Saving Euros - Dream of Italy

INSIDE:
Cruise to Savings 5
PISA
Discovering
Warning for Rental
Car Drivers 6
La Dolce Vita
Beyond the Tower
Where to Stay in Pisa 2
New Venice Hotels 7
dream of
®
ITALY
Saving Euros
Volume 7, Issue 1
T
www.dreamofitaly.com
February 2008
Tips and Tricks for
he bad news — as we already
know — is that the dollar has
fallen against the euro about 10
percent over the past year. The good
news is that this currency challenge
shouldn’t prevent travelers from
going to Italy this year and for
many it hasn’t. Travel expert
Pauline Frommer told listeners of her radio program
recently that while surveying
various travel companies
about their summer bookings,
most said that while travel to
Europe in general was down, bookings for Italy remained steady or are
even expected to increase. Italy will be
far from empty this year and it pays to
plan ahead.
Cheaper Flights
High oil prices, steady demand and
limits on the number of seats for sale
will increase airfares to Italy this year.
One of the most frequent questions
travelers have is how far in advance to
buy airline tickets. What if they buy
now and there’s a sale in a month or
two? With so many people still
traveling to Italy and limited
seats for the summer season,
if you find a decent airfare
for travel between the
beginning of May and end
of September, you are probably better off buying the
tickets.
At press time, a roundtrip ticket
between New York and Rome for July
11 to 18 was priced at $1,386 on Alitalia
and $1,362 on United. The Italian discount airline Eurofly was offering the
same route for $1,009. If you live in
Canada, low-cost carrier Zoom Airlines
will begin twice weekly flights between
continued on page 4
he Tuscan sky put on a twilight
show, complete with rosy clouds
and amber rays, as a pair of nuns
crossed over the Arno’s pale stone
bridge. The nuns eclipsed a couple at
the bridge’s center who fell into an
embrace. Students wearing cool
wraparound sunglasses glided by on
bikes as women in fashionable wool
suits sauntered
arm in arm. I’d
arrived in Pisa just
in time for the
passegiata — the
early evening
stroll.
T
And oh yes, there
was that handsome man
standing close to
me with an expectant look on his
face: the cabbie waiting to get paid.
Even this reality check didn’t break
the spell cast on me only half an hour
after landing in Pisa. The fare for the
15-minute ride from the airport to the
doorway of my city-center hotel was
just seven euros.
Every year millions of travelers dash
into Pisa’s Campo dei Miracoli — the
“Field of Miracles” Piazza which is
home to the city’s 12th-century
triumphs: the Duomo, Baptistery,
Camposanto and the famous Leaning
Tower. They snap photos, pick up
schlocky souvenirs and dash away.
The town is one of the world’s most
famous “tourist quickies.”
I go more for La Dolce Vita style than
the “quickie” when it comes to
Italian travel. From the moment I
landed in Pisa’s small, hassle-free
international airport, my plan to start
continued on page 2
Italy is the top country booked by U.S. travel agents.
Pisa continued from page 1
off my Tuscan vacation by
immediately indulging in the
simple slow rhythms of Italy
began to work. What followed
were heavenly
jet-lagged days, as I poked
around to find what lies beyond
Pisa’s main attraction.
What I discovered was a
part of Pisa most tourists
miss, even though it’s a
short walk from the tower:
the heart of the historic center. This area is home to the
town’s other 12th-century
treasure, the University of
Porcini for Sale
Pisa, which still flourishes as
one of Europe’s most prestigious acaIt was easy to be lured away from the
demic centers.
signs that pointed to Il
Torre (The Tower).
The neighborhood’s look is a sublime
Camera-toting tourists
blend of arched cobblestone streets,
streamed by me as I
Gothic churches and Romanesque
headed in the opposite
palazzos infused with the vibrant enerdirection to visit a minigy of young bike-riding students. This
gothic masterpiece: the
is what the poet Elizabeth Barrett
Santa Maria della Spina
Browning was writing about when she
church. It was pouring rain as I
called Pisa “one of those
small, delicious towns of
silence.”
