[Leica] Rome in May

[henningw at archiphoto.com (Henning Wulff)]

At 8:53 AM +1100 2/10/07, Alastair Firkin wrote:
>Peter, fantastic information. Just what I needed. Helen was looking at
>some day trips to Pompeii, but I think we should try ot get there on our
>own steam, following your comments. I also like the idea of Capri. Had
>forgotten that was near by. We are thinking of doing Rome in one go and
>hope to spend up to 10 to 12 days, realizing that there is so much to see
>in the world we may never get back!!!
>
>Cheers

I would concur with Peter; do it on your own. Get 
some good guide books, and have some time to walk 
around Pompeii. You can get more out of that than 
with almost any guide, and you'll get to spend 
your time on things that interest you. We stayed 
in Sorrento when we were last in that area. 
Between Castellamare di Stabia and Sorrento there 
are a number of great places to stay, with views 
of the Bay of Naples and Vesuvius as a backdrop.

Capri can be interesting, but it's just about as 
touristy as you can get. Between the boat trips 
and time to walk around, it's about a day. My own 
preference now would be to skip Capri and get 
some similar views and sensations on the Amalfi 
coast, and add some time in Pompeii and Ercolano.

Last time we were in Rome we stayed in a small 
family run place near the Forum. Don't know the 
name anymore, but if you use Google Earth and 
look for:
41?53'35.20"N, 12?29'17.39"E you'll see the 
building it's in. A good location, but then it's 
hard to be in Rome and not be in a good location.

We were driving for a couple of months; picked up 
the car in Luxembourg and drove through France, 
Italy, then on to Greece and back up through 
Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Austria and 
Germany. A variety of driving styles were 
encountered, but as usual we survived.


>  > Alastair:  When we were in Rome, we stayed at the Hotel Adriano, in
>>  "medieval Rome."  Lots of narrow, twisty streets, and very short
>>  blocks--it
>>  was possible to get lost in 10 paces.  But very centrally located.  If I
>>  recall correctly, the rates were reasonable, breakfast was included, and
>>  the staff speaks English.  Our room was tiny, but the bed was long and
>>  confortable.
>>
>>  We took a bus tour to Pompeii, a place I have had a fascination with 
>> since
>>  I first read about it as a kid.  I have mixed feelings about the
>>  tour.  They picked us up at the hotel, and we did get a walking tour of
>>  Pompeii guided by a retired Professore.  But they also herded us to a
>>  couple of tourist traps along the road, including a rather embarrassing
>>  lunchtime serenade, all of which took time we would rather have spent in
>>  Pompeii itself.  On the other hand, we did see a bit of the north end of
>>  the Amalfi coast.  If you don't mind driving, or taking the train to
>>  Naples
>>  and a bus to Pompeii, that might be more efficient.  Maybe stay in Naples
>>  overnight, see the museum where all the artifacts are. Maybe even take 
>> the
>>  boat to Capri while you're there.
>>
>>  Our entire trip consisted of Rome for three days, plus Pompeii. Then a
>>  train to Siena, where we rented a car and drove around Tuscany.  Then
>>  another train to Venice.  Here's a link to my pictures from the trip 
>> (many
>>  are of minilab prints scanned on a flatbed, as I didn't get my film
>>  scanner
>>  until later).
>>  http://users.2alpha.com/~pklein/italy/
>>
>>  I *love* Italy. The people, the food, the wine, the buildings, the
>>  art.  Even if half the telephones didn't work.  The trains ran pretty 
>> much
>>  on time--but often not from the announced platform.
>>
>>  --Peter
>>
>>
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>>
>
>
>
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