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Classic Italy - free time suggestions
My Partner and I are going on the Classic Italy tour Sept. 19, 2023 (small group). Would any of you who have been on it recommend additional sites that can be done on the days with free time? (such as the Roman Colosseum or the Venice Opera House) Or favorite restaurants that you went to and loved?
I'd also like to hear from anyone wbe on that tour too. We are taking the Isle of Capri pre-tour also.
We are really looking forward to this trip and appreciate any suggestions you might have
Becky Hill
Tiffin, Ohio
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Don't know your exact itinerary but I do know that our tour of the Adriatic (2022) ended in Venice and we had also been to Venice 25 years ago. Any place that you can get to via the vaporetto (ferry) is an easy and cheap way to go...no need to book private tours. You can visit several of the islands, Murano, Burano etc. all in one day if your Tauck trip doesn't go there. The tour of the Jewish ghetto and synagogues on the main island is worth doing and accessible by Vaporetto from St. Marks and many other stops along the Grand Canal. We just learned about a Leonard daVinci museum that we will try to visit this year when our Bellisima tour of Italy ends up there. Just walk along any of the alleys and stop for gelato or espresso and have fun.
Take a ride on the vaporetto down the Grand Canal in the evening after dark. It's a great way to end the day and see the city lit up. We went from St Mark's to the train station, got off and returned.
Hi Becky, for our first trip to Italy we found the Rick Steves guidebook to be extremely helpful.
In Rome, the Galleria Borghese is stunning. Lots of famous artists but you will not be able to tear yourself away from those Bernini sculptures. You need advance tickets and there is a timed entry.
I have never been to Lucca, but the popular thing to do there is to either ride a bike or walk the perimeter of the city wall. It is also the birthplace of Puccini so for the opera fans there is a museum. It doesn't look like you have much time there though.
For Florence, the Baptistry and Duomo museum are really interesting, but for an over-the-top, jaw-dropping display of self-importance, I would recommend the Medici Chapels. The view of Florence from the top of the Bardini Gardens is also really beautiful. The Church of Santa Croce is where a lot of famous people are buried, including Michelangelo, and that was also one of our favorites. As I recall it was also an advanced, timed entry. We never made it there but the Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica Santa Maria Novella is an antique perfume shop that I was told is just beautiful. It is near the SMN train station. I have a friend who goes there every time she is in Florence. If you are near Santa Croce, the Gelateria Il Procopio is fantastic. In Venice, I second the recs above. The Jewish quarter is really interesting and very peaceful. If you can make it to the Gritti Palace, their terrace on the Grand Canal is superb in the evenings to watch the boats go by and have a very expensive cocktail. If you have nice weather, and are not extending your trip in Venice and it is your first time, I would simply enjoy being out and about walking in the city. Once you get away from St. Mark's square and the Rialto Bridge, hopefully it won't be as crowded.
I know you will have a wonderful time!
I second Wan's recommendation of the Borghese Gallery (especially the Bernini sculptures -- I liked his David better than Michaelangelo's) in Rome and Santa Croce in Florence. The sculptures on the tombs are amazing.
Thanks so much for all the good tips. Keep 'em coming! Sorry to be tardy with my thanks - I was traveling :-) - just here in Ohio.
The Borghese is fabulous. It’s small, you need to buy tickets in advance, and it’s timed entry. Show up late, no admission.
Thank you Folsomdoc
Thanks Wan and others for all your suggestions. I just booked the Borghese Gallery for our stay in Rome. Looks like we won't have much free time in Venice, but will in Florence so will probably take your advice there, too.
Any one else going on the Sept. 19th tour? (also do the Capri tour ahead of time). Becky from Ohio
Our TD arranged an early morning boat excursion along the Grand Canal. It was a beautiful time of the day to see Venice early in the morning.
I'm doing this tour in May 2024 and starting to review the itinerary and old threads to plan free-time activities.
In Rome, there's free time in the afternoons on days 4 and 5, with the after-hours Vatican tour on day 4. At what time did you leave for that after-hours Vatican tour? How much time would you allot for the Borghese Gallery?
Thanks.
The itinerary on this tour frequently gets changed in Rome so it’s hard to plan ahead
For our Oct 2024 tour we left the hotel for the Vatican Museum at 5:15pm.
BKMD - you must pre-purchase timed tickets to the Borghese Gallery. They give you 2 hours, but we did not stay quite that long. If you have not yet walked the gardens, you may want to factor in time to do so, particularly if the weather is good. There is an outdoor cafe in the gardens, where we have had lunch on two separate visits.
For those interested in Jewish heritage, the Jewish Ghetto area of Rome is worth a visit.
BK even if you only get an hour for the Borghese Gallery it is worth it. Don't miss the Bernini sculptures, especially Apollo and Daphne.
Also, speaking of Jewish neighborhoods, it's been a few years since we were in the old Jewish Ghetto in Venice, but there used to be a museum and synagogue there. I recall that it was a pretty and peaceful neighborhood which was relatively uncrowded. We had lunch at Gam Gam, a Kosher restaurant and it was really interesting to eat Kosher-style Italian food. We enjoyed it. It's a bit of a walk from Piazza San Marco in Cannaregio neighborhood, near the Santa Lucia train station.
The Jewish neighborhood in Venice has 5 synagogues some of which are museums and some are active congregations, Some are under renovation. The museum provides a tour of all of the sites that are currently open. When we were there 2 years ago at the end of our Croatia tour 3 of the Venetian synagogues (all different, Spanish, German, and Levantine) were visited If you don't want to walk, you can take a vaporetto from San Marco almost all of the way there. There are also many interesting shops in the area.
Thanks, all.
The Jewish areas and synagogues are also great areas to get gifts and a great way to help the synagogues.