilltown aficionadoes. We liked Siena, but we did not "luuuvv" it.
DOLOMITES: We also love this region, did the drives and hikes in the book, especially the spectacular longer drive through the passes from Venice to Castlerotto (Kastlruth).
In Castlerotto, stay at Albergo Torre (Zum Turm), which Rick describes as "clean, with modern bathrooms"...what an understatement! Owners Gabi and Gunther could not be more welcoming, the rooms are huge, clean, modern and very Tirolean with spectacular views. The food in their restaurant was fantastic, extensive buffet breakfast included in the rate, etc. etc. We stayed an extra night here.
And if the weather turns sour, side trip 30 minutes to Bolzano to see
the "Oetzi," the 6000-year-old "ice man" discovered and chopped out of
the neighboring mountains in 1991, in his new "home." The museum was fascinating.
Celeste & David Gobeille <cdgobeille@aol.com>
Rehoboth, MA USA 10/18/00
1) The Villa Margherita in Levanto is a very nice small hotel, however it is very noisy due to the road that runs in front of the hotel.
2) There is no reason to buy your train tickets at the station. Any travel agency will sell them at the same price; they all spoke English and reservations can be made at the same time. (Trains are very cheap!)
3) In Rome, try "Welcome in Rome" for a great, private apartment for L175,000 per night plus L50,000 cleaning fee.
4) Most small hotels don't want to let you out very early in the morning (e.g. for a 5:00 jog). Ask for their policy.
6) The Hotel Figl in Bolzano is a steal at L150,000 night.
6) The Malpensa Express train is the only way to get from the airport to Milan city center.
7) Most every business takes Visa and you can get mileage points and
the best exchange rate.
Eddie <totallynuts@earhtlink.net>
Agoura Hills, CA USA 10/14/00
The Cinque Terre was charming, despite being INUNDATED by tourists (and sun-seeking Italians on the weekend). Vernazza looked like it was actually lifted from a postcard. Getting there via the path from the south gave it even more allure. We opted to stay in Levanto, just north of Monterosso at the Villa Margherita (the best showers in Italy) and thoroughly enjoyed it. While there were some tourists, it was uncrowded, pretty and a more relaxed Italian coastal village.
BE AWARE that the walk between the villages is only easy from Riomaggiore north to Corniglia. The stretch from Corniglia north to Monterosso al Mare is definitely NOT easy, as claimed. In fact, as you leave Corniglia there is a warning sign advising hikers not to walk this trail during the middle of the day. There are simply far too many demanding, steep upward steps and slopes, and far too little shade.
Our best find was the 2-1/2-hour hike from Levanto south to Monterosso. It was far more scenic and enjoyable than was the Cinque Terre hike. Virtually the entire hike was under a canopy of pine trees. It crossed through oak groves and small olive tree farms. The path was dotted with small houses, an occasional ruin, and steep vistas that overlooked an incredibly blue ocean. This hike should be started in Levanto heading south towards Monterosso. The ascent from Monterosso north towards Levanto belongs in Dante's "Inferno." There is an incredible view of the entire Cinque Terre coast and all the villages at the top of this ascent and at the end of a large peninsula (or descent at the end of your hike, if heading south from Levanto) that belongs in Dante's "Paradisio." It is truly spectacular.
Amazingly, apart from the easier stint from Riomaggiore north to Corniglia,
there were fewer people hiking the path than we had expected (enough,
though). In fact, the path from Levanto to Monterosso was virtually empty.
And this was during a very sunny, perfect late September weekend.
Jed <jedmed2000@aol.com>
Tucson, AZ USA 10/12/00
We visited Florence, Umbria, Mantua, Vicenza, and Venice in September. For art lovers, I recommend you always have plenty of Lira coins on hand in churches to illuminate the colorful frescoes - they are so hard to appreciate in the dim light. Small binoculars are also well worth packing to enjoy the frescoes.
In Florence, the best frescoes are in Santa Maria Novella (Ghirlandaio and Lippi), Santa Maria del Carmine (Massacio), and Santa Trinita (Ghirlandaio).
Browse in the large indoor Mercato Centrale - lots of meats, produce, etc., including some stalls where picnic items can be purchased.
The pension Dei Mori (http://www.bnb.it/deimori/dmrh.htm) was wonderfully located near the Piazza della Signoria and Duomo, and the hosts were very courteous.
We drove around Umbria and loved Orvieto, Todi, Assisi, and Spello. Deruta has some of the best painted ceramics in Italy and has a tradition dating back hundreds of years; the ceramics there are fabulous to browse and buy. The best prices are found in the factory shops on the main road off the south Deruta exit of the autostrada.
