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sidis

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wild_turkey

wild_turkey 3222

Posted
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I love Cinque Terre and I disagree with staying in Portovenere. If you stay outside Cinque Terre and take the train or boat in, you are only there when the crowds are there. My favorite time is in the evenings when all the day trippers have disappeared and the crowds are much smaller, just walking around the villages and eating or drinking, maybe even doing a late afternoon hike when the trails are empty.

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I climbed the Asinelli Tower in Bologna to get a nice view of the city shortly before sunset tonight Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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So this fucking ruled - I am staying at Massimo Bottura’s B&B in Modena and did their Osteria Francescana dinner tonight (photos of the property to come later) Sent from my iPhone usin

Patricio Swayze
Patricio Swayze

That sounds like a good idea.  However, I would have missed this: I didn't realize that the second day in Florence would be the celebration of St. Giovanni and the championshipp calcio storico ga

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Wiler77

Wiler77 1586

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Posted

Change of plans.  Looks like we're going to head south from Rome and go to the Amalfi Coast.  We'll hike Path of the Gods, probably a boat tour of either the coast or Capri one day, I'd like to take a day trip to Pompei, and also just explore the region.

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VABuckeye

VABuckeye 2472

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10 hours ago, 52-80 said:

theyre photogenic.  stroll around for half an hour.  settle in at the tons of cafes around village center... have a wine, porchetta sandwich, snack.  onto the next one

Yep, and you can wonder into a restaurant for lunch in a town like Radda and it will turn out that it's a Michelin rated restaurant and the owner/chef will take your order and then cook a fantastic meal and serve it to you.

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Hate

Hate 20159

Posted
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11 hours ago, chesthair said:

How about this:
 

Rome>Siena>Cinque Terre>Florence>Rome?

Yes, I watched rick steves this weekend and the cinque terre seems like a must (and better than venice???).  Plan on airb&b/etc for everywhere except Rome. 

Also, can all of that be done via train/public transportation?  I dont want to rent a car unless i have to. 

I can't speak to Cinque Terre being better than Venice as I've never been.  I do love Venice though.  I could wander around those streets for days without getting bored.  I've never understood the hate for Venice as I believe it's one of the most unique cities in the world.  You can mix in a day trip to Murano to see the glass blowers as well.  The trip you posted would be a great trip as well.  You can't really go wrong going anywhere in Italy, imo.  It's just fantastic and you never know what kind of place you will stumble upon and the stories that they hold. 

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G650

G650 14302

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Posted
1 hour ago, texasdago said:

Northern Italian food can mean loooots of things

True. Piedmontese and Lombardia and the emphasis on risotto over pasta is mainly what I'm referring to.  Cotoletta all milanese and saffron risotto is manna from heaven. Osso Buco, just let me roll around in it like a dog in poop. Cook everything in butter.

 

Damn I'm hungry now.

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Loco

Loco 3754

Posted
Posted (edited)
4 hours ago, Biff Tannen said:

Heading out in two days for a 10 day stretch in southern Tuscany.  Staying just southeast of Montepulciano in a little town called Chiusi.  I think it will be nice to have a home base and not have to be getting up every day trying to get to the next location.  

Bagni San Filippo...  take a bathing suit, a picnic, and a bottle of wine and relax....

Better in the late afternoon / early evening when the temps drop a little

Edited by Loco
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shakahorn

shakahorn 1650

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On 8/28/2019 at 8:41 AM, Wiler77 said:

Change of plans.  Looks like we're going to head south from Rome and go to the Amalfi Coast.  We'll hike Path of the Gods, probably a boat tour of either the coast or Capri one day, I'd like to take a day trip to Pompei, and also just explore the region.

Wife and I just got back from Naples/Capri/Amalfi/Sicily.  It was hot, which we knew going in, but life schedules dictated that we go then.

Started in Naples, day trip to Vesuvius and Pompei but skipped Herculaneum.

Capri was awesome, but very crowded.  Apparently, unbeknownst to me at the time, Aug 15 to 31 is a time of Italian holiday, so all the Italians take a vacation and lots of them go to...the beach.  Which is better, I guess, than being overrun with American tourists or god forbid Chinese tourists.  Highly recommend a private boat tour around the island.  You can customize as you wish.  Private boats have priority access to the Blue Grotto.  We did around-the-island with stops at Blue Grotto and a couple of spots to jump in the water - crystal clear - 3 hours, for 180 euro, just me, the wife and Mario, the captain.  Capri is one of those places you can stay either a day or a week.  Lots of folks do day trips over from Naples or Amalfi.  Ferry is cheap and fast.

We also stayed in Praiano on the Amalfi Coast.  I think, if you're gonna stay on Capri, you should avoid Positano and Amalfi, as those towns are a lot like Capri.