Photos by Susan Van Allen
2
Vineria alla Piazza
The creak of fruit and vegetable carts along with
merchants’ “buon giornos”
woke me in the morning. It
was my cue to tie on my scarf,
walk around the corner, and
blend with the locals at the
daily market. I wandered the
harvest display of giant porcini
mushrooms, inhaling the
sharp smells of aged
pecorino cheeses and the
sweet aroma of hot pine
nuts from a paneficio
where Pisa’s specialty
pignole cookies were
being baked.
approached it — perfect to admire the
intricate rooftop as water streamed off
its carved pinnacles, angels and saints
and then gushed out the mouths of its
gargoyles.
Another diversion around the corner
from my hotel was The Borgo Stretto,
the historic center’s main walkway
where 19th century storefronts offered
enticing displays of shoes and lingerie,
gelato and candies. I slipped into one of
the oldest caffes on the stretch, Salza
dalla 1898, for a pick-me-up cappuccino
and a few homemade chocolates
served in their elegant back salon.
The best place for me to rub elbows
with the locals (literally) was at the
Vineria alla Piazza, steps
from the market, where diners are seated at long
wooden communal tables. A
chalkboard outside lists the
daily fare, which changes
according to what’s fresh
that day. Waitresses in
denim mini-skirts, t-shirts, black tights
and boots expertly pulled
off the casual-sexy look
while serving fantastic salads and pastas
Osteria dei Cavalieri
to a lively cross-section of
Via San Frediano, 16
clientele: mammas with their
(39) 050 580858
www.osteriacavalieri.pisa.it
bambini in strollers, boisterClosed Saturday afternoon and
ous university students,
Sunday.
businessmen greeting each
Closed in August.
other with the traditional
double-cheek kiss.
Where to STAY Where to EAT
Hotel Relais dell’Orologio
My accommodations at the
Via della Faggiola, 12/14
Royal Victoria Hotel were the
(39) 050 830361
www.hotelrelaisorologio.com
ideal setting for me to take in
Rates: Start at 270€ for a single,
the city as travelers on the
800€
for a suite, including breakfast.
Grand Tour had centuries
Check
Web site for discounts.
ago. Run by the Piegaja family
since its opening in 1837, the
Royal Victoria Hotel
Osteria dei Mille
rambling palazzo features
Lungarno Pacinotti, 12
Via dei Mille, 30/32
huge marble staircases open(39) 050 94011
(39) 050 556263
ing up to grand salons and a
www.royalvictoria.it
rooftop terrace where guests
Rates: Start at 70€ for a single
Vineria alla Piazza
can order up wine and enjoy
(w/o private bath), 118€ (w/bath) and
Piazza Vetto Vaglie
the view. My spacious single
244€ for a family suite (two rooms,
Closed Sunday.
room (bathroom across the
two baths, sleeps four).
Credit cards not accepted.
hall) cost only 70 euros, and
included a lavish breakfast
buffet served in the hotel’s
www.pisaonline.it
gracious dining hall.
www.pisa.turismo.toscana.it
More Information Online
A “join the famiglia” vibe
attracted me to the many
small trattorie and osterie in
the area, all of which
offered three course dinners
with wine for 30 euros. My
favorite was Osteria
Cavalieri, where in a cozy
alcove lined with wine bottles, I enjoyed taglioni con
Pisa, six miles from the coast now, was
funghi — pasta with a
light mushroom sauce.
opened to a garden, where
ping cantucci into vin santo (the perfect
meals are served in warmer
Tuscan dessert). “You are solare. It
months. I began with a
means you are…”
Before splurging for dinmouth-tingling aperitif (a
ner at the Hotel Relais
mixture of grapefruit,
“Cheerful?” I guessed.
dell’Orologio (Pisa’s only 5pineapple and strawberry
star hotel), I peeked
juices), followed by a
“No… deeper than that. Like… it
around at the upstairs
grilled eggplant, mozzarella
means you are from the sun… deeply
Borge Stretto
rooms. The former 14th-century tower
and tomato salad, ravioli stuffed with
happy…”
house has been meticulously renovatChianina beef, and went for
ed, blending Baroque-chic style with
the Bistecca Fiorentina seconI always enjoy the flirtathe building’s original Renaissance
do.
tions of Italian waiters,
frescoes.
and he didn’t have to go
“You are… I don’t know if
further for me to agree
I loved every bite of my cena in the
there is an English translawith him. The perfect
intimate six-table dining room, with its
tion for this word…,” said
word for how I was feelPalazzo
dei
Cavalieri
ivory cloths and draperies which
the waiter, as I sat there diping after having spent a
couple of days of blending in with
authentic Pisan life, could only be
expressed in Italian: Yes, I was solare.
