Holiday to Italy

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1848

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EW EXPERT

Latest post on 22 June 2014 - 11:42

Hi there! You mentioned you are visiting Rome during your trip - we have two reviews available for the city, which we hope may be of some use whilst you decide where to stay there. http://www.expatwoman.com/dubai/monthly_travel_adventure_Rome_7682.aspx http://www.expatwoman.com/dubai/monthly_travel_adventure_week_in_rome_13200.aspx - this one mentions a hotel which may be worth checking out? We're sure you'll have a fabulous time! HTH

LumpySpacePrincess

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 22 June 2014 - 11:37

You'll probably find that the shopping in Dubai is better than the junk you'll find at an outlet store. Not true - I visited one outside Milan and picked up some great designer finds. The Italians have style like no other nation.

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 22 June 2014 - 11:33

You'll probably find that the shopping in Dubai is better than the junk you'll find at an outlet store.

IzzyOnTheSeat82823

5334

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EW MASTER

Latest post on 22 June 2014 - 11:08

Of all the things to see in Italy.... an outlet mall

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 14 March 2014 - 10:31

Hi, if it was me I would go at start if the hols, early July. Many Italians take hols in Aug so some places will be super quiet and many restaurants closed (Owners on hols) and beach areas packed. Weather will be warm/hot but manageable. Also in some places peak season for prices will start mid July, others will be all of July. Most of european school hols also start end July so generally everywhere is busier late July and August. Jealous.. enjoy! ;-)

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EW MASTER

Latest post on 13 March 2014 - 15:28

My friend did an amazing trip to italy - this is his blog, hope it helps http://alarabitravel.wordpress.com/2013/09/30/a-2-week-italian-adventure/

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 13 March 2014 - 15:26

Agree about San Giminiano, very nice place. I remember there was a weekend market when we arrived and we had the best p*rk sandwich ever. We stayed at a nearby town of Volterra Also agree about Pisa - not worth staying for a night. Florence and Siena, however, plenty to see and do Ah, also worth mentioning Portofino and Portovenere You may also like to check this website: emmavillas dot com They are Italian company who can help you plan different parts of your trip, rent a villa and even arrange catering (I know this as I wanted to do my wedding in Italy so had some contact with one of their agents) Each agent looks after a number of villas and would be your point of contact locally which I think is better than agents based outside Italy.

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EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 13 March 2014 - 00:51

Ciao vera You've not mentioned what time of year you plan to visit? For a decent travel agent, contact one of my ex travel agent colleagues in UK. Email: [email protected] or Facebook: Shore Travel. Your proposed itinerary is very hectic and busy, it would be better to narrow it down a little more. I would also suggest car hire as you can stop and sightsee at your leisure. Besides the leaning tower and flying into the airport, Pisa has very little to offer and not worth staying there, as it's an industrial city. In the past I have flown into Pisa, hired a car and driven to Tuscany. Crystal Italy has some lovely little self catering working farms, some with a communal pool (again, depending when you are going) I agree with sydneygal the area around San Gimigiano is fantastic with a central location to travel to various towns, villages. Sienna and Florence. For peace of mind I would prebook accommodation to guarantee you have a bed for the night! We visited Rome in the summer time, although very hot like many European cities, it wasn't unbearable. Trip advisor is also a good place for information, although everyone has different standards and expectations, so I would definately take many of the comments (good or bad) with an open mind! Fee :)

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EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 12 March 2014 - 21:08

I second Agriturismos. We stayed at this one in Tuscany with our 2 kids a couple of years ago: http://www.salvadonica.it/en/ It is a working farm run by 2 lovely sisters - just so beautiful and serene and a good place to use as a base to explore Florence, Sienna, Pisa.

