Rome Archives - Page 3 of 4 - Shared Adventures

An Epic “Escape”

September 10, 2015 by Ann Petronio Leave a Comment

Christina and Chris were celebrating their second wedding anniversary, and contemplating the reality of starting a family at some point in the future, and wanted to go cram in as much of Europe as possible before “settling down”. Because Chris is a teacher, their summers are flexible, so Christina blocked a few weeks out of work and they sat down with me to plan an epic adventure. In the span of three weeks, they did a pretty good job of exploring Belgium, Italy and Greece. While you might not want to replicate their breakneck pace, you could take their tips and suggestions (below) and make any one of these three countries into a very nice vacation on its own:

Our European Escape

Although our trip was just over a three-week span according to the calendar, it feels like my husband and I were away for months! Now looking back at the photos and reminiscing about the adventures from the beginning of our trip, the moments already feel like a lifetime ago. I am so grateful for this feeling and for your expert planning for our travels abroad!!

Belgium

Mons, Belgium was the first destination on our whirlwind tour. My dad has been living there for just over a year now, and we joined my step-mom, brother, and Loofa (my dad and step-mom’s bichon frise) for five fun-filled days. We sampled beers in every town and city, reveled in the chocolate, and devoured the waffles. We began our time together in the city center of Mons, and then branched out to Tournai, Waterloo, Brussels, Ostend, Bruges, and Ghent in the following days. Each place reflected its roots – French speaking Wallonia or the Dutch speaking Flemish countryside. A Flemish city always seemed to be organized and clean!

Some highlights include Notre-Dame de Tournai, the cathedral in the center of the city, and Tournai’s large open city square with rows of fountains, the museum and Lion’s Mound overlooking the countryside at Waterloo, the Grand Place in Brussels, the expansive beach at Ostend, the architecture and beauty of Bruges, and Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child. This sculpture is remarkable for a number of reasons, one of which is that it was the only sculpture to leave Italy during Michelangelo’s lifetime. (I can’t believe how fortunate we are to have seen both Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child in Bruges and the Pietà in Rome on the same European trip!). We took a hilarious and wonderful horse-drawn carriage tour of Bruges while in the city, as well!

I was least familiar with the places to see in this country, relying mostly on my dad for our itinerary. I did, however, consult your Destination Guide email that introduced us to Belgium via the web. This was a great resource! Because of this email, my family specifically decided to take our last full day together to travel to Ghent, Belgium. The city was described as a “less-touristy” Bruges, and we were excited to explore it as a family. It did not disappoint! The city offered a castle, boat tours along the city’s canals, and a beautiful skyline of medieval architecture. There is a wealth of history in Ghent, and we only just tasted a sample!

Belgium is beautiful. I may have underestimated it because of its size, but it has so much to offer! I am very grateful for the time we were able to spend together exploring this lovely country with my family.

Italy

After a farewell breakfast with my family, Chris and I were off to our first stop in Italy – Venice! Ann, your instructions and maps for transportation from the airport to our hotel were clear and incredibly helpful – thank you! We spent the evening wandering the streets, eating dinner, and people watching in Piazza San Marco. The next day we traveled by water taxi around the canals and took one to the island of Murano. In addition to watching some very skilled glass blowing demonstrations, we ate our best gelato here! We grabbed a late afternoon snack of wine, cheese, and charcuterie at this local well-rated hole-in-the-wall type place that was amazing (Hostaria Vecio Biavarol)! After this we wondered the streets some more, ate a delicious dinner, and took our long-anticipated gondola ride. A perfect introduction to Italy and the days to come!

Our second stop was Cinque Terre. We stayed in La Spezia, which was a great choice – especially with our luggage (thank you Ann!). We took the train to Manarola for dinner on the first night (the local trains are very easy to navigate here!). We ate a delicious meal and then explored the town, hiking to see the views at sunset. We took the ferry the following morning to get from town to town. We didn’t hike as much as we would have liked, but we hit the beaches at Monterosso al Mare, Vernazza, and Riomaggiore instead! We spent our final evening hours walking the streets of La Spezia, which is a very lively town in the evening!