Perugia was interesting with its wide pedestrian street, medieval piazza, Perugino frescoes in the Collegio del Cambio, and Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria. But it was hard to find the escalator that leads up to the historic town center in Perugia; there is a parking garage there. Overall, the hill towns are more charming than Perugia, which is a larger city.
We stayed at a wonderful farmhouse in Umbria, the Fattoria Antica del Colle in Deruta (Fax/Tel: 39-075-972201), recommended in Karen Brown's guide. The fabulous multi-course dinners would have cost a bundle in a restaurant, but the price for the room and half-board (breakfast and dinner) was reasonable. At this fattoria, they grow almost everything they serve on their property. There are lots of other such "agrotourisme" farmhouses in Umbria and Tuscany; be aware that some do not serve dinners on Sunday evenings.
Mantua is a nice small city to visit in Lombardy. The Palazzo Te and Palazzo Ducale have some great artistic offerings (especially the Mantegna frescoes in the latter), and pedestrian streets and piazzas in the historic center are charming.
For streets and atmosphere, we liked Vicenza even more. Lots of pedestrian areas, fine clothing boutique windows, and great Palladian architecture. The Villa Rotonda (interior only open on Wednesdays), Villa Valmarana ai Nani, and Olympic Theater are fabulous. In Vicenza we loved the very reasonable and beautifully situated Albergo San Raffaele (Tel 39-0444-545-767). It is on Monte Berico with a nice view and right below the attractive hilltop basilica, and is still situated close to the main part of town.
We also visited Villa Barbaro to the northeast, which has superb Veronese
frescoes and a peaceful country setting. It is only open on Tuesdays and
weekends. We highly recommend staying at the nearby small town of Asolo
in the foothills of the Dolomites. We loved the Hotel Duse (Fax: 39-0423-95-0404),
recommended in Karen Brown's book. Asolo was a quiet and picturesque hill
town and had some nice restaurants and shop (it has no great artistic
treasures, but is a charming place to stay overnight).
Kevin <kevin.torres@tetratech.com>
El Cerrito, CA USA 10/11/00
I cannot express how wonderful I found Florence and Venice to be. I suppose it depends on when a person visits these two cities. I absolutely fell in love with both of them. Don't be put off by all this talk about them being too touristy — these two cites are GEMS.
Florence is so compact and you get to see so many wonderful masterpieces. The Uffizi has spectacular art, and the views of the Ponte Vecchio from the second-story windows are great. Definitely go to the top of the Duomo; you will be proud you hoofed it to the top for the view of Florence and the hillsides. I also recommend the Bargello if you like sculpture and San Marco for the Fra Angelico frescoes. Take in the street market around San Lorenzo — what fun.
Venice is a wanderer's paradise. I stayed right off St. Mark's Square
which is great. I took in the Fish Market near the Rialto Bridge and went
to an intimate concert at the San Bartolomeo Church which enhanced my
stay even more. Enjoy!
C Keathley <ckeath01@earthlink.net>
USA 10/09/00
During our May 2000 visit to Rome my family took the Evening Baroque
tour offerd by Scala Reale. Although the tour was informative, the guide
was very condescending. We were very turned off.
Sherry Stilin <sherrystilin@hotmail.com>
WA USA 10/09/00
Just returned. Here's the rundown on hotels, beginning with our best "find":
PENSIONE LA CERTOSA (www.hotelcertosa.com), Marina del Cantone, Sorrento Peninsula: If you're planning time in Sorrento, Positano, Capri, or all of the above, this is THE place to stay. It's in Marina del Cantone and barely got a mention at the end of the Amalfi Coast section (not under "Sleeping" — under "Sights") in the Italy guidebook. For about $50 US, including breakfast (roughly 1/4 what you'll pay for similar accomodations in Positano or Sorrento), we got a lovely, roomy double with private bath, air-conditioning, and a terrace overlooking the sea. The inn is right on the water. Our room, #49, was on the third floor, but had double doors opening to a long, covered portico which opened up to the terrace. The portico had table and chairs and a clothesline. The food is freshly made by the family that runs the place and our meal here was one of the 2 best we had on the entire trip.
The village is small and sleepy with just 3 inns, a few restaurants, taverna, and a couple of tacky souvenir shops. The prices are dirt cheap. Besides the $50 room (!), we picked up reasonably priced bottles of lemoncello at a little taverna 2 doors down and we bought gelato from the same place for $1.50. The owners will provide you with maps of numerous walking trails at the tip of the peninsula and many private little beaches. If you like the Cinque Terre (we've been there on a previous trip), you'll love this spot. I can't recommend this place enough — cheap, quiet, convenient — a short hop to all the spots mentioned above — what could be better?! Also, just up the hill in Nerano, we stopped at a little alimentari where we stocked up on reasonably priced bottled water and a couple bottles of homemade wine for about $2 each!