If You Can’t Miss the Tower…
Rumor has its original architect actually designed
the Torre Pendante (Leaning Tower), as it is now
known; to lean; the truth is that its drastic tilt is
due to its shallow foundation and the sandy
quality of the soil on which it was constructed.
To give an idea of just how tilted the tower really is, try to picture that the top of it stands
almost 13 feet away from where it
would be were it perpendicular to the
ground! In 1990 the tower was
closed to the public for “corrective
reconstruction,” and it was
reopened in 2001 standing a
whole 18 inches straighter. It is believed
that the improved foundation will keep it
standing at least another 300
years…phew!
Begun in 1173, the
Gothic/Romanesque structure was
built in three stages and took
about177 years to complete,
however the identity of the true architect still
remains unknown. It was long believed to have
been designed by the famous Guglielmo and
Bonanno Pisano, but newer research points to
Diotisalvi, the architect responsible for the nearby Baptistery of Pisa. No matter who actually
designed it, the fact remains that there are 296
steps to the top with no elevator… so be prepared to work up a sweat if you want to enjoy
the (skewed) view from the top. Galileo, a native
of Pisa, did it when he dropped two cannon balls
from the top to prove that an object’s falling
speed is independent of its mass.
If you’d like to follow Galileo’s lead, a climb to the
top will cost you 17 euros, by reservation only.
For opening hours and to buy tickets
online, visit www.opapisa.it.You
can also buy tickets at the
door, but expect to wait 45
minutes to two hours in line. For
more on the history, construction, and
reconstruction of the tower, check out
www.torre.duomo.pisa.it…you’ll be
amazed at how much you don’t
know. For instance, did you know
that in 1934 Benito Mussolini
ordered that the tower be
straightened, but after they poured
concrete into the foundation, the opposite result
was achieved and the tower leaned even further? So much for Fascism straightening out all
of Italy’s problems!
—Laura Cimperman
1 € = $1.46 at press time
—Susan Van Allen
dream of
®
ITALY
Kathleen A. McCabe
Editor and Publisher
Copy Editor: Stephen J. McCabe
Editorial Assistant: Laura Cimperman
Design: Leaird Designs
www.leaird-designs.com
Dream of Italy, the subscription newsletter covering
Italian travel and culture, is published 10 times a year.
Delivery by mail is $89 per year in the United States and
$99 abroad. An Internet subscription (downloadable
PDF) costs $79 per year. Subscriptions include online
access to over 50 back issues and regular e-mail updates.
Three ways to subscribe:
1. Send a check to Dream of Italy, P.O. Box 5496,
Washington, DC, 20016
2. Call 877-OF-ITALY (toll free) or 202-237-0657
3. Subscribe online at www.dreamofitaly.com (Visa,
Mastercard and American Express accepted)
Editorial feedback is welcome.
E-mail: [email protected]
Advertising opportunities are available.
E-mail: [email protected]
Copyright © 2008 Dream of Italy, Inc. All Rights
Reserved. Reproduction in whole or part without permission is prohibited. Every effort is made to provide
information that is accurate and reliable; however,
Dream of Italy cannot be responsible for errors that
may occur. ISSN 1550-1353 www.dreamofitaly.com
a port city in the 5th Century B.C.
3
Money-Saving Tips and Tricks continued from page 1
4
Toronto and Rome and a weekly flight
from Montreal to Rome this March. At
press time, a roundtrip ticket from
Toronto for July 12 to 20 cost $1,231.
The above fares are not unreasonable
given the various factors involved.
and/or train tickets. You will almost
always save over what these pieces
would cost individually. Since you’re
pre-paying in dollars, the package portions of your trip will not be subject to
currency fluctuations.
Certainly
check the
Web sites of
individual
airlines but
also be sure
to visit the
search engine Cheapflights.com. In one
search, it aggregates results from the
airfare deal sites you should also be
searching — such as Cheaptickets.com
and Hotwire.com — as well as big
booking players like Expedia.com and
Orbitz.com.