We took a train to Florence the next day. Our hotel was very close to the train station and perfectly located for exploring the city. Again, you gave us a wonderful recommendation to try the Central Market in Florence. This was our first stop – and it was huge! We grabbed a quick, delicious lunch from the upstairs floor that was filled with a number of great Italian restaurants. We met our Accademia tour guide in the afternoon, Brenda from ArtViva. Having now seen the David twice, I can attest to the value in touring the Accademia with a guide. Brenda gave many more insights about the sculpture than I knew on my own, and hearing her talk about the details with the David in front of us was incredible. After the tour, we ended up buying tickets to an opera for that night, held in a small church. We were skeptical of our purchase when we first saw the venue (it was so small!), but the talent was impressive!

The next day we actually decided to book a day tour in Tuscany with Walkabout Florence – we couldn’t resist! Even though we were disappointed to cut our time in Florence, we ended up being very happy with the tour purchase. The tour took us to Siena (Florence’s “rival” city from years past), an organic farm and vineyard in the Chianti region for a Tuscan lunch and wine tasting, San Gimignano, and a final stop in Pisa! The whole experience was wonderful, from learning about the horse races in Siena to the delicious meal at the vineyard to the spiraling, sea-legs-like climb of the Leaning Tower.

The following morning we took a high-speed train from Florence to Naples where Fabrizio picked us up for a stress-free transfer to Sorrento. Along the way, we had scheduled a tour of Pompeii. Our tour guide Barbara introduced us to the ancient city.    It is terrible to think of the fate of these people, but I am very thankful we were able to see this historical site in person. Fabrizio was kind enough to wait for us at a coffee shop (and keep our luggage safe!) while we toured with Barbara. He finished our transfer with the drop off at our hotel in Sorrento. Chris and I were excited about this hotel because of its rooftop pool!

Since we only had a little over a day to see the Amalfi coast, we split our time between a bus ride to  Positano on our first evening and a boat tour around the island of Capri the next day. Positano was gorgeous! We hiked up and down the town, dug our toes into the black sand, and grabbed a Spritz from a cliffside restaurant before taking the bus back to our hotel. Capri was also stunning – offering grottos of orange, green, and blue that you can tour with a group or by renting your own private boat. We decided to go with the group tour for the cost savings, and toured the entire island of Capri, including a stop in the famous Blue Grotto. After our island tour, we took the ferry back to Sorrento with enough time to hit our hotel’s rooftop pool and explore the town famous for its limoncello.

The next day we took a morning transfer and train to arrive in Rome by noon. After checking into our beautiful hotel, we explored our surroundings – including a stop at the Spanish steps! Our first night in Rome was our two-year anniversary, so we ate dinner at a restaurant picked out by my husband. He did a great job researching! We had wonderful service and a mouthwatering meal at Matermatuta (we highly recommend this spot!).

We woke up bright and early the following morning for our CityWonders’ Vatican skip-the-line tour. Having visited the Vatican before (but without a guide!), I was looking forward to the insights we would learn as part of the tour group. We were not disappointed! Not only were we able to “skip-the-line” and listen to our knowledgeable tour guide, we were able to enter the museum before it even opened! The early start time of the tour was totally worth it – and it included a skip-the-line tour of St. Peter’s Basilica, too. Chris and I even climbed the dome afterward! After this we actually went back to our hotel to nap – which helped us enjoy the evening of sightseeing around the city.

Our final day in Rome we did a tour of the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum with CityWonders. This tour was very informative and also let’s you skip-the-line! After the tour we tried to hop on a tour bus of the city, but I wouldn’t recommend this bus to others. The line for the hop-on, hop-off bus tours was long and the ride itself was not as informative or enjoyable as we would have liked. After we “hopped off,” we wandered the streets of Rome to sightsee and grabbed a later lunch before heading back to our hotel for our transfer to the airport. We were off to catch our evening flight to Greece!

Greece

Our private driver was waiting for us (even with our delayed flight!) and drove us to our city center Athens accommodations. Everything went smoothly, allowing us to get a good night’s rest before our 8:30am walking tour of Athens the next morning.

The tour group was the two of us and four Australian friends. We were happy to have them along since our tour guide was not the chattiest! It was relaxing to walk to the major sites in Athens, including the Parliament building with its symbolically dressed guards, the first modern day Olympic stadium, the Temple of Zeus, and the Acropolis. Once at the Acropolis, we were on our own to explore. We spent time on the mount itself – a massive example of Grecian achievement – and followed the tour with a visit to the New Acropolis Museum. This museum was incredibly well done! If you visit Athens, this museum is a must-see! For the remainder of the day, Chris and I grabbed a late lunch and then toured the city streets that night.