SELIANO ESTATE FOR AGRITOURISM (www.agriturismo-seliano.it/), Paestum: Our second favorite place, it would have vied for first if there'd been waves lapping at our door as there had been at La Certosa! Our room here was a huge triple in a recent addition with a modern, tiled, private bath and expensive antique furnishings. The room was downright luxurious and this was another incredible deal at only $65 US. In addition to the sites of Paestum, you can ride horses, attend culinary school, visit with the farm animals, or take a short walk to the beach. The hotel is on the grounds of a lovely estate with a swimming pool. They offer culinary courses so you can imagine how good the food is. This was our other favorite meal. For $15 per person, we had gourmet food, unlimited wine(!), dessert and lemoncello — absolutely wonderful!
HOTEL NAVONA, Rome: This place got a bad rap on a previous post. The hotel is in a very old building which, as Rick says, is "ramshackle," but the rooms are recently renovated and absolutely spotless and charming! We were in room 15E which is up on the third (top) floor but is a roomy corner room with 2 double windows opening to very small terraces, and is nicely decorated with a wood beamed ceiling. There's also a nice, modern bathroom and air conditioning (though it was turned off when we were there at the end of Sept. so if you feel you require it then, ask prior to booking). Our kids were in a double in room 15D which was smaller with just one window but included a little writing desk.
The hotel is on a quiet street, 1-1/2 blocks from Piazza Navona. The location CANNOT be beat! It's convenient to everything and there's no neighborhood in Rome with more charm than the old center. We stayed out late and always had a short walk back to our room.
I wouldn't say the staff was overly attentive but we had everything we required and they were available whenever needed. I don't believe there's anything in Rome that can beat this place for location, quality of room, and price. Our double room was US $100 per night with "breakfast" (a fresh roll and coffee). We would definitely stay here again!
HOTEL GRITTI, Milan: This is just off Via Torino, 2 blocks from the Duomo. Again, the location cannot be beat. It's 1/2 block from via Speronari and, after reading some recent posts on this board, we felt it was a better choice than the Hotel Speronari. This is a modern hotel with elevator, air-conditioning and private, modern bathrooms. No quaint furnishings here — more like a Holiday Inn — but very comfortable, clean, convenient and inexpensive. Our quad room was packed tight with the fourth bed but was only about $150 including breakfast. The staff was very helpful, making several phone calls for us.
HOTEL BRETAGNA, Florence: Great price here again, $120 US for a quad with breakfast, and a convenient location on the Arno River a couple blocks down from the Ponte Vecchio. An old-world inn with a frescoed breakfast room and lovely views over the river. Very friendly staff — we arrived at about 8AM and they allowed us to eat breakfast on arrival as we planned to leave very early the next morning. The room was old but clean and included a private bath.
HOTEL DUOMO, Siena: This was the biggest disappointment of our trip. The free parking is about a 15-minute walk away and the room was old and dingy. It's convenient to the Duomo, but it's tough to find, not very pleasant inside and not exactly cheap at about $175 US for a quad with breakfast and private (old) bath.
ROME: Our favorite Italian city. We felt safe at all times and were never threatened by gypsies. Yes, there are annoying peddlers of roses and junk, but they're in EVERY city (we've encountered more of them in Paris and Seville). The city is much more intimate and less touristy than Milan and particularly Florence.
Don't skip Galleria Borghese — sculptures, many by Bernini, and paintings in the most sectacular setting I've ever seen in any art museum. It doesn't have the number of masterpieces you'll find at the Uffizi and Pitti but it has many important pieces and the presentation beats them both, hands down!
Follow Rick's night walk across Rome and don't miss stopping for gelato at Giolitti's. It was the best (though not least expensive) of our trip.
Stay in the city center, have a good map, and wander the streets — it's terrific! Go to St. Peter's at 7AM and be among only a handful of people — we saw the window close on the Pope's bedroom — could it have been him?! If you like creepy things, don't miss the Capuchin Crypt.
We had no trouble driving into the city and we kept our car parked at the huge Villa Borghese parking garage. We parked near the Hertz rental office (we had a Hertz car from Milan) and they called a cab right down for us. The lot seemed very safe and was full of nice cars, many with layers of dust.
POMPEII: Not to be missed. Rick doesn't say a lot about driving there, but it's easy to get to and we found close, convenient parking easily.
SORRENTO PENINSULA/ AMALFI COAST: Again, stay in Marina del Cantone. See it all without the crowds!
PAESTUM: Two of the three temples are still scaffolded. One of them is almost completely covered in it. This was disappointing but our trip here was saved by the incredible accomodations mentioned above.
