This Spring Bill and I made a wonderful trip through out Italy’s Lake region, Tuscany, and Amalfi coast. One of the reasons for making this trip was to find Bill’s family birth place in the hill country around Sorrento. We accomplished all of the goals set for the trip and in the following paragraphs I will try to indicate some of the highlights of the trip along with some of the problems and suggestions for future trips. I hope that our experience will help you in making future trips to Europe and Specially Bella Italia.
This trip was totally made by me with the help of the Internet. I was amazed of how easy it was to make room reservations, trains, car rentals etc.
Here is the first suggestion to you. If you are making car rental reservations, make sure you do not leave the car any place other than the airport during the weekend. Car rentals at rail stations or town offices are closed from 1:30 PM Saturday until Monday morning. I can tell you how frustrating it is to find the office close when you arrive into Naples train station with many bags. That was the situation for our fist problem two weeks into our trip. Naples train station is the perfect place to lose a bag without you even noticing until is too late. My day pack left the cart while I was running around trying to find a phone that worked to get info about our rental car. That evening I also noticed that our plane tickets were inside the day pack which is a stupid mistake. We both have money belts and for some reason I did not put the tickets in them for the train ride. That was also were we lost all of the digital pictures made during the previous two weeks of the trip. Although that was a low point during the trip, we still have enough pictures between both of us, that the memories are well documented. As you will see in another email with a program that you can download for your viewing. This particular program keeps the pictures in the net so your hard drive does not have to softer with the large file. The program allows you to see the pictures for seven days, and allows you to forward them to another party.
The trip started in Milan. The airport is pretty new and was outside Milan, very close to the auto Estrada for Lake Como. That was our first destination. The little city is called Cernobbio. A beautiful town on the lake.
This town is where Villa D’Este is located, One of the villas for royalty during the hey days of Como during the mid 18th and early 19th hundreds. It is hard to imagine how vast and beautiful these Villas are, the views of the lake that they command are magnificent. The size and opulence is beyond comprehension. It must have been a grand time to be part of the life style. One of the surprising things for us was the large number of villas around the lake. It does give you the feeling that there is so much money around.
We had reservation Hotel Giardino two star Albergo half a block from Villa D’Este. 150,000 lire per night ( $75.00) for a double room with breakfast and parking. The room had a balcony and a limited view of the lake. The town of Cernobbio has a park where you can see Villa D’Este in all of it splendor. The town has lots of nice restaurants and is well located for public transportation to Como. Como was a little disappointing, Not what we expected as a town but the villas around and the view of the lake are breathtaking. After resting the first night we went to Lago Maggiore. This was one of the two days that we got rain in our 22 days. The trip to Stressa, a little town in Lago Maggiore were you get the ferries for the three Island that one of the wealthiest Italian family( Barromeo) own two of them. Isola Bella and Isola Madre. We got a private ferry that tooks us to Isola Pescatori for Lunch and then to isola Bella for Turing the Villa and its gardens. One of the must fantastic things that happened here was at the restaurant. As we were being sitted, I looked to the table next to ours and there was my friend Dag Ness from Guatemala. Dag was a gentleman I worked with during my trips to Guatemala. He was with his wife, visiting one of their daughters which is living in Milan with her husband and three boys. Imagine the coincidences and wonderful surprise we all got with this encounter. It was a good omen for the rest of our trip and a wonderful lunch with friends. The beginning of a good relationship with red Italian wines started with that Lunch and it remained with us for the rest of the 22 days.
The private boat was waiting for us after lunch and took us to Isola Bella. That was a of the many highlights of the lake region of Italy. This family spend several hundred years making the paradise with white peacocks wondering in the gardens, to inside grottos for the summer days made with rocks found in the lake for floors and the walls all adorned with intricate mosaics and coral rocks. The villas ceilings and walls are all painted with incredible frescos. We got a boat back to Stressa. We had a café espresso and got our first gelato. We had one of them each night for the rest of the trip.