Early the next day we flew to Santorini! Thank you so much for booking us a gorgeous, newly renovated resort in Fira! The location was a small hike to the main streets of Fira town, but completely worth it for the peacefulness of the accommodations. We loved it! We enjoyed the pool and amenities at the resort first, and then walked into the town of Fira to explore and have dinner. After a day of on-and-off rain (so rare for the island!) the sky surprised us with a gorgeous sunset while we ate dinner on the cliffside of Fira. A relaxing, beautiful first day in Santorini!

On our second day, we woke early to catch a cable car down to the pier. I would highly recommend taking a cable car in the early morning! We had no line and barely had to wait before our car zipped us down the cliffside to the pier. We strolled along until we found what we were looking for – donkeys! We heard about taking donkeys up the cliffs of Fira, and we couldn’t resist!   The weathered Greek men practically tossed us onto our donkeys (or rather, mules, we realized), and off they trotted! No instructions or warnings of how to ride them, we barreled up the donkey path – almost running into pedestrians and other donkey/mule riders along the way. The experience was hilarious and definitely one of our favorites from the trip!

After we dismounted at the top of the cliff, Chris and I took a public bus to Akrotiri to see the famous Red Beach. It was beautiful to see the contrasting red rocks with the deep blue water. That evening, we took a public bus again, but this time to the other side of the island – to Oia. Not only did the town offer gorgeous views, it hosts the majority of the iconic Greek Isle “postcard” landmarks. Only eating our dinner paused my picture taking! It truly is one of the most beautiful places on earth.

The following morning we packed up for our final transfer before heading home! We took the SeaJet ferry from Santorini to Mykonos. Everything went smoothly with our transportation, and we were in awe when we arrived at the Myconian Imperial Hotel! The service treated us like royalty, toured us around the amazing facilities, and left us to enjoy complimentary refreshments in our beautiful hotel room.

All of our meals at the resort were delicious – from the free buffet-style breakfast, to the lunches at the poolside restaurant, to the main dinner restaurant with the gorgeous views, to the amazing sushi restaurant that took reservations until midnight. Definitely worth every penny! We made use of the free shuttle to the main town one evening, caught the sunset with the famous Myconian windmills, and ate a traditional Greek meal at the quaintest restaurant, To Maereio. We highly recommend this small, hidden eatery! It was interesting finding the place though because the streets of Mykonos were designed to confuse pirates – and it definitely is easy to get lost!

On our final day, we had reserved a horseback riding excursion through the hotel. Our guide, Angelika, was wonderful and so patient with us as we learned the ropes (literally!) of horseback riding. We had a wonderful experience – the only downer was that the pictures made it seem like we would be riding along the beach the whole time (and even in the ocean!). We actually rode on a trail to and from the beach, with a small amount of time on the beach itself. Granted, I guess the horses really like to roll around in the sand when it’s hot!! So Chris got some action when he had to quickly jump off his horse to not be a part of the backscratching party, hahaha! Thankfully he was fine – and it now makes for one of our most hilarious stories from the trip!

Before heading home, we basked in as much Grecian sun and Aegean ocean water as we could! We spent a total of three days at our resort on Mykonos, and it was the perfect way to relax, refresh, and reflect on our trip before returning home. We’re so happy we booked this trip with you, Ann! We would’ve never booked such a beautiful place for ourselves at the end of our trip, but it was the perfect way to top off our amazing adventures in Europe.

All in all, this trip was EXACTLY what we were hoping for and looking forward to – it was the trip of a lifetime! Thank you so much for making it possible!

Eating and drinking our way through Italy

October 19, 2012 by Ann Petronio Leave a Comment

Taste of Tuscany — October 2012

I just returned from a food-and-wine-focused group “escape” to Italy, and I can’t wait to share my feedback and photos from this amazing experience. We were a small group (fourteen people in total), escorted by my favorite chef (Kait Roberts, owner of Easy Entertaining, Inc.), and we had a wonderful time eating and drinking our way through Tuscany!