SIENA: Skip it and visit the smaller hill towns. I know it's well liked on the board but we found it dark, dingy and unpleasant. We didn't get to many hill towns but quick stops in Montalcino and Montepulciano found both of them to be MUCH nicer — especially Montepulciano — and they have great wine instead of that awful fruitcake stuff that Siena is famous for!
FLORENCE: Everyone seems to favor the Uffizi over the Pitti. But I was disappointed that the last rooms in the Uffizi, including the Caravaggio room, were closed and there seemed to be an awful lot of empty spots where a painting was on tour or being restored. Also, the Palatine in the Pitti is a much prettier gallery though it doesn't have as large a number of masterpieces as the Uffizi. If you can do it, see both.
Don't miss the frescoes at San Marco — incredible!
The city itself is grander but more touristy and crowded than Rome. I'm glad I saw Florence once but I don't feel it has the character of some place I'd like to linger.
MILAN: Like Florence, grand, but not intimate. I would definitely not
go back here. I'm glad to have seen the Duomo, which is magnificent, but
I don't care to shop for Gucci bags and Ferragamo shoes and I really didn't
feel the city offered much else. Except the Princi bakery on Via Speronari — the finest bakery of our whole trip! Hmm, on 2nd thought, maybe I would
return...!
Jenny Meyer <elma@execpc.com>
Green Bay, WI USA 10/07/00
Rome is much more alive and vibrant than Florence and absorbs the hordes of tourists much more easily. Eating in Rome is wonderful. Guidebook recommendations are nice, but we found that looking at what folks are eating is the best barometer of good food. Also, we had NO ripoff or thief problems — anywhere.
In Cinque Terra, Manarola to us was the place to stay. We arrived with no reservations and a local directed me to Luica Cozzani, who had apartments overlooking the harbor and down the coast. Better and cheaper than any hotel in the area. A storm came through the night before and the waves were amazing. Best restaurant in Italy was Trattoria dal Billy in Manarola. Billy (Alberto) speaks adequate English and excellent French. He hustles and gets the food up and down his steep stairs.
Orvieto is worth a quick stop if you cannot go to a hill town, which we could not. Really hopping on a Saturday night.
Italians are wonderful people — especially to put up with so many Americans.
I found that a genuine effort to stumble with Italian language bought
amazing goodwill.
Matthew Bryant <mbryant@hendricklawfirm.com>
winston-salem, nc USA 10/06/00
In September spent 16 wonderful days in Italy. Probably the best trip yet, because of our trusty Rick Steves' Italy guidebook. It was our bible! All of Rick's recommendations were great. Didn't have any reservations or a plan, everything was spur of the moment. Sometimes we decided what train to take while standing on the platform.
The museum in Naples was really worth it especially before going to to Pompeii. All of the artifacts and mosaics from Pompeii are in the Archeological Museum; do the tour of the secret room.
Three days in Rome was fabulous; stayed at Hotel Firenze, with nice rooms, 2 blocks from the Spanish Steps.
Saw the Palio in Siena, and loved Siena so much we stayed an extra day.
Went to Perugia, had a blast. Hotel Europa is the best hotel ever and only a one-star (should be 3), at 100,000 Lire for a grand double with private bath (telephone 075.572.6883).
Milan, what a great city — walked around until way after midnight and
it was so safe!
Riana <youfauxgirl@yahoo.com>
Los Angeles, CA USA 10/05/00
Just returned from Italy using Rick's guidebooks and most went very well.
The biggest disappointment for us was Capri. Specifically Rick seems to recommend skipping Capri town for Anacapri. But we found Anacapri horribly tacky, not the quaint area Rick describes (the existence of "Capri in miniature" attraction should have been our first clue). We were shocked at how bad it was, especially around the small main square. Our experience was very bad restaurants, unfriendly people, tacky tourist shops, and quite frankly, low-class tourists and tour groups swarming the place. Felt like a combination of Brighton, UK and downtown Las Vegas.
Certainly Capri town is also very touristy but I found much more character there; and it was much nicer than Anacapri. I see very little reason to go to Anacapri at all and sleeping there, as we did, was simply a waste of time and money using the overcrowded bus service to go where we wanted to go. Otherwise, we had a great time on our trip.
Rick warns against any driving in Rome. But my experience in 3 trips
has been no different than any big US city. If you are comfortable driving
in a big US city and can read a map, don't fear Rome. This past trip we
also rented scooters for our last 3 days and had a BLAST. They are only
about $25 a day and give you tremendous freedom to move around quickly
and see things you otherwise might not. The cars were actually quite considerate
of us on scooters even when we made dumb moves. Have no fear.
Eric <eric3@bigfoot.com>
Chicago, IL USA 10/04/00
Just returned from 1 week in the beautiful Cinque Terre. We rented a
nice apartment in the town of Levanto, the doorway to the Cinque Terre.
