Private terrace

Just a little tip for anyone looking at reasonably priced budget accompaniment in Florence ( *not easy!)

We booked into C Hotel diplomat for 5 days at around €50 euros per night with breakfast.

However, when we arrived we found it is closed at present, and there was a note on the door redirecting us to its sister hotel next door.

This is the ambasciatori hotel florence and it’s a much nicer hotel, where the rooms seem to go for well over double that.

I assume it’s temporary due to low numbers/ keeping costs down on running several hotels.

But it’s a nice little bonus for anyone on a lower budget and I can highly recommend it. Nice staff, great place, located right by the train station.

We also got a room upgrade to a larger room with a balcony view over the Duomo!

Thought I would share the luck for anyone looking at the meme to. Obviously can’t guarantee how long this will last.

Thanks again to all those who have helped with planning the trip so far :)

Hello all,

Planning a trip to gorgeous Positano. We understand stairs. We can and will do stairs. But we want to try and hit the sweet spot of a wonderful few and the fewest stairs possible. (surely such a thing exists?)

Looking for a very good+ hotel or rental without too much of a knee-busting vertical climb up hundreds stairs (for example - while the Miramare has great views, it must be accessed via 200 stairs, which just sounds too strenuous to be worth it). We are mostly interested in good restaurants, wine bars, a little shopping and maybe a little beach time. And breakfast / sunsets on a great balcony or terrace. Walking up and down Via Pasitea or Cristopher Columbo would not be a problem for us.

We would like to keep the cost at not much more than $1K per night. Therefore, Sirenuese is not an option, lol.

Not sure about Ancora, either - rooms look pretty dated and it appears only one room has a full terrace with a view. Also unsure about Buca di Bacco. (so close to the beach. Assume it is noisy - am I wrong?)

I’ve checked Summer in Italy for rentals, and, unsurprisingly, there are few options left for our dates in mid-September. ( I do love how this company’s transparency about the number of steps to reach lodgings. Wish there were more options for our dates).

Finally - how long is the staircase from Via Cristopher Columbo down to Piazza Mulini, for example?

I’ve tried research on google maps and have learned that much of Positano is not mapped. Unsurprising since auto traffic is blocked in the town. (Have they ever heard of GoPro, lol?)

Thanks for suggestions!

Greetings

I’m seeking recommendation for my last 2 nights which will be in Catania. Unfortunately my flight was already canceled once by Delta. Therefore the only flight out to Rome is KLM, ticket already purchased.

I’m looking for an accommodation that would be feasible to explore Catania historic city center as well as be able to get to airport in time fir 6:35 departure. In USA it’s recommended to be at airport now 3 hrs preflight. I’m not sure how it works in Sicily? So any hotel resources or airport support direction greatly appreciated .

ThankYou for any feedback in advance.

We are a ‘mature’ couple traveling to Italy with 11 nights open between Rome & Florence so decided to visit Sardegna in early September. Probably flying into Olbia & departing from Cagliari.

Enjoy white sandy beaches, crystal clear water (who doesn't?), swimming, drinking local wine & local food. Also realize that beaches in Sardegna are rocky.

Prefer to stay at hotels in town to walk to dinner and stroll around town at night. Will rent a car to drive to close beaches during the day, perhaps stay at a beach hotel for 2 or 3 nights if on a beautiful beach.

Any suggestions on itinerary - where to stay & for how many nights? Perhaps 3 locations with 11 nights? The more I read on this helpful forum, the more overwhelmed I become on where to stay.

San Teodoro, Orosei, Villasimius, Isola Carloforte? Departing from Cagliari; how many nights would you recommend staying there?

Will reserve rental car prior to arrival, as well as hotel 1st and last night. Should I make hotel reservations in advance for the rest of trip? September is a busy month and may be more so this year.

TYIA!

Just looking for some additional advice or recommendations - here is what we have so far;

8/26 - Arrive at FCO 745am, will take car service to our hotel (Hotel Martis Palace) to drop luggage and start exploring Rome.

8/27 - Rome. Vatican museum.

8/28 - Rome. Colosseum tour.

8/29 - 710am Fresciarossa train to Milan. Arrives 1050am. Already booked the tickets. Pick up car rental and drive to Lake Como. Staying in Diamond Apartments in Bellagio.

8/30 - More Lake Como. Staying same place.

