Need suggestions for extended trip to Rome area (Italy)

[slodave]

To give a hint... A number of years ago, my parents rented an apartment facing the Piazza Del Campo in Sienna for a month. I was able to spend ten days there..... The day trips were fantastic!

[K-Jetronic]

...have a look here Wayne,

http://www.homeexchange.com/

..this one for example.....

http://www.homeexchange.com/show.php?id=52993&nav=Previous+Page

Met vriendelijke groet,

[slodave]

We stayed here (Sienna)...

[Neilk]

sign up to Vonage and bring the Vonage box with you so you don't have to pay for calls back to the states.

[Tishabet]

I highly recommend Florence, if I ever return to Italy it's the one city I'll insist on revisiting.

I think your idea of the two month/foreign country/working vacation is an excellent one for you and your family. My wife grew up doing this every other summer with her parents; they would choose a country and go live until her father's saved vacation time ran out. She spent months at a time in the UK, Austria, Czechoslovakia, Spain and Portugal, etc. There's an significant difference between the experience of vacationing somewhere and living somewhere; staying for two months puts you solidly in the latter... which IMHO is preferable.

Good luck!

[ErVikingo]

I started in Napoli where we landed, took the ferry to Capri, then drove from there (not necessarily in this order). Modena, Maranello (you know why ), Rome, Padova, Venice, Florence, Milano, went to the San Marino Grand Prix (Imola), made many more stops (I will list them out later - must ask wife to remind me - drove over 1000 miles) and ended in Bellagio on Lake Como and flew out of Milano.

[jhg41977]

Hi Wayne, My wife and I just got back from Italy a few weeks ago. I can recommend a fantastic place to stay in Rome, www.daphne-rome.com They are fluent English speakers and will go well out of their way to assist you in any way. They will lend you a local cell phone, arrange your tours, make reservations in other cities and make your dinner reservations. They have two inns in Rome, one is near Piazza Barbarini, this is where we stayed, Rooms 101 and 102. (Different parts of our trip). This one is a great 'north central' location in Rome. ICON Tours has fantastic Rome Tours, Vatican, Ancient Rome and two others.

We spent three days in Rome, then left for Venice. It was cold and damp. Neat city, we only spend 24 hours there though. In better weather I think it would have been much more fun.

We left Venice and went to Florence. Spent three days there. The place we stayed was so-so. Porta Faenze. Night clerk is lazy and unhelpful. The rooms were nice, but DO NOT get one facing Via Faenze, very noisy, there are two Hostels on that road and will keep you up at night. The backside has quieter rooms. I loved Florence and could easily have spent a week or longer there and not gotten bored. The Pitti Gardens are amazing. http://selectitaly.com/museums.php?product_id=26&city_id=16 We left Florence far too soon.

From Florence we went to Siena. Siena is a small town. You could spend three days there and have fun. The Palio is neat and the tower offers a great view of the city. In Siena we stayed at Hotel Minerva, I would not recommend it. Rooms were small, they were loud and the breakfast was terrible. Really nice view from our room though, I will give it that. While we were in Siena we took a ;wine tour' through Chianti region. That was probably the most beautiful countryside I have seen. If you want to rent a car, the roads are terrible, but it woudl allow more time. If I did it again I would drive through Chianti on my own. There are several vinyards that have accomodations. I would suggest a night or two in a nice place there. I will look up the vineyards we visited. There was one that was very nice.

We intended to take day trips to Orvieto and Assis from Siena. Unfortunately the wife caught a virus or something and was ill from teh day we got to Siena until the second day back in Rome. So we skipped those places. Orvieto is/was a 'summer residence' for the Pope. I have been told it is a small place but very beautiful. If you are religeous, there is a chuch there that houses the cloth that was on the altar when the the 'host' began to bleed, leading to the holiday Corpus Christi. (This was what I was told, I did not see it)

We went back to Rome and hung out there for another four days. There is so much to do in Rome, you cant spend enough time there. Go out to Antica Ostica and there are some cool ruins that have not been entirely uncovered. Including a very well preserved outdoor theater. If you hop on teh commuter train and head to the coast (Columbus stop I think) you can hang out at the public beach, great sunset, but a dirty beach overall.