E-mail Luca the owner: agenziaamica@hotmail.com. He rents different properties
in the town.
Marco Lohre
Lugano, Switzerland, USA 10/03/00
ALWAYS have traveler's checks as a backup. Rick mentions this in his book, but it's worth repeating. ATM machines are plentiful, however, I had a very unpleasant experience in Savano: I tried several ATM machines, and I couldn't get any of them to recognize my ATM card. So I tried to get a Visa cash advance at a local bank, and they told me that my credit card couldn't be validated. Another ATM finally worked but I learned Lesson #1: They may have ATM machines, but it may be hard or impossible to find one that is on your bank's network...and considering Italy's infrastructure and labor problems, it's possible that the communication lines between an ATM and your bank could be down for days. Lesson #2: My Visa card was my backup, but it was useless in that situation. A few hundred bucks in traveler's checks is a failsafe backup, and worth the peace of mind.
If you're using train tickets in Italy, you have to stamp your ticket in the yellow metal box in the train station before you board, else you'll probably get a $5 fine.
Another train station tip: Although the printed departure schedule will list a specific platform ("binario"), don't count on it. Always check the current electronic board before you board, especially in large train stations like Milan.
Rick says that when giving a large bill (such as 100.000 lira) to a clerk, you should loudly say the bill denomination so the clerk is less likely to shortchange you. What Rick doesn't mention is, that if you don't know how to say 100.000 lira in Italian, the Italian word for the bill is printed right on the bill. For example, the 100.000 lira is "centimilla".
When I first arrived in Venice, I was disgusted by the rampant tourism, so I mostly wandered the backstreets (you'll definitely need a map), and I had a great time. Eventually, I came across all the major tourist sites, then returned to the back streets. If you don't mind a lot of walking, you can do Venice in a day or less (longer if you want to go inside museums and churches). Rick suggests using the vaparetto (water shuttle) to get around, but I thought the waiting lines were far too long.
Be careful of confusing similar names when getting/giving directions or a train ticket: there are cities named Varenna and Varrenza, streets named Mancini and Manzoni, and so on. As Rick mentioned, when buying a train ticket, write down the name of the destination city so there's no confusion.
A few times I approached a clerk and ordered something in Italian, only to have the clerk respond to me in English. Perhaps it's because my Italian has an American accent, but I think it's obvious you're an American when you're wearing shorts.
And speaking of shorts...I hate to be gross, but I walked at least 5 hours each day, and on the 2nd day I developed painful skin irritation where "the sun don't shine." I bought vaseline at the local pharmacy (just ask for vaseline) and liberally applied it every morning, and the problem was solved.
I agree with Rick that first-class train travel is the way to go in Italy. In second class, the floors are often filthy and the seats are stained from beverage spills.
Buses have entry doors and exit doors, but the locals use whichever door is closest.
It's dangerous to walk in a major city because (a) traffic laws appear to be suggestions rather than actual laws, (b) cars are very small but agile, and they dart around like hyperactive fish, (c) scooters dart between the cars and pedestrians, (d) sidewalks are often small and filled with bicycles and (believe it or not) parked cars, and (e) people walking while talking on cell phones forget that you exist. Still, walking is the best way to actually see a place.
Your hotel can probably tell you how to use the bus or tram system, and in some cases can actually sell you tickets.
You can often get city maps for free at the information office near
the train station.
John Glossenger
Silicon Valley, CA USA 10/02/00
I read Rick's books and took all of his advice on the TV show. In Venice we did as he said and got lost. We went into a back area and watched young kids playing soccer (just like on the TV show). Then we wandered out onto a private jetty and who was right there filming for his TV show? Rick Steves! It really made a great story to add to our European adventure.
Thank you to Rick and his staff for helping us prepare for the best
trip of our lives.
Kris Conzet <ksconz@aol.com>
Rapid City, SD USA 10/02/00
Just returned from our "luna di miele" (honeymoon) in Italy. Rick's books were great and evidentally very popular — most of his recommended hotels were full. We did find his information to be very useful, especially for navigating.
Venice: Stayed 3 nights (too long) at Hotel Centauro — a three-star hotel just in from the Grand Canal and Rialto Bridge, on a well-traveled smaller canal popular with the gondoliers — it was like having your own Italian soundtrack playing in the background. The hotel was nice and the staff was friendly. This was the only place we reserved beforehand (http://www.hotelcentauro.com).
We found the food mediocre in Venice. We did like Rick's recommended Pizzeria Accademia Foscarini next to the Accademia Bridge (there is a great internet cafe on the way there).
Venice is exciting, full of tourists and an easy place to get lost — but fun for 2 days. Next time we would definitely stay on Lido (a 10-15 minute ferry ride across the bay) with beautiful beaches, villas for cheap, nice restaurants and a more open feeling.
