Trip Report: Italy - Amalfi Coast June 15-22 2016 with pre-days in Rome

[tink1970]

So enjoying this...appreciate your taking the time to post while on vacation. Good luck with your phone...mine has a mind of its own usually

 

[carpenta]

Try ducking into a large hotel near your apartment and ask the front desk person for a good local restaurant to dine. I don't think they would have any idea if you are staying there or not. We stayed at the Westin and had some wonderful little places recommended to us from the desk. Sorry I don't have the names. Love the trip up dates.

 

[TXTransplant]

Try ducking into a large hotel near your apartment and ask the front desk person for a good local restaurant to dine. I don't think they would have any idea if you are staying there or not. We stayed at the Westin and had some wonderful little places recommended to us from othe desk. Sorry I don't have the names. Love the trip up dates.

I actually tried to go to a place that a friend recommended last night, but we couldn't find it. That's the only time Google Maps has failed me so far.

Our dinner last night was good, and we are definitely not going hungry! It was just nothing I feel compelled to write home about.

 

[BluesTraveler]

Love the notes from your trip! Thanks for posting.

 

[TXTransplant]

I really can't say enough good things about the Walks of Italy tours and guides. This is definitely the way to go.

So, we had the Pristine Sistine tour booked for this morning. With a 715 am meeting time, we definitely had to get up early. This one worked a little different, as when we arrived at the meeting place, there were enough people for multiple groups. I think there were 4 or 5 groups, each with their own guide. After being assigned to a guide, we walked to the entrance of the Vatican Museums. If you haven't been since about 2000, everything is completely different now. We walked to the entrance and then had to stand (with all of the other tour groups) for about 30 min. Once they open the doors, you have to wait for the guide to get the tickets (and kids under 18 have to show themselves at the ticket window). We also took a bathroom break. We also realized at this point that there was a young woman in the group who was having some sort of health issues. While I felt bad for her, this slowed us down a lot, and is a real drawback to a tour like this.

Anyway, we made it to the Sistine Chapel pretty fast and had 20 minutes to look around. It wasn't very crowded, and I was actually able to sit on a bench. I honestly didn't even know there were benches on my previous visit, it was so packed. Our guide was not allowed in (although, I don't understand why, as there were other guides in the chapel), but she gave us more than enough history and info (including a handout) beforehand for us to enjoy on our own.

After that, we wandered through the galleries for a few hours. By about 10 am, the crowds had become significantly worse, and I was starting to wane. The last hour was tough. We also made a loop that took us back through the Sistine Chapel a second time. I was kind of dreading that, based on the crowd levels, but it wasn't as bad as I expected.

Anyway, we saw all sorts of stuff - statue galleries, the Raphael rooms, the collection of modern art, a couple of courtyards, and really more than my brain can even process.

We didn't get to the Basilica until almost 11 am, and holy Moses, was it crowded! We did not get anywhere near the Pieta, and we were literally pushing through crowds. Our guide did an awesome job, considering the circumstances, but I could tell she was exhausted (as was I).

Originally when I booked, I was tempted to do the more comprehensive 6 hour tour. I'm so glad I did not! First of all, at the end of Pristine Sistine, I just wanted to be away from the crowds! Second, I'm not sure I like or appreciate art enough to spend more than 3-ish hours there. It's just a lot to absorb!

Overall, I'm glad I booked this tour and saw the Sistine Chapel the right way (last time it was elbow-to-elbow people, and I had a broken foot). The crowds are really an issue with the Vatican and their less-than-stellar management of crowds/attendance. I would love to have had a more comprehensive tour of the Basilica with less crowds, but I'm not disappointed. The only other drawback is the hurry-up-and-wait aspect of the tour, but our guide handled that at best as can be expected. She can't control what time the doors open. The Vatican is a crazy-busy place, and I'm glad we were able to do as much as we did.

 

[Cousin Orville]

Glad you had a great visit to the Sistine Chapel. I had no idea there were benches in there either. On these pre-ABD days, for my DS (also 11 yo) I prefer half day tours as well. 3-4 hrs and then a break is ideal. Hope you're getting some gelato and vino!

 

[sayhello]

Glad you had a great visit to the Sistine Chapel. I had no idea there were benches in there either. On these pre-ABD days, for my DS (also 11 yo) I prefer half day tours as well. 3-4 hrs and then a break is ideal. Hope you're getting some gelato and vino!

I didn't realize that the benches were some kind of secret! I sat on them for quite a while, taking in the ceiling and the whole room after I got a crick in my neck looking up from the center of the room. Of course, I was there in mid-May, so it wasn't quite as busy.

Sayhello

 

[disneyphx]

looking forward to following along!

 

[tink1970]

Glad you enjoyed your tour...sometimes more is not better, especially with crowds and heat.

I love those benches...I think the only thing that would be better (for me) would be a cot!

I'm sorry you didn't get a good view of the Pieta, maybe an excuse to return someday?

