Italy Recommendations

Hi E.,
If you plan to go to Vatican City to see the Sistine Chapel: make reservations in advance. Like, waaay in advance.

(It's totally worth it)

FYI
t

Its been awhile since I have been there, but Rome was pretty awesome! (It's dirty though, be prepared for that and EVERYONE smokes and just throws the butts on the floor)! I loved the colosium. There are usually people there wandering around offering to take you in without waiting in the huge tourist line for a cost, which we did, cut the wait time down a lot! Bring an italian-english dictionary, so you can read the menus. It seemed like a lot of people there were unwilling or unable to speak English, which is fine because we were in their country, but I wish we would of had a dictionary. I can't remember where we stayed but it was a nice place, sorry! They have a really nice train system there, I recommend using it for a least a day or two, you can zip off to pisa or other cities for a day, which I recommend for pisa because there really wasnt too much to see there except of course the tower! Sorry its a lot of rambling. I didnt see Tuscany. Have fun! Its a beautiful country with sooo much history, it is awesome!

We traveled to Italy last year (alas, we brought the 2 year old!) and were very happy with our accommodations in three places.

Florence: Monna Lisa Hotel (yep, with two "n" - www.monnalisa.it)
boutique hotel, charming room, breakfast included, good location, very pleased!

Tuscany (hills): Il Trebbiolo Relais (www.iltrebbiolo.it)
villa, pool, spectacular view, secluded, breakfast included (?)

Rome: Diocleziano (www.hoteldiocleziano.it)
modern hotel, close to train station, easy to walk to things, breakfast included, nice staff

have fun planning!

I get emails for villas but it tends to be priced for two couples. I can't remember the website because it comes to my work email.

Troy and I went there for our honeymoon this year but we did a tour. I haven't been over enough to be comfortable booking everything myself. We flew in and out through rome, spent 3 days is Tuscany, 2 days in Venice (which I find more romantic than any other part of Italy) and then back to Rome. It was three days in Rome.

The tour really took a lot of the stress out of the trip.

My husband and I went on our honeymoon to Italy and travelled all over the country via car. We stayed at an extremely romantic villa near Florence called Villa Il Poggiale. If you are renting a car I would HIGHLY recommend this place, we loved it! They have a website too http://www.villailpoggiale.it/
There is another villa down the street that serves dinner, can't remember the name but it's pretty much the only place down the street, we walked there. I would love to go back there and it's within a decent driving distance of Florence if you're interested in that. If you want to see Rome, you will definitely need a car since it's not close to Tuscany (about 3 hours away). I'm sure there are tourist groups you can get, we really enjoyed exploring on our own though. We also don't speak a word of Italian so it was a true adventure ;) Not sure if you're religious, but we went to Assisi too, which is about 2 hours from Tuscany. It's absolutely gorgeous! Lots' of restaurants too. All this talk is making me want to go back! We also loved Venice, which is no where near Tuscany or Rome, but just throwing it out there. ;) If you have any specific questions just message me, have a great time and let us know where you decide to stay/go!

Hi E.,

Congratulations in advance on your anniversary and trip! If you are going in about 18 months, does that mean June or July?

The reason I ask is that Italy can be punishingly hot in the summer months, particularly in the cities (I'm sure Patty will second me on this). I am not suggesting not going, of course, but if you do a few days in Rome, plan on hitting the Colosseo EARLY...and plan your stays in surrounding areas/villas where a pool might be available.

We go to Italy frequently, but I stay on the coast (Southern) in the summer, because my family cannot deal with the heat. Personally, I love Italy in any season or temperature, but you really gotta love Italy to hang around Rome in July ; )

Areas we have stayed in (besides Amalfi): Umbria (next to Tuscany and about 100% cheaper--on Lake Trasimeno, near Cortona); Siena; Castelnuovo del Berardegno (small town outside of Florence); and the Oltrarno neighborhood of Florence. And Assisi...stayed at the Hotel Giotto and it was very nice. Cannot recommend the place I stayed in Rome as I didn't care for it, but the city is fabulous and I love the people. Rome reminds me a lot of San Francisco in that the people are interesting to talk to and generally very kind. Buon viaggio!

