The Honeymooners

[jere7my]

No turning back now — we're going to Rome.

(!)

I found tickets at Orbitz that were (a) about 2/3 the price of the lowest tickets I'd seen previously (~$600 each, including all taxes and fees), and (b) non-stop on the return flight, when we'll probably be desperate to get home. We'll stay a few days in Rome, then spend a week touring the north of Italy by train in an easterly arcwise direction, going from Florence to Ravenna and...some other places. (Any suggestions? adfamiliares is down on Venice.)

I've never been to Europe, and haven't left North America since I was eleven. Eep.

Comments

[ruthling.livejournal.com]

sounds awesome, when are you going? I recommend gelato, other than that I don't have much to say about the areas you're visiting.

[jere7my.livejournal.com]

End of June/beginning of July.

[ckd]

By then, it's quite possible that TIM and Vodafone Italia will have the unlocked iPhone 3GS in stock. Hmm....

[jere7my.livejournal.com]

Why must you tell me these things?

Where my wife can see?

[ckd]

Because I'm eeeeeeeeeevil.

As for other reasons to visit: I've never been to Italy, and the nearest I've managed is Switzerland; our closest approach to Italy was probably somewhere on the train between Lucerne and Interlaken.

[miraling.livejournal.com]

Ooh congrats! I recommend taking lots of pictures so those of us who are schoolbound or whatnot

[miraling.livejournal.com]

Premature posting!

...so that those of us who are schoolbound or whatnot can live vicariously! :)

[fiddledragon.livejournal.com]

Sorrento is beautiful and contains many many wonderful-smelling lemon trees.

[mst3kforall.livejournal.com]

That sounds terrific! There are multiple venues (LJ, SWAPA, ...), should you wish to brag post a travelogue afterward

[rose_garden.livejournal.com]

They just had a segment on NPR about Italian food in Italy: link to asx file. Actually, I recommend Travel with Rick Steves in general.

[psocoptera.livejournal.com]

Assisi is more or less on the way from Rome to Florence; I thought the tomb of St. Francis was worthwhile, and there's a castle at the top of the hill.

Sounds like a neat trip, can't wait for the zine!

[sinsofthedove.livejournal.com]

I've heard lovely things about both Lucca and Siena, if you are into small walled cities, though I have been to neither.

[flammifera.livejournal.com]

Yes, during my trip last fall I chose to spend a week in Ravenna, but both of those cities were highly recommended to me by my boss (whose wife is Italian and who spent some time in Lucca earlier in 2008) and the local Slow Food leader. I mentioned Ferrara in my email, too.

[elwenlinuiel.livejournal.com]

I love Venice. It is a bit touristy, to be sure, but there are no cars, and even just wandering the streets is exciting. It is a beautiful city, like no other that I have seen.
Florence is also lovely. climb to the top of the Duomo, because it gives the best view of the city and surrounding countryside. The Uffizi is worth the wait, esp if you chat up the street artists around the square. They gave me tips on my sketching when I was there. :)
I second the gelato motion. eat it every day. it is that good.
have fun, and post pictures!

[jaipur.livejournal.com]

Dude. Awesome. :) You could do months in that area and not see everything. Fantastic.

[redcat9.livejournal.com]

I've only ever been to Sardinia, but the biggest thing about that trip was how fantastic the food was.

Eat pasta a lot, because it will be fresh and better than anything you have had in the U.S. Go to the grocery store and buy yogurt and cherry tomatoes: the yogurt will be creamy and not sour and the tomatoes will sweet. Even if you don't like seafood, consider trying something if you are in a coastal town. Don't be deterred by the outside appearance of an establishment--some really crappy looking places ended up having excellent food.

And the time of year you are going, it will be *hot*.

[(Anonymous)]

Having just been there in mid-May: Venice felt like a dying town, and dreadfully expensive. Maybe worth seeing once, but I wouldn't go back. Rome: had a heat wave when we were there, so turned out to be pretty miserable. Consider priceline for hotels (check betterbidding to see what others are getting). I think the Vatican Museum is cool. Get a Roma Pass. Busses are cheap, but you'll need to buy a bus map.

Get a good guidebook: I like Rick Steves'. Only if you're really into the art and want more in-depth museum tour should you go for his city-specific books; otherwise just get his Italy book. If you're driving, get a good road map.

Our favorite part of the trip was the Cinque Terre. We stayed in the smallest of the towns, Corniglia, which we loved, but it can be a bit isolated from the rest of the world (e.g. the last bus up from the train station is around 8pm, so you're basically stuck having dinner in town, which leaves about four restaurants plus the pizzeria, or cooking in your apartment, if you remembered to shop at THE market earlier). But such a nice town. Christina Ricci is the person to rent rooms from there.

Another gem was the sulfur hot springs near Saturnia. There's a cascade that you (and a hundred of your closest friends) can bathe in for free. Google for it. It WILL require a car, and a bunch of twisty driving. Or you can stay in the upscale spa in the town, but I doubt it's as noteworthy of an experience. On our way from there to Rome, we had the best meal of our trip, somewhere off the beaten track in one of Tuscany's little walled cities. I'll try to find the details and send them.

[madrobin.livejournal.com]

Sorry about the anonymous bit; silly me, not realizing I wasn't logged in.

I'll reiterate the heat warning you just got: it was pretty warm in mid-May, nevermind when you'll be there. Rome was brutal. Given the predicted weather, I'd be tempted to avoid the inland cities entirely. Or at least plan accordingly. Rick Steves' suggests splurging on A/C in Rome, at least.