The drive back to Cernobbio was fine even though the rain was hard at times and made it hard to see. We rested and got dressed for diner at a Hotel by the lake in Cernobbio. I can not tell you that we did not have a bad meal in Italy with the exception of a very bad pizza frozen in Como.
Next morning we got up early and drove to Tramezzo. A little town on the Lake Como where Villa Carlotta is located. What an amazing Villa that is, and its gardens are unbelievable. So many different types of palms and flowers.
The azaleas were in full bloom and I must tell you it was breathtaking. From there we got back in the car to Menaggio. We parked and bought a day pass on the Ferry to Bellagio. The day pass lets you get back on the ferry and go to Varenna and return to Menaggio. The ferry is very nice were you getting beautiful views of the lake. Bellagio is like a jewel in a wonderful point on Lake Como were you have a full city with lovely shops, Duomo, Rockefeller Villa museum, etc. It is one of the must beautiful places on the Lake Como, has many things to see and places to shop. We has a very nice lunch there and enjoyed the visit very much, hopped back on the ferry to Varenna, had a drink and got back to Menaggio late in the afternoon. A full day with many vistas to remember and enjoy later as you think of the day, driving back to Cernobbio.
Got back early and started our drive to Cremona, a stopping place before getting into Tuscany. This drive took us first to Bergamo. This city has an upper city which was the oldest and is reached by funicular. It was lovely with beautiful views and much history. From there we went to Mantua, A city that the Gonzaga Family lived and made though many centuries the Palazzo Ducale which is something to behold. So many different influences and beauty which is really worth a trip. Lovely wall city with many shops and the Gonzaga also made in the outskirts the Tea Palace for the summer days.
The Duomo in Mantua is also a masterpiece.
From there we drove to Cremona, the birth place for Stradivario, the violin maker. We found our guest house and parked the car. The guest house was one of the real surprises we got on this trip. It was a palazzo that Maria Antoinette the owner has started renting rooms to help her and her husband renovate the palazzo. We got such a beautiful suite of rooms fit for a king. At a very good price ($80.00). We stayed only one night. Maria Antoinette was a very gracious host, showed us her home full of antiques. We found this though www.Dulce Casa.it in the Internet, quite by accident and were nicely surprised.
From there we drove to Tuscany, to San Gimignano. A wall with towers 12th century city in Tuscany close to Siena and Florence. A perfect place to stay as you drive during the day to all of those beautiful town in Tuscany. The hotel Il Pino right inside the wall by the San Mateo entrance. This hotel was very nice ($50.00) per night without breakfast and beautifully located in this historic town. Many good restaurants and great gelato. Parking was close to the hotel and free. We were very glad that we were here in late April, during the season the crowds must be pretty hard to handle and parking is probably impossible.
We used San Gimignano as the base for our trips throughout Tuscany. We got up early found a place for breakfast in San Gimignano and started our drive to Lucca. One beautiful well preserved wall town in northern Tuscany.
It is beautifully preserved, it has a magnificent Duomo, an old amphitheater left from the roman times made like a plaza now with lovely restaurants and shops. This city is not well known by travelers, it is a little out of the way from the normal Siena, Florence destinations. It is well worth the trip to Lucca.
From Lucca we drove to Montecatine Terme. It has health and therapeutic Baths. It also has a high city which is reached by funicular. Beautiful views from the high city. We tried to get to the bath house but the parking was full and we were getting tired. The drive back to San Gimignano was long. Got back rested and found a restaurant in town.
Next day was a long day we went to Monteriggioni another perfectly preserved wall city with twelve towers all around on the same 12th century wall. Small town very nice to visit little to see. From there we went to Siena. Very impressive town, with Piazza de Campo in it center, where many good restaurants and shops are located. We had a wonderful lunch in the Piazza the Campo and it was a very sunny and hot day. All of the days in Tuscany were hot and sunny, really lucky for us. The green of the hills and the crisp views of the wall cities on top of so many hills are views to behold. Tuscany is a wondrous place that requires time to assimilate its beauty and way of life. We could spend many more days in the Tuscan country side.
