We just returned from our Italy trip this past Thursday evening.
It was beyond outstanding! Pristine weather, only one partially-overcast afternoon with 15 minutes of drizzle---
otherwise sunny blue skies and fairly cool (it cooled off after we arrived, very lucky).
10 nights total: Rome 3 > Monterosso 2 > Florence 4 > Rome 1.
TRAINS from city to city. I love trains. To me it's like riding Disney World's Monorail.
Everything was great.....accommodations, food, sights, tours, trains, walking,
taxis, all the people...everything.
Began at Rome Marriott's Autograph Hotel, Palazzo Naiadi.
During the whole trip we saw and did lots of wonderful things, such as museums (Borghese, Ufizzi, Vatican) housing works by Bernini (Pieta),
Da Vinci, Bellini, Michelangelo (Sistine Chapel ceiling & David), Rodin (small version of "The Thinker" at Vatican), Rubens, Raphael, Botticelli (birth of Venus), Bellini, etc, etc., toured well-known sights like the Vatican and Florence's Duomo, Scala Sancta (Holy Steps), Ponte Vecchio (shops, plus bust of Cellini with "love locks" affixed to surrounding gate), private tour of Colosseum and Forum, statues of David (inside and outside), Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, other popular city piazze, plus many other churches, cathedrals, and basilicas (toured Santa Croce where Michelangelo, Galileo, and Machiavelli are entombed)....also did lots of walks to experience the popular minor sights everywhere.....
but our BEST DAY?
We booked a full-day tour to Tuscany out of Florence with "I Just Drive", and the specific tour was called "Chianti's Best-Private", the same one that TUG member "cp73" booked on his trip to Italy last Fall (Thanks Chris for that and ALL your advice)
Our driver was Leonardo (did you expect anyone else?)
Could not have been better. We visited San Gimignano, Siena, Monteriggioni,
and a small hilltop winery/farm in Tuscany.
We had a group of 8, and that was a good & comfortable number for us.
We were already traveling with another couple who were hometown friends,
and there were two additional, independent couples totaling 8 people.
One couple was from Sacramento, the other from Philadelphia. The winery was our last stop....great tour with wine tasting and cheese, olive oil, breads, meats, and awesome wines. We all hit it off very well. Great looking bunch of girls, I tell you!
It was a great day among great days.
Upon our return to Florence everyone went over to our place for more wine and more fun----we had an amazing 2BR apartment in the center of Florence with a huge private terrace that could host a private party (and did). We sat around the terrace for about an hour, then walked to dinner, and absolutely had a blast.
At dinner we sat outside at a great corner ristorante, and began collecting bottles and glasses as we dined, so to speak. The food was awesome---we began with several kinds of appetizers. My group of 4 had already dined there twice because it was so good. The wait staff recognized us each time we walked in, and we had excellent service.
Everyone loved it, and we literally closed the place down.
We laughed & talked, told stories, and finally exchanged contact information.
No one wanted to leave. We vowed to get together again somewhere great, and I honestly believe we will.
Might be a River Cruise, as that seemed to be what we all were looking forward to anyway.
My last comment to the group, after standing up and clinking my glass,
followed the lead of Humphrey Bogart (said to Ingrid Bergman) in
the movie "Casablanca"......
that is, "We had a wonderful time, we are now great friends, we hope to meet again, but IF we never see each other again,
we'll always have FLORENCE".
(Bogart said "We'll always have Paris" to Ingrid Bergman, but you get the picture.)
We all teared up and said long emotional good-byes. What a fantastic day.
Back to ROME, since all roads lead there....lol.
............As mentioned, for our first 3 nights in Rome we stayed at the
Palazzo Naiadi Hotel (a Marriott Autograph Hotel) a few blocks
from Roma Termini, Rome's major train station. Easily walkable.
The hotel was absolutely fabulous and quite luxurious. Wonderful and friendly staff.
We had 2 huge bedroom suites after receiving an amazing upgrade.
The head concierge was Stefania Primavera ("Stefani"), and we all became fast friends with her. She had the widest and most genuine, happy smile I've ever seen.
She's definitely the best concierge or hotel staff member I've ever encountered anywhere at anytime, anywhere in the world. She did a lot for us, even arranged a Private Colosseum Tour when everything was totally booked, and they
picked us up at the hotel! She even walked us outside to the driver.
Even after we checked out after 3 nights, she continued to keep up with us throughout our trip via email (phones), and lovingly welcomed us back to the hotel for our final night in Rome...When she saw us walk back through the revolving doors, without hesitating she called out my name and ran to greet us.
Kudos to Stefania!
After Rome we traveled to Monterosso (Cinque Terre) and used a 2BR Airbnb,
and did the same in Florence.
The 2BR in Monterosso was wonderful, but naturally smaller and had steep stairs, but not a problem as they all did.
It was comfortable and very adequate....and obviously close to everything.
The private apartment in Florence was everyone's favorite because of the charm----it was very large with tall decorated ceilings, and several special perks. The building was built in the 1600s, the owner said, but she had remodeled the interior in keeping with the restrictions. Small but nice kitchen, beyond adequate.
WiFi, Netflix, the awesome terrace, tall double doors that opened to the terrace,
and personal service by the owner Marie 24/7 (she is a former fashion designer).
She came to sit with us when we first arrived, so that she could advise us on things and the wonderful neighborhood. On our last morning, a go-to taxi driver friend picked us up at our front door along the tiny narrow street where most taxis don't go. We'd stay again tomorrow! We already miss that place, and our new friends from the day tour were amazed at our luck in finding and booking it.
I'm sure I'll be sharing a few great stories and pictures with my closest TUG friends over the next few weeks.
If anyone wants to visit Italy and hasn't yet been, GO SOON!
You're missing a treat, and it's not as expensive as you might think.
Our Delta round-trip flights from East coast hometown Augusta > Atlanta > Rome were only $800 per person thru AAA.
Flights were wonderful.
We still had plentiful Marriott Rewards Points available, but will use them for other things soon......
Ciao ciao everybody.