Leaving Venice we picked up our rental car. We loved flying down the Autostrada at 150km and getting passed by Mercedes and BMW's doing 170+km. Italians drive fast but very efficiently, the Autostrada is awesome and its toll system is quite reasonable. Stopping at the Autogrills is a thrill — where else can you grab a great panini sandwich, a cappuccino, and a martini and get back on the autostrada and do 100 mph.
Florence: We really enjoyed the city, the shopping, the food, and all the sights — waiting in line for the Galleria dell' Accademia is worth it (if you didn't reserve online). We got to sneak a peek at a party for one of the Ferrari sons which filled the Uffizi piazza — a sit-down dinner for 300+ people complete with red carpet, lots of Ferraris on display, and beautiful Italians dressed beyond belief — this was closed to the public of course but if you peered through Ferrari-horse-shaped hedges which were placed to keep people out you could get a full view.
Lucca: An interesting little town enclosed by a wall — rented bikes and rode the wall. Ate at a great restaurant located just of the autostrada in Cappanori, "Il Cantina." Rick, you should add this one — it was excellent! It's right on the way for those heading to Cinque Terre.
Cinque Terre: By far our favorite place. The parking areas Rick outlined in La Spezia are not available for overnight parking anymore — parked at the Autorimessa Stationi Rick recommended, which worked out great! Took the train into Vernazza; while looking for Rick's suggested rooms we met Giacomo Callo who said he had a house with the best views of the harbor, new bathroom, and kitchen for only L90,000 a night. While standing on the breakwater look up the hill across the harbor by the trail to Monterosso; it is the very last little white house you see up on the hill.It was beautiful, private and an adventure staying there — definitely the highlight of our trip. When we mentioned we were from Seattle, Giacomo immediately said, "Oh, Ricka Steve, he here 2 weeks ago." Rick, you should definitely add his little villa to your list. Giacomo Callo can be reached at: Piazza Marconi 26, tel#0187-821199.
We hiked the hour-and-a-half trail to Monterosso (beautiful), went to the new internet bar, ate lunch at the restaurant up near the castle (can't remember the name — but it was great) and opted for the 3-minute train ride back to Vernazza. A big storm hit while we were there and flooded "Gambero Rosso" (one of the best places we ate) while we were eating there — but regardless, the food was excellent and it made for a fun atmosphere. It must happen often as the staff was prepared with mops and scoops. The Cinque Terre was awesome.
Orvieto: another cool little town, but very confusing if you arrive at night and try to follow the signs to hotels. Stayed at the Hotel Royale (?) which was one of the only one we could find after driving around an hour that had a room. We never did find Rick's recommended Hotel Picchio — where the heck is it?
Rome: stayed at Hotel Rex, exspensive but worth it! Nice staff, valet parking, excellent rooms, close to everything! Didn't feel as threatened by pickpocketers as we had expected. Returned the car at the airport and flew to Catania, Sicily.
Sicily: beautiful but much poorer. There are piles of garbage everywhere and lots of stray animals (which really gets to me). We visited some beautiful beaches with warm water, and no people (evidentally locals think summer is over when it hits September even though it is still 85+ degrees out). In Siracusa see the Greek/Roman ampitheatre; and visit Ortiga, a smaller island in Siracusa which has nice shops and great restaurants! Taormina is also a beautiful town with an amazing Greek ampitheatre on the top of a mt. with an amazing view of the ocean and the volcano Etna. The town is nice and has great shopping and food. I would definitely stay in Taormina if planning a trip to Sicily!
Our trip was excellent, adventurous and fun! Rick's books made it a
great deal easier to get around and get a feel for each city/region. Definitely
bring another book detailing history and the fascinating art and architecture
of the regions you visit. If you go in September it is really, really
hot and humid — dress light and don't bring much. Don't plan on eating
breakfast or getting anything to go (which drives us Seattlites nuts,
not being able to have our grande cappucinos to go) and don't expect to
find much to eat between 1pm and 4pm. Learn to speak some Italian — it's
fun and the locals appreciate your efforts and are much more helpful if
you give it a try. Don't think that speaking English loudly will make
them understand what you are saying! Wine is way cheaper than water. Vespa
drivers will cut in front of you. Be patient, soak it all in and enjoy!
Summyr and Kurt Widmann <summyrw@hotmail.com>
Redondo Beach, WA USA 10/02/00
Albergo Barbara in Vernazza apparently has a policy of only making reservations
for two or more nights. After my e-mails and faxes went unanswered, I
telephoned and found this out. They were nice on the phone, and I still
will try to stay there (off season), but save your money on faxes, phone
calls and letters if you're only trying to reserve for a night.