I usually start planning trips by going to the library and checking out a few travel guide books. This helps me become familiar with the major areas and sights I want to see. I like Rick Steves books and videos (available in our library) because he hits all the major attractions and includes some interesting places off the beaten path.

We stayed in an apartment in Rome. It was near the Pantheon, centrally located and overlooked a small plaza used for a farmers market. Being there allowed us to walk to the major sights. Although taxis were reasonable, walking is wonderful in a city like Rome. I'd recommend finding accomodations in the center of the city to make the most of your time there.

A great resource that cuts through to the "meat and potatoes" would be tripadvisor.com. It'll help you start to narrow your search. Have a wonderful time! Italy is one of my fav spots!

I would PM Jo W - that's where she and Troy went on their honeymoon.

I didn't live there - I was in Belgium and Germany and traveled to Northern Italy and LOVED IT!! We were in a Volksmarching club so we didn't do the traditional towns and touristy spots....we walked through vineyards in the Italian Alps and did a lot in the Northern part of Italy.

I think no matter where you go - you will love it. Start brushing up on some Italian - makes it easier to have a few words under you belt!

ENJOY! !HAVE FUN!!

Sounds wonderful!
We have been to Italy and LOVED Florence and Sienna. Another great spot was Portifino, a wonderful coastal town and I would definitely go there again. Sorry I don't remember the names of the hotels we stayed in but we always stayed near the town center so we could walk everywhere.

We loved Sorrento. It was beautiful! It is on the Amalfi coast. We took a train from Rome to Naples and then a train to Sorrento. The train ride from Naples to Sorrento was pretty rough (hold on to your wallet/purse) but it was worth it. We stayed just outside of Sorrento for a few days and then went back to Rome. We took a train from Rome to Florence for a day. It was really neat, too.
Lake Como is absolutely gorgeous!!! We didn't go there but some friends did and their pictures were absolutely stunning!

Word to the wise, make sure you check the weather before you make your reservations. Certain times of the year it is REALLY hot. We went in April and the weather was nice, a little cool. The Weather Channel website has a travel section where you can type in a location and get the average monthly temps. It will also tell you which months are the hottest, coldest, wettest, etc for the location.

One warning, there are lots of pick pockets in Italy, mainly in the bigger cities. I hate to say that because it is such a wonderful place but we were warned by our tour guides several times. We didn't have a problem with it but it's because we were careful.

I loved Italy and really want to go back someday!!

Have fun!

Hello E., I am actually FROM Rome, I'll be glad to help you. Since you mentioned villas and Tuscany I have in mind a lovely place in Poggibonsi (Tuscany), It's called Antico Borgo San Lorenzo (Casa Bandini) I have all the info if you need and I have a great hotel in Rome as well, very central , where I send all of my american friends- they all told me great things about it, you can also check on trip-advisor. I can help you as well with tips on where to go, what to do, distances etc.. .I think you will love the trip!

Oh, how fun! I love Italy! I've only been in the north of Italy, so I can't really recommend anything for where you want to go. But, I would search "self catering" as you will be able to find some good deals that way. You will have an entire home/apartment for the price of a hotel (or less). You will have a full kitchen, so you can prepare some of your meals in if you want (breakfast, lunch). We have stayed all over Europe using the self-catering idea. We have been blessed to stay in some pretty amazing homes this way. Oh, and you have the house to yourself. It isn't a B&B where the owners are there. Very fun!

I just got back from a terrific week in Rome. I used Vacation Rentals By Owner (vrbo.com) to locate a wonderful penthouse apartment overlooking the Colisseum. The apartment was rented by a company called Italy Perfect. The owner, Pat Byrne, helped me find a tour company, Viator, that I used to book tours of local sights. The whole experience was terrific and I recommend them highly. You can use vrbo.com to locate an apartment almost anywhere. We love staying in apartments as opposed to hotels because it's a lot more relaxing and gives you a better sense of the place. We have done it 3 times now, in London, Florence, and Rome. The owners always give you hints about local restaurants and shopping, but Pat of Italy Perfect was the best resource I have ever found. Good luck and have a wonderful trip!