The next issue is whether or not to take a good part of the next day making a large detour to Ravena on the way into Tuscany. I love mosaics and Ravenna's are said to be the absolute best. Is it worth taking most of the day on our travel day to Tuscany to see some of the mosaics in Ravenna? And that assumes we should not try do it all from a single base hotel. We are looking at two rough areas: (1) Chianti, with a location that does not rule out a day trip to Lucca, and (2) the area of Siena and Montalcino/Montepulciano. Can this be comfortably done from a single base location, or should we spend 3 nights in Chianti and two nights further south? Specific lodging suggestions are welcome. We would like to keep it below $200 a night, but that is not absolute. And, while we will visit busy/popular places like Siena, we do not want to stay in a large/busy (car banned) town. A short walk with luggage to/from a parking area in a smaller town would be OK. An agriturismo is also an option, if it is reasonably close to one or more towns with good restaurants. We do not want to have to eat dinner every night at our agriturismo. Then it is on to Rome for three days before heading home. A few B&Bs that have caught my eye are Buonanotti Garibaldi and Arco Toleme in Trastevere, Valle della Camene just east of the Circus Maximus, off of Via di Valle della Camene, and Casa Montani at the Piazza del Popolo. Please give your general thoughts on the locations, as well as any personal experience with these specific properties. Thanks in advance for your help.
Posted by
Cesena, Italy
791 posts
If you like mosaics then take a trip to Ravenna. It's roughly 60 miles from Bologna. Just take A14 towards Ancona and you'll be there within an hour. There's plenty of parking areas around the centro also. I've been there twice and plan to return soon.
Posted by
Dallas, TX, USA
1170 posts
Regarding the Arco dei Tolomei. I stayed there once and was overall pleased with their accommodations. It was maybe a little too dowdy for my taste, and a little pricey, but their breakfast spread in their large dining room is very nice. Another choice, on the ground floor of the same building, is the "Arco del Lauro". This is absolutely my preferred place to stay in Trastevere (Rome). The rooms are reasonably priced and the innkeeper, Lorenza, along with her assistant Daniella are so friendly and helpful. The Arco del Lauro does not serve a breakfast, but they do give you a coupon daily to use at the coffee bar around the corner; a really great place to sit outside and enjoy a Cappuccino and Croissant. TripAdvisor.com gives both B&Bs good reviews.
Posted by
Denver
787 posts
Particularly if you already know that you love mosaics, then you should definitely include Ravenna. The mosaics there are amazing, and you can get very close to them (closer than you can get to most of the mosaics in Venice or Rome). After first visiting Ravenna several years ago, we included a visit there again when we visited Italy last year. Re where to stay in Tuscany, I prefer the areas further south over Chianti (and I much prefer Brunello wine over Chianti, so that's a big factor). No harm in splitting your time in Tuscany, though, into two separate lodgings, as long as you don't mind moving. We like staying in San Gimignano, as it's delightful in the evening after the day-trip tourists have gone. But you might want to stay further south. The B&Bs in Rome, IMHO, are all not quite in the middle of things you're likely to want to visit. We love to walk, and like staying closer to the Piazza Navona / Pantheon area. Not quite a B&B, but delightful staff and great, quiet location, is Residenza Canali ai Coronari (we've stayed here twice). A residenza is basically a small hotel or inn. Like a B&B or a home, there's a bell downstairs, and they ring you in.
Posted by
Seattle, WA, USA
7737 posts
Another great church for mosaics is the Santa Maria in Trastevere, with its 13th c. gold mosaics. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Maria_in_Trastevere