 

[TXTransplant]

I got a good view of the Pieta when I visited in college. So, I'm not so torn up about that. If my son wants a better view, he can come back on his own! And we have had some great gelato! We visited a small artisanal place today that was fantastic! I can give names, if anyone is interested.

So, I'm going to brag for a minute on Walks of Italy again. Our last "tour" was a pasta making class that I was totally on the fence about booking. I went ahead and kept it, and I just cannot even tell you how wonderful it was!

We went to an apartment just off Piazza Navona and met up with a group that was supposed to be 14 people, but because of no-shows, wound up being only 11. Our hosts were chefs Denise and Roberto.

Words cannot sufficiently express how amazing this was. We made spaghetti and ricotta-filled ravioli from scratch. Denise and Roberto made a tomato sauce for the pasta. We drank prosecco and wine. And we socialized with people from all over the world...the US, South Africa and the Philippines. This was by far our best Walks of Italy experience, and I cannot recommend it enough! It was very similar to the personalized experience that ABD gives. We were literally cooking dinner and socializing in a private apartment in the middle of Rome. This is not a knock on the other WoI tours - tonight was just something special. I feel like what we experienced tonight is why we travel...to facilitate connections with other people that are just priceless!

 

[sayhello]

I got a good view of the Pieta when I visited in college. So, I'm not so torn up about that. If my son wants a better view, he can come back on his own! And we have had some great gelato! We visited a small artisanal place today that was fantastic! I can give names, if anyone is interested.

So, I'm going to brag for a minute on Walks of Italy again. Our last "tour" was a pasta making class that I was totally on the fence about booking. I went ahead and kept it, and I just cannot even tell you how wonderful it was!

We went to an apartment just off Piazza Navona and met up with a group that was supposed to be 14 people, but because of no-shows, wound up being only 11. Our hosts were chefs Denise and Roberto.

Words cannot sufficiently express how amazing this was. We made spaghetti and ricotta-filled ravioli from scratch. Denise and Roberto made a tomato sauce for the pasta. We drank prosecco and wine. And we socialized with people from all over the world...the US, South Africa and the Philippines. This was by far our best Walks of Italy experience, and I cannot recommend it enough! It was very similar to the personalized experience that ABD gives. We were literally cooking dinner and socializing in a private apartment in the middle of Rome. This is not a knock on the other WoI tours - tonight was just something special. I feel like what we experience tonight is why we travel...to facilitate connections with other people that are just priceless!

This sounds fabulous!! I wonder if I could get something of that nature in Prague!

Sayhello

 

[carpenta]

O the joy of travel.......love to hear you had such a memorable experience. Cheers.

 

[TXTransplant]

I didn't realize that the benches were some kind of secret! I sat on them for quite a while, taking in the ceiling and the whole room after I got a crick in my neck looking up from the center of the room. Of course, I was there in mid-May, so it wasn't quite as busy.

Sayhello

Only a secret if you visit and it's so busy/full of people that you can't even see or get to the benches!

 

[Woodview]

I would like to know how your Flight was going across the Atlantic ?

And how did your Luggage situation work ?

 

[TXTransplant]

I would like to know how your Flight was going across the Atlantic ?

And how did your Luggage situation work ?

Flight was great! The ticket agent at Bush didn't even inspect (measure or weigh) our carry ons. The agents on either side were weighing other peoples' carry-on bags, though. So, we just got lucky. We even took our bag on the flight to Rome. The checked bags came out very quickly, too. We had our bag and were on our way probably within 20 minutes after getting off the plane. The two flights did make for a very long day, though. I did not sleep at all on the flight to AMS, and waiting for our flight to Rome was pretty miserable. The AMS airport is really easy to navigate, though.

 

[AquamarineSteph]

Loving this trip report! Can't wait to read more! Rome was a very cool city, IMO.

 

[TXTransplant]

We have some time this morning before our train to Naples, so we got up early and walked to both the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain to see them and get some pics with no crowds. I highly recommend doing this, as both attractions are mobbed during the rest of the day. The Pantheon is maybe a 2-3 min walk from our apartment, and Trevi Fountain was another 5-10 min from there. The fountain in particular is just stunning. I could sit there all day!

My pics are all bigger than 1 M, which is why I haven't uploaded anything. I worked around that last year by emailing the photos to myself, reducing their size in the process, resaving the smaller pic on my phone, and then uploading that file. The process is time consuming, though, especially because I then have to delete all of the duplicate pics (can't waste precious phone memory), and I just haven't had time to do all of that.

 

[TXTransplant]

I finally took Sayhello's advice and downloaded Photobucket. Let's see if I can make this work...

Success! This is the street where our apartment was. As soon as the rest of my photos upload, I'll post more.

 

[TXTransplant]

Our apartment...excuse the mess!

 

[TXTransplant]

From the Walks of Italy Twilight City Stroll.

Piazza Navona



The Pantheon



Gelato - pistachio, chocolate fondant (which is a really dark chocolate), and raspberry



Trevi Fountain