My husband and I flew over a couple of days early to spend some time in Rome before meeting up with the rest of the group in Florence. We arrived at the Rome airport at about 9 am on a Friday morning, and were met by a driver from Rome Cabs, who successfully navigated the rush hour traffic and delivered us safely to our hotel – the Borromeo. Despite the early hour, the room was ready and we were able to check in right away (a great surprise!) The room was quite small, but the hotel is a clean, safe, three-star property in a great location on via Cavour, within easy walking distance of the train station and the Colosseum, and it served us well as a place to sleep for two nights, which is all that we wanted.

standing in front of a domed church in Italy

After a shower and a brief nap, we took a cab over to the Vatican to grab some lunch before our afternoon tour. We enjoyed our first taste of Roman thin-crust pizza (pizza Margarita for me, and a pizza rustica — white pizza with prosciutto — for him) and their house red wine. Ahh, Italy 🙂

Our four-hour guided tour that afternoon (by Dark Rome) included skip-the-line access to the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and Raphael’s Rooms. It was great to have the guide providing history and context for everything we were seeing, but the sheer volume of art surrounding us was a bit overwhelming (especially when working on two hours of sleep!) In retrospect, while I’m really glad we got the chance to see it, I don’t think it was the best idea to tackle the Vatican on our arrival day!

After the tour, we cabbed back to the hotel (TIP: be sure to ask the price before you get into the taxi; we found that quotes varied greatly, and we haggled to get the best one) and asked the front desk to recommend a nearby restaurant for an early dinner. At their suggestion, we walked a few blocks up the street to Trattoria Nuova Stella for a dish of pasta, a bottle of wine, and some tiramisu. It was fine, and exactly what we needed at that moment (quick, close by, and plenty of available tables), but nothing to rave about.

Saturday morning, after a nice restorative sleep, we were up and out bright and early for our morning walking tour of Ancient Rome (with Dark Rome, once again). We grabbed a cappuccino and cornetto along the way, and met our guide just outside the Colosseum. This fascinating four-hour tour included the Colosseum, the Forum, and Palatine Hill, and I would recommend it to everyone. They provided so much background and history that it really made these ancient sites come alive in our imagination!

After the tour, we grabbed our map of Rome and set out to see the rest of the city on foot. Of course, we first had to find a trattoria with a little outdoor terrace (In Roma restaurant, on the Piazza de Consolazione) so we could sit down and enjoy some bruschetta, gnocchi, red wine, and my new favorite pasta dish – “cacio e pepe” (pecorino and pepper). So simple, but so delicious!

Suitably fortified, we wandered all over the city, to the Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, the Quirinale, the Medici Villa and its beautiful gardens overlooking the city, the Piazza Barberini and the Triton Fountain, and more. It was a lot of walking in one afternoon, but Rome was worth it.

That evening we met up with friends for dinner (they had arrived that day) at Da Giovanni, which had been recommended by Chef Kait (from her student days in Rome). What a find! It was an out-of-the-way little place filled with locals, and it felt like we were eating in my husband’s grandmother’s kitchen. We feasted on homemade pasta, grilled meats, local cheeses, and house wine, and the whole tab (for six people) came to about 140 Euros. On the leisurely stroll back to the hotel, we somehow found room to stop for gelato 🙂

Sunday morning we enjoyed breakfast on the hotel’s rooftop terrace and then checked out and walked to the Termini train station (about 4-5 blocks away). We already had our tickets, so it was a fairly simple matter of figuring out which track we needed and, before we knew it, we were on our way to Florence. After a 90-minute (scenic) ride, we arrived at Florence’s Santa Maria Novella station. From there it was an easy walk to our hotel – the Hotel de la Ville.

The entire group stayed at this hotel, a lovely four-star property on a quiet pedestrian-only street (the Piazza degli Antinori) just three blocks from the Duomo. We loved the large lobby bar (presided over by the friendliest bartender I’ve ever met), the daily breakfast (my morning cappuccino sported a different decoration every day!), and the gorgeous two-floor suite that they upgraded us to. Less wonderful was the ongoing problem with air conditioning (some rooms had none; some had too much), and the sometimes “chilly” front desk staff. All in all, though, it was a great home base for exploring the city.

Sunday evening the whole group met up for the first time for happy hour in the lobby bar and a welcome dinner right there at the hotel. It was the perfect way to break the ice, and it set the right tone for the rest of the week.

Monday morning we met in the lobby for a half-day guided walking tour of Florence. Our guide, “Yadri”, was an art historian with a real passion for the social and cultural history of the city, and she gave us a fantastic overview as we explored the Medici Chapels, the Duomo and its Baptistry, the Piazza della Repubblica, the Piazza d. Signoria, and the Ponte Vecchio. After the tour our afternoon was free, so several of us enjoyed some paninis and a little bit of shopping.