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 12 March 2014 - 19:39

For Florence, we stayed in Hotel David, and it is either like a 10-minute walk to the main area or there is a bus that is really easy to catch. We had a nice spacious bedroom and bathroom which was nice compared to our tiny room in Rome. The service was great and there was an Italian restaurant like 4 blocks behind our hotel (the staff recommended it). I remember one dish named "Spaghetti Colonica"..it was a simple tomato sauce but soooo delicious. In Rome, try concentrating on finding hotels near the Spanish steps. The main train station is Termini Station but I remember on tripadvisor that people were saying the area there is a shady area... as we walked around the Termini station neighborhood I was glad I listened to those people and chose a hotel near the Spanish steps. We stayed in Hotel Concordia. The location is absolutely awesome but the rooms are tiny. We were just a couple so we managed just fine and I would go there again in a heartbeat but I don't know if I would stay there with a child. But then again they might have bigger rooms as we were just looking for the cheapest room for the two of us. In Venice we stayed in Hotel Antiche Figure. I totally can't remember the hotel much but that just means everything went well. If it was bad experience I would definitely remember it. But I can't give any info on room size or if it is a good hotel for kids etc... I do remember the location was great. I think there are steps and a bridge that is curved with a hill to get to the hotel--and we had big heavy bags but that was the only difficult part we encountered.

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 12 March 2014 - 19:29

Take a look at AGRITOURISMO.net Old farmhouses converted to accommodation. You would need a car but some are amazing. often they have pools so you can relax and sightsee. You can fly into PISA and out of Florence or Rome etc. Trains are very good. Lucca is lovely, as is areas around Cortona, Montepulciano, Siena..Lake Trasemino. Fab pizza, pasta and gelato.. and grape.. I want to go to Italy! NB Prersonally I would avoid Rome in summer, its v hot and super busy. Am sure its busy all year round but summer seems mega busy.

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EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 12 March 2014 - 15:45

Have mainly been to Italy pre kids or while pregnant, but would absolutely recommend a wonderful villa in Tuscany, located near San Gimignano. We went before we had our son but it was very family friendly. Great locations for day trips and staff are fantastic. http://www.ilborghettotuscanholidays.com I also agree with LovelyLilies, the CinqueTerre is gorgeous. We stayed in Monterosso and also did trips all around the neighbouring towns. Depending on how long you are going for, don't try to do too much, Italy is a wonderful place to slowly enjoy and explore. Other parts to consider for a different type if Italian holiday are Sicily and Sardinia :)

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 12 March 2014 - 15:10

I can recommend the following places: Lucca - charming medieval town. We drove into it around 4pm, DH then went to look for a local speaking English and asked them to recommend a hotel to stay. Cinque Terre - 5 towns located on the seaside connected via train line (or you can do some trekking from one to another) It was absolutely beautiful. We stayed at La Spezia town and took a train to the first town and walked our way through all those towns, I think it took us a good 6hours. You stop in one to have lunch, then you get ice cream when you reach other one. Was seafood for dinner in the last one. Ohh I would go there again really. I remember seeing so many villas/hotels/rooms for rent in each town, I am sure you can find something easily. Same thing goes for the whole Tuscany - there are some hotels, however, there are mainly ecological villas/vineyard estates (villa ecoturismo/agricola). Again, you just pick your destination on the map, drive, and pick your night shelter on the way. There are some amazing places there just like in the pictures you see from Tuscany. Many make their own wine / olive oil / fruit and veg etc. Only one suggestion - try to find your accommodation by late afternoon as you do not want to be driving around in the dark searching for a bed :) Also did Florence, Genoa, Bologna, Siena, Montepulciano, and many other small towns and villages concentrating on this region only. I think trying to cover Venice-Rome-Tuscany could be too rushed as so many amazing places in Tuscany itself. We hired a car and planned our itinerary as we drove since we did not like some towns we had planned to visit and found some lovely places on the way.

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EW NEWBIE

Latest post on 12 March 2014 - 14:17

Oooohhhh - Vera, you're so lucky! I'd second Venice - we did the northern part so didn't get to Tuscany, Florence, etc (next time!- ;)). We hired a car (through Emirates and really cheap) and used booking.com to sort out the accommodation. As we didn't have a fixed itinerary, we did that night's booking on the day so weren't under pressure to get to the hotel. We did think about a campervan, however we ruled that out as it was expensive and some of the roads we went on are very narrow (like very narrow!). I hope you have a wonderful time!

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EW EXPLORER

Latest post on 12 March 2014 - 13:30

Looking at the places you want to see I would fly into Venice and hire a car. Stay in Venice for 2 nights and then travel on to Tuscany. In Tuscany are some very nice Vineyards with accommodation and from there one can do day trips to Pisa, Florence, Sienna etc.

4393

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EW MASTER

Latest post on 12 March 2014 - 13:24

Can't help with accommodation as we went very budget type, but if you're thinking of seeing a few places in Italy I can really recommend going by train :)

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