David and Terry's 2019 Trip Across Italy

 Thanks for you note and for your help with the trip. Everything went smoothly. The transfers in Rome and Naples arrived on time and were helpful. The first orientation trip had a guide, Vincenzo, who was charming with the children. He also gave us lots of time at the Colosseum, which I am sure satisfied our son-in-law, for whom this was a priority.

 The apartment had ample space and was in a wonderful location, right in the old ghetto and therefore close to most major sights and to decent restaurants. The disadvantages of the apartment were the street noise (it sat just above the tram line, and revelers made quite a ruckus at night), a broken dishwasher (and in spite of the agent’s assurance that it would be fixed on the Monday after our arrival, no one ever came to repair it), and limited wi-fi capacity. It was supposed to handle four devices (not enough for our crowd), and even four did not always connect.

The trip to Pompeii was a big success. Not least was the thrill our kids had at traveling 300 km per hour on the train. The guide was excellent, and the driver found us a fine pizza restaurant for lunch.

The trip to Orvieto was likewise a hit with everyone. The funicular and town were lovely, of course, and we even did a tour of the underground city, learned a lot and had a good time. The restaurant in Orvieto for lunch was also excellent, off the beaten path and very accommodating.

 As for restaurants in Rome, Maccheroni was popular. We returned there a second evening. We did our anniversary dinner at the pricey Il Porto de Ripetta and got good service and food. The salami and cheese board had exceptionally tasty cheese. In contrast, another pricey restaurant, Da Fortunato near the Parthenon was not a good experience. The waiter was not at all welcoming. He may have been reacting to our bringing the children, but they were well behaved and appreciative of the food. When we asked to order wine, the waiter announced that he would send the sommelier. The sommelier’s job seemed merely to hand us a menu and promptly disappear for the rest of the evening! We were, on the other had, able to find a number of fine eating places in addition to the two mentioned above.  Nonna Betta in the ghetto was excellent and we returned for a second meal there. A place called Emma, a few blocks from the Campo de Fiori, was a lovely modern pizza restaurant with a good bar, and the clientele included lots of young Italians as well as foreign tourists. We twice went to a small family restaurant, close to Emma, named Ristorante Santa Anna, on Santa Anna lane. It had good food and an accommodating staff and catered to locals. Finally, a good change of pace was Dar Filletaro (on the way to the Campo), which had excellent fried fish and salad. That is pretty much all they serve, and so the plates land on your table seemingly seconds after you place your order.

 In Florence, we took recommendations from the Hotel Cellai staff. The first night they sent us to an inexpensive Trattoria Da Garibardi, which was unpretentious, had good food, and cost little. The second night the hotel sent us to a much less desirable place, full of tourists and inattentive waiters. Ours had spent a lot of years in the USA and claimed that he was operating on the American system, in other words, expected a big tip. We did not indulge him. It is called Le Fonticine and is best avoided.

We had a great time in the Trentino and were taken around everywhere by Jason’s relatives. The place is like Yosemite, only bigger. And Trento, the main town, is lovely and has a wonderful castle museum.

In Bologna, our hotel, Orologia, was a couple of steps from the main piazza, and we walked everywhere. The restaurant recommended by the hotel the first night turned out to serve tasteless food. It is best left unnamed. We did better the next two nights. Da Cesari had good food, and was fine, except that it was packed with tourists and you had to sit elbow to elbow with your neighbors, because the owners had crammed a table into every last inch of space. Best was the last night. We went a bit farther out from the center (still just a walk) to the restaurant Al Sangiovese. It was quiet, low key, plenty of elbow room, and the waitress was wonderfully attentive. For example, she advised us that it was impossible to eat salad at the same time as the tortellini, because the vinegar in the salad would spoil the brodo.