Took a cab from Praiano to Salerno then drove down to Sicily, which is pretty much an easy drive if you want it to be.  Freeway all the way, no tolls on that stretch of the Autostrade and ALL the drivers are extremely well behaved.  Fast in the left lane, slow in the right.  30 minute ferry to Sicily from San Giovanni.  Couple nights in Taormina, which is cool but somewhat touristy and a night in Palermo before driving all the way back to Catania where we flew out of.

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Wiler77

Wiler77 1586

Posted
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2 hours ago, shakahorn said:

Wife and I just got back from Naples/Capri/Amalfi/Sicily.  It was hot, which we knew going in, but life schedules dictated that we go then.

Started in Naples, day trip to Vesuvius and Pompei but skipped Herculaneum.

Capri was awesome, but very crowded.  Apparently, unbeknownst to me at the time, Aug 15 to 31 is a time of Italian holiday, so all the Italians take a vacation and lots of them go to...the beach.  Which is better, I guess, than being overrun with American tourists or god forbid Chinese tourists.  Highly recommend a private boat tour around the island.  You can customize as you wish.  Private boats have priority access to the Blue Grotto.  We did around-the-island with stops at Blue Grotto and a couple of spots to jump in the water - crystal clear - 3 hours, for 180 euro, just me, the wife and Mario, the captain.  Capri is one of those places you can stay either a day or a week.  Lots of folks do day trips over from Naples or Amalfi.  Ferry is cheap and fast.

We also stayed in Praiano on the Amalfi Coast.  I think, if you're gonna stay on Capri, you should avoid Positano and Amalfi, as those towns are a lot like Capri.

Took a cab from Praiano to Salerno then drove down to Sicily, which is pretty much an easy drive if you want it to be.  Freeway all the way, no tolls on that stretch of the Autostrade and ALL the drivers are extremely well behaved.  Fast in the left lane, slow in the right.  30 minute ferry to Sicily from San Giovanni.  Couple nights in Taormina, which is cool but somewhat touristy and a night in Palermo before driving all the way back to Catania where we flew out of.

Which boat company did you use for the private tour around Capri?  I think there's as many tour companies as there are hotels.

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shakahorn

shakahorn 1650

Posted
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1 hour ago, Wiler77 said:

Which boat company did you use for the private tour around Capri?  I think there's as many tour companies as there are hotels.

We went down to the Laser desk and there was some dude, Mario, shilling for the public boat.  On the back of his flyer for the public boat, he had a flyer for the private boat.  Kinda like that dude in Vegas Vacation.  Ohhha you-a want-a the private-a tour?  Was a tad bit sketchy, but then again, what part of Italy isn't?  He quoted us the $180, we hemmed and hawed a little but said OK.  Maybe could've negotiated that down a bit?  Once on the boat, he made me sign a contract which actually made no sense or wasn't translated properly.  I signed where it said "owner."  We gave him $200 when we got off.  There were at least a half dozen other couples who did the same thing as us, at ~9a.

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hornimal

hornimal 80

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just returned from a very last minute trip to florence.  I had never visited in august, and I will never laugh again next time I hear on the news about people dropping dead in europe when it is 96 degrees.  forecast temps were under 92 during the day, but it felt as if I was being followed by a heat lamp.  there was no amount of gelato or nastro azzurri that would cool me down during the day.  fuck that.  as this was an unexpected trip to help a cousin move since her mom had emergency surgery I arrived completely unprepared.  I did manage to discover that the street east of ponte santa trinita to the sourth of the arno -- borno s. jacopo -- and the one that starts east of ponte vecchio -- via de' bardi -- had amazing wine bars/shops, someone else upthread posted a picture and made the same comment.  I regret not partaking due to my near heatstroke condition.

one late afternoon after setting up my cousin's local cell phone service we realized we were a couple of blocks away from galleria dell'accademia so we decided to walk over to see the line.  we got in after a 5 minute wait.  so if you want to see the david and don't want to mess with long waits, making reservations or paying a premium from scalpers go about an hour and a half before closing.

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texasdago

texasdago 7591

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14 hours ago, hornimal said:

just returned from a very last minute trip to florence.  I had never visited in august, and I will never laugh again next time I hear on the news about people dropping dead in europe when it is 96 degrees.  forecast temps were under 92 during the day, but it felt as if I was being followed by a heat lamp.  there was no amount of gelato or nastro azzurri that would cool me down during the day.  fuck that.  as this was an unexpected trip to help a cousin move since her mom had emergency surgery I arrived completely unprepared.  I did manage to discover that the street east of ponte santa trinita to the sourth of the arno -- borno s. jacopo -- and the one that starts east of ponte vecchio -- via de' bardi -- had amazing wine bars/shops, someone else upthread posted a picture and made the same comment.  I regret not partaking due to my near heatstroke condition.

one late afternoon after setting up my cousin's local cell phone service we realized we were a couple of blocks away from galleria dell'accademia so we decided to walk over to see the line.  we got in after a 5 minute wait.  so if you want to see the david and don't want to mess with long waits, making reservations or paying a premium from scalpers go about an hour and a half before closing.