Some things to not do, we found out the hard way Archeobus is terrible. Exchange your money at the ATMs, the exchange places charge a fee and are often lower rates than your US bank will offer. Stay away from 'tourist' restaurants, even if you are hungry. One place actually served microwaved pasta (American Bar in Rome) another offered fresh fruit for dessert (4 Euro) it was an apple on a plate with a fork and knife. Yeah. There is a Hard Rock cafe in Rome if you get tired of the 'local food' It sounds terrible but after 11 days I really wanted a cheeseburger. Do not buy umbrellas from the local street vendors, they will fall apart or dissolve in the rain.

If you have any questions, I would be happy to help. Have a fantastic trip!

Jim and Sarah

[Jared at Pelican Parts]

I second the idea of going to Florence instead. Rome is kind of dirty and way too touristy. Florence on the other hand is beautiful and a LOT nicer.

[jhg41977]

I forgot to mention that. Hope I dont offend anyone here but...Seems like the whole country smokes. If you are bothered by smoke, dont go out of your room. They do not allow it in restaurants and stores now, but it just makes walking around worse for that. And watch the ground for dog crap, they dont pick it up. The good outweighs the bad bar a huge margin though. Siena and Florence were my favorite walk around spots, but Rome is very cool for buildings, monuments etc. There is a monument on teh south west side, opposiote side of the river as most of rome that has a staute of a guy on a horse, name escapes me. Fantastic views from there. Oh yeah DO NOT DRINK WATER FROM THE FOUNTAINS! We cannot be sure but we think that is where my wife picked up whatever it was. Everyone tells you they are safe to drink from, yet nobody does? The water from a fountain is the only food/beverage we did not share and she got sick. hmmmm

[SXSMAN]

I'm at lunch out on the east coast so I'll have to post more info later tonight .

I need a car that can hold 3 adults and 3 children.

1. I'm thinking that just put you out of a car and into a minivan . Rent diesel and a turbo diesel if available . ( cheaper than gas )

2. agriturismo , do a google . This is the way I stay when visiting Italy . Like our B&B's but on a farm . Prices can be much better than hotels .

3. Train travel is also easy for day trips and cheap .

I'll be there in July for a wedding on the Amalfi coast , my wife is great at finding very cool places at great prices .

I'll post more info tonight .

Jonathan

[arerrac]

Wayne,
Try this company. http://www.parkervillas.com/ My family got back in October from 3 weeks. Was the best trip ever. Rented a 9 passenger Opel van.

We stayed in the Zafferano apartment in San Gimignano, Siena (13th century tower re-modeled into ultra modern apartment).

An then in Il Giardino degli Ulivi - a private home in Poggio Mirteto, Rieti. About 45 minuets from Rome. It's on an olive orchard in a very private setting.

From San Gimignano, you can drive to Siena, Pisa, Luca, Firenze ect.

From Poggi Morteto we only went to Rome. Was a bit of a drive, but not too bad. And after a crazy days in Rome, it was nice to decompress in Poggi Mirteto.

Here a few pictures.

Check out the Parker Company. Excellent locations to choose from.

One of the views from our apartment in San Gimignano


One of the other views.



Home in Poggi Morteto


View from the home in Poggi Morteto




And you have to do this when in Pisa!



Feel free to email me with any questions.
-W

[island911]

Bellagio on Lake Como would give your wife and kids a more interesting time. They will have an easy time exploring --lot's of little towns, castles and such to hike up to... It is a very large lake but a very contained area (can't get lost) that has little ferrys to take all from (walkable) town to town. The lake even has an island.

Staying in Venice is nasty, IMO. ...but at least it's very expensive. Rome, is a long ways from Monaco; Florence is closer. Anyplace along the coast north would be closer. The five towns north of LaSpezia are quaint with cool cliff-side trails between them - if you like hiking.

[72doug2,2S]

Wayne, This is a totally biased opinion below.

Italy is primary a North and South country. The North is more European and vibrant. The south is more impoverished, flat and dirty. Northern Italians are not as friendly the Southern Italians and the Northern Italians are not nearly as friendly as the Austrians to the north, but don't let that deter you from focusing on the north. They have a good reason to be so proud. I would consider Rome and Pompeii (Both need seeing) on the Southern side and I would not make Rome my main home.

(Nothing is really kid friendly here, but if you are determined I say go for it, we toured Greece with a 7 and 4 year old -it was a lot of work.)

I agree on focusing on Tuscany. I spent 1/2 year in Florence while studying at the British Institute. I never got tired of Florence. Opera, Art, History, gardens, great food, great open market shopping, Ponte Vecchio, and everything in walking distance. Never missed an opportunity for a real gelato (try several samples).

