Leaving Italy
It’s been a long but very good time here in Italy, six weeks total. From our first apartment in Lake Como to our last B&B in Pompeii, everything has been just wonderful. The Italian people have been very warm and inviting to us, even with me stumbling through my couple of standard Italian phrases. The towns were all wonderful and the sites amazing, definitely worth the trip.
We’ve met a lot of nice people along the way, some from the US, some from other foreign countries like France, Germany, and England. It’s amazing how easy it is to strike up conversation while trying to figure out how the washing machine works in an Italian laundromat!
But now it’s time to put away our travel maps, notes, side notes, Postit notes, emails and text messages and move on to Portugal, our next stop in the adventure. But before we leave Italy, here’s a few observations:
Lake Como
One of the most beautiful settings in the world. Peaceful, clean and not that high on the tourist circuit, although they do get a few! Hotels can be a bit pricey, better than $200USD per night for some of the more upscaled with a pool or lake view. Our apartment was perfect. If you come to Lake Como, find an apartment on the water with a patio or balcony, you won’t regret it.
Food, well food is expensive wherever you eat so by comparison, Lake Como dining was comparable to that in the Denver Tech center, like Maggiano’s or Pappadeaux’s. Of course, the price of eating out is offset by doing a little cooking in your apartment or home!
Roads, ugh! The drive around Lake Como to Belagio is challenging! Every driver, young or old; truck, car, motorcycle or moped, have the impression that this narrow, winding road is a qualifier for Le Mans. It can be a little intimidating but if you drive slow, pay attention and don’t allow yourself to be pushed, they just go around you, no harm, no foul. It’s the nature of driving in Italy to see how fast you can go through a set of brakes.
General comment. Small grocery stores are frequent so it’s easy to stock up. Wine is very reasonable so that along is enough to make me go there. Rental cars are average price, even with insurance, no hard sell at the counter. Gas, costs a small fortune, well over $7USD/gal.
Takeaway:
Lake Como is one of the most beautiful places we’ve even travelled to. It doesn’t cost a lot to stay here but it does take some looking around for the best deal. If you’re not afraid to do a little cooking on vacation, or drive a little slower around a 2700 turn, you can enjoy a beautiful sunrise or sunset on one of the world’s most fabulous lakes. And don’t forget the people, absolutely makes this trip complete.
Tuscany
Everyone has dreamed of going to Tuscany, driving through the winding hills of never-ending grapes in your Fiat 500, while your wife, who closely resembles Sophia Loren, waves at field workers. Ah yes, the dream!
Well, not too far off. We did have a Fiat 500 and my wife does resemble Sophia Loren but that pretty much wraps it up. The Tuscany hills are, for the most part, covered in grapes. There are other crops, like hay, that are intertwined with the vineyards, but there are places where grapes are the predominant crop. Not that this takes anything way from a calm and relaxing drive through Tuscany.
We did a farm stay, first one ever, and it wasn’t bad. We had a small kitchen in our 2-bedroom, 1-bath apartment located right next to the vineyard. It was harvest time so everyone was very busy picking grapes, crushing grapes, sifting that stuff left over out of the grapes, while Collette and I drank the grapes. Always willing to do our part.
A farm stay in Tuscany is really pretty economical. Usually these are small vineyards with a few rooms / apartments used for tourists. Ours had 6 rooms, which were mostly full the time we were there, so not a crowd. Very pleasant to sit on the deck and have a glass of wine while watching the sunset. Bit different from Lake Como, sometimes foggy, sometimes bright and sunny, sometimes a little rainy, but just as beautiful all the same.
Food. Food in Tuscany is a little cheaper than Lake Como, not much but a little. The variety has changed, seafood doesn’t dominate the menu. Now there are offerings of pork, lamb, veal and our favorite, cheese and salami! Of course, there were traditional foods like Papa al Pomodoro, a bread-based soup with tomato and basil; Trippa & Lampredotto, tripe & stomach; and…good enough.
Roads, still ugh! Those drivers that were practicing for Le Mans in Lake Como and have become bored with blind-curve passing, have moved on to Tuscany. You can go much faster in Tuscany! Driving is again, much like I said earlier, take your time, drive at a comfortable speed and those who want, will pass. Piece of cake. Gas is still around $7USD/gal. Our rental car was once again, a Fiat 500HP (High Performance or horse power, not sure), price was a little lower than Como but not notable. Same low sell at the counter but it did take close to 1hr to fill out the paperwork in hardcopy, even though this had been done online. And as usual, I thoroughly check the car before we drove off and found the gas was at ¾ of a tank, not full. Add 15 minutes to get someone to come out and look at the gauge, sign his name to the change, and we’re off. Pay attention to those rental cars!
General comment. Tuscany is a great base for exploring Italy. Where we stayed, Florence was a 30-minute train ride, Pisa, 20 minutes by train. Driving was easy, and the small towns in the hills were fabulous. These were great places to stop and walk around and get a feel for small town Italy. And the people, absolutely wonderful!