Gate 1 Travel offers well-priced, customizable packages. You can request a
preferred airline (for you mileage
gurus), choose specific hotels and take
advantage of affordable add-ons such
as a private car transfer (a good deal at
$61 from Florence’s airport to your
hotel) or a gondola serenade (at $55
per person, this is half of the usual
cost). Here’s an example of one of their
offerings: the 7-Day Florence and Venice
by Rail package with roundtrip airfare
from New York, accommodations at
the 4-star Sofitel Firenze and 5-star Hotel
Bauer and first-class train travel from
Florence to Venice is
$2,169 per person, based
on double occupancy,
for a mid-May departure. Alternatively, if
you choose 3-star hotels,
the price drops to $1,699
Sofitel Firenze
per person.
When you’re ready to buy your tickets,
use the Web site Farecast.com to predict
whether ticket prices for a particular
route will stay steady, increase or
decrease over the next week. Travelers
can plug in international trips of two
weeks or less up to six months in
advance. FareCompare.com is also worth
consulting; it displays a calendar
showing which days offer the lowest
fares on specific routes. Just want to
keep an eye on which airlines are offering sales and specials? Visit
Smartertravel.com
While the Internet is an essential tool,
don’t forget that good travel agents
have access to consolidator fares and
can also help save you money on
flights.
Package Deals Pay Off
Before you purchase airline tickets,
consider buying them as part of a
package — one that includes some
combination of airfare along with other
components such as hotel, rental car
$2,349 per person, based on double
occupancy. (To purchase a package,
you must be a member, which costs
$30 per year.)
If you want to absolutely be sure of
what you will spend, consider choosing an escorted and/or fully escorted
tour. Again, you will be paying in dollars and with most meals included,
you will only have a few unaccounted
for expenses. Also, many tour companies priced these tours six months or a
year ago when the dollar was 10 percent stronger, so you will be saving
compared to next year’s rates.
Bid For Travel
Have champagne tastes but not the
deep pockets to match? Check out
LuxuryLink.com which offers luxury
hotel packages and villa rentals at
a discount through online auctions. At press time, Luxury Link
had package at Venice’s Ca’
Segrado (see page 7) for four
nights in a room with a water
view, valued at $2,715, with a
starting bid of $975. The site
also offers a “Buy Now” option.
One example is a three-night
Club ABC Tours offers
package in a suite at Tuscany’s
packages to destinaCastello di Velona (where
tions all over Italy,
Rachael Ray held her wedding)
including The Lakes,
that retails for $2,095 but can be
Capri and Sicily. Both
Grand
Hotel
&
La
Pace
immediately purchased for
first-time Italy travel$1,745. The Luxury Link site is also a
ers as well as experienced Italophiles
good place to seek out significant savwill be interested in this company’s
ings on villa rentals. A villa that rents
trips. Club ABC offers impressive hotel
for $6,000 per week can be had for half
choices. For example, their Fly & Drive
that if you try your luck at an auction.
Umbria and Tuscany package includes
Of course, always check for any blackthree nights at the luxurious Le Tre
out dates but the restrictions generally
Vaselle in Torgiano. Other components
aren’t too bad.
of the package include roundtrip airfare from New York, a manual rental
Skyauction.com is another excellent auccar for seven days, four nights at the 5tion site for air and hotel packages,
star Grand Hotel & La Pace in
hotel nights in Italy’s major cities and
Montecatini Terme and three dinners at
coach and business class airline tickets.
Le Tre Vaselle. A spring departure costs
Summer airfares to Europe are currently
more remote destinations with one of “the
Big Three” (Rome,
Florence, Venice),”
recommends Nan
McElroy, author of
Italy: Instructions for
Santa Chiara, Umbria
Use. The south is
cheaper than the north. In rural areas,
consider staying in an agriturismo. This
is a legal classification for an operating
farm that welcomes guests (fewer than
30 per night) derives its main income
from agricultural activities. Not only
can staying at an agriturismo provide a
great bargain (imagine paying 50€ per
night), the smaller more intimate
atmosphere is a great way to interact
with Italians.
The best way to save money on accommodations, especially if you have more
than a few people in your group is to
rent a villa or apartment.
Homeaway.com (listing over 9,500 properties for rent in Italy) claims that a
hotel averages 50 percent more per
square foot than an apartment or villa
rental and that math looks right. Pages
and pages could be written on renting
in Italy but the best advice is for firsttimers to go through a reputable rental
agency (see Dream of Italy’s May/June
2003 Special Report: Villa Rentals) who
has someone on the ground for 24hour service.