After Siena we went to Buoncovento, and Montelpulciano. Buoncovento
Small towns where many Untours have apartments for guest, is a nice little town in the middle of Tuscany. Montelpulciano is a big wall city with many things to see and it has a big Duomo. Beautiful views from the top wall of the Tuscan country side. Return to San Gimignano for dinner and packing for our drive to Florence.
We drove into Florence on May 1st Labor Day in Europe. First thing you find is that all gas stations are close and only use hard cash or local Italian bank cards. Here we are, ready to return our car in Florence Train Station, with out a full tank. We stopped and used all the cash we had, some good Italian couple gave us some money to complete 10,000 liras which were the minimum allotted to get any type of gas from the pump. We got almost a full tank and started the horrendous task of finding out where to return the car in the Florence train station. Again I remind you of never doing this. Always go to the closest airport return there and take a taxi to your hotel, you will avoid lots of frustrations and lose of time. We finally found were to return the car near the train station, we got there it was closed and we had to leave the car parked in the street and drop the key at a drop box. We were worried that the car would be stolen and that we just bought a Fiat Brava.
We just got back the bill and all is ok, the car got returned fine. Again you do not need the stress, go to the airport.
Florence was a wonderful experience the Hotel Medici was super had a garden terrace with a view of the Duomo, very centrally located, clean , and at $100.00 per night with breakfast was a very nice find that we recommend to anyone that wants to really see Florence and be walking distance to everything. Florence is something that is indescribable and you just need to go and spend time there. 3 full days 4 nights was enough to have a good idea of the magnitude of the city, it’s content and will give you enough time to evaluate future visits if desired. The time we spent was perfect, our last visit to Florence was too short.
We packed and got to the Train Station in Florence. A pointer here. Go to the Train Station the day before your trip and if you do not have reserved tickets get them earlier. You could find out that the train that you want is full and you have to find another one that may interrupt your plans. That is what happened to us in our way to Naples. The train that I wanted was full, which made us take another train that required change in Rome. The train from Rome was 30 minutes behind, which caused for us to arrive after 1:30 pm in Naples, causing for the rental car place to be closed. This made us crazy , so one of our bag was left without the proper attention, long enough for it disappear. We finally found our way to the airport in Naples, got the car and stated our trek to Positano in the Amalfi coast. The Amalfi drive is a beautiful experience, but raining like it was and the buses being as aggressive as they are we were pushed to the wall in one of the turns and the rented car got scrapped on it’s side. Thanks to the prevention of insurance it did not cost as much as it would have, so that was good news. We finally got to Positano, it took two hours for that drive. I can not tell you the level of stress I was left after getting to the hotel in Positano. With the bag issue and the plane tickets lost and the drive I almost dropped dead at the site of the bed in the room.
The hotel was the Hotel Bougainvillea. Our room had ocean view very nice at ($82.00) per night with breakfast. We recommend this place, Carlo Coumo the owner is a wonderful guy, very helpful. The hotel is centrally located close to public transportation, which reminds me to give you another tip. Do not rent a car if you come to the Amalfi coast. The car stays in the parking lot at $25.00 per day, because there is not place for you to park the thing once you are out and try to visit any other place in the Amalfi coast.
We needed the car one day to go and visit Bill’s father home town in the outskirts of Salerno.
The first day in Positano we took the bus to Sorrento. Had lunch there and took the ferry to Capri. What a beautiful place that is, full of restaurants, shops, and beautiful sea views. A very nice day trip from Positano. You get back and you are ready to rest and take in Positano. It is a little town by the sea, full of restaurants, shops, fisherman, and lots of tourist. Again I say to you, not sure how I would have been able to take this place in full swing during the tourist season. I guess parking is just impossible and you spend the whole day trying to find a place to park.