Mike McPhillips <mrosemcp@aol.com>
Columbus, OH USA 10/01/00
Rick, just want to say how much we appreciated your book, "Rome 2000!" Va bene! Magnifico!
"Rex" and Irene Zubris <ozbo1st1@juno.com>
Hauppauge, NY USA 10/01/00
I went to Pompeii and I loved it. We took the early train from Rome to Naples. The Circumvesuviano train takes you on to Pompeii. Unfortunately on the day we went, this train was on strike. We had to wait a couple hours, until 11:20 (we missed the 9:20 train) for the FS train to go to the town of Pompei (40 minutes) and walk to the site. But the wait was still worth it. Just keep your handy train schedule with you so you know when the FS train from Pompei to Naples leaves.
We got lost since all our maps started from the main entrance instead of the town entrance we used, but you see more of Pompeii that way.
Pompeii is open until sunset so hours are shorter in the winter. BTW — tour book guidebooks of the site are better than the maps they sell
you outside the gates.
Kirsten <mkfisher2@hotmail.com>
San Francisco, CA USA 09/29/00
While Milano is certainly not as interesting as Rome, Florence, or Venice it does have a great atmosphere. Even though most things are closed on Mondays, it is a great day to arrive. The stores stay open to 10pm around the Duomo and the atmosphere in the square is much better than Venice at night.
We found gelati to die for right down the street from the Porto Romano Metro exit (about 50 meters).
Peck is a museum to food and you can eat at some places for $4US if you stand. You have to try the risotto.
The Last Supper and Pinateco Ambrosiano are great. The latter is just around the corner from Peck.
Also flying in and out of Milan is wonderful. Malpenza overlooks the
Alps. For 9,000 lire you can take an express train to Cardona station
in Milan.
Patrick Dennis <psdennis@hotmail.com>
Indiantown , Fl USA 09/28/00
Well, you did warn me! You described the Hotel Baia in Monterosso as grumpy and money-grubbing. I suppose I deserved the money-grubbing part, having arrived in town at 7PM, with no advanced reservations and no energy to keep up the search. And maybe I even deserved grumpy? Admittedly, my attempts to spit out the niceties in Italian were not very pretty. But the staff at this hotel was downright rude! The woman staffing the reception area seemed to know English pretty well when it suited her, but somehow not at all when it would have helped us. Was it necessary to endure her tirade when we wandered innocently onto her freshly mopped floor? If I'd known that was the local custom, I'd have delivered my own tirade when I slipped the day before on the freshly mopped marble stairs. Surely at their rates, they could afford a wet-floor sign or two (in any language)!
Not to be outdone by her, the "gentleman" staffing the dining room delighted us with a barely contained temper tantrum one morning. For some unexplained reason, he decided to close the ocean-view side of the room halfway through the breakfast hours. His way of doing this was lifting a corner of the table cloth onto the tabletop. What a treat to watch him implode as, one after another, we sleepy tourists came along and helpfully put down the corner of the cloth that had been blown up by the wind. (It was, in fact, very windy in there that morning.)
Anyway, just wanted to say you were too easy on the Hotel Baia! Thanks
for all the other great travel trips!
Mary Ellen Hunter
USA 09/26/00
My husband and I just returned from ourItalian honeymoon. We started our trip at Albergo Olivedo in Varenna. Laura, who speaks English and German, was without a doubt the friendliest and most helpful person we met on our entire trip. The food was excellent, the view terrific (although a little noisy because of the ferry early in the morning) and a wonderful way to start out the first three nights of a honeymoon. I strongly recommend hiking up to Castello di Vezio with a picnic — the view is wonderful.
In Venice we stayed at Hotel Marin, very quiet and close to the train station (for those of you who insist on carrying lots of luggage). There is laundry and a not-so-cheap internet cafe nearby. Watch out for the WC youth mob. Five twelve-year olds tried to extort money from us in order to use the WC — we decided we could wait.
If you need a little dose of the U.S., please, please visit Paulo at New York, New York. It's very close to the Rialto bridge, not the P. San Marco side, on I believe Speciati Orefici. He's a Venetian-American-Canadian who has worked incredibly hard at creating an environment that's a hit with tourists and locals alike. He is a terrific source of information and can direct you to a restaurant he owns a part of — Laguan Blu — which had amazing food!
Siena reminded me of a small, proud college town. They had just had
the Palio before we got there, so the only place with a room was Alma
Domus, which was clean and quiet. We ate at Alla Speranza on Piazza del
Campo, which was very leisurely but delicious, and had a front seat to
the nightly Palio "Parade." Apparently, the district that wins the horse
race marches through Siena, playing their drums, waving their flags and
singing for the better part of a month after the race. It was definitely
a treat! As for Florence — it was crowded and I'm glad we stayed in Siena
and day-tripped in. But, it had better prices for shopping and any tacky
souvenirs you might want.