Those who have
rental experience
may want to go
directly through
Florence rental
owners through
sites like Homeaway.com or even
Craigs List (your editor rented her
apartment in Turin for the Olympics
this way) but only after asking all the
right questions and speaking to references. Rentals have been traditionally
offered by the week but more and
continued on page 8
www.homeaway.com
www.agriturismo.com
There are bargains to be had but bidCelebrity Cruises offers a 14-day
ding can be fierce. The best bidder has
Best of Italy cruise this April
already done his or her homework on
and September on its new small
what things usually cost. Those who
ship Azamara Quest with port
flexible
in
the
dates
of
travel
are
are
calls in Venice, Ravenna, Bari,
Taormina, Sorrento, Porto Cervo,
also at an advantage. Sky Auction also
has a “Buy It Now” option; for
Livorno (for Florence and Pisa)
Agriturismo
and Civitavecchia (Rome).
instance, purchase up to eight
Overnight stays in many of these ports
roundtrip tickets between Rome and
offer more time for exploration. Prices
New York for $475 each (plus taxes
start at $2,449 per person for an inside
and fuel surcharge of $270). That’s a
cabin and $3,599 for
great deal but additional surcharges apply depending on
a cabin with a balthe dates of travel (all of this
cony — even for the
is explained on the bidding
balcony accommodapage); early summer departions, just $257 per
Azamara Quest
tures incur a $250 surcharge
person, per day.
and summer departures must add $530
per ticket. Given the high cost of plane
Travel agents who specialize in cruises
can use their special relationships with
tickets, these could beat out other airparticular cruise companies to offer
lines according to price. Skyauction
their clients special deals including free
doesn’t tell which airline you will be
airfare or complimentary shore excurflying on until after purchase but in the
sions. Cruisecompete.com lets you to
above example it was easy to figure
reach over 100 cruise specialists simulout, because of scheduling details, that
taneously via e-mail to see if they can
the seats were likely on Eurofly.
beat your best quote for a specific
Cruise to Savings
cruise. Cruisedirectonline.com is also a
must-click for searching for the best
Truly savvy travelers will be cruising
deals.
Italy this summer; there’s probably no
better deal and nearly every cruise line
Where to Rest Your Head
you can think of — Carnival to Princess
— will be cruising the Mediterranean
American Express predicts hotel rates
this summer. After all, you’re paying in
in Europe will rise between 12 and 14
dollars ahead of time, so you already
percent this year. Expect accommodaknow what your accommodation and
tions to be one of your biggest travel
dining costs will be. In addition, many
costs. But there are ways to find comcruise lines, especially those with bigpetitive hotel rates and alternatives to
ger, flashier ships, keep prices low,
hotel stays altogether. Vibeagent.com is
knowing that you will spend money
a one-stop Web site for searching mulon board on drinks, gambling and
tiple hotel chain and hotel discount
shore excursions. High-end lines like
sites including Venere.com which speSilversea and Seabourn include all alcocializes in Italian properties. Another
hol and gratuities in their cruise prices
tactic is to purchase a yearly memberand are worth considering especially
ship with Touring Club Italiano (25€)
since their small ships can get into
which gives you a discount of at least
smaller ports such as Amalfi and
10 percent at 50,000 hotels around Italy.
Portofino.
“Go south, or at least combine smaller,
priced 11% higher than last year’s fares.
5
News, Tips, Deals
Santo Spirito Reopens in Florence
ne of Florence’s most prized historic
and religious gems, the 15th-century
Basilica di Santo Spirito, has
reopened its doors after having
been closed to the public for two
years.The church, designed by
Brunelleschi (the same architect
responsible for the enormous
dome atop Florence’s Duomo) is
home to important masterpieces,
including a crucifix by Michelangelo,
a Madonna piece by Filippino Lippi,
a sacristy by Sangallo and an
altarpiece by Sansovino.
O
So why ever would they close off such an
important piece of Italian art history? The
once-beautiful and highlytrafficked Piazza Santo Spirito
had gradually become the
domain of drunkards and drug dealers.The
church itself became a target for vandalism
and the doors were shut in 2005 in the
hopes of preserving the treasures inside until
something could be done about the growing
problem.The Friends of Santo Spirito
Association was formed to raise money
to pay for 24-hour guards to protect the
place of worship and its treasures.The
basilica’s new opening hours are Sunday
through Tuesday, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
and 4:00 to 7:00 p.m.