We found a great restaurant called the three sisters at the sea level of the town. Great food and atmosphere. The waiters were very good the food was well priced and the wines were superb. Really Positano was a wonderful experience that we recommend to anyone that wants to see beauty and relax in the southern part of Italy by the sea away from Naples.
This is the day that we are going to find Bill’s fathers birth place. We drove 5 hours trying to find it. We stopped at a gas station, we were hungry and needed directions to find the place. At this little gas station we found a man that has worked in Elizabeth New Jersey, spoke English pretty well and was able to tell us how to get to were we were going. One thing that we found all through Italy, once Bill told anyone that he was trying to find his father place all of the Italians became so much friendlier and helpful. You can see immediate friendship being formed. They were very proud that an American would be interested enough to come back to see where they were from.
Bill’s father was born is Castelnuovo de Conza. This town was leveled by an earthquake in 1980. We finally got there and immediately realized that the town looks brand new. The Duomo is being rebuilt and there is only one old street left. The cemetery was closed and the municipal building was also closed. So we were not able to look in the cemetery for old family names and the hall of records was closed. We took pictures and found some tiles and a statue that we brought back to the USA. The statue is in our garden and the tiles are in the bird bath. It was emotional for Bill to finally see the town of his father origin, in all it was well worth the trip. The towns around Conza are beautiful. Very high mountains and lakes surround it with beautiful green hills. The pictures that we took depicts them pretty accurately, we hope you enjoy them as we did.
Drove back to Positano via Sorrento not Salerno avoiding the Amalfi coast. I wish the rental car attendant would have told us about Sorrento vs. Salerno, the difference is two hours of pure hell and stress.
The next day we were too tired and really need a complete day of rest. We both decided to skip Pompeii, for a day at the beach. The days were not very sunny, with no rain, and perfect for walking in the town. We took the public bus and drove us to the top of the town, and walked back down to the beach. The walk provides beautiful vistas to the ocean and other town in the Amalfi coast. Many café’s on the way for stopping, drinking some Campari and orange juice looking at the sea and relaxing from two and half weeks of traveling, getting ready for the next five nights in Rome.
Got up early checked out of the hotel and parking lot and drove to Naples train station. To return the car and get on the train for Rome. The car return was non eventful, compare to the other times. We were so grateful and the stress level began to go way immediately after giving those car keys back. Got on the train and the trip was easy and comfortable. Got to Rome Termini Station. Very apprehensive we took a taxi to the Hotel, to our surprise it was less than a block form the Termini. Hotel Rubino not a nice place but clean and centrally located. Double room with bath and breakfast($81.00) per night.
Rome is a city that you must keep your wits about you at all times. We were always tense in the metro and the public transportation trams and buses. Bill got pick pocketed on the metro from the Coliseum to the Termini, one stop in the metro. They only took his cash about $50.00 but no credit card etc. Again the money belt is a must in Rome.
We walk Rome which is not difficult because everything is so close. We bought the weekly pass for metro, buses etc which we recommend to anyone. To have a car in Rome is insanity. We saw everything we wanted, the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel were highlights, the Borghese Gallery was exceptional (MAKE SURE YOU MAKE RESERVATION). Had wonderful dinners in Rome, and enjoyed walking via del Corzo from Plaza Popolo to Victor-Emanuael Monument. There was a Velazquez exhibition that really showed the artist incredible talent.
Rome for the jubilee has been cleaned up a lot. The Vatican looked wonderfully clean, as the Sistine chapel frescos looked so more vibrant and colorful, I was able to sneak some pictures that you will be able to see.
We had a very early flight from Rome to Zurich our last day in Rome. Got a taxi at 5:30 am to the airport. Got there on time and all was find via Zurich to Miami. We were tired and ready to return home but we had a wonderful time and wish your were with us.