Eve & Brent Rutherford <eveerickson@hotmail.com>
Seattle, WA USA 09/22/00
My wife and I just returned from a whirlwind tour of Italy. We used the Italy guidebook to figure out how much time to spend in each city. Aside from skipping Milan entirely due to Monday closures, we were able to visit almost everything we hoped.
We found the pickpocket hype to be exaggerated, although we met several people who did have the child hordes accost them in the stations. Keep a close hold on your bags when passing through passages and doorways of train stations. Also, avoid the touristy locations (Trevi Fountain, Rome) after dark. We were thoroughly disgusted by the obnoxious Arab and Indian rose peddlers, postcard sellers, and roving conmen. They basically ran us out of the fountain area by standing in our view and harrassing us to buy their garbage. I tried the polite refusals, the angry look, and considered body slamming them into the fountain itself, but finally we left frustrated and disgusted.
Vatican City, regardless of religious belief, is a MUST. St. Peter's is best seen at 7:00 a.m. weekdays when the normally clogged square and basilica are virtually empty and begging to be photographed cleanly. The resulting photos were rewarding and appreciated for their lack of tourist clumps in every corner of the city. When we arrived at the square, we were two of 10 people, and two of only about 100 in the cathedral itself.
Venice is best avoided altogether unless visiting during May or early
June. The crowds in Venice on weekends are smothering, and gondolas resemble
a log ride at Six Flags. Very mechanical, clogged and unromatically cliched.
Mike <ferret9999@home.com>
Downriver, MI USA 09/22/00
Thank you, Rick, for your wounderful guides. Our experience in Italy was amazing.
In La Spezia, a 15-minute train ride to the Cinque Terre, we stayed at Hotel Firenze, very clean and very good breakfast!
In Vernazza Senora Rita got us a very clean and comfy room on 62 via santo. We hiked the Vernazza to Corniglia trial which is AWESOME — the views are fantastic!
In Venice we stayed at Allogi alla Scala, very colorful but clean.
Jean-Paul Rivera <esp8@netzero.net>
Orlando, FL USA 09/21/00
When in Florence, consider staying at the Tourist House Liberty. It
is quiet, centrally located, clean, very reasonably priced (we paid 150,000L
per night for a double room with bath), and has a friendly English-speaking
owner. It is not a fancy place: no breakfast, TV, or in-room phones (no
hotel-type amenities except for daily maid service), but if you are looking
for an inexpensive place that is not rundown, I would highly recommend
it. You can see pictures and book online at: http://www.italyhotel.com/firenze/libertyhouse/
USA 09/21/00
I just returned from Florence and stayed at a wonderfully-run pensione
near the Santa Maria Novella station. Hotel Pensione Ferretti is a great
place to stay because the owner, Luciano Michel, is such a gracious host.
The rooms are clean and spacious and there is a nice breakfast room. Luciano
really cares about your comfort and gives you all the advice and directions
that you may need. And, it's inexpensive for the quality and the value
of your stay there! It's within walking distance of everything and not
noisy at night. He even has free internet service! His email address is:
pensioneferretti@pronet.it
USA 09/20/00
I just returned from a week in Italy. We stayed at Hotel Navona in the
Piazza Navona in Rome and were very disappointed. The owners were indifferent
and not hospitable. They made our stay in Rome for our first time very
unpleasant and disappointing.
USA 09/19/00
I have just returned from my 2-week trip in Italy. Thank Rick for his
wonderful guidebook, but I have to disagree his recommedation for Hotel
Nuova Italia Firenze. I found this hotel very noisy all the time. My friends & I couldn't sleep well. Also, I left my 13 film rolls in the desk drawer.
I phoned the hotel immediately after I had arrived at Venice, my next
stop. The staff said that nothing was inside the drawer & the maid hadn't
thrown my films away. How could that be? Someone must be dishonest. Think
twice before you go to this hotel.
Evie <eviewong@netvigator.com>
Hong Kong 09/17/00
Federico and Cecilia of Villa Margherita B&B in Levanto, Italy are the
nicest, most pleasant people. If you can get in, stay there. The room
was like home; they were like family. I can't say enough about them. They
went out of their way to make sure we had all our needs fulfilled. They
now have an e-mail connection which is villamargherita@hotmail.com, a
web site www.villamargherita.net and their correct tel. no. is 0187807212
.
Mary Scalese
New York, NY USA 09/14/00
Looking for a honeymoon spot in Rome? We enjoyed the Hotel Lancelot, a couple blocks from the Colosseum. Our room on the first floor had a really nice garden patio. (It does adjoin the patio of the next room, but we had privacy while we were there, as they were never outside.) See lancelot@italyhotel.com. Happy travels!