We met up again at the hotel that evening for a highlight of the trip – our authentic Tuscan dinner at Ristorante del Fagioli, another one of Chef Kait’s local favorites. They welcomed us with open arms into this cute little local “find”, and Kait ordered for the whole table. The rest of that evening is a blur… the dishes just kept coming! Antipasto, bruschetta, bottles of homemade wine, several kinds of fresh pasta, porcini mushrooms, potatoes, and the star of the night – the Bistecca Fiorentina (the beef is hanging in the open kitchen and they hack off the desired amount to bring out for your approval before putting it on the grill!) The whole thing was unbelievably inexpensive, and we left stuffed and happy.

Tuesday morning was drizzly, but we grabbed our umbrellas and met up with our guide for a half-day tour of Florence’s most famous museums – the Accademia and the Uffizi Gallery. This was my first visit to the Accademia, and I was not prepared for the impact of Michelangelo’s “David”. No matter how many times you’ve seen it in pictures, experiencing the real thing in person is just breathtaking!

After our morning in the museums, we had some more free time to explore Florence on our own. Several of us stopped into Trattoria Anita (yet another Chef Kait recommendation) for a “workman’s lunch” with the locals. We were clearly the only English-speakers there, and they did seat us in a separate room, but it was more than worth it for the decadent “pasta quattro formaggio”.

Later that afternoon we all boarded a mini-bus for our first excursion — a winetasting in Greve in Chianti. We drove through the beautiful countryside to Castello Vicchiomaggio, where we enjoyed breathtaking views over the Tuscan hills and a tour of their winemaking facilities. We also tasted their Chianti Classico and some delicious super-Tuscans. Needless to say, after such a busy day, we had a quiet ride back to Florence and an early dinner and bedtime.

Wednesday morning we re-grouped in the lobby for an informal walk around the city with Chef Kait. She introduced us to her favorite coffee shop, her favorite vendors in the San Lorenzo market, her favorite shoe store, jewelry store, etc. It was great to have these personal connections, and I know that many in the group took advantage of them (I saw lots of new leather jackets and silk scarves by the end of the week!) Then we picked up paninis to go and hopped back on the mini-bus for a daytrip to Lucca.

Along the way, we visited a beautiful little agriturismo called Fattoria di Fubbiano. It was up a treacherous winding road in the hills outside Lucca, but it was more than worth the scary drive! The scenery was gorgeous, and we were treated to a crash course in both wine-making and olive oil pressing, and then enjoyed an over-the-top tasting experience in an ancient wine cellar, with locally made cheese and honey, their own olive oil, red and white wines, Tuscan salami, bread, and more. The white wine was so good that we purchased several bottles to enjoy during our cooking class the following night.

After the wine tasting we stopped in Lucca for a short visit. Some of the group headed into the center of town with Kait for coffee, shopping and sightseeing, while the rest of us took a relaxing stroll along the top of the ancient city walls. Back in Florence that evening, some of us had dinner at an outdoor trattoria on one of the main piazzas, and another visit to what was quickly becoming “our” gelato shop – Grom, on the via del Campanile.

Thursday was our last day in Florence, and we made the most of it! We met Chef Kait bright and early for a visit to the Mercato Centrale to shop for ingredients for our cooking class. Everyone marveled over the huge market filled with specialized vendors selling only the freshest local produce, meat, cheese, and other products. It took hours for us to see, taste, and decide on everything, and we loved it! We spent the rest of the day shopping and exploring on our own, and then met up at the hotel for a short bus ride to Syracuse University’s villa on the outskirts of Florence, where we had rented the kitchen and courtyard for the evening for our cooking class.

Chef Kait assigned the “boys” to assemble the antipasto while she toasted some bruschetta and demonstrated her talent at making homemade pasta (it looked so EASY when she did it!) She taught us two quick pan sauces (one with dried and fresh porcinis and cream, and one with tomatoes and garlic) and fielded a wide range of questions from novice and experienced cooks, and then we dug in. The wine flowed freely, and it was as if the fourteen of us had known each other forever.

Friday morning came all too soon, and we packed up and checked out of the hotel. The lucky ones were continuing on to Venice, Rome, or another Italian city, but Everett and I were headed home to the kids. One quick connection in Frankfurt, and then we found ourselves back at Logan Airport with nothing left to do but daydream about our next trip to Italy.