This Spring Billy and I made a wonderful trip through out Italy’s Lake region, Tuscany, and Amalfi coast. One of the reasons for making this trip was to find Bill’s family birth place in the hill country around Sorrento. We accomplished all of the goals set for the trip and in the following paragraphs I will try to indicate some of the highlights of the trip along with some of the problems and suggestions for future trips. I hope that our experience will help you in making future trips to Europe and Specially Bella Italia.
This trip was totally made by me with the help of the Internet. I was amazed of how easy it was to make room reservations, trains, car rentals etc.
Here is the first suggestion to you. If you are making car rental reservations, make sure you do not leave the car any place other than the airport during the weekend. Car rentals at rail stations or town offices are closed from 1:30 PM Saturday until Monday morning. I can tell you how frustrating it is to find the office close when you arrive into Naples train station with many bags. That was the situation for our fist problem two weeks into our trip. Naples train station is the perfect place to lose a bag without you even noticing until is too late. My day pack left the cart while I was running around trying to find a phone that worked to get info about our rental car. That evening I also noticed that our plane tickets were inside the day pack which is a stupid mistake. We both have money belts and for some reason I did not put the tickets in them for the train ride. That was also were we lost all of the digital pictures made during the previous two weeks of the trip. Although that was a low point during the trip, we still have enough pictures between both of us, that the memories are well documented. As you will see in another email with a program that you can download for your viewing. This particular program keeps the pictures in the net so your hard drive does not have to softer with the large file. The program allows you to see the pictures for seven days, and allows you to forward them to another party.
The trip started in Milan. The airport is pretty new and was outside Milan, very close to the auto Estrada for lake Como. That was our first destination. The little city is called Cernobbio. A beautiful town on the lake.
This town is where Villa D’Este is located, One of the villas for royalty during the hey days of Como during the mid 18th and early 19th hundreds. It is hard to imagine how vast and beautiful these Villas are, the views of the lake that they command are magnificent. The size and opulence is beyond comprehension. It must have been a grand time to be part of the life style. One of the surprising things for us was the large number of villas around the lake. It does give you the feeling that there is so much money around.
We had reservation Hotel Giardino two star Albergo half a block from Villa D’Este. 150,000 lire per night ( $75.00) for a double room with breakfast and parking. The room had a balcony and a limited view of the lake. The town of Cernobbio has a park where you can see Villa D’Este in all of it splendor. The town has lots of nice restaurants and is well located for public transportation to Como. Como was a little disappointing, Not what we expected as a town but the villas around and the view of the lake are breathtaking. After resting the first night we went to Lago Maggiore. This was one of the two days that we got rain in our 22 days. The trip to Stressa, a little town in Lago Maggiore were you get the ferries for the three Island that one of the wealthiest Italian family( Barromeo) own two of them. Isola Bella and Isola Madre. We got a private ferry that tooks us to Isola Pescatori for Lunch and then to isola Bella for Turing the Villa and its gardens. One of the must fantastic things that happened here was at the restaurant. As we were being sitted, I looked to the table next to ours and there was my friend Dag Ness from Guatemala. Dag was a gentleman I worked with during my trips to Guatemala. He was with his wife, visiting one of their daughters which is living in Milan with her husband and three boys. Imagine the coincidences and wonderful surprise we all got with this encounter. It was a good omen for the rest of our trip and a wonderful lunch with friends. The beginning of a good relationship with red Italian wines started with that Lunch and it remained with us for the rest of the 22 days.
The private boat was waiting for us after lunch and took us to Isola Bella. That was a of the many highlights of the lake region of Italy. This family spend several hundred years making the paradise with white peacocks wondering in the gardens, to inside grottos for the summer days made with rocks found in the lake for floors and the walls all adorned with intricate mosaics and coral rocks. The villas ceilings and walls are all painted with incredible frescos. We got a boat back to Stressa. We had a café espresso and got our first gelato. We had one of them each night for the rest of the trip.
