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Post by chech on Jan 22, 2016 17:25:31 GMT
Just took a glance at stuff I can do in Italy and had to book a couple things on Viator as they seem to be filling up (day tour up to Vesuvius and Etna). I have full free days in Sorrento, Florence, Venice and Catania (Sicily). Any suggestions as to what is not to miss. Options: Sorrento: Three full free days. Will do one day in Pompeii on my own. Considering day tour to Amalfi and Capri on the other two days. Worthwhile? Is one mode of travel better than another to those two spots (rail, bus, boat)? Florence: There is an optional to Pisa and Lucca. Viator has similar tours that include Pisa, San Gimignano and Siena. I will go to Pisa just to see the iconic tower (I know it's not terribly exciting otherwise). So, for someone who likes scenery, castles and photography...what would be the best day tour? (Cinque Terre tours look too rushed from Florence). Venice: No idea what to do on my free day there. Suggestions? I get a half day included tour and an optional gondola ride. Next day is free. Catania: Two free days. One can include visit to the Valley of the Temples. For my third free day, I booked a full day tour on Etna. I can take a boat to Stromboli on another day. Worthwhile? Thanks
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Post by californian on Jan 22, 2016 18:07:12 GMT
My two cents Chech: Do not miss the Amalfi coast, small buses from the main piazza take you in a great ride, (seat in the right side)
Take the boat to Capri and the small boat to the Blue Grotto. and enjoy Sorrento, a paradise in my view.
I never went up the Vesuvius, but I did go up the Etna, very interesting. If the tour doesn't take you to Taormina or Syracuse, go. Especially to Taormina
Instead of Pisa, go to Siena and San Gimignano (my opinion) but if you go to Pisa, go to the Camposanto, next to the tower and cathedral. Florence has so much to offer, you can spend three days there of course.
There is plenty to do in Venice, but sadly I have always done the same thing, just walk away for the main areas.
Enjoying your travel day to Cuba.
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Post by plane2catch on Jan 22, 2016 18:31:24 GMT
Chech, make sure you see the Rialto Bridge in Venice, even if your walking tour doesn't go there. Relaxing in St. Mark's square sipping a cappuccino is always fun. Especially if one of the café's has some live music going on. Glad you're not getting dragged into a Murano Glass blowing sales pitch. Some people really like their glass work. I am not one of them. The third time I was in Venice I had some time to kill and asked a local if there where any beaches near bye. Forget the name of the beach but was given adequate instruction to take a boat or water taxi to the location and enjoyed the visit.
I haven't been to Sorrento in 35 years but I remember the views along the coast were breathtaking. The blue grotto boat trip to Capri is worth it for seeing the glow worms. Hoping you have some die for good Italian pasta and sauces. Hoping you have great clear skies and all around good weather for your trip. Chow, baby!!
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Post by chech on Jan 22, 2016 18:32:26 GMT
Thanks. Yeah, I'm wondering if Venice is a place I can just walk all day (like Dubrovnik). I could dig that. It would be a relaxing day after two weeks of travelling at that point. I'm staying very close to Taormina in Sicily (Giardini Nexos). Is it also a spot I can spend a day wandering? (I will miss the included tour cause I'll be going up to Etna and then have two free days). Still looking closely at Stromboli. They stick around the volcano after dark so that we can see the lava flows. And I imagine in April, crowds won't be too crazy on the boat. I might consider the viator that goes to all three spots of Pisa, San Gimignano and Siena. Looks like a circle drive.
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Post by californian on Jan 22, 2016 18:36:41 GMT
Definitely you can spend hours in Taormina, there are local buses from Nexos.
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Post by chech on Jan 23, 2016 13:37:18 GMT
I just noticed that the Ostia optional in Rome gives us the option to stay at the site and take the train back on our own. Is it a spot where I want to spend more than 2.5 hours? And if I had to choose between Capri and Amalfi, which would I choose?
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Post by plane2catch on Jan 23, 2016 14:13:44 GMT
Are you thinking of giving up Amalfi and Capri for Ostia?
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Post by plane2catch on Jan 23, 2016 14:21:51 GMT
Although I have never been to Ostia I guess the question is whether you would prefer to spend time at an archeological site vs. getting to see the natural beauty that the land has to offer. I think it would be better not to skip the Amalfi Coast and Capri for what you would see at Ostia. People rave about the coast line. It reminded me of some of the coast near Monaco. I don't hear people speaking of the old Roman port very often. Guess it is an individual choice Chech. Good luck trying to decide. I guess when I read your travel tale I will know your choice. Just think your in a pickle if you have to give up either Amalfi or Capri!
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Post by chech on Jan 23, 2016 15:02:52 GMT
No, Ostia is offered in Rome. Amalfi and Capri would be my choices in Sorrento. I don't know yet if my first day is completely free...if it isn't, I will have to choose between Amalfi and Capri.
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Post by californian on Jan 23, 2016 15:52:08 GMT
I am not saying this is easy doable, but there is a way of doing both the Amalfi drive and then take the boat to Capri and back to Sorrento. In a long summer day you should have time for both.