Italian cities are "special" when it comes to heatwaves.  Summers in Bologna are b-r-u-t-a-l - the heat gets trapped in the Po Valley and it is stifling.  That's why so many people flee to the Adriatic.  We had a house up in the woods in the hills at about 1000 meters and that made a difference... a bit.

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TexMex Horn

TexMex Horn 68

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I'm not much of a traveler, but, adding my 2 cents about my recent Italy trip. Booked thru Costco & went to the big 3 - 10 days. Loved Venice, it was crowded, but UT games are worse. Never once got on a boat. Spent only 2 days there. No plans, just walked around making our own tour up as we went.

Train to Florence. Liked it much more than I thought. Lots to do. Took a classic Fiat tour south of town. Museums were nice, but, it all starts to look the same to me after awhile. Again, lots of walking. It was hot, but not that big of a deal. Drink a lot of acqua con gas. Piazza Michelangelo is very cool.

Train to Roma. Finally, the locals are looking like I expected 😏, dressed in Italian fashion.Tight clothing. Adidas shirts for men. No socks to be found. Loved Rome as well.The history is amazing & at the same time, mundane. The St. Peter's is the most amazing thing that I have ever seen (again, not a traveler).

I'd go again to any of these cities.

& what's up with the feet washers in the hotels? I hope that the are feet washers

 

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hornimal

hornimal 80

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5 hours ago, texasdago said:

Italian cities are "special" when it comes to heatwaves.  Summers in Bologna are b-r-u-t-a-l - the heat gets trapped in the Po Valley and it is stifling.  That's why so many people flee to the Adriatic.  We had a house up in the woods in the hills at about 1000 meters and that made a difference... a bit.

I'm convinced the sampietrini turns to lava.

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texasdago

texasdago 7591

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17 hours ago, hornimal said:

I'm convinced the sampietrini turns to lava.

+1 for use of the term.  Haven't heard from you in a while but that's a good way to show up.  

Bologna in the summer can be a ghost town... everyone flees to the country or the beach.  We went to Marsala once in the middle of July... it was barren in the middle of the day.  Beautifully barren.

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ChiTownDoc

ChiTownDoc 21229

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Posted

Land back in an hour.  Italy remains fucking amazing.  Hit Florence too.  Had never been...Love history and it didn’t disappoint.  Apparently the crowds the last few days had died down, I actually didn’t think they were that bad.  Also the temps these past few days were MUCH cooler than the week before...assuming that made the crowds more bearable   

G650 mentioned it above but I’ll second - the food is SO much better in northern Italy.  Exhausted but I’ll throw more details in later.  

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ChiTownDoc

ChiTownDoc 21229

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17 hours ago, Longhornmaniac8 said:

Tuscany in January was amazing. All the beauty, no crowds. Temperatures were in the low-mid 50s, which is a perfect walking-around temperature with a jacket. Not a cloud in the sky the 5 days I was there.

We did Rome in January 2 years ago.  Being from Chicago we thought it was perfect.  

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Biff Tannen

Biff Tannen 45769

Posted
Posted
17 hours ago, ChiTownDoc said:

Land back in an hour.  Italy remains fucking amazing.  Hit Florence too.  Had never been...Love history and it didn’t disappoint.  Apparently the crowds the last few days had died down, I actually didn’t think they were that bad.  Also the temps these past few days were MUCH cooler than the week before...assuming that made the crowds more bearable   

G650 mentioned it above but I’ll second - the food is SO much better in northern Italy.  Exhausted but I’ll throw more details in later.  

I was in Florence two days ago and can confirm. Going hiking in Tuscany today. Not a bad place to be. And fuck LSU. 

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Mo Horn

Mo Horn 8899

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Just used miles to book a trip to Italy the last 2 weeks of September. Right now the plan is to do Rome, Cinque Terra, and Tuscany. I'll read through this thread and benefit from everyone's experience. I love having a trip booked with plenty of time to research and plan all the details. 

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Murfdogg21

Murfdogg21 4486

Posted
Posted
On 10/23/2019 at 1:11 PM, GopherRock said:

Venice question: how important is it to be out on the island? Is it a big deal to be by the Mestre train station and take the train in?

Very late to this thread, but we stayed on Lido and LOVED it. Much less crowded, cheaper, and it has a beach. Easy ferry to the main island and the others. 