The drive back to Cernobbio was fine even though the rain was hard at times and made it hard to see. We rested and got dressed for diner at a Hotel by the lake in Cernobbio. I can not tell you that we did not have a bad meal in Italy with the exception of a very bad pizza frozen in Como.
Next morning we got up early and drove to Tramezzo. A little town on the Lake Como where Villa Carlotta is located. What an amazing Villa that is, and its gardens are unbelievable. So many different types of palms and flowers.
The azaleas were in full bloom and I must tell you it was breathtaking. From there we got back in the car to Menaggio. We parked and bought a day pass on the Ferry to Bellagio. The day pass lets you get back on the ferry and go to Varenna and return to Menaggio. The ferry is very nice were you getting beautiful views of the lake. Bellagio is like a jewel in a wonderful point on Lake Como were you have a full city with lovely shops, Duomo, Rockefeller Villa museum, etc. It is one of the must beautiful places on the Lake Como, has many things to see and places to shop. We has a very nice lunch there and enjoyed the visit very much, hopped back on the ferry to Varenna, had a drink and got back to Menaggio late in the afternoon. A full day with many vistas to remember and enjoy later as you think of the day, driving back to Cernobbio.
Got back early and started our drive to Cremona, a stopping place before getting into Tuscany. This drive took us first to Bergamo. This city has an upper city which was the oldest and is reached by funicular. It was lovely with beautiful views and much history. From there we went to Mantua, A city that the Gonzaga Family lived and made though many centuries the Palazzo Ducale which is something to behold. So many different influences and beauty which is really worth a trip. Lovely wall city with many shops and the Gonzaga also made in the outskirts the Tea Palace for the summer days.
The Duomo in Mantua is also a masterpiece.
From there we drove to Cremona, the birth place for Stradivario, the violin maker. We found our guest house and parked the car. The guest house was one of the real surprises we got on this trip. It was a palazzo that Maria Antoinette the owner has started renting rooms to help her and her husband renovate the palazzo. We got such a beautiful suite of rooms fit for a king. At a very good price ($80.00). We stayed only one night. Maria Antoinette was a very gracious host, showed us her home full of antiques. We found this though www.Dulce Casa.it in the Internet, quite by accident and were nicely surprised.
From there we drove to Tuscany, to San Gimignano. A wall with towers 12th century city in Tuscany close to Siena and Florence. A perfect place to stay as you drive during the day to all of those beautiful town in Tuscany. The hotel Il Pino right inside the wall by the San Mateo entrance. This hotel was very nice ($50.00) per night without breakfast and beautifully located in this historic town. Many good restaurants and great gelato. Parking was close to the hotel and free. We were very glad that we were here in late April, during the season the crowds must be pretty hard to handle and parking is probably impossible.
We used San Gimignano as the base for our trips throughout Tuscany. We got up early found a place for breakfast in San Gimignano and started our drive to Lucca. One beautiful well preserved wall town in northern Tuscany.
It is beautifully preserved, it has a magnificent Duomo, an old amphitheater left from the roman times made like a plaza now with lovely restaurants and shops. This city is not well known by travelers, it is a little out of the way from the normal Siena, Florence destinations. It is well worth the trip to Lucca.
From Lucca we drove to Montecatine Terme. It has health and therapeutic Baths. It also has a high city which is reached by funicular. Beautiful views from the high city. We tried to get to the bath house but the parking was full and we were getting tired. The drive back to San Gimignano was long. Got back rested and found a restaurant in town.
Next day was a long day we went to Monteriggioni another perfectly preserved wall city with twelve towers all around on the same 12th century wall. Small town very nice to visit little to see. From there we went to Siena. Very impressive town, with Piazza de Campo in it center, where many good restaurants and shops are located. We had a wonderful lunch in the Piazza the Campo and it was a very sunny and hot day. All of the days in Tuscany were hot and sunny, really lucky for us. The green of the hills and the crisp views of the wall cities on top of so many hills are views to behold. Tuscany is a wondrous place that requires time to assimilate its beauty and way of life. We could spend many more days in the Tuscan country side.