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Post by solaria on Jan 23, 2016 20:13:12 GMT
I certainly enjoyed being able to go along the Amafi coast and explore Capri. However, if I had to choose I would opt for Capri as I really enjoyed that day. Especially liked going up to Anacapri to visit the Doctor's house whuch was fascinating and the views were fabulous!
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Post by plane2catch on Jan 23, 2016 20:49:50 GMT
I am not saying this is easy doable, but there is a way of doing both the Amalfi drive and then take the boat to Capri and back to Sorrento. In a long summer day you should have time for both. Looks like Chech is implying that the possibility exist that she may only have a half day available to see both Capri and the Amalfi coast. I hope that isn't the case. I think that would be a difficult choice but knowing how much Chech travels I am not overly stressed because odds are that she would return to Italy some day. Sometimes it is nice to leave some places to see in future travels. Just saying.
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Post by chech on Jan 24, 2016 12:43:40 GMT
No. I'll have a full day for each if my first day works out. I have yet to get confirmation that I can get the extra pre-day in Sorrento. If they can't get me there, I'll have to stay at another hotel (likely a Naples one) and that will shorten my first day - likely too short to do anything. If that works out, I'll have three full free days before the tour starts. One for Capri, one for Amalfi and one for Pompeii. I can't see getting back to Sorrento, but I might get back to Tuscany area, so I may leave Pisa for now and go see Siena and San Gimignano since that day is five hours shorter than including all three. Bit of juggling. Hopefully Viator will come through with the stuff I book myself. The reviews on the site for Italy doesn't indicate anyone missing pick-ups like I've seen in other nations.
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Post by solaria on Jan 28, 2016 3:47:47 GMT
I would recommend Siena and San gimignano in preference to Pisa.
Which tour have you signed up for? Seems like a lot of the sites are not included?!
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Post by tiffany on Jan 28, 2016 13:11:45 GMT
Hi Chech, based on my two trips to Italy, this is what I would suggest: Sorrento: Sorrento itself is beautiful, and you can easily spend a day just walking around. I wish I had more time to spend in Sorrento when I was there. I loved both Capri and the Amalfi coast, and I really can’t tell you what to pick. We went to Positano on our Amalfi optional, and the breach was beautiful. The views were also beautiful during the drive there. Unfortunately, we did not get to do the Blue Grotto optional while in Capri, due to the weather, so instead we went on a tour of the Villa San Michele in Anacapri, which was the home of the Swedish physician, Axel Munthe. If you have to choose between these two places, I really can’t give you any advice and I loved them both! Sicily: I did the optional tour to Savoca (where the first Godfather movie was filmed) and Etna, and really enjoyed it. One of my favourite pictures is from Etna (see below). Florence: There’s a lot to do in Florence, and you could easily spend a full day there. Pisa is a waste of time, but if you want to see the leaning tower, then I would suggest the Viator tour that includes Pisa, San Gimignano and Siena. I’ve never been to Siena, but I have been to San Gimignano and loved it. Venice: You can easily spend a day just walking around Venice, and touring Dodges Palace as well as St. Marks. If you have time, you should take a boat ride to Burano, an island in the lagoon of Venice. The homes are painted different colours so the fishermen could find their homes at night when it was dark. It was very picturesque. Rome: I went to Ostia during my first trip to Rome and enjoyed it. It’s not as big or as crowded as Pompeii, and it’s well preserved. I loved Italy both times I was there, and will definitely go back again someday. I’m sure you will love t as well, regardless of what you tours you decide to take. Etna Burano
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Post by chech on Jan 28, 2016 16:23:32 GMT
Awesome pics! It's nice to know that I can easily wander the cities if I want to. Definite possibility in Venice and the afternoon in Rome after I return from Ostia. And if I'm late arriving into Sorrento, I will have time there too. Still trying to decide on Florence. Might do Siena and San Gimignano and skip Pisa since that tour gets back so late. That option in Venice looks like a great idea! (And it's the same reason the houses in St.John's were so colourful...for the fishermen to find their house). When I'm done with the Cuba tale, I can start looking much closer at Italy stuff. Did you use Viator in Italy? Any issues or problems?
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Post by tiffany on Jan 28, 2016 16:32:17 GMT
I didn’t use Viator in Italy. I just booked the optional tours offered by Trafalgar. I didn’t have any extra time in any cities during either of my Italy trips. When I go back to Italy again, I hope to fly into Florence early in order to have time to see some of the museums and walk the city. We didn’t spend enough time there on either of my Italy tours.
I booked Viator tours in Lisbon, Zurich, London and Athens, and didn’t have any issues except for in Zurich. For some reason, I decided to call to confirm my second Viator tour while in Zurich, and I’m glad I did, as they told me they were canceling the tour because they didn’t have enough people signed up for it. If I hadn’t called ahead of time, I would have went to the meeting point for nothing. None of my other tours have been cancelled.
