Just returned - Questions Welcome!

Celeste:
These are exact places I plan to go (plus Cinque Terre), so reviews of sights, hotels, tours, etc. will be very appreciated. Also, Cordenons is not far from Belluno, where I have family that I plan to visit for a few days. I was thinking of staying in Siena, taking a day trip to Florence, and then spending 2 days visiting other towns in Tuscany......did you drive anywhere or take trains/buses? Was the flight going there overnight and did that cause much fatigue at the start of the trip? Did you go in May and if so, was the weather too warm, rainy, etc? How about crowds? Any info will be helpful and thanks. Laura

Celeste, Did you fly into Treviso? If so, from where and with what airline?
Grazie!

Hello Celeste, Do you have the contact information for the lady in Rome? How far away from the center of Rome? How much was the rent?
I have been looking at the Best Western Hotel in Rivoli but it seems a bit far (3 kil from center). Are taxis too expensive in Italy? Thank you.

Hi Celeste! I have a question... I will be flying out of FCO in a couple of weeks to Chicago (via Alitalia). Did you happen to fly out with them, and if so, did you have any bad experiences with checked bags? I am kind of worried about my checked bag not making it back to the US... Grazie! :)

Let em answer these in reverse... Kimi, we normally do not check bags, But this particular time going from FCO to JFK, we checked our carry-ons with Alitalia and had no problem getting them at JFK. Of course, you pick up your bags at your first stop in the US to go through customs whether that first stop in the US is your destination or now. All in all I was very pleased with Alitalia on our return flight except that they never got the personal screens in the seatbacks to work for everyone. Susan, I did not fly in or out of Treviso. I only passed the airport while driving around with my daughter. Laura, I'll start with your easiest questions. We spent two nights in Siena. We took the early bus up from Rome and spent the rest of the day in Siena (one of my favorite cities). The next day, I rented a car and we went to Montalcino, Sant' Antimo Abbey, and Montepulciano. This was a 9-5 trip and we didn't get more than an hour or two at each place so you might want to do this as part of your two days wandering around Tuscany. I have driven in Europe many times and loved my little manual transmission Fiat. Remember you will pay more for an automatic. The drivers in Tuscany were much more courteous than in Rome! We did not spend enough time in Siena so plan to return. We were going to spend a third night there and do a day trip to and from Florence, but realized it would be more direct to go to Florence, spend the night, and then go on to my daughter's rather than backtrack to Siena. We took the bus from Siena to Florence, the train from Florence to Pordenone, and the train down to Venice. Since we were flying out of Rome (long story why), our last morning we took the bus to the Venice airport, flew Easy Jet to Rome, killed a few hours in the area, then flew Alitalia back to JFK.

Sorry, Laura, I ran out of room. The Siena bus station is within walking distance and the train station is not so better to take the bus in and out. I have flown to Europe on overnight flights so many times that it doesn't bother me at all. Take a Tylenol PM or have your doctor prescribe a few Xanax and you will nap throughout the flight. When you get there, you'll be too thrilled to be tired. If you are, take a one hour nap sitting up. If I lie down, I'm done for. We've been to Europe in May many times and this was the best weather by far. The only rain we had in two weeks was in Venice, which looks good no matter what the weather is. June, July, and August are brutal with heat and crowds. The crowds were just starting when we came home on June 8th. In Rome we rented an apartment from a lady we'd rented from before, we stayed at Antica Residenza Cicogna in Siena (recommended), Hotel Sempione near the bus and train station in Florence (recommended), and our second time at Locanda di Orsaria near the train station in Venice. Very short walk to and from the train and charming people. The train from Cordenons is only 5.40 euros and takes 1:15 but spend at least one night in Venice because there's nothing like it. I don't do tours; I prefer to wander. And I've seen all the sights so we didn't do anything special this time. For anything more specific, feel free to e-mail me at [email protected] but remember, you have to research, research, and then research some more to have a good trip!