After Siena we went to Buoncovento, and Montelpulciano. Buoncovento
Small towns where many Untours have apartments for guest, is a nice little town in the middle of Tuscany. Montelpulciano is a big wall city with many things to see and it has a big Duomo. Beautiful views from the top wall of the Tuscan country side. Return to San Gimignano for dinner and packing for our drive to Florence.
We drove into Florence on May 1st Labor Day in Europe. First thing you find is that all gas stations are close and only use hard cash or local Italian bank cards. Here we are, ready to return our car in Florence Train Station, with out a full tank. We stopped and used all the cash we had, some good Italian couple gave us some money to complete 10,000 liras which were the minimum allotted to get any type of gas from the pump. We got almost a full tank and started the horrendous task of finding out where to return the car in the Florence train station. Again I remind you of never doing this. Always go to the closest airport return there and take a taxi to your hotel, you will avoid lots of frustrations and lose of time. We finally found were to return the car near the train station, we got there it was closed and we had to leave the car parked in the street and drop the key at a drop box. We were worried that the car would be stolen and that we just bought a Fiat Brava.
We just got back the bill and all is ok, the car got returned fine. Again you do not need the stress, go to the airport.
Florence was a wonderful experience the Hotel Medici was super had a garden terrace with a view of the Duomo, very centrally located, clean , and at $100.00 per night with breakfast was a very nice find that we recommend to anyone that wants to really see Florence and be walking distance to everything. Florence is something that is indescribable and you just need to go and spend time there. 3 full days 4 nights was enough to have a good idea of the magnitude of the city, it’s content and will give you enough time to evaluate future visits if desired. The time we spent was perfect, our last visit to Florence was too short.
We packed and got to the Train Station in Florence. A pointer here. Go to the Train Station the day before your trip and if you do not have reserved tickets get them earlier. You could find out that the train that you want is full and you have to find another one that may interrupt your plans. That is what happened to us in our way to Naples. The train that I wanted was full, which made us take another train that required change in Rome. The train from Rome was 30 minutes behind, which caused for us to arrive after 1:30 pm in Naples, causing for the rental car place to be closed. This made us crazy , so one of our bag was left without the proper attention, long enough for it disappear. We finally found our way to the airport in Naples, got the car and stated our trek to Positano in the Amalfi coast. The Amalfi drive is a beautiful experience, but raining like it was and the buses being as aggressive as they are we were pushed to the wall in one of the turns and the rented car got scrapped on it’s side. Thanks to the prevention of insurance it did not cost as much as it would have, so that was good news. We finally got to Positano, it took two hours for that drive. I can not tell you the level of stress I was left after getting to the hotel in Positano. With the bag issue and the plane tickets lost and the drive I almost dropped dead at the site of the bed in the room.
The hotel was the Hotel Bougainvillea. Our room had ocean view very nice at ($82.00) per night with breakfast. We recommend this place, Carlo Coumo the owner is a wonderful guy, very helpful. The hotel is centrally located close to public transportation, which reminds me to give you another tip. Do not rent a car if you come to the Amalfi coast. The car stays in the parking lot at $25.00 per day, because there is not place for you to park the thing once you are out and try to visit any other place in the Amalfi coast.
We needed the car one day to go and visit Bill’s father home town in the outskirts of Salerno.
The first day in Positano we took the bus to Sorrento. Had lunch there and took the ferry to Capri. What a beautiful place that is, full of restaurants, shops, and beautiful sea views. A very nice day trip from Positano. You get back and you are ready to rest and take in Positano. It is a little town by the sea, full of restaurants, shops, fisherman, and lots of tourist. Again I say to you, not sure how I would have been able to take this place in full swing during the tourist season. I guess parking is just impossible and you spend the whole day trying to find a place to park.
