Wow, let me tell you - I had high expectations for this trip (having already traveled to Italy I know how great a country it is to tour) but ABD just blew me away! There was nothing I could find fault with - and I mean nothing! The guides - Marco and Mara were simply amazing! They took care of everything seamlessly and smoothly - from knowing where the best "rest rooms" were in any place we visited to taking excellent care of my dd when she was suffering from heat exhaustion at the Colisseum (yeah, the one downer on the trip was the heat - over 100 degrees in Rome all three days there - the hottest on the trip). Following is my trip review - I'll try to keep it brief, but I could go on and on about how fantastic this trip was! I would not hesitiate to reccomend this trip and ABD - we definately plan to book a future trip (maybe Austrailia in a couple of years, maybe the mid-atlantic trip for next year).
Rome: Amazing how much we saw in a short period of time - but never felt tour overload, if you know what I mean. Really liked the location of Bernini Hotel - close to Trevi fountain and the main shopping district, but the area around the hotel is nice and quiet and Via Veneto is a great place to take a stroll. I can't imagine touing Rome w/o a tour - the lines to get into the Sistine Chapel, Colisseum were outrageously long - and in 100 degrees F I think I would have left Rome w/o seeing these magnificient sights. The local guide Christina was fantastic! One night we ate where the guides reccomended - Otto Cento - on a rooftop terrace - it was excellent! Felt the breakfasts at the Bernini were the best on the trip. Though the room was smallish (expected this as this is Europe) felt it was more than adequate - service exceptional (had a problem w/shower and they sent someone up immediately) and really beautiful. Not that expensive to use the computer on sight (btw, there was free wifi in Tuscany and a free computer you could use) and a computer feel to use in Venice as well - although there was almost always someone on it) Had only one bad meal here - couldn't find a non-touristy place to eat near the Trevi fountain which is where we were when hunger struck - we should have eated closer to the hotel where others had better luck.
Tuscany- This was the biggest surprise of the trip, but we loved it! (I was traveling w/my soon to be 16 yr old dd). Maybe some of it was the heat - but it was such a relief to be where the air was a bit cooler - lots of fresh breezes, and at night cool enough for a sweater. The air conditioning was strongest here, the room the largest. I know the rooms really vary here, but we loved our room. Only thing is it didn't have a regular shower - a large soaking tub and hand held shower. At first I was disappointed as I'm a shower person, but decided to "do as the Europeans do" while in Europe and bath instead - and it was so relaxing! Just a side note, I found that it's best to "adopt" to the culture you're visiting, remain flexible and not get anxious over how some things are done differently. For instance, the service at the restaurants all followed the same pattern it would take like forever for someone to come over to the table to take our order.....but then we discovered that the food (esp if you order an appetizer) came really quickly after that - so we learned to relax and go w/the flow. I know it really bothered another couple, but well, it just seemed like this was the way it was, and best to not get upset over it, or expect it to be like in the states. They also said it took forever to get the check, but I've found that you have to ask for the check - they won't just come by and give it to you.
Overall, we loved our experience in Artimino - the pool was refreshing and relaxing and a beautiful place to rejuvnate, I loved Orvieto (one of my favorite places on the trip) and Florence was a great place to do some serious damage w/our euros! I know others felt the time in Florence was a bit short, but for me (Though I'd been there before) the time there was adequate - it was very crowded (the guides said it had been even more crowded in June), and I found it changed since I was there in the 80's, which made me feel sad (lots more grafetti everwhere). We ate our "free time lunch" at a place the local guide had reccomended - at the top of a large department store in Piazza Republica - don't remember the name of the store, but it's the largest in Florence. The restaurant is a roof top terrace and we really enjoyed this very "non-touristy" spot. We loved the pasta making - yes, it's a bit far, but VechioMaggio is absolutely beautiful (if Disney offered a "signature expereince" with staying here - I'd book it in a heartbeat! Everyone enjoyed this Disney touch.
Venice - I love Venice and this time was no exception - it's just so wonderful to walk these little alleys and boat on the streets. This was my dd's favorite place of the trip. I thought the Hotel Dei Doge, while beautiful with it's garden, was the smallest room - and the hottest. It's a very old building and the air condition could just not keep up w.the need. Right after we got to our room, I went back down and asked the guides if this was normal for all the rooms - our air was on high and it probably was close to 80 F in the room. They immediately went to the front desk - and the front desk let me visit another room to see if it was cooler - we thought it was so immed. moved. So if this happens to you, I wouldn't hesistate to let them know - I knew the guides would be responsive, but the hotel was as well. I know others found it warm there as well. I think Americans are used to public places, like restaurants and hotel lobbies to be cool - and this just isn't the case in most places in Europe. Both my dd and I felt we started to develop a tolerance to the heat (actually, the heat doesn't bother me that much so it wasn't as hard for me as say for some of the guests that felt the heat more strongly). Even though the air in the 2nd room wasn't exactly cold, it was cool enough to sleep comfortably at night).
All in all, the trip was fabulous. I mentioned how great Marco and Mara were, but the local guides were also fabulous and gave a great eye to the local culture and personality of their city. The group of folks on this trip were simply wonderful - we really enjoyed all the other families and had a great time getting to know them all. As my dd is a teen, we were happy to see all the other teens on the trip - one family had three teens, and there were also two other guys that were teens and another 13 yr. old girl. All families had children with them - the youngest were six (1 six year old, and maybe like three seven year olds). Two little eight year old girls became fast friends on the first welcome night - it was so cute to see. By Tuscany, all the kids wanted to sit w/the other kids (there was a teen table) for the group meals. My dd had a lot of fun wth the other kids - a bonus we hadn't been anticipating!
This is too long - so I'll end now by saying that this was one of the best trips ever! It was different for my dd and I as we've never been away this long just the two of us - with dh and my other dds - but I believe we had an adventure of a lifetime. I am now sold on ABD and will definately do one with the entire family. (My youngest is almost five - I probably will wait till she's close to 7 for any trip out of the US) Oh, one word about the cost - traveling to Europe is very expensive right now - the Euro is so much stronger than the US dollar - so yes, ABD is expensive but Europe is just so expensive - I felt it was worth it to do with ABD. I'd be happy to answer any questions anyone may have - you will truly had an awesome trip!
I am glad you enjoyed Viva Italia. It was my first tour with ABD last summer and i was really pleased with the trip to.
anyway - and it really didn't! You all will have a great time - enjoy!
