Notes from May 2024 trip
Belated post from 2024. Just realized that I previously sent this to another Forum reader by private message, but I don’t think I ever posted it on the Forum itself. Better late than never.
Here are some notes on highlights of our Week in Venice, Florence, and Rome. Most of this covers free-time activities (we had a lot of free time because we extended our trip on both ends to spend more time in all three cities but many of these things can be done on free time during the tour itself).
Our tour director was Cristina Castorina. She was excellent. She emailed our group before the trip started and suggested we might want to book a visit to the Panoramic Terrace at the Fondaco dei Tedeschi department store roof top in Venice. The website is https://www.dfs.com/en/venice/service/rooftop-terrace Timed tickets are free but reservations are all gone within minutes of being opened up on line. It was a great vantage point. We did this during a free afternoon during the tour. We also went up the bell tower on our own. Also a great vantage point because you are very high and can see in all four directions. But honestly, I liked the Grand Canal view from the department store roof better. And the store is close to the Rialto Bridge, another highlight of the city.
On one free evening in Venice we took the Vaporetto (easy to use, there are Youtube videos that show you how, day passes available) to the Ponte dell’ Accademia stop. We ate at a small out-of-the-way restaurant recommended in the Rick Steve guidebook, Al Vecio Marangon that was delightful. We really enjoyed it. Then, we attended a Vivaldi concert at Chiesa di San Vidal. Another really enjoyable experience.
Another great vaporetto experience was taking one to the beginning of the grand canal route at Piazzale Roma and riding it back toward our hotel (we stayed at the Ca di Dio on the lagoon. I understand some Tauck groups stay at the Hilton Molino Stucky on Giudecca Island. I hope you don’t; we could walk out our door and be in Venice. From the Molino Stucky, you have to take a shuttle boat across the lagoon to actually be in the heart of Venice.) Anyway, if you get in line for vaporetto route 1 (be sure you get on the right dock; there are several at Piazzale Roma) so you can be first on the boat when it opens, sit in front so you have good views out both sides. Listen to the Rick Steves audio tour of the Grand Canal (free app, download various audio tours). Quite enjoyable.
Not clear from the Tauck trip description, but we got a tour inside the Doge’s Palace so you don’t need to do that on your own.
Last Venice advice: it will be crowded. Go for a walk at dawn, or head for parts of town that aren’t touristy.
In Florence we stayed at the Bernini Palace. Old old building, but one of the best hotels I’ve stayed in because of the service. Ask them anything, and the answer is “Yes, of course!” Also one of the best breakfasts on the tour. Great location, but again, go out at dawn to experience medieval Florence without the crowds. Speaking of locations, the Bernini has a rooftop terrace. That almost NO ONE knows about. You can get drinks and snacks at the lobby bar and take them up there or, as we did, have a decadent dinner consisting of a bottle of prosecco and a bag of potato chips from a nearby store. On the roof, all to ourselves. Not great views, just a sea of ancient rooftops. Lots of swallows and other birds.
One of the best meals we had on our own was a short walk from the Bernini at Il Gato e la Volpe on Via Ghibellina. (Gato and Volpe, cat and fox, are two prominent characters in Pinocchio, which is an Italian story). After a round of negronis we can’t finish a bottle of wine; they have a good selection of half bottles. We had the 2013 Cantina di Montalcino Brunello di Montalcino; best wine of the trip. We lamented that it was a half bottle!
We wanted to buy a picnic dinner and walk from the hotel across the river and up the hill to the Piazzale Michelangelo for the great views, but my wife sprained her ankle in Florence, and that limited our walking a bit. People on tour who went up there said it was very nice.
We had an after-hours visit to the Uffizi—treasure it. Huge contrast to the packed madhouse at the Accademia to see David. Speaking of packed madhouses, on to Rome. We were supposed to have an after-hours tour of the Sistine Chapel. Then it got shifted to early morning public hours, then late afternoon public hours. So crowded it was difficult to appreciate this great art treasure. I hope you get the after hours tour. Tauck sent us each a check for $100 and a $250 voucher for a future trip to compensate. I would rather have had the after hours tour.