If you want to see more. The photos from Rome and Florence are available on my Facebook page. And a short video of our market visit and cooking class can be found here. We’re already working on another trip for 2013, so let me know if you’re interested!

Bellissima!

August 21, 2012 by Ann Petronio Leave a Comment

Italy has been very popular for honeymoons this summer, and many of my clients have been open to exploring more than just the usual Rome/Florence/Venice itinerary. Here’s a trip report I just received from Alex and Lauren, who enjoyed an amazing honeymoon in Chianti, Rome, Ischia and Naples:

Ann,

It’s been a while and we’re still somewhat settling into our new house and we wanted to provide you with some feedback on the trip, which we still think about. Such a wonderful time. Below we’ve outlined a few things and I hope they are helpful. We’ve included a photo of us and one photo of Ischia – the view at the hotel across the board was amazing!

Radda in Chianti was unbelievable. Such a wonderful location where all the restaurants, small shops and intimacy of the town were great. Having the car was great to have here, because we got to travel around to some other towns nearby and in addition have a day trip to Florence. It was a great time here.

o Wine and Dine Package – This was great. Having the planned dinners at two restaurants gave us a good opening to further explore other restaurants in the area as we familiarized ourselves with the local foods. The wineries were great as well where we got to learn and taste a ton of red wine. In addition, having the car, we got to just drive into other wineries that were open without having a reservation which further enhanced the experience.

o Florence Day Trip – Great city. We would’ve loved to have stayed there longer, but managed to hit up most of the historical spots. Good thing we had a GPS with the tiny streets!

o Cooking Class – The cooking class we took at Leopoldo was great as well. We had an enthusiastic aunt and nephew team that cooked for us a 5 course meal where we got to experience some different cuisine when compared to the restaurants.

Rome was a definite change of pace compared to Radda. It was great to see all the historical sights and we both felt that 4 days there was the perfect amount of time. We really enjoyed the Campo D’Fiori and Piazza Navona portion of Rome. Much of our time was walking around the historic city and at times maneuvering our way through some tourists.

o Dark Rome Tour – The visit to the Vatican was a great experience.

Ischia was a beautiful island. We stayed mainly on the Mezzatorre resort because it was pretty secluded from the rest of the downtown area, but it didn’t matter much because the spa and pool there were unbelievable and the staff was impeccable.

o Boat Tour – Went around the island and stopped off at the port town Sant Angelo. This was a really fantastic spot on Ischia. Small winding streets and some great views from the port. If we ever went back there we’d love to stay in this spot for a couple days. Once back at Lacco Ameno, which was the port closest to Mezzatorre, we walked around and peeked in at some local shops. This felt more Italian than any of the locations we went on our trip.

Naples was too quick. We walked around the for about 7 hours seeing some of the sites the city had to offer and by that time it was time for dinner where we had to start to set our minds back to reality. Maybe next time!

Our hotels:

·        Palazzo Leopoldo (Radda) & Capo d’Africa (Rome): Both had great staffs and were extremely attentive to any questions we had. They provided great restaurant suggestions during our stay and were extremely helpful, especially while in Radda they provided some guidance on where to park in Florence, which would’ve been a nightmare if we didn’t ask.

·        Mezzatorre (Ischia): Took it to another level, the staff across the board – concierge, spa facilities, restaurants etc – was just top notch. Absolutely great place to go.

·        Hotel Grand Parkers (Naples): Of the 4 hotels we stayed at this one was at the bottom of our list. The concierge was okay and was not as welcoming as the others but the hotel itself was nice.

Thanks for everything!

From the Eiffel Tower to the Blue Grotto, and everything in between!

August 6, 2011 by Ann Petronio Leave a Comment

When an adventurous young bride and groom (one of whom is an art teacher) set their honeymoon sights on an ambitious (and independent) exploration of France and Italy, you just KNOW they’ll come back with stories to tell. Naturally, with a little help from an experienced travel professional, the stories are mostly of the “this was a trip of a lifetime” variety:

Hi Ann,

It feels great to be back! I would be happy to tell you everything! First, I want to thank you for all of your time and effort in planning this amazing honeymoon! During the busy time of planning our wedding, it was great to know that this was one less thing to worry about and that we were in good hands!

