Italy Travel Guide

[mama squeak!]

mama squeak!, you might want to check out Genius Hotel Downtown in Milan.  It's relatively cheap and has a good location.  Just a 5-minute walk to the Duomo    It's a small hotel and the owners themselves are the ones manning the front desk and breakfast hall. 

Cheap is good! More money to spend on shopping     Thanks for the tip. Will check it out. Nice pictures by the way. I've told my husband we should start blogging our travels. After na lang daw our US trip    

Have you been to Florence? Any tips you can share?

 

[chicgurl]

^^ oh yeah! really a big help.. she is my tour guide as well coz in Italy tehy don't speak english as in only their language kaloka haha so better talaga you know how to speak their language or you have someone with you who can speak their tongue diba?

yes definitely i will whenever i visit rome we booked a hotel coz we have no friends there meron naman cheap lang sa gilid ng vatican yung best western hotel ok naman di nakakasawa ang italy ang saya

[Water and Wine]

mamasqueak! you should!! that's one of our mistakes, we should have started blogging a long time ago.  now it feels like our past travels have piled up, and it's probably going to take forever to blog about everything we did.  aside from that, we have forgotten the little details already.  start one now! i'm sure it'll be very interesting to read! 

and yup we've been to florence.  we stayed at Fenice Palace Hotel and visited the usuals - santa croce, piazza navona, the house of Michelangelo, etc.  One thing you shouldn't miss on Florence is their leather market.  They have lotsssss of goodies!  We'll try to unearth our photos and share it here soon 

[Water and Wine]

chicgurl, true, it's always better to be with someone who can communicate well with the locals!  Share your next trip ha! 

Another thing pala, be careful with the pickpockets!  They are realllllyyyy good.  And never put your bags on top of a table or chair, hold it all the time!  In Venice, an american was in a cafe with her bag sitting on the chair beside her and someone just grabbed it and ran away.  No one helped    In 1999 naman I was in a tour group in Rome, another Filipino who was part of our group, nanakawan din.  He is 6ft tall and was wearing a belt bag ha.  Imagine they were able to slash his beltbag and steal his money without him noticing it.

[lavieenrose]

Hi mamasqueak, if I may say something about Florence, (We used to talk in the Paris thread) not sure if you have already been before but I absolutely loved the place, so much- that I actually wish I lived there!

Food is one of the main things that make a place memorable for me. For restaurants, we had two locals recommend Il Latini for their bistecca. I must say their antipasti are very good as well, best bruschetta I ever had. Trattoria Mario (San Lorenzo area) was also recommended by our B&B host, it's only open for lunch and the place also tends to be so packed that they seat you with other diners. The restaurant displayed so many awards. Trattoria Za Za I heard is also popular with the tourists, but I haven't been there.

I especially enjoyed our visits at Mercato Centrale, because I love markets and they tell so much about a city. I loved looking at all the food and getting free samples-- limoncello from Sorrento, hands down the best balsamic vinegar from Modena, cantucci, pecorino romano, crackers topped with truffles... it was really such a joy and a good learning experience. You may also want to try the panino bollito (boiled veal sandwich) at Nerbone, also at Mercato. It's a local institution and they say the lines are very long come lunchtime. We were lucky to be there early.

I also enjoyed Galleria Uffizi (too bad, no pictures allowed),  I finally saw Boticelli's Birth of Venus; it has been on my bucket list for the longest time.

Some photos:
http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5038/5909344544_15cab5be67_z.jpg
http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6002/5908788421_e4248713c9_z.jpg


Do you plan on taking the Walkabout Cinque Terre trek? I regret not taking this tour, because we didn't have enough time.

[mama squeak!]

^OMG! Just imagining the food you posted makes me want to fly out there tomorrow instead of LA   
Hubby and I are foodies too. We always make sure we get to taste the local cuisine. Naku wala na si diet! But I'm sure I can work it off with all the walking we sure will be doing. I'll take note of the restaurants you mentioned. Would you remember the name of the B&B where you stayed? Am still on the look out for cheap and decent places to stay. So, more leftover euros for outlet shopping!   

Our plan is to make Florence our base for at least 3 to 4 nights. So we'll be able to do the leather market and hopefully the important museums. Though I've read that it's best to get museum accredited guides? I was just planning on buying the tickets online in advance and take our time seeing the exhibits. Did you get on a tour for the Uffizi?

From Florence, we'll be day tripping to Cinque Terre. We'll just be taking the train. We'll probably be doing the blue path trek which includes the via dell amore. Hope weather will be good as the path can be slippery when wet.

