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Italy 2019 Trip Report - Bologna, Salerno, Rome

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This was our fourth trip to Italy in 7 years and we decided to get off the beaten path a little bit. We flew into/out of Rome due to super cheap airfare that I scored last November. Here is a report on our trip. Hope you enjoy!

Monday, April 29 – Landed in Rome and JUST missed the 15:08 direct train to Bologna. Good thing I didn’t buy the tickets in advance! We purchased tickets at the train station and took the Leonardo Express to Termini and then the freccia train to Bologna. We arrived at the hotel around 6:30 PM after a very short taxi ride (it was literally across the street from one of the parking garage entrances). We stayed at the AC hotel using Marriott points. It’s a nice hotel but geared more to business folks than tourists. It’s about a 20 minute walk into the center of town from there (our usual MO was walk in, taxi out). The first evening, we walked into the center and wandered around a little. We had dinner at Ristorante Pizzeria Mangiassieme on Via de' Falegnami. Decent food at a decent price.

Tuesday, April 30 – We explored more in central Bologna and really enjoyed just wandering the back streets and taking in the history. We walked about 7 miles this day. We really enjoyed Piazza Magiore (where they were setting up a stage for the May 1 holiday concerts) and Basilica di San Petronio. The Due Torre were interesting as well.

Wednesday, May 1 – We scheduled the Italian Days food and wine tour due to FOMO since it was a big Italian holiday. We were afraid that everything would be closed and we would end up starving! We were picked up at our hotel at 7 AM and headed to the cheese “factory”. We arrived in time to see a great demo on how they make Parmesano Reggiano from start to finish. They had about 36 vats filled with milk and ready to make cheese. We learned about the “certification” process and how the cheese wheels are stamped for authenticity. They run 24 hours a day tending to the cheese as it is made and aged. Our next stop was at a place where they make balsamic vinegar. They explained the process and we had the opportunity to taste several different ones. Our final stop was at a prosciutto production place. The store front was very unassuming with a small shop, but the place was absolutely huge! It was two stories high and at least 100 yards long with about 20 different refrigeration rooms. If you are sensitive to strong aromas, you may want to sit this one out. The smell of 250,000 legs of prosciutto and other hams in various stages of curing can be a bit overwhelming! We then proceeded to lunch (around 3 PM) and were served a proper Italian meal. The food just kept coming and coming! We had three different pasta dishes before the secondi and dolce! Plus all the prosecco and wine you would want. This was a very nice tour and I highly recommend it.

Thursday, May 2 – We walked to the train station in Bologna and bought tickets to Ravenna. Upon arrival, we went to Basilica di Sant'Apollinare Nuovo and bought the combo ticket for the 5 mosaic sights. We went to all 5 sights on the ticket and it was amazing! The detail in all of the mosaics is stunning! Overall, we walked about 6 miles today. Here is a link to a website that covers everything on these sights: https://www.ravennamosaici.it/en/

Friday, May 3 – We took a short trip to Modena and then back for more Bologna. We walked around Modena for about 4 hours, stopping for a drink and a snack. I should have driven a Lamborghini, but I’m not sure I could have gotten in and out of the car! When we returned to Bologna, we wandered more around the University area for a change of pace. Dinner was at a college restaurant called Osteria dell'Orsa. Simple and cheap food. Today’s walking total was 8 miles.

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Saturday, May 4 – In the morning, we took the 4.5 hour Italo train ride to Salerno. We stayed at La Tartaruga B&B, a small B&B near everything and about a 10 minute walk from the train station. They only have 3 rooms but our room was spacious (with a nice bath) and Paolo was very helpful in getting our itinerary lined up. That afternoon/evening, we went to the Cathedral and the Garden of Minerva. It’s all up hill to get to the gardens so bring your walking shoes! The views are spectacular! We put 7 more miles on the pedometer this afternoon/evening.