We found a great restaurant called the three sisters at the sea level of the town. Great food and atmosphere. The waiters were very good the food was well priced and the wines were superb. Really Positano was a wonderful experience that we recommend to anyone that wants to see beauty and relax in the southern part of Italy by the sea away from Naples.
This is the day that we are going to find Bill’s fathers birth place. We drove 5 hours trying to find it. We stopped at a gas station, we were hungry and needed directions to find the place. At this little gas station we found a man that has worked in Elizabeth New Jersey, spoke English pretty well and was able to tell us how to get to were we were going. One thing that we found all through Italy, once Bill told anyone that he was trying to find his father place all of the Italians became so much friendlier and helpful. You can see immediate friendship being formed. They were very proud that an American would be interested enough to come back to see where they were from.
Bill’s father was born is Castelnuovo de Conza. This town was leveled by an earthquake in 1980. We finally got there and immediately realized that the town looks brand new. The Duomo is being rebuilt and there is only one old street left. The cemetery was closed and the municipal building was also closed. So we were not able to look in the cemetery for old family names and the hall of records was closed. We took pictures and found some tiles and a statue that we brought back to the USA. The statue is in our garden and the tiles are in the bird bath. It was emotional for Bill to finally see the town of his father origin, in all it was well worth the trip. The towns around Conza are beautiful. Very high mountains and lakes surround it with beautiful green hills. The pictures that we took depicts them pretty accurately, we hope you enjoy them as we did.
Drove back to Positano via Sorrento not Salerno avoiding the Amalfi coast. I wish the rental car attendant would have told us about Sorrento vs. Salerno, the difference is two hours of pure hell and stress.
The next day we were too tired and really need a complete day of rest. We both decided to skip Pompeii, for a day at the beach. The days were not very sunny, with no rain, and perfect for walking in the town. We took the public bus and drove us to the top of the town, and walked back down to the beach. The walk provides beautiful vistas to the ocean and other town in the Amalfi coast. Many café’s on the way for stopping, drinking some Campari and orange juice looking at the sea and relaxing from two and half weeks of traveling, getting ready for the next five nights in Rome.
Got up early checked out of the hotel and parking lot and drove to Naples train station. To return the car and get on the train for Rome. The car return was non eventful, compare to the other times. We were so grateful and the stress level began to go way immediately after giving those car keys back. Got on the train and the trip was easy and comfortable. Got to Rome Termini Station. Very apprehensive we took a taxi to the Hotel, to our surprise it was less than a block form the Termini. Hotel Rubino not a nice place but clean and centrally located. Double room with bath and breakfast($81.00) per night.
Rome is a city that you must keep your wits about you at all times. We were always tense in the metro and the public transportation trams and buses. Bill got pick pocketed on the metro from the Coliseum to the Termini, one stop in the metro. They only took his cash about $50.00 but no credit card etc. Again the money belt is a must in Rome.
We walk Rome which is not difficult because everything is so close. We bought the weekly pass for metro, buses etc which we recommend to anyone. To have a car in Rome is insanity. We saw everything we wanted, the Vatican Museum, the Sistine Chapel were highlights, the Borghese Gallery was exceptional (MAKE SURE YOU MAKE RESERVATION). Had wonderful dinners in Rome, and enjoyed walking via del Corzo from Plaza Popolo to Victor-Emanuael Monument. There was a Velazquez exhibition that really showed the artist incredible talent.
Rome for the jubilee has been cleaned up a lot. The Vatican looked wonderfully clean, as the Sistine chapel frescos looked so more vibrant and colorful, I was able to sneak some pictures that you will be able to see.
We had a very early flight from Rome to Zurich our last day in Rome. Got a taxi at 5:30 am to the airport. Got there on time and all was find via Zurich to Miami. We were tired and ready to return home but we had a wonderful time and wish your were with us.