Then after Florence it's off on our Tuscany road trip. Have you done this? Any tips?

 

[bitt3rswit]

Medyo nahilo ako sa kakasearch about Italy, kaya mag tatanong na lang ako dito. Ano bang train dapat sakyan from rome -pisa-venice? May nabasa ako Eurotrain, trenitalia and coastal railway line. i'm confused.

[lavieenrose]

Medyo nahilo ako sa kakasearch about Italy, kaya mag tatanong na lang ako dito. Ano bang train dapat sakyan from rome -pisa-venice? May nabasa ako Eurotrain, trenitalia and coastal railway line. i'm confused.

If it's all within Italy, I believe it should be Trenitalia. You can book tickets online.

[lavieenrose]

Hi Mama squeak:

We stayed at Leonardo House, which is a 5-8 minute walk from the train station, and about 3 minutes walk from the Santa Maria Del Fiore (Duomo). They offer a basic room with a small TV set, the toilet and bath is shared with another room but I don't have complaints with that. The t&b is also newly renovated. My only gripe with the room we stayed in is that the room is poorly lit (not for reading) and floor is a bit grimy haha. http://www.airbnb.com/rooms/47498

We didn't have tour guides at the Uffizi-- although there were many Asian (Chinese, Japanese, Thai) tourists with guides. It wasn't a problem not having a tour guide, but if you have extra euros to spend I think it's also better to get one, especially if you are an art / history buff.

I think you'll be renting a car on your Tuscany road trip, no? We just took the Best of Florence Walkabout Tour, as we were pressed for time. I think it's the #1 suggested to-do on the Florence tripadvisor site. Tuscan towns are amazing, each has its own character and artisanal products.

Leather Market I believe is at the San Lorenzo area-- where Mercato Centrale is also located.

Have fun on your US trip!

[childstar]

Hello @ Bitt3rsweet - you can take any train. Make sure it's the high speed ones and not the commuter trains you get into, coz that's gonna take a loong time. Bullet train from Rome to Florence is about 1.5 hours. Another 30 mins from Florence to Pisa. From Pisa train station, just walk towards the Leaning Tower. A good 20 mins walk. You won't notice the time and distance coz there are a lot of shops along the way. There are quaint cafe's too in case you get hungry. I didn't go inside the tower na. That's 15 euros just to go in. Nothing spectacular inside din naman. IMO.  To cap off your Leaning Tower visit, have a gelato for 2 euros. It's beside the souvenir shops. It's soo worth it   You can ride a bus going back to the train station if you don't wanna walk all the way. Costs $1. Hope that helps!

Hello @ Mamasqueak! - when I was in Rome last year, we stayed at Hotel Veneto. It's so pricey (about 500 euros / night) but it's oh so b-e-a-utiful! The rooms are soo clean, the shower is a bit small, hard to scrub yourself. I'm complaining and I'm a petite & payatot girl. What more pa kaya taller male guests who are on the on the heavy side. I was blessed to stay in that old castle turned into hotel coz the client paid for it.    

May I suggest that you look for hotels within Piazza di Spagna area para walking distance nalang to Via Condotti (where all the high end designer shops are  ) , Fontana de Trevi, Pantheon and other Piazzas in the area. Quite far going to Coloseo and Vatican but the Spanish Steps is where the action is especially at night coz of the night market.

There's this hotel at the top of the Spanish steps talaga and their room rate is 90euros++/ night. That's cheap considering nasa prime location sila. I'll research the name ah. I looked for them in Google maps hoping naka highlight sila pero hinde eh.    There are quite a few Pinoy staff In that hotel. We ate at the restaurant kaya naka chika ko sila. Masarap naman ang food. Price range is 8-15 euros per dish. Al fresco dining kase. Naku I'm so inggit    I didn't push through with my "planned" Spain-Portugal trip this year which I previously mentioned in another thread. Need to save up for a bonggang US tour next year. My 1st time kase. hehe   You're in the US now ba? Enjoy! HTH!

** SORRY FOR THE LONG POST. ALL PRICES QUOTED WERE BASED ON MY ITALY TRIP (SPRING OF 2010).  EUROPE IN SPRING IS LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!    **

[bitt3rswit]

^sis thank u! I read somewhere na train from Rome to Pisa is 3.5hrs daw. Don't know what train yun.

We are planning to visit Rome, Florence and Venice. Hindi kaya ng day tour yun?

