Kara
Now Zagat Rated!
Member since 3/07 13217 total posts
Name:
They call me "Tater Salad"
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Re: Italy in October 2008- Help Me Plan!
We just spent more than 2 weeks in Italy, dividing out time between Florence and Rome, with day trips while staying in each city.
Feel free to FM for any info / specifics.
I have to say that everything we saw in Rome was really cool, but other than the touristy stuff in Rome, I wasn't a big fan of the city. It was just another big city once we were done with the touristy stuff. I'm really glad I went once, but I probably wouldn't go back to Rome for an extended stay. If you stay close to the city center and can check out the nightlife more, you may enjoy Rome more than I did. I felt our hotel was too far away (down near Piramide). It's worth the trip once, though, to see ancient rome, the coliseum, the catacombs, etc. While in Rome, be sure to do a day-trip tour to Hadrian's Villa and Tivoli. That was one of the coolest things we did on our trip. I'd also recommend a day trip to Pompeii. (And definitely go with one of the tour guides you find outside where they sell tickets. You won't otherwise know what you're looking at or where you're going without one.) Don't miss the Vatican. I recommend a tour of the museum (again so you know what you're looking at) -- they also take you to St. Peter's and the Sistene Chapel. Definitely also climb to the top of St. Peter's. Gorgeous views (even though it's 500+ steps up) and a very unique experience.
I ADORED Florence. Loved our hotel (Hotel Davanzati - highly recommended!), loved the city, loved being able to walk everywhere, loved it. Great restaurants, great food, great shopping, just great. The entire city is basically walkable -- so we could do our touristy thing all day, go back to the hotel, shower, attend the hotel's complimentary happy hour, and then go out to dinner and explore at night.
I HIGHLY recommend taking at least 1 wine tour with Rebecca Christophersen with Tuscan Wine Tours (http://www.tuscan-wine-tours.com/). Even if you don't LOVE wine, the tours are amazing. You'll only go to 1 or maybe 2 vineyards tops, but you'll get to go to tiny towns and unique places you'd never otherwise find. It's very NOT touristy. Rebecca is a doll. Her prices are extremely competitive, she's totally fluent in English, and her tours are fun and just so different. I am not describing it well, but we took two of her tours -- they were the highlight of our time in Florence.
I'd decide if you want to do the whirlwind tour of as many cities as you can or if you want to take your time and relax. Being that this trip was our honeymoon, we opted for only 2 cities. I'm very glad we did. In each city, we did 2 day trips to neighboring cities. (In Rome, we did Tivoli and Pompeii. In Florence we did wine tours in Montelcino and Chianti Classico) We were on tours with some people who were doing 3 cities or more in a week or 10 days and they kept saying, "We have to come back b/c we missed x, y, z...." -- but then again, we have to go back if we want to see any other cities. LOL It just depends on what your style is.
In Florence, I'd recommend climbing to the top of the Duomo as well. AMAZING views of Florence. You also have to go to Piazzale Michaelangelo during the day and at sunset for amazing views. We had dinner at the restaurant there -- can't recall the name, but the food was amazing. If you want to spend a lot of money on dinner with a spectacular sunset view, go there! Whatever hotel you stay at will know the restaurant and can make reservations for you. (Warning, though - it was very expensive. Our meal was over 300 euro, though that included 3 courses each and a bottle of wine. Still, what a neat experience. Well worth it, I think!)
I'll go through our photos tonight and see if there's anything I left out. I'm sure there is.
I can't recommend our hotel in Rome -- too far away. The restaurant in the hotel was excellent and moderately priced, but the customer service at the front desk was terrible.
Have fun!!! What a fun trip to be planning!
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usuk2004
I'm ONE!
Member since 5/05 5150 total posts
Name:
Farah
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Re: Italy in October 2008- Help Me Plan!
I would definitely recommend Venice. I tend to get kind of jaded, especially on 'city breaks' (- how many cathedrals can one person look at???  ) and before we went to Venice my thought was Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know the gimmick it's all in the water. But then we got there and my reaction was "OMG it's all in water" Seriously, it's breathtaking 
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thejohnsons
LIF Adolescent
Member since 11/06 848 total posts
Name:
Jen
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Re: Italy in October 2008- Help Me Plan!
I went there on my honeymoon in 06. You will have such a great time. One of my favorite off beat things a wine tour that we took in tuscany. I can't remember the company name. It may have been Tuscan trails, but I am not sure. It was alot of fun. There were only two other couples. You get to see the country side, visit two wineries, and have a meal (with lots of wine) at one of the wineries. I may still have some of the info if your interested.
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