Hi Celeste, When you went to Florence did you go to the Accademia and Uffizi? If so how did you do your reservations? My hotel has told me that they won't make them for me. Did you wait till you were there, if so any problems getting the time you wanted? Thanks!!

Leslie, They are easy to book online.

@ Michael 1- Yeah but I really hate having to pay so much extra to do so online if I don't really need to. =)

Leslie, (I know a Leslie from Lewiston... I don't think you are her, though, 'cause that would be weird!) A girl studying abroad with me got into both the Accademia and the Uffizi this past weekend (Saturday/Sunday) without reservations and without having to stand in line for too long--or at least I am assuming not too long since she did not complain about it! (She said the wait for Accademia was about 30 minutes.)

Oops--forgot to say thanks, Celeste! I am flying nonstop FCO to ORD. I mean I would be shocked if they didn't manage to get my one bag on this one plane that is making no other stops, but crazier things have happened...

How was your travel on Easy Jet? We have a flight booked from Lyon to Venice. We took the minimum options with no add-ons (like checked bags, seats together or early boarding).

Do you get charge sitting down at a cafe for a cup of coffee.Someone told me that when you order your coffee don't sit down.Is this true?

Whether you get charged for sitting with a cup of coffee depends on many things. It's most likely to be true if you want to sit at an outdoor table at a major tourist spot (Piazza San Marco being a great example.) Most Italians drink their coffee very quickly while standing at the bar where they ordered it. You won't get charged any extra if you do this. At a lot of the coffee bars, you have to give your order at the cash machine, pay, get a receipt, and present the receipt at the counter to get them to make your order. They might ask you when you're ordering if you're going to sit inside or outside. If inside, there usually won't be any additional charge. If outside, you'll pay extra. If you first sit down at an outside table and a waiter comes up to take your coffee order, you can rest assured you're going to pay extra for the table.

"@ Michael 1- Yeah but I really hate having to pay so much extra to do so online if I don't really need to. =)" It is an extra €4 per head if you use the official site.

Edith, if you go to vrbo.com and put in #336305, you will see the apartment I just stayed at and all the info. I paid 120 euros per night in shoulder season but the site shows different prices. She also has the penthouse apartment in the same building (vrbo #215521). It's a great location, right on Campo dei Fiori, 5 minutes to Piazza Navona, 15 min to the Vatican, and 25 min to the Colosseum. They are all easy walks. 3k is only 1.8 miles so a taxi would probably cost you about 7 euros, about $10. If you've never been to Rome before, you may enjoy a hotel more than an apartment where there is no one to answer any questions you may have each day. Leslie, we didn't do anything but wander around and drink wine in Florence. No culture! Mike, I was really pleased with Easy Jet's service. BUT, be aware you can only bring ONE carry-on each. We each had a carry-on and a backpack and had to check the carry-ons. Joanne, your question has pretty much been answered. If you order coffee from a waiter, it will cost more. Some places allow you to buy it at a counter and bring it to a table. The prices are always posted somewhere. Remember that a BAR is not a bar like it is here, it's the center of Italian life! Most are open very early to very late and they have coffee, soft drinks, and liquor.

Any problems with using credit cards, especially in train stations? Have heard that it is getting harder to have our swipe cards and not the European chip and pin type.

No problems using credit cards or ATM cards.

If you try to use a US based credit card in a machine at a train station in Italy you will not be successful. You need to go to a manned ticket booth. A non chip n pin cards don't work in most european self service machines like train and gas stations.

"If you try to use a US based credit card in a machine at a train station in Italy you will not be successful." Hmmm, I have had this problem in France, but not Italy. The machines that cell the intercity and longer trips take my card fine. The machines that are exclusively for regionale, are cash only.

I had no problems with my US based credit card at the ticket machines in five different train stations four weeks ago in Italy! I worked so well each time that I had no need to purchase from a ticket agent.

Lisa, I'm not sure what you experienced, but just last month I used my regular credit card to buy train tickets at the machines in Rome, Verona, Padova and Venice.