ideas on what to do in spare time lv 9/1/2013

Looking for what is not included and what I should get tickets for before I go. Also, any suggestions on what you did that was fun and interesting that made your trip memorable.

Comments

  • In Rome, tour the Roman Forum. Although we explored it on our own for about 2 hours, you can hire English speaking guides to show you around and describe what you're seeing. We didn't visit the Galleria Borghese, reservations required, but when we return to Rome as ensured by tossing our coins in the Trevi Fountain, it will be high on our list. We also took a nighttime tour of Rome with 3 other couples in two cars. It was arranged either by our TD or the concierge. It was delightful! Be sure you see some of the other normal tourist sites--the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, and the Fountain of the Four Rivers in the Piazza Navona. Rome is a wonderful city!

    In Florence after you leave the Accademia, it's an easy walk to the nearby San Lorenzo district where you'll find the Medici Chapel with some of Michelangelo's most famous works. They adorn the Medici tombs and are Night and Day and Dawn and Dusk. Magnificent! A nearby restaurant is ZaZa. We lunched deliciously there. In addition to being on a list of recommended restaurants by our TD, my niece had eaten there on her trip to Florence and had loved it too. Shopping is wonderful in Florence. Jewelry and leather goods are highly recommended and are somewhat reasonably priced. Ceramic items are plentiful there as well as in some of the smaller towns you'll visit. Depending on where you are on your trip, they'll probably be adorned with either lemons or sunflowers. Larger pieces can be shipped home.

    Have a fantastic time on a wonderful, wonderful tour!
  • edited April 2013
    ty for the info lovestotravel I leave for Italy on 9/1/2013
  • The Borghese Gallery was amazing. I made advanced reservations before leaving the states at least a month in advance. You must specify that time you will be visiting and your ticket is only valid for your specified one hour visit to the museum. I think my tickets were for 3:30 and the bus pulled up to the hotel at about 3:15. Thankfully, there is a taxi stand at the corner near the hotel and the gallery is less than a mile away. (Our fabulous TD personally took our carry-ons to our room so we didn't have to check in before leaving for the gallery). Recommendation #2 - If your TD gives you an option after the tour of St. Peters to get off the bus at Piazza Navona you should do it! From that site you can visit the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and so many more treasures as you wind your way back to the hotel. Good walking shoes and a good walking map is required. While not for everyone's taste, we found the Capuchin Monk's Crypt at the Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini Church near the hotel fascinating. Another great self-guided walking tour took us from the hotel to the Spanish Steps, to the Piazza del Popolo, down the Tiber River to the Castel Sant'Angelo where the view from the roof over Rome and Vatican City is incredible. We stayed long enough to watch the sun set behind St. Peters before catching a taxi back to the hotel. Catching a taxi at night isn't as easy as during the day - we couldn't locate a taxi stand so contrary to what we were told to do, hailed a taxi like they do in New York! It worked!

    In Florence .... we had the best pizza in all of Italy at Gusto Pizza which was on the opposite side of the Arno River after crossing the Ponte Vecchio. We had heard it was a hidden secret, but found many locals and college students packing the tiny pizza cafe. After our late lunch, we took a taxi to San Miniato at Monte which is a beautiful church and cemetery at the top of the hill overlooking Florence. Most visitors stop lower on the hill at Piazza Michelangelo to watch the sun set over Florence but the view from the church is even better and there will be fewer people to deal with (plus a nice wall to sit on)! The church and its little shop are open for the public to visit while waiting for the sun to set. Walk back to Piazza Michelangelo to catch a cab back down to the Ponte Vecchio or hotel. We felt completely safe to walk around Florence at night and found it's beauty at night quite remarkable. Don't forget to see the mosaic ceiling in the Baptistry. We bought our tickets late in the afternoon and had the entire place to ourselves to marvel at its beauty.

    Enjoy your Classic Italy trip!

  • So, many looks and only 2 people with suggestions. Come on everyone some more info on what you did on your off time and if you felt you needed a reservation before would have helped.
  • As we didn't tour Italy with Tauck (we just free-lanced Rome and Naples by ourselves) I've been loath to put in my little bit but with Crackers urging I will add a little of what we did and maybe it will give you some ideas of what we did in Rome.

    As we were in a country where we knew little of the language we decided before we left home to employ a company to take us around and it was the best move we made. We contacted(before we left Australia) and used Real Rome Tours and they were just outstanding. With their help we got to see The Vatican, The Collossium and Forum, The Borghese gallery and Ostia Antica, the old port of Rome. They were all worth the visit. For the rest of our stay we used public transport or just walked and walked because in every Piazza or on nearly every corner there is an example of either Art or history. The churches of Rome are special because the walls are covered in priceless Frecoes of the Masters.

    There is food and drink everywhere with the sweetest, best tasting water in the world at every water fountain. Gellato shops are everywhere and if you like ice cream you'll just love Gellato. You don't really need to plan anything just walk and meet the people. If you have a choice of going to either Pompeii or Herculaneum then choose the later as IMO it's a piece of history in much better shape than Pompeii.

    I suppose you may think we enjoyed Rome and you'd be right. If the tooth fairy leaves the lotto numbers I would like to see more of Italy and its people.
  • OzJohnno wrote:
    As we didn't tour Italy with Tauck (we just free-lanced Rome and Naples by ourselves) I've been loath to put in my little bit but with Crackers urging I will add a little of what we did and maybe it will give you some ideas of what we did in Rome.

    As we were in a country where we knew little of the language we decided before we left home to employ a company to take us around and it was the best move we made. We contacted(before we left Australia) and used Real Rome Tours and they were just outstanding. With their help we got to see The Vatican, The Collossium and Forum, The Borghese gallery and Ostia Antica, the old port of Rome. They were all worth the visit. For the rest of our stay we used public transport or just walked and walked because in every Piazza or on nearly every corner there is an example of either Art or history. The churches of Rome are special because the walls are covered in priceless Frecoes of the Masters.

    There is food and drink everywhere with the sweetest, best tasting water in the world at every water fountain. Gellato shops are everywhere and if you like ice cream you'll just love Gellato. You don't really need to plan anything just walk and meet the people. If you have a choice of going to either Pompeii or Herculaneum then choose the later as IMO it's a piece of history in much better shape than Pompeii.

    I suppose you may think we enjoyed Rome and you'd be right. If the tooth fairy leaves the lotto numbers I would like to see more of Italy and its people.

    Thank you so much for your info. If you remember any specifics of eating shopping and what you liked most to not miss would love to here it.
  • SueSue
    edited April 2013
    My suggestions for Rome are the Pantheon and the Church of St Peter in Chains, which has the great Moses statue by Michaelangelo. The church is walking distance from the Colosseum.

    Sue
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