Takeaway:
Tuscany is a must do if you come to Italy. We’d recommend a farm stay but there are B&B’s and VRBO rentals as well, just depends on your budget and preference. Rental car is a must. There are so many small towns, walled ancient cities and vineyards selling their goods that a car is absolutely necessary. Allow plenty of time to get to your destination. If traveling into Florence or Pisa, use the train. Driving in these cities is tough, parking is even tougher. Enjoy the city, stroll a little, have a coffee and pastry, see the things most people miss.
Rome
Unbelievable city with unbelievable crowds! Rome is obviously one of the most visited cities in the world, and for good reason. Rome probably has the greatest collection of ancient buildings, structures, obelisks, paintings, statues, you get the picture, found anywhere in the world. Everywhere you look, you can see evidence of early civilizations. Rome is a history buffs mecca!
Rome is also a banker’s honey hole. 4.2 million visitors see Rome each year, and last year they shelled out a good portion of the record 40 billion (yes, with a “B”) Euros!!!! Is Rome expensive, why yes Charlotte, it can be.
It can also be reasonable. We rented a two-bedroom, 1-bath apartment outside the tourist district for a very reasonable amount. We were renting for a month so we did get a generous discount but weekly renters can get discounts too, they just need to ask. You also need to do your research and try not to visit during high season, if possible. Another way to keep housing costs down is to find an apartment or home somewhere close to the metro line but a little further out from the city center. Sure, you won’t be able to walk out and see the Colosseum at night or have a gelato on the Steps after dinner, but at least you’ll have money to buy that gelato.
Food can be expensive, especially if you have the International Man of Mystery ego holding your wallet. But it doesn’t need to be, street food is plentiful, there’s a restaurant or café within 5 minutes’ walk, any direction from any point. After breakfast in your apartment, stroll to your choice of ancient sites to tour then afterward, stop by a café for a coffee and pastry. Head out to your next site, do the touring shuffle and then stop by a sidewalk restaurant for a late afternoon lunch / dinner. On the way back to your apartment, drop in to one of the thousands of salami and cheese dealers for some of their excellent snack food to take back with you. There you have it, a reasonable day eating out and all for about 50EUR for two adults. Word of caution, before ordering ask if there is a cover charge, if there is, leave, there are too many cafes and restaurants that don’t charge you for the chair. Also ask if they accept credit cards or are “cash only”, most places don’t advertise or tell you this until the bill arrives! Last, don’t let someone talk you into a restaurant. What I mean is almost every restaurant, café, bar, food truck, etc. has someone standing outside with a menu trying to lure you in. Some are very aggressive and will stand right in front of you to try to intimidate you into sitting, pass on these guys. Look at the menu and if the place isn’t to your liking just say “no thank you” and walk away.
Rental car, in Rome? If you have a death wish or want to find out if that all-inclusive insurance works, by all means, rent a car, or better yet, a moped. Both will get you killed equally as fast. Seriously, a rental car is not totally out of the question but you really need to think about this one. At a minimum parking will cost you a small fortune, if you can find any. Our recommendation, pass. Use public transportation or foot it to the places you want to see. You’ll even discover some of Rome’s lesser mentioned antiquities.
Take away:
A Rome vacation is wonderful, lots to see, lots to do, and if you don’t do your homework, lots of dollars! The reason to visit Rome is to see and experience their culture, both past and present. It doesn’t take your life savings to do this, just some smart planning. The best way to see Rome is by walking, walking and observing what’s around you, and it’s all around you!
Pompeii & Herculaneum
Because we were in Pompei for a only few days, we decided to stay in a B&B. We’ve done B&B’s many times during our travels and they have their benefits, and some drawbacks. But for this trip, a B&B was the perfect choice for our stay. Not only was this B&B located within 100’ of the ruins, it was close to the city center and tons of restaurants.
Our visit will include a day trip to Herculaneum, another city destroyed in the 79AD eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, to tour their ruins and understand how this small coastal town was affected by the eruption.
Today Pompei is a small tourist town that sees its population swell by the thousands during the day, and decline by the thousands in the evening making it perfect for the full-time visitor. Why is that? Well for starters, most of the tourists have to be back at their cruise ships early evening, so visiting the ruins in the afternoon can be a little less crowded. Second, even though these people leave, there is a good services infrastructure in place to provide them everything they need during their short stay. Things like restaurants.
Food. One of the beauties of Pompei is their selection of restaurants. After a day of touring the ruins, a nice place to eat and have a drink is a welcome sight. Food here is cheaper than Rome and our other sites. A dinner (steak, chicken, fish) for two with a glass of house wine you may spend 60-80EUR. Of course, there are more expensive restaurants as there are less expensive but for an average meal, this is reasonable.
Rental car isn’t really necessary. We walked to everything from the ruins to restaurants to train stations and nothing was more than 15 minutes. Not a big city so you may not want the expense of a rental car.
Take away:
If you want to see the ruins, either start early at the amphitheater end and work your way west, or start in the afternoon and go east, you’ll dodge the crowds. Also, a guide is a must. Walking through these ruins by yourself can be fun but you’ll miss so many details and history of the site. A good guide is highly recommended. Where you stay is also important. Our B&B was fine but not where I’d stay on a return trip. There are many other options if you have time to do the research.
That’s it. Our time in Italy is up and now on to Portugal. It was a wonderful time, lots of nice people, great sights. All those days searching and sorting paid off.