[Idyllchat] ? on Italy

[pandjking at sbcglobal.net]

Scott,
    Thanks for you input.  I figured I didn't give Florence a fair evaluation.
    I agree that Ostia is wonderful and well worth visiting.  My preference is still Pompeii.  Friends of ours say Herculaneum is better than either Ostia or Pompeii.  Who knows?
    For those of us who love ruins, Italy and Provence are tops in my book.
    Phil King 
    
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Scott Baldwin 
  To: pandjking at sbcglobal.net 
  Cc: idyllchat at lists.untours.com 
  Sent: Monday, March 12, 2007 3:47 PM
  Subject: Re: [Idyllchat] ? on Italy


  Florence is at the top of my list !!!!!! It is one of our favorite places in Europe. But you need to be interested in art. 

  I could return to Venice and Florence over and over again.

  We didn't care much for Rome. Too helter-skelter. Once was enough for me. 

  The Roman ruins at Ostia Antica are nicer than Pompeii, and nobody goes there. We were there in June and had the place to ourselves. Far more Roman history here than at Pompeii. Ostia was the Port city of Rome. This is where Cleopatra and her entourage arrived. You can stand at the city gate and imagine her parade going by on their way to Rome.........

  http://www.ostia-antica.org/

  Just another opinion,

  Scott

  On Mar 12, 2007, at 12:33 PM, pandjking at sbcglobal.net wrote:


    Dear Marcia,
        Florence would not be at the top of my list, but we've only spent a day there so can't really judge.
        Venice and Rome are both wonderful, but worlds apart in character.  We were on a 2-week Untour in Venice a couple of years ago and followed that up with a week in Rome.
        Venice is very laid-back and relaxing (no vehicles other than boats), but you need to stay in Venice to soak up the atmosphere, not on the mainland.  Venice Mestre is on the mainland where most tour groups stay. 
        Fortunately for folks who stay in Venice, the tour groups concentrate on the Rialto Bridge and Piazza San Marco and mostly evacuate the city around 4:00 pm, leaving you to enjoy the "real" Venice by staying away from the main tourist sights from roughly 10:00 am until 4:00.
        Rome is the opposite of Venice.  It is noisy, fast-paced and offers some great Roman ruins and monuments to visit.  My wife and I are big on ruins, so Rome was a treat for us.  But the traffic!!!  Yikes!
    Motor scooters and cars and buses going every which way and they all seem to have a mission of running down pedestrians.
        Can't say about the Amalfi Coast.  It is supposed to be beautiful, but we've only gotten as far south as Sorrento.  We had to choose between Capri and the Amalfi Coast.  We chose Capri, but that trip got washed out by a huge rainstorm.
        If I were to rank things to see and do in Italy, they would be:
        #1.  Venice
        #2.  Pompeii
        #3.  The Hill towns -- San Gimignano, Assisi, etc.
        #4.  Rome
        #5.  Pisa
        I realize that this is one man's opinion and only that.  Wherever you go in Italy, you will no doubt see the beautiful countryside, marvelous ruins and monuments, the beautiful Italian people, plus you will enjoy that great Italian food.  That's a hard combination to beat.
        Enjoy!
        Phil King,
        Spring Lake, MI

      ----- Original Message -----
      From: Marcia Waffner 
      To: idyllchat at lists.untours.com 
      Sent: Monday, March 12, 2007 6:44 AM
      Subject: [Idyllchat] ? on Italy

      I've never been to Italy. Want to see Florence, Venice, the Amalfi Coast, and Rome on my first trip.  Any input or suggestions?
      Thanks.

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