Our wedding was absolutely beautiful and better than I could have ever imagined! Our honeymoon was just as memorable! We saw so many great cities, monuments, and museums, and experienced so much together! We felt that we truly got to take the trip of a lifetime! This trip was one that we will never forget!

Le Royal, Paris: Awesome hotel! Excellent location, great service, good breakfast. The room was tiny, but super clean and we had a cool view of the street below.  One of the concierges even recommended to Shane and I that we take the dinner cruise on the Seine one evening, and although expensive, it was one of the most memorable things we did on the trip!  We watched the sun set and the city light up while dining on a delicious five-course meal.  Perhaps that’s something that you can recommend to future travelers!

Westminster Hotel, Nice: What a location! We had a room overlooking the Promenade de Anglais and the French Riviera. By far the best view! The service at the Restaurant and Bar out front was also great. The room itself was okay – the safe, the toilet, the A/C, and a trash bin in our room were all broken. The A/C would have been nice since it was 97 degrees! Shane and I chalked it up to the fact that we were on a budget and kept in mind that we were overlooking the water. We would recommend it, but warn that it is a bit old.

We also rented a car one day and got to drive up to the coast to Villefranche-sur-Mer, where we originally had wanted to stay, and I am so happy we were in Nice! It was beautiful, but much smaller and did not have easy access to the beach. We also saw Monte Carlo on our drive, and the winding cliff road along the water that we took was unbelievable!

NH Jolly, La Spezia: Great location, but that’s it. The hotel had a nice lobby, but the rest of the hotel was old and smelled bad, unfortunately. The carpets in the room were really dirty, also. BUT we hardly spent any time there due to our late arrival, and spent the entire next day at the Cinque Terre. I would not recommend that hotel to anyone else.

The Cinque Terre was by far my favorite part of the trip! We started in Riomaggiore, and hiked between four of the five cities (one route was closed due to a landslide). The hike itself was quite difficult, but the scenery made it all worth it! Hiking up and down the cliffside through vineyards, with breathtaking views of the water and the towns below. The last town, Monterosso, might be another city to consider if booking for anyone else visiting the Cinque Terre. Each town had authentic Italian charm, with lovely homes lining narrow alleyways, and great shops and restaurants.

Silla Hotel, Florence: Another favorite! Great location surrounded by awesome restaurants. The breakfast was good and offered the best cappuccinos we had on the whole trip! It didn’t have the view of the Arno River like we were expecting because there are trees that have grown in, but that was no big deal. Very old decor, but up to date bathroom and amenities. We really enjoyed it!

We had the opportunity to visit the Accademia della Arte and the Uffizi Museum. They were incredible, packed with so many works of art! Reservations were definitely required if you did not want to stand in line all day, so were able to have our concierges do that for us.

Serena Hotel, Rome: Good hotel, convenient location, clean. We were able to walk all the main sites of the city from our hotel (The Colloseum, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, several main Piazzas). My only warning would be that, while the hotel was surrounded by great restaurants, one of which we went to all three nights we were there, it was also right next door to an “Adult” Store that often had some characters hanging out front. It did not bother Shane and I, but I would keep that in mind when booking for future travelers who might be a bit more conservative.

Michelangelo Hotel, Sorrento: Biggest disappointment! This was supposed to be our splurge and we were looking forward to this hotel the entire trip! To just hang out on the balcony, enjoying wine and a beautiful view… And we were in a room on the second level overlooking train tracks and the back of apartment buildings! We complained to the concierges and they insisted there was nothing to do. After overhearing another man complain shortly after about the same thing, we knew we were stuck there. The room itself was okay, so to anyone who just wants a nice room this would be fine. But we were so disappointed to not have a view, even if just overlooking the busy street. Needless to say, we didn’t use the balcony, and we feel that we really missed out by staying at this hotel.

We spend our first day traveling to Pompeii which was very exciting! The second day we took the packed ferry to Capri to visit the Blue Grotto, only to find out that it was closed because of choppy weather! We ended up taking a cab to Anacapri and taking a chair lift to the top of Mount Solero. It was awesome! Best views from the top!

Bus Tours: All of the tours in each of the cities were awesome! We were so pleased to have the opportunity to see the city the way we did! It also often acted as our public transportation and saved us that expense! This was especially the case in Paris because it ran so frequently. Rome was a slower route, and had many stops that lasted more than 15 minutes, so it didn’t work quite the same way there. Overall, we loved it!

