June in Italy

[Anne]

Our airfare's finally booked - yahoo!! So our travel plans are taking shape.

We arrive in Florence June 3 (noon), and fly out of Naples June 29. Our not-entirely-slow itinerary so far:

June 3-6 in Florence. I'm in talks with the owner of this apartment. Something about it just strikes our fancy. Good price and I like the Oltrarno. (Also the most excellent Gelateria La Carraia is close by!)

June 7-9 in Rome. I'm currently combing through the overwhelming number of hotels/b&bs for a decent, reasonably priced place to sleep for 3 nights. Suggestions, anyone?? The reviews on ST all seem to be pretty old, although I'm still following some of them up...and searching threads for current recs. (Wendy, I'll post in the GTG thread too - hopefully our dates overlap.)

June 10-14 in Naples. I'm waiting for confirmation on this apartment. Seems fabulous for the price, and in a great location as far as I can tell. (And had a good review on ST by Jerry deQ.)

June 15-28 Our idea is to rent a car (Naples airport maybe? I've driven out of Rome unscathed, but I don't want to tackle Naples!) Our idea is to spend a couple hours at Paestum the first day, late lunch in Agropoli, overnight in Maratea. And then...we're envisioning driving across and along the Ionian coast (possibly stop somewhere for a night or two), and over to Matera for a couple (or several?) nights. I'm still trying to figure out where would be a good home base for the bulk of our time in Basilicata.

June 28 overnight in Naples, flying out 7 am June 29.

That's the plan so far...I'm soooo excited!!

 

[Sandrac]

Hello Anne! This sounds like a lovely plan, and I hope we can meet in Rome!
In terms of a hotel here, what do you think about Smeraldo? Twice in recent years, friends have stayed there and been impressed. It is in Campo dei'fiori, which can be a madhouse, but it is on a relatively quiet street not too far from Largo Argentina and the cat sanctuary so tucked away a bit from the insanity.

I have seen a couple of the rooms and they seemed fine - not opulent and the decor looked a bit like a Holiday Inn, nothing very imaginative. But adequate. There is a rooftop terrace, Internet and I believe, quite inexpensive.
http://www.smeraldoroma.com/en/default.html

Have you checked out Nicolas Inn, on Cavour? I have wanted to stay there, the rooms are lovely as are the owners. It is very near where I live, so practically perfect!

Finally, in the budget category, is The Beehive. It has private rooms as well as a few hostel-style, I believe. I have gotten to know it because my massage therapist works out of there, a small space in the basement beside the breakfast area. It is a funky space, always looks very clean, well-managed with a small outdoor lounge area with lots of trees and plants, and seats.

It is only a five-minute walk from Termini but I don't find that area so very dodgy. The streets are not Rome's most beautiful, but you certainly would have good transportation access!

Best,
Sandra

 

[Pauline]

I was going to jump in with The Beehive too. We met Linda, who runs it with her husband Steve, in Orvieto last summer. She is great and everyone I talk to loves The Beehive.

That sounds like a great trip plan - after Florence, Rome and Naples you will be ready for some countryside and smaller towns. I would not want to drive in Naples either. Would it be possible to take a train to Salerno (just past the Amalfi Coast) and get a rental car there? If not, the airport is probably a good idea.

Have you seen TrekCapri's Day Trip for Paestum and Valerie's Day Trip for Maratea?

 

[Anne]

Thanks! These sound like great possibilities. I've sent off availability requests to Nicolas Inn and The Beehive.

Pauline, I'd seen notes on Matera and Castelmezzano, but somehow missed the above notes. Thanks for the heads up!

 

[Anne]

Change of plans...Rome has been scratched from our itinerary. We're going to extend our time in Florence and head directly from there to Naples June 10. As I searched for a place in Rome, I realized the trip planning was feeling rushed and stressful instead of exciting...always a good sign to stop and regroup. As soon as we decided to stay longer in Florence, my heart felt lighter. I love that place.

 

[Pauline]

When I have made a trip plan, I review it by talking through each step with Steve. Sometimes when I say it out loud, I see that it doesn't make sense. Looks like you just went through that.

A week in Florence will let you settle in and enjoy it more leisurely.

 

[Anne]

So true, it is definitely an evolving process!

The longer stay also means we're getting an even better deal on the little apartment we like....450 euro for 7 nights! Hard to beat that price for a week in Florence in June, even a very basic space like this.

 

[Pauline]

That is a very good price!

