Here's a report from one of our clients on their 2007 visit to Italy.  We want you to have as much information as possible for your trip to Italy, so read on and enjoy the pictures too.

Nancyhelen:
Here's my brief report. The trip to Italy was a little mixed. Some things were fabulous, others somewhat disappointing.
Regards,  Sanjoy

Venice:
Our hotel in Venice, the Domus Cavinus, is hard to find and several of the boat taxi's couldn't take us there. It is an old, partially remodeled building across the street from the Bella Arte hotel (you need to tell taxi's to go there). The rooms were spacious and the bathrooms were the largest and best of all the places we stayed at. My window opened into an inner courtyard, and it was nice and quiet. Once you find it, the location is also very convenient, being 2 vaporetto stops from St. Mark's square.

The included breakfast was also quite good, different breads, cereals, juices, fruit, salami and mortadella, cheeses, and hot drinks. However, the juices were watered down and sugared canned stuff, and the coffee comes from an automatic dispenser....both should be avoided. However, I asked for an espresso, and they immediately went to the real espresso machine in the bar and brought it for me....now that was a REAL cup of coffee. I would definitely recommend this place especially at the price, which was definitely a bargain for Venice.

Florence:
The apartment in Florence was very nice, 2 BR, 1 BA and a pullout bed in the upstairs office. There was a small garden-terrace with a full-on view of the Duomo which was about 1 block away (see below).

Behind us was the church of San Lorenzo and being on the 6th floor we had a panoramic view of Florence spread out on all sides.

The two upper floors ( the kitchen and dining area, and another stairway leading to the office and terrace) are accessed via very open rickety staircases, so that may not be suitable for small kids or older folks with balance problems! The place has a washer, so we also got to launder our clothes which by this time definitely needed it. The weather was a little rainy but we saw the Uffizi and Duomo museums and generally walked around town or sat on the terrace and snacked and drank wine.

Country Trips - The Chianti Wine Road:
The best country trip was down to Panzano, on the Chianti wine road, where we took a half day wine and lunch tour of the winery of Castello Verrazzano (Count V. discovered New York harbor, and the Verrazzano Narrows bridge is named after him). They have been producing wine here since the mid-1100's. The location is on top of a hill, surrounded by gardens and vineyards and olive groves....very beautiful. We tasted 5 wines and they put on a 5 course lunch to go with it....that was fabulous (see below). They also have rooms for rent at 80 Euro, with an incredible view of the Tuscan countryside and a great restaurant just a few feet away....definitely worth considering for the next visit.

From there we went to the best town by far, which was San Gimiano, untouched and mostly the way it was 800 years ago. We also went to Lucca, Pisa, and Sienna, but the chianti countryside and small towns on the wine road between Florence and Sienna were absolutely the best and most enjoyable.

Milan:
Also, on the last day in Milan, we took the train to Varenna on the shore of Lake Cuomo, and then the ferry to the charming little resort own of Bellagio. We basically sat a a restaurant on the shore, and had a long relaxed lunch and enjoyed the magnificent views all around us. That was a very relaxing day and a good way to wind down from our trip.

Things to Watch Out For:
Tourism in Italy seems to have picked up considerably, it being around Easter and spring break time. The tourist areas near the best attractions were crowed and noisy, the people rude and everything very expensive. The food and wine at the restaurants near there was terrible, food almost inedible, wine of the kind that is best made into vinegar and which I certainly wouldn't drink in the USA. I suggest a distance rule, so that one should avoid all restaurants within 3 blocks of a major attraction. This doesn't of course apply to Rome, where there are many very decent places near the major attractions, such as around the Pantheon and St.Peter's cathedral.

Venice definitely falls into this touristy category, and after thinking about it I realized that there were probably the same number of tourists there every day as in Rome or Florence. The big difference is that in Venice they are jammed into a few acres around St.Mark's square and the Rialto bridge, whereas in Florence or Rome they are spread out over many square miles! Some of our worst and most overpriced meals were in Venice.
 

To have us plan your Italian adventure by bus, train, car, boat or air call us at 206 363 6575 or Email us.

Also check out: The Northeast & Central Italy - Milan, Venice, Verona, Padua, and more

Northwest Italy - Turin, Susa, Val d'Aosta, Olympic Valley, Monferrato

Lakes of Northern Italy - Lake Garda, Lake Como, Lake Orta and more

Southern Italy - Naples, Pompeii, Sorento,
Capri, Amalfi Coast

Italy from a client's perspective
The Good, The Bad, and the Fabulous

Rome for Kids

Read about the Fischer's trip to Italy

 

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