8/31 - Driving to the Dolomites. Staying at the Hotel Angelo Engel in Ortisei.

9/01 - Dolomites. Won’t bore everyone with the list of hikes, but the hikes and scenic pass drives are the main reason for coming to the area. That and some of the lakes in the area.

9/02 - Dolomites

9/03 - Dolomites

9/04 - Dolomites, then driving back to Milan, staying at the Sheraton airport hotel that is literally in the terminal.

9/05 - 1020am flight back to US.

I think having basically 3 full days/nights in Rome is this plenty. Not sure that a day and a half (2 nights) will give us much time in Lake Como, but we’ve never been and would like to check it out unless someone has a better option. I think our time in Dolomites will give us enough time to do some hikes and explore the area. Obviously I’d rather have weeks to spend in each area, but unfortunately that isn’t an option haha.

Any suggestions or recommendations for these areas?

I am planning a trip for late September or early October 2022 and am wondering if the hotel swimming pools are generally in operation at that time. I have seen only one hotel wesite that specifically says that the pool is open only through September 15. Others are silent on the issue. What have TA visitors experienced that time of year?

Thank you.

Hi. I am hoping to visit Italy next year and I’m currently on the lookout for reasonable airfare for the end of March/beginning of April. Is this a pretty good time to come weather wise? Rome is a must do and there are several other places I’d like to see and I have to figure out a reasonable itinerary for 14 nights. Florence, Venice, Bergamo, CinqueTerre, Burano, Lucca, Orvieto, Amalfi Coast, San Gimignano are all on my wish list. This will be my and my husbands first trip overseas. I like culture and my husband likes the outdoors and hiking. I would like to also stay in a agroturismo during part of our stay. I think three full days in Rome would be good and the rest divided up perhaps between Florence, Cinque Terra and Orvieto might work? Perhaps flying in and out of Rome/Florence. Does this sound doable?

Hey there. We are planning a trip to Italy (and Paris) next June. We are bringing our DDs, first timers to Europe, ages 21 and 16. I’ve been reading through itineraries, guide books, youtube videos of Italy and getting so excited. We have limited time (only 10 nights in Italy) and we are packing in A LOT I know. We are considering using Zicasso or another company to make the most of our time, especially since we are trying to do so much...Here’s our latest itinerary so far. (we like to see as much as possible/get a taste so we know where to spend more time the next time:)

. Summary. 2 nights, 1 1/2 full days in Venice,

4 nights in Florence with day trip to Cinque Terre, 5 nights in Rome with day trip to Pompeii and Amalfi

*We already bought our tickets flying into Venice

Day 1. Arrive Venice from Paris on the 13th. Half day in Venice

Day 2. Venice

Day 3. Take a late train from Venice to Florence.

Day 4. Florence

Day 5. Florence. (Day trip to Cinque Terre)

Day 6 Florence

Day 7. Train to Rome by 7pm. Stay near Piazza Novana

Day 8. Rome

Day 9 Rome

Day 10. LONG day with private guide to Pompeii/Amalfi

Day 11. Rome

Day 12. Departure day

Grazie!

Any thoughts on our new itinerary, we have 9 nights and 10 full days, arriving and departing Palermo, we don’t have a car:

3 nights Cefalu

1 night Erice

2 nights Marettimo

3 nights Favignana

We don’t like overcrowded beaches, enjoy to see the real Sicily and romantic evenings, don’t want to visit the temples, want to be close to the sea.

Many thanks!

Hi there,

If anyone could help with the following, we would be hugely grateful!

My partner, our very active and walking/ climbing/ running 14 month old anc me need to spend a night in Rome in mid-July. We will be coming via train from Florence some time on aSunday and taking a flight out of Rome on Monday lunch time. We are looking for somewhere with easy access to the station, but also somewhere that might provide a little bit of luxury and a treat for the final night of our trip. We imagine it maybe too hot to see much of the city with our toddler (and we will only have the afternoon) so wondered if there was a hotel that was set up to receive families or couples with children - or if anyone has had a really good hotel experience in central Rome they can recommend!

We usually stay in Airbnb’s or camp, so this is new for us.

Our budget is around 200 euro of the one night, give or take.

Thanks in advance

(Oh, and we are up to date on all the necessary covid tests/ quarantines as well as being fully vaccinated)