—Laura Cimperman
A WA RNING FO R
RENTAL CA R D RIVE RS
6
Terme di Saturnia’s Golf Course Opens
ream of Italy’s very first issue, over five
years ago, featured the 5-star Terme di
Saturnia spa in the Maremma. Since Roman
times, travelers have come to this
peaceful corner of Tuscany to
take the thermal waters,
said to have healing properties. It seemed that for
just as long, avid golfers have been waiting for the resort’s promised 18 holes to
be completed.The good news has
finally arrived — the wait is over.
D
In December, Saturnia’s first nine holes
opened and the second nine will open in
March.There are stunning views of the nearby villages of Saturnia, Montemerano and
Poggio Murella from every hole.The 247-acre
course was designed by architect Ronald
Fream who also worked on the courses at
California’s Oakhurst Country Club
and the Ritz Carlton Resort in Bali.
Both hotel guests and non-guests
will be able to play the course at a
cost of 50€ for those staying at
Saturnia and 60 to 80€ (depending on
the day of the week) for non-guests.
A golf pro will be on hand to give halfhour lessons (30€ for guests, 35€ for
non-guests). Electric golf carts are available.
For more information, call (39) 0564 600111
or visit www.termedisaturnia.com
If you’re driving a rental car
in Italy and find yourself in
a city center and see a sign
saying zona traffico limitato
– don’t drive or park in
that area during the
designated times! That’s a
restricted traffic zone and reserved for authorized
vehicles with special license plates. Municipal police
in cities such as Rome, Florence, Milan, Lucca, Siena,
San Gimignano, Orvieto and Verona are cracking
down on drivers ignoring these signs. The problem
is you won’t even know you have been fined until
you return home. The police are photographing
license plates (sometimes automatically) and
tracing them back to drivers through rental car
companies. Not only will you receive a citation for
a fine (around $100) in the mail, your rental car
company will also levy a fee for the work involved
in tracing the violation back to you.
Over 40 million people visited Italy
and Events G
New Luxury Hotels in Venice Have Tongues Wagging
hile Venice already has its share of 5-star
hotels, two new deluxe properties have
arrived on the scene:
W
Palladio Hotel and Spa
A once-abandoned 16th-century convent
designed by the great Andrea Palladio has
been renovated as the latest offering in the
portfolio of Venice’s Bauer Hotels.The
Palladio Hotel and Spa sits majestically on the
Venetian island of Giudecca, offering stunning
views of St. Mark’s Square just a 10-minute
vaparetto ride away. Or if you would prefer, a
private boat ride – there’s one at the dispos-
able of the hotel.Tapestry-filled rooms, 50 in
all, look out on the lagoon as well as the
hotel’s private gardens.A big draw is the
5,000 square-foot spa with saunas, a Turkish
hammam and treatments using the Daniela
Steiner Skin Care System. Rates start at 310€
per night – that’s a special price available only
on the hotel’s Web site. (39-041-5207022;
www.palladiohotelspa.com)
Ca’ Sagredo
The 15th-century palazzo belonging to
Venice’s prominent Sagredo family lay abandoned for 25 years before work began on
transforming it into the new and exclusive
hotel, Ca’ Sagredo. It took seven years to
renovate the frescoes, plaster work and wallsize canvases that the Sagredos collected and
commissioned.The result is museum-like –
incorporating 17th- and 18th-century paintings by Tiepolo, Ricci and Longhi – yet intimate;
Palace of Rome’s First Emperor Opens in March
n March 2nd, four frescoed rooms
of visitors will be escorted through Augustus’
Rome’s Palatine Hill will open after decades
several rooms in the neighboring palace built
O
inside the palace of Emperor Augustus on
studio, the hall where he received guests and
of restoration.This is the first time the
for his wife, Livia. “We can finally enter into
they were first excavated in the 1970s.
some 2,000 years,” said Rome Mayor Walter
rooms have been open to the public since
Archaeologists credit the fact that the rooms
had been buried with the preservation of the
vibrant colors in the frescoes. Small groups
these places that have been preserved for
Veltroni.Admission to the Augustus Rooms,
as they are known, is included when you buy
tickets to the Roman Forum, Colosseum and
Palatine Hill.Tickets are 9€ and all of the
sites are open daily, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. (or one
hour before sunset in winter).