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AustinMT

AustinMT 952

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Posted (edited)
59 minutes ago, Murfdogg21 said:

Very late to this thread, but we stayed on Lido and LOVED it. Much less crowded, cheaper, and it has a beach. Easy ferry to the main island and the others. 

Just booked 3 nights in April at the JW Marriott on the island — anyone stayed there?

Also, our first time there, so any good restaurant recommendations?  

Edited by AustinMT
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Mach 1

Mach 1 1677

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6 hours ago, AustinMT said:

Just booked 3 nights in April at the JW Marriott on the island — anyone stayed there?

Also, our first time there, so any good restaurant recommendations?  

We stayed there.  That hotel absolutely saved that portion of our trip.  Venice was unbearably crowded, so staying on the island gave us space to relax.  Kids could ride bikes, pool was great. We'd take the shuttle into the city and after about an hour of elbowing our way through the streets, we'd say fuck it, and go back to the island.

Probably won't be that bad in April, but it's nice to know you can get away from everything whenever you want.  We stayed in the newer townhouses which were very nice.  Not sure about the rooms in the main building.

If you're into cars they have day trips to the Lamborghini and Pagani factories.  Also private boat tours to cruise around the city.

We also lucked into finding this little gem of a hotel.

https://www.hotelcapolagala.com/

It's on the water between Naples and Sorrento.  Great location to do Pompeii and close to a marina for a cruise around Capri.

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AustinMT

AustinMT 952

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2 hours ago, Mach 1 said:

We stayed there.  That hotel absolutely saved that portion of our trip.  Venice was unbearably crowded, so staying on the island gave us space to relax.  Kids could ride bikes, pool was great. We'd take the shuttle into the city and after about an hour of elbowing our way through the streets, we'd say fuck it, and go back to the island.

Probably won't be that bad in April, but it's nice to know you can get away from everything whenever you want.  We stayed in the newer townhouses which were very nice.  Not sure about the rooms in the main building.

If you're into cars they have day trips to the Lamborghini and Pagani factories.  Also private boat tours to cruise around the city.

We also lucked into finding this little gem of a hotel.

https://www.hotelcapolagala.com/

It's on the water between Naples and Sorrento.  Great location to do Pompeii and close to a marina for a cruise around Capri.

Thanks

Have been to Pompeii and Amalfi coast — and I agree they are great.  Staying up north this time in Venice, Florence and Milan, along with some time in France

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texasdago

texasdago 7591

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, Murfdogg21 said:

I got airfare for me and the wife and 3 nights at the Marriott next to the Rome airport for a conference with only one afternoon obligated. No plans but have 2-3 days to burn. Will be studying this thread and accept non-pizza recommendations. 

By the airport?  Go visit Ostia Antica, eat seafood in Fiumicino and Ostia.

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52-80

52-80 19281

Posted
Posted
5 hours ago, Murfdogg21 said:

I got airfare for me and the wife and 3 nights at the Marriott next to the Rome airport for a conference with only one afternoon obligated. No plans but have 2-3 days to burn. Will be studying this thread and accept non-pizza recommendations. 

eater.com's guide to rome is legit, and more up to date than anybody not living there can be. 

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Mo Horn

Mo Horn 8899

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Mrs. Mo and I are in the early planning for our first trip to Italy in September. I've read through this thread and looking for ideas from those with experience. We're fying in and out of Rome and get in on a Sunday and leaving on Thursday, 12 days later. Planning on staying in Rome until Tuesday or Wednesday and we need to be back in Rome by the end of the day the next Wednesday to catch our flight on Thursday. That's where our conundrum begins. We'd like to do the Cinque Terra, Florence, and hill towns in Tuscany. We'd like to do both museums and cathedrals, but also want to enjoy the Tuscan countryside, restaurants, and wineries. That means probably less time in these three places than we'd really like. Or, do we do just two of the three, and if so which 2.  Right now, if I were to eliminate one it would be the CT, although I really want to go there.  When we travel we like hitting the major sites, but also try to experience as much of the real country and culture as possible. We're not sit by the pool and read a book vacationers. We like to see things, and become as much as possible, Italians for our time there. Any thoughts would be appreciated. 

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AustinMT

AustinMT 952

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Posted
5 hours ago, 52-80 said:

eater.com's guide to rome is legit, and more up to date than anybody not living there can be. 

Armando al Pantheon, which is on that list, is very good, and has an extensive wine list.  Make reservations well ahead of time.  Small place, been there for many years.  http://www.armandoalpantheon.it

If you like craft beer (and good food) try L’Osteria de Berra del Borgo.  Really good beer, and extensive menu with non-pizza (and pizza) choices.  The meatball appetizer and pasta carbonara were excellent.  (And so was the pizza...).  http://osteria.birradelborgo.it/

 

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