[childstar]

^ Baka that's a commuter train kaya 3.5 hours?  Kase what we did was Rome to Florence then train again to Pisa. Natagalan kame pabalik from Pisa to Florence coz we accidentally rode a commuter train. Ang daming stops. sa small nice towns. Ok sana if we weren't in a hurry coz day tour lang Florence namen.

Sis, di kaya ang Florence, Rome then Venice (pa north route yan). Sa Rome palang there are are so many sites you shouldn't miss out on

[joyssabel]

^Did you get to visit Juliet's house? Was your Verona day tour DIY or packaged tour? I'm also interested in doing a side trip there from Venice.

Yes, was able to visit and dropped my friends letters to Juliet's mailbox! after that we went to lake Garda.. It's beautiful!! it's DIY! commuting is very easy.

[wengerts]

^sis thank u! I read somewhere na train from Rome to Pisa is 3.5hrs daw. Don't know what train yun.

We are planning to visit Rome, Florence and Venice. Hindi kaya ng day tour yun?

sis, Rome pa lang bitin na ang 1 day... saka magkakalayo sila. venice medyo nasa north, florence nasa gitna, rome sa south

[chicgurl]

yes super bitin ang 1 day sa rome.. nagstay kami sa rome ng 3days 2 nights bitin pa din.. ang daming tao sa rome.. true layo layo nga sila.. talo ka sa travel time.. kasi from venice to rome pa lang 4-hour train ride na.

[bitt3rswit]

thank you mga sisters sa mga comments and tips niyo =) Hindi ko ata kaya mag DIY. parang gusto ko na tuloy mag join ng italy tour. =( problem ko kasi yung luggage namin. hindi ba mahirap palipat lipat? kasi ang lalayo nila?

[juana_antonia]

^Hassle talaga kapag masyado malaki ang dala mo.  Possible naman na from there, hanap ka ng mga travel agencies but siyempre more expensive and mas matagal ang biyahe (if intercity) dahil usually by bus.

[wengerts]

^^ nakalimutan ko sabihin, Rome 1 day, tapos konting tambling na lang nasa Vatican ka na. dun promise, kulang ang 1 day kasi pila galore papasok ng Basilica and Sistine. suggestion ko sa area na ito is minimum of 3 days ang i-spend mo.
ang pwede mo pagsabayin is Florence and Pisa. di ako makacomment about commuting kasi may kotse kami noon we relied on maps lang..

[Water and Wine]

bitt3rswit, i've tried both DIY and joining a Trafalgar tour.  Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.  When we joined trafalgar, it's convenient in a way that you won't have to carry your luggage around italy (especially during train rides), you have porters, and you wont even have to carry your luggage up to your hotel room.  However, these tours are usually on coach and of course, you'll be with a big group.  Time is limited and you always have to follow a schedule.  About the price, I believe joining a tour may sound more expensive but really, if you compute everything you'll spend if you tour on your own, it will probably cost more or less the same.  Another thing, you'll most likely be with seniors (unless you join Contiki).  No issues naman being with seniors except you really can't be too rowdy and you have to be on the same pace as them 

Then we tried visiting Rome-Florence-Venice thru trenitalia.  One thing about trenitalia, you have to lift up your lugagge to get on the train.  No problem if you have someone to help you though.  But still, it is not convenient to be carrying a huge suitcase.  The compartments in the train are not that spacious either.

We planned to make a short stop in Pisa since it is very near Florence, but decided against it kasi nga may mga bitbit pa kaming maleta   

As I mentioned earlier, pagdating naman sa Venice, katapat ng train station is the Grand Canal.  We had to cross the canal to get to our hotel and to do that, you have to go over the Scalzi bridge.  No elevators, no escalators.  We had to carry our luggage.  Upon leaving Venice, my friends decided to rent a water taxi just to get their luggage across the canal and it cost them 60 euros to rent one.

After those buhat episodes, I said "I'll never ride trenitalia again!"  but just last year when we went back to Italy, we had no choice but to ride trenitalia again from Milan to Savona haha.  Surprise, Savona station has no escalators or elevators too.  We had to drag our luggage 2 flights of stairs down to the ground floor.  Upon leaving Savona, same story!

Personally, I'd still prefer to tour Italy on my own.  Id rather go around on my own, in my own time, and just carry my luggage a few times in between 

[empress]

^ i saw your blog & the pics were nice! brings me back to my italy days. if I were to post pics, those were super labo coz di pa ganun ka-sharp ang aking digicam

i miss most Etrusco, the small resto i used to dine at & i would always order ossobuco con risotto. it was yum!