Sunday, May 5 – Even though the weather forecast called for rain, we took a day trip to Paestum. A short walk from the train station, we stopped in for a pizza and some fries at Ristorante della Rose directly in front of the Paestum ruins for lunch. We purchased our tickets and went through the sight. It wasn’t crowded at all and we could easily take phots without other tourists in the way. We spent about 3-4 hours wandering around taking photos. Back in Salerno, we had dinner at Pinocchio restaurant which is on the back side of our B&B building. It has a large menu with plenty to choose from and portions are pretty large. The Carbonara and Cacio e Pepe are both really good. We became friends with our waitress and her boyfriend who also works there. We ended up dining here twice. Another 7 miles on the shoes today.

Monday, May 6 – Today, we spent a lot of time on trains and in taxis! The downside to staying in Salerno is that you “can’t get there from here”! We took a train to Pompeii and then a short taxi ride to the Pompeii Scavi entrances. We explored Pompeii for a few hours using the RS walk as a guide. I was surprised at the number of people there on a Monday. It was very crowded. From Pompeii, we took the Circumvesuviana to Sorrento just to see what was up. You know what was up? The population! Man, that place was crowded! We wandered around a bit and then headed back to Salerno via the Circumvesuviana, taxi to the Pompeii train station and then regular train. It was raining cats and dogs by the time we got back to Salerno and we go soaked walking back to the hotel. This was the most walking we did on the trip – 9 miles today.

Tuesday, May 7 – Today was the best day weather-wise on our stay in Salerno. We planned to take the ferry to Positano and then Amalfi, but they were only sailing to Amalfi due to choppy seas. The ferry dock is about a 10 minute walk from the hotel. When we arrived in Amalfi, we checked in with the ticket office to make sure there were no ferries to Positano. The ticket agent asked me if I wanted to go now because there is a ferry leaving in 10 minutes! We hopped on that ferry and headed to Positano. Upon arrival we headed up the hill to Lo Guarracino for lunch. The view is spectacular! We took the ferry back to Amalfi and toured the cathedral and wandered around a little more. When we returned to Salerno, we went to Paolo’s favorite pizza place for dinner. Pizzeria Criscemunno (near the Cathedral) did not disappoint! We only walked 6 miles today.

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Wednesday, May 8 – We took a morning train to Rome and took a taxi to our hotel. We stayed at the Rome Cavalieri on points. One of, if not the, nicest hotels I have ever stayed in. It’s a bit out of the way but they have a shuttle into town that drops you off near the US Embassy. We took the shuttle and started our walk down Via Del Corso at Piazza del Popolo and ended at the Victor Emmanuel monument (with side trips to many churches, Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain). We walked a total of 7 miles today.

Thursday, May 9 – By this point in the trip, we were getting a little tired and decided to pace ourselves. We spent a lot of time sitting and watching Rome go by over the next couple of days. Today’s main sight was the Capitoline Hill museum. I was surprised by how big this place is! There is a great viewing terrace overlooking the Forum. This is a nice museum! We went back to the hotel and ended up having dinner in the restaurant there. It was a very nice meal. Despite pacing ourselves, the pedometer showed 5.7 miles.

Friday, May 10 – Today we had reservations at 13:00 at the Borghese Gallery. We rented the audio guide to provide us context/information. Since we were near the front of the line, they sent us up to the paintings on the top floor first rather than the sculpture gallery floor. It was very difficult to find the correct channel on the audio guide since the numbering on the audio guide doesn’t match the numbering of the rooms shown on the map. Several rooms had no audio commentary at all. Had we started on the first floor, this would have been obvious. Once we got to that level, we started the audio from the beginning and went through the sculptures. The collection here is amazing! After the Borghese, we took a taxi to the Vatican. The piazza was packed and the line to get into St. Peter’s was about an hour long. We skipped going inside this time since we have been a few times before. We then walked back through Piazza Novona and to Campo de Fiore where we had dinner at Hosteria dei Baullari. We had the Bistecca and bruschetta which was enough food for the two of us. It’s a nice enough place just on the edge of Campo de Fiore. Only walked 5.4 miles today.

May 11 – Say bye-bye a Roma! We took a taxi from the hotel to the airport for a 9:40 flight to JFK, then to DC and finally Charleston. After 23 ½ hours, we finally walked into our home! Phew!

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Great report!

Really enjoyed your info. on Bologna.

We had planned to do trips out of Bologna to Ravenna and Modena, but had already logged more time on the trains than we had planned, so saved it for next time. Glad to hear it's possible.

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