—Laura Cimperman
1 € = $1.46 at press time
there are just 24 suites and 18 guest rooms.
Even the standard rooms are large by
Venetian standards.The palazzo’s original
library – now a guestroom – is a national
monument.The location of Ca’ Sagredo
couldn’t be better – directly on the Grand
Canal just steps from the Rialto Bridge and
St. Mark’s Square.The hotel’s formal restaurant, serving Mediterranean fare, is right on
the water and the bar has become a favorite
of locals. Rates start at 385€ per night. (39041-2413111; www.casagredohotel.com)
Ancient Surgery
Opens in Rimini
Rimini’s Domus del Chirurgo (House of the
Surgeon) has finally opened after 17 years of
excavation.Visitors can see the rooms where
a surgeon living in Roman times (thought to
be Greek due to inscriptions) lived,
welcomed patients and operated. The 150
or so surgical implements recovered, including an iron tool used to extract arrowheads
from wounds, are on display in the nearby
Museo della Citta. A pestle and mortar, likely
for mixing herbal concoctions, and vases
where they could be stored were also found.
The Domus is now protected by a glass
enclosure.The entrance fee is 5€. For more
information or to book guided visits (21€
per person), call (39) 0541 21482 or visit
www.riminiturismo.it
in 2007, 17.2% more than in 2006.
7
Money-Saving Tips and Tricks continued from page 5
The Details
Flights
Euroflyusa.com (800-459-0581)
Flyzoom.com (866-359-9666)
Farecast.com
Farecompare.com
Cheapflights.com
Smartertravel.com
Turismo Turino
AutoEurope.com generally offers the
most competitive rates (and offers
Dream of Italy readers an additional discount with code 7200261) but some
European rental companies worth
checking out include Maggiore and
Sixt.
Turin Market
8
more, especially in the big cities, are
rented on a nightly basis, so it never
hurts to ask.
One great advantage of renting is the
chance to do as the locals do and cook
at home, saving money on eating out.
“The cost of groceries, especially fresh
produce, is still a good value in Italy
and the quality is high since Italian
cooks are discerning shoppers,“ notes
Lisa Byrne of ItalyPerfect.com.
Getting Around
Renting a car is essential for to properly tour many parts of Italy but has
become expensive (plan on spending
at least 50€ to fill it up with gas).
Remember that renting by the week
can often be cheaper than renting for
just a few days, do your homework
and be sure to rent in the U.S. before
going to Italy — you will always pay
more on the ground there. Cars with
automatic transmissions cost much
more so if you know how to drive stick
shift, all the better.
You absolutely don’t need a car in the
city and you will end up paying in
terms of parking and headaches. Mike
Fuller of ItaliaRail.com advises, “Take
the train between cities and rent cars
locally to avoid costly gas, toll charges
and parking. Many train stations
have rental car agencies in or near
the station.”
To save on local public transportation
and museum admissions, find out if
any of the cities you are visiting offer
city cards for tourists. Naples, Orvieto,
Padova, Rome, Turin, Trieste, Verona and
Venice are among the locales with such
programs. For example. purchase the
Verona Card at one of many locations
around the city (8€ for a one-day card
and 12€ for three days) and gain free
admission
to the
city’s
museums,
churches
and monuments
and travel
Eurostar Train
for free on the local bus.
Packages
Gate1Travel (800-682-3333)
ClubABC.com (888-TOURS-ABC)
Online Auctions
LuxuryLink.com
SkyAuction.com
Cruises
Silversea.com (800.722.9955)
Seabourn.com (800-929-9391)
Azamaracruises.com (800-647-2251)
Cruisecompete.com
Cruisedirectonline.com
Hotels
VibeAgent.com
Venere.com
Touringclub.it
Farm Holidays
Agriturismo.it
Agriturismo-in-italia.info
Agriturist.it
Terranostra.it
Turismoverde.it
Home Rentals
Homeaway.com
Craigslist.org
Transportation
AutoEurope.com (888-223-5555)
Maggiore.com
Sixt.com
ItaliaRail.com (888-538-RAIL)
City Cards
Naples – Napoliartecard.com
Orvieto – Orvienet.it
Padova – Padovando.com
Rome – Romapass.it
Trieste – Triestetourism.it
Turin – Turismotorino.org
Venice – Venicecard.it
Verona – Portale.commune.verona.it
The average Italian is 42.5 years old.