Viva Italia 9/15/11 - We're Back!

[carpenta]

Tink, Thanks for your great report. We have only traveled with ABD in the U.S. and know about that "magic". It really saves alot of time. We have cruised with Disney twice in the Med. and they(DCL) have the same pixie dust in their excursions. IT makes the whole time less stressful.

 

[beachcat]

Hello Renee

Did you see La Botticella or Taverna Piscinula while in Rome? The former is supposed to be a good sports bar while the latter is a good pizza place I have on good authority. Patti has already found a jewelry store close to the hotel, but I am still looking for sights outside of the tour. Got any suggestions? Thanks


Richard

 

[Diskidatheart]

Hello Renee

Did you see La Botticella or Taverna Piscinula while in Rome? The former is supposed to be a good sports bar while the latter is a good pizza place I have on good authority.

Richard

Beachcat...I just wanted to let you know that La Botticella is more of a Pittsburgh Steelers bar than a sports bar. If you are looking for a place to watch sports, it may end up disappointing you a bit. If you are interested in finding it, it's very close to Piazza Navano and I could give you better directions as the guides probably won't know where it is. My wife and I searched a little while before we found it, but it is really simple to find once you know where it is.

 

[beachcat]

Hello Diskidatheart I printed a map out will instructions from all my Steelers friends to take pictures and buy Italian terrible towels if they have any. Did you go to Largo di Torres Argentina by chance? Patti wants to see all the refugee cats that hide there. Wondering if it is worth the effort.

 

[Diskidatheart]

I did not go to Largo di Torres Argentina. To be honest, I'm not sure what that is. We took a couple of Penguins t-shirts with us and gave it to the owner so he gave us a free Italian Steelers t-shirt. I don't know if they have Italian terrible towels at La Boticella, but I was able to find one in Pittsburgh. The shirts are really cool and they are a great conversation piece since they are in both Italian and English.

 

[beachcat]

La Botticella has a good facebook page which shows their towels. I am supposed to buy at least 3. Largo Torres di Argentina is a square with ruins that all the feral cats in the area have adopted. I don't know if it is worth visiting but I will find out. Time for some good pizza ina couple of weeks.

 

[jlou]

Great trip report! Thanks for all the great tips!

 

[CoolDisGuy]

Tink

Fabulous trip reports! Very detailed but still leaves a few hidden details - I love it!

There were two places on my wish list that are not part of the itinerary, the Tower of Pisa and Pompeii. After reading a lot of reviews, it seems the Tower of Pisa is not worth the time and effort and difficult to fit into the itinerary. However, Pompeii is a must and I was thinking I would just tack it onto the end of the trip. Travel back to Rome and spend two more days there using one day for a trip to Pompeii and then departing on the second day. Thoughts?

When did you find out who your guides would be (was it only on arrival)?

Sounds like you had a fabulous time! I am planning to go in May 2013. There is an adult only adventure that month.

Thanks again for sharing your experiences.

 

[mapsd]

..There were two places on my wish list that are not part of the itinerary, the Tower of Pisa and Pompeii. After reading a lot of reviews, it seems the Tower of Pisa is not worth the time and effort and difficult to fit into the itinerary. However, Pompeii is a must and I was thinking I would just tack it onto the end of the trip. Travel back to Rome and spend two more days there using one day for a trip to Pompeii and then departing on the second day. Thoughts?....

We solvedthis by arriving a few days early and travelling down to Pompeii before our Viva Italia tour begins. Lodging in Sorrento is signficantly cheaper than Rome and you have a chance to see the Amalfi Coast/Capri along with Pompeii.

I think most do an open-jaw ticket: flying into Rome and out of Venice. Venice->Pompeii->Rome would be a llong train ride or require flying, so unless a round trip to Rome is significantly cheaper than the open-jaw option, back tracking for Pompeii would take signficant time/$$.

We're not planning on seeing Pisa, but it could be done during the "down-time" day in Tuscany.