Florence Lodging

Ciao!

Awesome update on lodging for Florence > click here

I'm really in love with this place-- the location is amazing (right at the foot of the Ponte Vecchio, right across the bridge on the boboli garden side), the size & amenities are perfect for our needs, it's looks lovely, has great reviews, and... the price is ridiculous. (see my cost breakdown below.) It has 3 bedrooms with double beds and a study with a pull out, 2 marble bathrooms, living/dining room, kitchen, washer/dryer, and balcony with a view of the Arno river. Amazing.

COST:
I have it reserved for 4 nights, Thursday, October 20 - Sunday, October, 23. I know not everyone is there for 4 nights, but check this out-- the TOTAL cost of the place per night is $288. Seriously. I'm working on the model that there will be 4 of us there the first two nights (VR, CR, Ann & Kenny) and 8 of us there the second two nights (+ Amy & Kris, Kit & Jamie). So...

first 2 nights @ 4 people, the cost is $143 per night/couple (far less than any hotel in this area);
second 2 nights @ 8 people, cost is $72 per night/couple;
total for 4 nights = $430 (averages $107/night)
total for 2 nights = $144

Pretty fab, eh? And even if this fluctuates a little, as I know not everyone's dates are set in stone, the price difference isn't a huge deal.

So-- let me know what you think. I have a few more details to talk through with it (mostly the fact that ALL the money, plus a significant, but refundable damage deposit is due upon first arrival), which we can do when we have our next meeting... after April 15. As I said, I'm pretty excited about this and consider this a major score. The price just kills me, not to mention the idea of waking up with Italian coffee and a view of the Arno.

Grazie!
-cr.

Rick Steves on Italy

Rick Steves is one of my favorite travel resources. Check out a couple of these quick links and then linger around the site for a while.

• Everything Italy

• Cinque Terre overview

• Vernazza (we chose well)
  

• Cinque Terre cuisine (!)
  

And, just for fun:

CAMPARI IS KING (by Heidi Sewell)

For anyone who has ever tried it, you know Campari is an acquired taste. It's so bitter it makes your toes curl!

But the before-dinner drink is almost a sacred event for many Italians, and knocking back a casual aperitivo (cocktail) with friends is the way locals shake off the workday and whet their appetites for dinner. Many beverages qualify as aperitivi, but Campari is king.

This bitter liquor, made from aromatic herbs and orange peel, was invented in Milan in the 1860s and today enjoys an understated sophistication.

Campari is best when accompanied by salty snacks, like potato chips, which counterbalance the jet of saliva shocked from your salivary glands. You initially might think you hate it, but as you continue to sip, you'll begin to appreciate the depth of the liquor and the contrast between the jewel-red elixir in your glass and the salt of the snacks offered at the bar.

There are many ways to drink Campari but the simplest preparations are sometimes the best. Italians will order Campari e soda or Campari e vino bianco, also known as Campari macchiato or "stained" with white wine. If you go to the Veneto region of Italy, you'll find people drinking their Campari in a much more complex cocktail called a "spritz", made of Campari, Cynar (a bitter herb liquor), white wine, and soda water garnished with an olive and a wedge of blood orange.

However you decide to order your Campari, be sure to stand at the bar to maximize your opportunity to rub elbows with the locals, nibble the snacks, and enjoy this quintessentially Italian aperitivo.

Cin Cin!

Cinque Terre Lodging

Ciao, friends! I have an update on a pretty sweet place I've found for our lodging needs in Cinque Terre. As i expected, the right kind of place to fit us all, in Vernazza, right in/by the square, and that is affordable doesn't exactly exist... but I think I've found the next best thing.

Franca Maria Rooms is a collection of rooms, ranging a little in size and scattered around (but all really quite close to each other) the main square area of Vernazza. I worked online with the lady and we found the perfect combination of rooms to accommodate our group for the lowest price. I booked three rooms, each sleep 2 - 4. They are all pretty large, so 4 people in there should be fine; all close to each other; all similar in price.

We have rooms 1, 3 and 7. We can certainly figure out the details later, who wants which rooms and with whom. I'm operating under the assumption of 10 people, so it would most likely be 4, 4 and 2 (but there would be room for another couple of people, if needed). The room with 2 would be a little more expensive, but would also offer some privacy and quiet, which might not appeal or we might be fighting over : ) Pricing: Room 1 = $200/night (4 people) Room 3 = $140/night (2 people). Room 7 = $200/night. I had to give my card info to hold the rooms, but no deposit is actually charged and we pay with cash there. We are booked to check in Monday, October 24 and out on Thursday, October 27. I know there were maybe a couple who were coming in a day later or something, which we can figure out later.

Here is a little map, showing the square, the rooms and the train station: http://www.francamaria.com/francamaria_map.htm

So, take a look and let me know what you think. I think it's FAB and a real score. The train station is just down from the square and it sounds like the Vernazza stop is the only one that has an elevator, so we don't need to lug our crap up flights of old stone steps that are everywhere else. Yay.