Italy Trip 2017

Italy Trip - 2017-Mar-28 to 2017-Apr-13

Sometimes an airfare deal comes along that is so enticing that one cannot pass it up. This is how we happened to be scheduled on flights to and from Rome over 6 months in advance. After much procrastinated on the planning, we finally settled on a “no car rental” trip to Rome, Naples, Salerno, Florence and Fiumicino. Two months before our flights, we booked vacation rentals in Rome, Salerno and Florence on Airbnb and Vrbo. For the Naples and Fiumicino hotels, we used booking.com. We bought backpacks and packing cubes to facilitate train travel. A couple of weeks before our flights, we researched trains and booked tickets to our destinations. We gathered printed maps and gathered notes on how to best get to our accommodations after arriving at our destination cities. It was a lot of work and it kind of sounds like we really had our act together, right?

Well, we had a fantastic trip due to the planning, helpful people and some good luck. Here is a summary:

• In Rome, we relaxed for a couple of days in an apartment at a neighborhood not far from Tiburtina train station. We roamed the neighborhood, ate out, checked out the grocery stores, ate in and ate out some more! We took the Metro to the Vatican area where it was so crowded, we opted to go buy tickets online for the next day. Not far from the Vatican, we happened onto an indoor market. It was huge and we were ill-prepared so we did not end up buying anything. The visit to the Vatican was overwhelming. The amount of artwork was just hard to take in after awhile. However, we expected this as we have been here before. It was close to Easter time so we were not that surprised by the crowds, but when in Rome, one really has to go to the Vatican! Shame on us for skipping St. Peter’s Basilica due to the crowds, but if it is your first time here, you must not miss the Pieta. Recommend going early in the morning before your Vatican visit.
• Next on to Naples.. We only had one day here and actually was glad it turned out that way. Someone tried to pickpocket my backpack and there were just too many people hanging around the streets. We walked around town a lot looking for the famous Napolitan pizza, but by the time we got to one of several places, it was closing for the afternoon break. Oh well. In the evening, we opted to try Pizzeria Ristorante Franco and we were very happy we did. The pizza was delicious! Come out of the Naples train station and make a left.
• Salerno turned out to be a wonderful place to be based to explore the area. From here, it was easy to get to the ancient cities of Pompeii and Paestum. We got a ride to Almalfi, took a bus to Positano and then a ferry back to Salerno. The coast is beautiful and the towns picturesque. We did a lot of sightseeing. We will need to visit more of the Almalfi Coast area next time!
• On to Florence, we stayed at an apartment with a great location. Easy to get to places and the neighborhood had good places to eat and a grocery store nearby. Of course, we went to the Uffizi museum again. We had a great time walking around Florence, having a gelato or two and discovering the delicious panini. Wow! Delicious and I am not keen on sandwiches!
• Fiumicino turned out to be quite a surprise. We stayed here because it is close to the airport. It is by the water and the weather was quite wonderful. We saw fishermen bringing in their catch and selling their treasures. We ran out to look things over. The seafood was so fresh! We wished we had a couple of days here at least to check out the place. It was great walking around the area and the water was so beautiful!

I have had a difficult time trying to write about this trip. There were just so many details swimming in my head. So I just decided that the most important thing to share was the general itinerary hence the summary above. It was really a great trip and we would do it all over again.

CNX Pub: 2018-Jul-15 14:12 Places – Italy, Rome, Naples, Salerno, Florence, Fiumicino
CNX Pub: 2018-Jul-15 14:12 Sightseeing – Vatican, St. Peter’s Basilica, Uffizi, Pompeii, Pasteum, Almalfi Coast
CNX Pub: 2018-Jul-15 14:12 Restaurants - Pizzeria Ristorante Franco, Naples