ITALY TRAVEL: Hotels in Italy, Flights, Map, Tour Packages

Grand Hotel, shame about the staff, the bedrooms, the public rooms, the food...
... more amenities on offer over Christmas in a Holiday Inn Express. The Grand's position on the Corso

is fantastic but this is not enough to compensate for the indifference bordering on arrogance ...

Traveler reviews of Residenza Cellini,

Rome, Lazio vacation, hotels in Italy

Rented the Apartment
Our family of 5 spent Christmas in Roma ... for us to make our Christmas break wonderful.

When we got to the apartment a small Christmas tree was setup. This is just the ...

Traveller reviews of Sofitel Roma,

Rome, Lazio vacation, hotels in Italy

Quiet charming Hote
Have just returned from spending Christmas in Rome. ... via veneto. Breakfast was good, Christmas

Eve dinner good and there was far too much food which we walked off on the way to ...

Traveler reveiws of Continentale,

Florence, Tuscany vacation, hotes in Italy

A wonderful hotel and a wonderful Christmas
... tucked away. We stayed over Christmas in their ... of 10 Euro (possibly for Christmas?) Overall,

we really appreciated the friendly, smiley service and the effort everyone put into making us feel at ...

Traveler reviews of Hote Gritti Palace,

Venic, Veneto vacation, hotels in Italy

Delightful and romantic
... and I stayed prior to christmas in Dec'03. We were treated exceptionally well and the room

was delightful, although a little tired. The view of the Grand Canal was fantastic and room ...

Travel to Italy - Rome and Venice

By: Rick Chapo, Tue Mar 14th, 2006

Where does one begin to start when discussing Italy. Well, if you intend to travel there, Rome and Venice are good places to start.

Rome

Perhaps you've heard of it? It goes without saying that Rome has a rather prominent past. Lets see, in Rome you will find...[deep breath]...the Vatican, Coliseum, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Church of Saint Agnese, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and a guy name Allassandro. Just making sure you're paying attention. Indeed, Rome is filthy with historically significant attractions. It seems you can't turn around without bumping into something an Emperor built, captured or destroyed. For those willing to risk potential wrath, there are also the new Divinci Code tours, which take you to the locations found in the book.

In all serious, Rome is a city you should visit at least once in your life. No article could ever do it justice, so I'll just stop here.

Venice

I fondly refer to Venice as the floating city even though it is apparently sinking. If you've seen Venice is movies or televisions shows, the depictions are accurate. Piazza San Marco looks exactly the same, birds and all. The Grande Canal is, well, a grand canal with incredible houses lining it and boats putting up down this water way. Built on mudflats in a lagoon, the city doesn't really have much room to grow. It just seems paralyzed in time.

Once you've conquered the tourist attractions, it will be time to get serious about Venic. The best way to do this is stand in front of your Htel or hostel, determine which direction the tourist attractions lie and start walking in the opposite direction. While you may feel like you're driving the wrong way on a freeway for a few minutes, you'll eventually start getting into real Venice.

An entirely different side of Venice will appear and you'll love it. You'll find little cafes with locals happy to talk to you [and non-tourist prices]. In fact, the Venetians will tend to hold you in high regard since you're a tourist who is bypassing the tourist areas. This, of course, will logically lead to a whirl of introductions to this nephew, that son of a brother and so on. Next thing you know, you'll be complaining about Italian politicians and how things used to be better in the past.

While Rome and Venice are excellent travel destinations, you can't really go wrong in Italy. For the adventurous, set your itinerary with the old map on a wall and dart technique.

About the author: Rick Chapo is with http://www.nomadjournals.com - makers of travel journals. Writing journals are the perfect travel accessories. Visit http://www.nomadjournaltrips.com to read more travel articles and travelogues.

Florence, Italy - Of David and Such

By: Rick Chapo, Sat Mar 11th, 2006

Often consider "Rome Light", Florence is the city of the Medici and art galore. Despite this, there is an odd modern influence in this hallowed city.

Florence

When it came to the Renaissance, Florence was definitely one of the places to be. The city is full of examples of the past whether from great artist, architecture or significant sites. The city center dominates travel guides, but gardens and interesting sites can be seen by just strolling through the city.

Head to the Santa Maria Novella Church and you are in a ritzy section of town. High-end shops abound as do the headquarters of world famous fashion houses such as Versace and Ferragamo. The Basso Fortress is worth a look, but has been turned into more or less a modern convention center.

For evenings, you want to stroll over to the Santo Spirito Oltrarano area where you will find tons of cafes. The area is particularly nice because it contains the Medici's Boboli Gardens, which are definitely worth exploring with their fountains, walkways and, well, gardens. Just go.

When it comes to art, Florence matches up with many of the top destinations in Europe. You'll find museums with Michelangelo's David and famous paintings from a variety of artists. The museums tend to be packed, so be prepared. Still, it is definitely one of those things you have to do.

The Florence Twist

I may be burned at the stake for saying this, but I found Florence to be largely forgettable. There is no disputing the cities place in history nor the incredible architecture, art and gardens throughout it. Something about the place, however, feels artificial. It is as though Florence has become a modern city, but parades it's past solely for the all mighty tourist currency. Then again, I could be wrong.

Regardless of your feelings about Florence, it is a city you should definitely visit for the art. I've rarely stayed more than two days, and usually only if I've missed a train.

About the author: Rick Chapo is with http://www.nomadjournals.com - makers of writing journals. Travel journals are great travel accessories and travel gifts for student travel, family vacations and adventure travel. Visit http://www.nomadjournaltrips.com for more travel articles, travelogues and travel stories.

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