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Post by marielouise on Jan 29, 2016 6:21:05 GMT
I agree with Solaria and Tiffany, that Pisa is not very interesting. Our tour went there from Venice passing Florence on the way. I wish that we could have been dropped of in Florence instead. I would have loved to go on the optional also but we went to the Uffizzi gallery instead. The optional was either San Gimignano or Siena , I don't remember which. We did not really spend any time in Sorrento, although we had 2 nights there. In the morning we went to Capri, which I really enjoyed and went to Axel Munthe's house in Anacapri and then to the gardens. I had been to Capri and on a longer Amalfi drive with my parents, eons ago. In the afternoon, we went on the Amalfi drive to Positano. Both of these optionals were very picturesque, with very good weather. I don't know if you would see much in rain.
My daughter and her DH went on their own from Rome to Ostia. They took the train and hired someone to show them around at the site. They enjoyed that very much.
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Post by tiffany on Jan 29, 2016 12:36:26 GMT
Chech, there’s so much to see and do in Italy, you can’t do it all in one trip. Just pick what interests you the most, and you’ll just have to go back again someday to see the rest!
If you’re a pasta lover, like I am, they make this pasta dish with eggplant in Sicily that’s really good. You’ll have to try it when you’re there. Also ,the best pizza I had was while in Capri. One thing to note, pasta in Italy is not like it is in North America. It’s usually just pasta with tomato sauces that’s flavored with garlic, onions and spices. There’s no green peppers, mushrooms, or other veggies added, and there’s no spaghetti and meatballs (Italians eat their meat balls as a separate course). On both of my tours, North Americans kept asking for the spaghetti and meatballs, and were disappointed when they were told they weren’t going to get any. Some people were disappointed with the spaghetti sauce, and found is plain, but I loved it. We only had pasta with a cream sauce once, and I can’t remember the region. I do remember that I really liked it though, and that it was very tasty.
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Post by chech on Jan 29, 2016 13:29:32 GMT
Yeah, that's what I'm thinking about Pisa as a tour I'm looking at does the coastal area and includes Pisa. I like the Italian pasta, too. When I was in Milan 25 years ago, my ex- just closed his eyes and pointed at the menu and got pasta with octopus. Needless to say...I don't point and hope for the best. LOL This tour does include a pizza making dinner that I'll do. It's the only meal related optional I'll be taking.
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Post by jinxie on Jan 29, 2016 21:54:02 GMT
When we were in Italy a few years ago we took every opportunity to be in or near the water because it was so hot. It was just a chance to cool off a bit. I love the Italian sauce. Having married into an Italian family I quickly learned to make fresh sauce. It's just lovely and, it's so easy to make. No more Prego sauce for me!
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Post by chech on Jan 29, 2016 22:29:29 GMT
That's why I chose April. It's not hot.
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daphne
Junior Member
LOVE Travelling!!
Posts: 58
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Post by daphne on Feb 1, 2016 11:49:54 GMT
Chech, sooo excited for you!!
Agreed with S & T, would definitely skip Pisa and rather go to San Gimignano (awesome gelato) and Siena.
Sorrento I would love to go back to, lots to see and walk around town. Difficult choice between Capri (wonderful ferry ride from Sorrento) and Amalfi (Positano is beautiful), hope you can do both!!
Florence, my fav city in Italy, could stay there for a week!!
Yes, do a boat trip to Burano, have a wonderful seafood lunch (Ai Pescatori or Al Gatto Nero da Ruggero _ best voted Trip advisor)!!
Also do not miss the Rialto Market!!
Enjoy, much jealous, BUT will be doing Tuscany (Rome, Montecatini, Siena, San Gimignano, Lucca, Pisa, Florence) in July whohoo!!
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Post by chech on Feb 1, 2016 12:22:10 GMT
Thanks! I noticed the tour offers the excursion to Burano. I'll definitely sign up for that. Tuscany in July! Wow. You don't mind the heat?
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daphne
Junior Member
LOVE Travelling!!
Posts: 58
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Post by daphne on Feb 1, 2016 12:47:27 GMT
No not at all, we are used to 41 Degrees Celsius (experiencing that now), would always love to go in June/July, as I can travel light, love the summer, not a winter's person, longer days ... and I know its more expensive and very busy in Europe that time... but that time of year is also my best time to travel workwise, as we have winter holidays and our season coming to a halt (apples and pears exporting) for 2-3 weeks. I hope we can expect lots of pics and a great tale
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Post by chech on Feb 1, 2016 15:34:31 GMT
41! <cough><cough> I'd be a puddle on the sidewalk!
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Pauline
Full Member
Normandy, Brittany & the Loire Valley, WW1 Battlefields and Northern Spain in Sep 2023 with Insight
Posts: 210
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Post by Pauline on Feb 1, 2016 22:23:56 GMT
chech, what tour are you doing? I'm sure you have most probably posted it somewhere and I have missed seeing it.
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Post by chech on Feb 1, 2016 23:12:03 GMT
It's a Monograms tour. They're the sister company of Globus that offers more independent travel where you don't have a guide through the whole tour. You just do a string of day tours, optionals and they take care of the hotels, all transfers etc. The Italy one is here and the extension to Sicily is here.
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Post by californian on Feb 2, 2016 1:24:43 GMT
Taormina, at night, is just the best place to watch the Etna, hope you have a good show when you go.
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Post by chech on Feb 2, 2016 12:21:02 GMT
Hopefully not too good of a show...lol
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