Our Tauck hotel in Rome was the Palazzo Ripetta. Nice neighborhood but long walk from hotel to places you might want to visit: Trevi Fountain, Spanish steps, Colosseum. We visited Trevi and the Pantheon on a drizzly early morning. Weather kept the crowds away from Trevi, and although there was a long line to buy tickets at the Pantheon before it opened, the line moved quickly. Near there we found a nice shop that was great for buying food souvenirs for folks back home: Enoteca Guerrini on Via del Governo Vecchio. They also have a branch nearer the Palazzo Ripetta at Via della Croce not far from the Spanish steps. Small quantities of limoncello, balsamic vinegar, cantucci, etc. for taking home as gifts.
One of Rome’s most acclaimed restaurants is very close to the Palazzo Ripetta. It is Restaurant Ad Hoc. We tried to make reservations but six weeks in advance was WAY too late. We did have a nice lunch at PizzaRe just down the street on via di Ripetta.
If you take a taxi in Rome or Florence, try to have your tour director get the taxi and tell the driver where you want to go. We had Cristina do that for us once and it helped.
We were glad we went into the Colosseum but I enjoyed touring the Forum with the free Rick Steves app narration more. More variety of ruins. However, in late May it was very hot and sunny in the Forum with practically no shade. Go early, take water. We would have killed for a cold beer when we got out, but couldn’t find one nearby.
Comments
These are great recommendations. Thank you for sharing!
Very helpful review thank you
We are going on this trip in November. I'm wondering if you would be able to give me some more detail on what is on the Tauck led tours and in what depth you explore them. We will arrive early and stay late. I don't want to book private tours if they will be redundant.Thank you.
Amy Clarke: this is why I should keep a trip diary, but never do. Off the top of my head, my recollections won’t be of much use. I will try to review the itinerary and post again when I have a chance. This trip was a bit of a whirlwind, hitting three main cities in a relatively brief time. You will be glad you arrive early and stay late. Honestly, many of the most memorable parts of this trip for us were on our own, riding vaporettos, attending concerts, visiting the forum, finding delightful little restaurants. (Not to minimize the stunning art and architecture, of course.)
If you are so inclined, the Great Synagogue in Florence is worth a visit. There was a nominal entrance fee the last time I was there. Since the congregation is orthodox, there is a strict dress code—covered shoulders, no shorts for men and women, and men must wear a head covering (yarmulkes furnished). Females should cover their heads as well but this is not a firm requirement for tourists.
Florence’s Central Market is a great place to get lost in and grab a bite to eat.
Here is a little more detail regarding activities that were part of the tour: on day 2, a guided tour of the Doge's palace was included. I think there are private tours that explore a little more of the building, but our tour seemed adequate. We were offered tickets to the Basilica if we wanted to visit on our own. We did, and we thought it was worth the time and waiting in line.
On day 3 in Florence we visited the Accademia. It was strictly to fight the crowds to get to the sculpture of David and a short lecture by a local guide. We really had very little time to see anything else, and the afternoon crowds were bad. That afternoon's walking tour of Florence viewed buildings such as the cathedral and baptistry from the outside only.
Day 4 included an after-hours tour of the Uffizi. The pace was slow enough to see much of what the gallery has to offer. Only a dedicated aficionado would need more time.
Day 6 included a brisk coach and walking tour of Rome. The only in-depth visit was to the Capitoline Museum. There is a lot to see there, and several times we tarried and lost the Vox signal with the guide, and frantically searched for which way our group went through a warren of rooms and galleries. Despite the stress of fearing we might get lost, we eventually felt like we saw enough and had enough time at pieces we wanted to really enjoy.
Day 7 included a visit to the Vatican. Due to the Vatican's schedule changes as noted in a previous post, we visited the Sistine Chapel at its most crowded, in late afternoon. Not Tauck's fault.
This is NOT the tour if you really want to see the sights in Rome: no visit inside the Colosseum or Forum, no visit inside Saint Peter's Basilica (perhaps due to our schedule change) no visit to the Borghese gallery or Pantheon, only a quick walk past the Spanish steps. The visit was enough to make us comfortable spending time on our own after the tour in this fabulous city.