 

[jonathan]

Anne, I'm always on the lookout for a bargain, and we like the idea of the Oltrarno for our next Florence stay (it's been far too long since we were there) - do you have a link?

 

[Anne]

Yes, it's rental # 1563030 on HomeAway - click here.

It doesn't have much of a kitchen, but we don't cook much while travelling so it's not a concern for us. It also only has three reviews, which is something that has scared me off other rentals in the past. But for whatever reason, mom and I both have feel comfortable with this. So far Sergio has been very responsive, and we only had to pay 100 euro in advance, through Paypal (The other option was a bank transfer, but I preferred Paypal.)

I'll try to remember to post a review after our stay.

 

[Anne]

And this apartment (HomeAway #6583387) is where we are spending our 5 nights in Naples. I love the rooftop terrace! And it seems to be a good location, very close to a metro station and within walking distance of many sights in the historic centre. Already imagining myself up there relaxing in the evening with a glass of wine, gazing at Vesuvius in the distance...

Thanks Pauline for the suggestion of picking up our rental car in Salerno, that sounds like a great option. I've booked a room at the Hotel Capodichino by the Naples airport for our last night (we have a 7am flight home) so will drop the car at the airport.

Our 2 weeks in Basilicata are still up in the air as far as details go. After reading Valerie's travel note on Maratea (thanks to Pauline for the link above), I'm leaning toward spending 2-3 days there, to chill out after Naples, and then we'll carry on and explore other parts of the region. To get in the mood, I rewatched the HHI episode of Valerie and Bryan's move south...so awesome! The more I read and research about Basilicata, the more excited I am to experience this part of Italy.

 

[Pauline]

That Naples apartment looks great! We had a rooftop terrace in the apartment we rented in Nimes and I loved it, even though we were there in the off season. And in a couple of weeks we are in Ostuni (Puglia) with a rooftop terrace.

We should have booked more time in Basilicata, but when I was booking the trip our cat was sick (now gone) and I didn't want to be away for too long. Next time!

 

[jonathan]

Thanks for posting those details, Anne. The Oltrarno one looks great, and the Naples one is in my favourite bit of Naples: bookmarking both!

I'm also a great fan of rooftop terraces; on Sunday we head off to Ostuni for a few days, where the terrace is the best bit of our house - and then in August I'm staying at the apartment Pauline rented in Nimes: looking forward to evening drinks on its terrace!

 

[Pauline]

@jonathan I thought you were staying in the apartment we rented in Uzes? Have I confused Uzes with Nimes?

 

[Anne]

Our itinerary takes more shape...we'll pick up our rental car (Fiat Panda most likely) at the Naples airport, head south and spend the morning/early afternoon at Paestum, stopping in Padula, if time permits, to see the Certosa di San Lorenzo and/or the Battistero Paleocristiano San Giovanni in Fonte.

Then we'll continue on to our rental in the hills above Maratea. We'll spend three nights in this apartment - apartment Emanuela. We figure after Florence and Naples, we'll be ready for a couple days in a rural setting! During our short stay in Maratea, I'm determined to drive up to the Cristo Redentore statue, but otherwise we have no particular plans. We'll tool around a bit in the car, maybe beach it one day, etc...just relaxing stuff!

Then on to Matera! We've booked this place - apartment Gianni - because it just strikes our fancy. Seems like a great deal too, 400 euro for the week, including "the Italian breakfast". I hope a week will allow us plenty of time to explore the sassi, and also take a couple day trips, such as to Alberobello.

I just have three nights to figure out...I'm thinking we'll stay in/near Melfi after we leave Matera, but will see what turns up in my research. Hard to believe our trip is less than two months away!!

 

[Wendy&Rob]

Anne, your trip sounds wonderful. The fact by (sadly for me), your feeling relieved at dropping the Rome stay clearly it was the correct choice for you and your mom.
Have a wonderful wonderful trip

 

[Anne]

Wendy, missing out on a Rome GTG is a disappointment for sure - I'd love to have met you! Isn't that always the hardest part of travel planning, not being able to get everywhere?! You're right though, staying longer in Florence does feel good for us this time.

 

[Pauline]

... then in August I'm staying at the apartment Pauline rented in Nimes: looking forward to evening drinks on its terrace!

Don't you mean Uzes? It is a tower.

 

[jonathan]

Yes, I lost my brain temporarily... Tower/terrace - well, they're both open to the sky, n'est-ce pas?