If you make Florence your main home, Pisa is an hour train ride west near the cost (nice day trip- nice football stadium), Sienna and Assisi are also good Florentine day trips. I loved San Gimignano I would make that a return day visit (nice white wines). Fiesole (hill to the East) is close and good for an evening Dinner and day views of Florence. Per our Art professor, one little known Gem is the country home and gardens (north) where Botticelli painted the La Primavera (Uffizi). We had a picnic there with some of the British girls, no one was in sight. You will have to do some research on bus numbers because it is not on the tourist map. It is on the north side of town and not an area worth seeing otherwise.

In Florence, the Duomo is best seen from the top of the bell tower, but you should climb to the top of the Duomo as the climb is a feat in engineering worth while. Apart from the Uffizi, much of the art worth seeing is in the chapels (Michaelangelo's David) and cathedrals. The Church Santa Croce has some of the more important figures buried there.

Venice is an overnighter, but you can hit Modena on the way and tour the Ferrari factory. It was closed when we went there, so you may want to get a open hours schedule (BTW There is nothing else there). You can see Venice in one - two days (more touristy).

Rome is an overnighter, you could spend a week there easy, Vatican, Coliseum, but it is a big city and not pedestrian like Florence. Might as well see Pompeii while your down there.

I agree on the smoking thing, If I were to go back for several weeks, I'd temporarily pick up smoking just to enjoy myself better. When in Rome...

[72doug2,2S]

Originally Posted by island911

Bellagio on Lake Como would give your wife and kids a more interesting time. They will have an easy time exploring --lot's of little towns, castles and such to hike up to... It is a very large lake but a very contained area (can't get lost) that has little ferrys to take all from (walkable) town to town. The lake even has an island.

Staying in Venice is nasty, IMO. ...but at least it's very expensive. Rome, is a long ways from Monaco; Florence is closer. Anyplace along the coast north would be closer. The five towns north of LaSpezia are quaint with cool cliff-side trails between them - if you like hiking.

Oh yeah I forgot, the Italian riviera Cinque Terra (5 cities). Hiking and great views. Very doable from Florence.

[Milu]

I can't help with the Rome area but I would suggest adding a day trip to Modena to visit the Ferrari complex. I would avoid the cities in July and first two weeks of August because of the heat and tourist crushes, coast, mountains and lakes are much more comfortable at this time. becareful travelling during ferragosto which is the first half of August as you risk being caught in serious holiday traffic as it's effectively a two week national holiday and most people are either leaving the cities or visiting friends and relatives.

I was in Monaco last year for the week before the Gran Prix and during: It is a total circus with a lot of the locals moving out for the GP week, organise yourself for it in plenty of time with hotel/appartment/boat and tickets. A visit to the Monza circuit (near Milan) may also be fun, its usually fairly quiet during the week.

I'm usually working in N. Italy, contact me closer to the time if I can be of any help or if you'd like to meet up for a beer and pizza.

[Moses]

I wanna go! Sounds like a great trip.

[svandamme]

get a villa in Modena
sell Porsche parts from their doorstep

[Isabo]

Don't forget to do the Amalfi drive from Sorrento. If you visit the north the Stelvio pass and the dolomites. Watchout for weekend bikers on Stelvio!

[stuartj]

Originally Posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone. I forgot to mention that I have already been to Florence, Pompei, Rome, etc a while ago. We're looking now to kindof stay in one spot and absorb local culture. How's the Internet access there? The plan is undoable without it...

-Wayne

Personally, I'd go to Umbria or Tuscany. Medivel towns like Orvietto and Perugia, just stunning, and seem very livable in the towns themselves or in the beautiful surrounds. Modern infrastructure. The food, the wine, the people, the food, the coffee- and just 1.5-2 hours from Rome via Autostrada or high speed train.

Also the BEST, hands down, driving roads B and C roads Ive ever just happend upon. Tarmac rally stages every one, on perfect asphalt and generally deserted. And they can drive. Even the taxis are peddled by Alosi's. If they are holding you up, they wave you by....Can you pack Pcar? Alfa was fun , but I was dying for the 911 last time...


Wayne, Pm'd youre your web issue.

[Ned, NYNA11]

Wayne,

Check out www.vrbo.com, houses and apartments for rent.

Ned