Vatican Tour: One of the highlights of our trip! Our tour guide was informative and funny, the museum was beautiful, and the Sistine Chapel was unreal! I’m proud to say, as an art teacher, that I have now visited one of the most famous works of art ever made (as well as the Mona Lisa, the David, and many others throughout our trip). We also toured St. Peter’s Basilica, which was breathtaking! You were absolutely right to say that it would not have been a trip to Rome without a tour!

Trains: Unfortunately, the trains were an absolute nightmare. In many cases, it was completely unavoidable, but I would absolutely recommend that in the future you book as many of the trains as possible.

When we were leaving Paris to Nice, no one at the ticket counters spoke English. We had to wait while they found someone available to tell us that all the trains were booked up. They finally found us two spots on a train that wouldn’t come for four and a half hours. We were charged additional fees, and forced to stay in the terminal because we had two giant pieces of luggage and had no idea what was around us. We were told that summer is a busy time with many people traveling, so it is absolutely necessary to have reservations.

When we got to Nice, we booked the rest of our trains so we wouldn’t end up waiting for too long in terminals. The trains we booked from Nice to La Spezia would require a transfer in Ventimiglia and again in Genova. The train to Ventimiglia was fine, but the train to Genova suddenly stopped for about 45 minutes. No one in our cabin spoke English once again, so it took us a long time to figure out that there had been “an accident”. We had no idea what kind of accident or how severe, and no one, not even the conductors, could tell us when we would be moving again. We eventually went ahead a couple of stops before they made everyone get off. We waited for two hours before the brought a local train half the size to pick everyone up and take us to Genova. We were packed in like sardines for another hour and a half, while they continued to stop and let people on.   By the time we made it to Genova, we were three hours late for our original train, and didn’t make it to La Spezia til 1am.   We ended up finding out that a gas line had leaked and they shut down all trains, buses, and highways in the area surrounding Genova until they knew it was safe.  It was a terrible experience, mostly just because of the language barrier and watching everyone in a panic but not having any way to find out what was going on. But I guess that’s all part of the adventure!

The next few trains travelled as planned, until the ultimate shocker on our last day! We got up early to catch the 8:30 Circumvesuviana train out of Sorrento to Naples so we could make our connecting train to Rome to catch our flight at 2:50. Apparently, July 22 was the day the only train out of Sorrento decided to GO ON STRIKE!  We had no way out of the city. The buses would take too long to catch the connecting train, and so we ended up taking a 180Euro cab ride to Naples!!!! We were so upset! We hadn’t thought of the ferry before we left, but figured it would have been packed with everyone else trying to make it out of the city, anyway. Shane would like to know if the travel insurance can cover such an unexpected expense due to the circumstances. He did not get a receipt from the cab, obviously, but has record from his ATM withdrawal that morning.

In addition to those few set backs, the trains were also very hot because of the summer heat.  More often than not, no one even checked our tickets so we only used our Eurail Passes twice. Also, having the two giant bags we had made it very difficult. Because of the fact that many of the stations did not have escalators or lifts, poor Shane had to lug both our 50lb bags up and down the stairs!  I will certainly recommend to anyone I know traveling to Europe for a lengthy period of time that they should pack the smallest bag they can, and plan on doing laundry. We didn’t want to have to do laundry, so we packed just enough clothes for the time we were gone, and it was still too much! The lack of lifts would also be significant information for anyone with a physical disability.

I hope our experiences with the trains will help you warn future travelers of the many, many things that can go wrong! We realize that there was nothing we could do to change all of these things, and we certainly would not have opted for any other means of travel, but we also couldn’t have anticipated that it would be this difficult! Speaking with other travelers on our trip, it seems that many people shared the same experiences. Two Australian girls who had been traveling for over a month on their college break through many countries said that Italy was the absolute worst train experience they had.

Hopefully all of this information is helpful to you! We had such a great time! The highlights were memories that we will share for the rest of our lives, and the few challenges just helped us to work together! If we could, we would do it all over again! Shane and I will take some time to go through our photos and send a few your way soon. Again, we thank you so much for planning this amazing trip!

Many thanks,

Alexandra & Shane

An Epic “Escape”

Eating and drinking our way through Italy

Bellissima!

From the Eiffel Tower to the Blue Grotto, and everything in between!

LET THE ADVENTURE BEGIN

EXPLORE THE WORLD WITH US

PLAN AN ADVENTURE?