The Process

Looking to book Rome hotel now ... 

For DAYS ... it has been, 

Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---> Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ----> Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ----> ....

I'll make a decision at some point ... 

Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ----> ....Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ----> ....Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ----> ....Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ----> ....Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ----> ....Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ----> ....Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ---->Expedia ---> Excel spreadsheet ---> Trip Advisor ---> Hotel's Website ----> ....

Dilemma-issimo

Even though I'm taking Italian lessons every Saturday morning, I still speak Italian by putting "issimo" at the end of every word ... and say it with an accent. Totally sounds authentic!

Any-who

There's two place we want to stay in Tuscany ... one is in Greve in Chianti, called Villa Vignamaggio - link here -   and this other place in Montalcino called (fittingly) Vecchi Olivieri - link here . Now, we have 4 nights to spend in Tuscany and we were hoping to do some day or 1/2 day trips.

So, here's the dilemma: Spend 2 nights in one and 2 nights in the other ... or is that going to be too much travelling? Decisions Decisions ... Each region has their own wines and their own specialty foods, so it would be nice to experience as much as possible ... BUT ... we're wondering if it's going to be too much running around.

The pictures of these places make it friggen hard to decide on only one!!

Vignamaggio

Vignamaggio

View from the room at Olivieri

View from a room at Olivieri

Area around Olivieri

Dinner at Viggnamaggio

Villa Vignamaggio

Cinque Terre Hotel Booked!

Hotel La Spiaggia!

The Cinque Terre is a medieval grouping of 5 towns along the meditaeranian sea in North West Italy, close to the border of France. For thousands of years, villagers would walk the many paths between the towns to purchase goods, see friends, etc ... and today, cars are still not allowed into the Cinque Terre (yes, looks French, but pronounced "Chink-woe .. tear-eh")

Today, these paths that link the five villages are some of the most beautiful hiking trails in the world ... leading along the sea, atop rocky cliffs - with beautiful views of the sea and beyond. None of the five town's populations are near 1000, so they are quaint, small, beautiful villages that look much the same as they would have hundreds of years ago.

I guess that's why there were NO ROOMS available anywhere!! Trip Advisor, Expedia, bookings.com, random Italian websites ... I couldn't find anything. I finally stumbled onto THIS SITE and they had ONE room left ... a double with a sea view - and the hotel is smack on the beach!

After Florence, we'll head up here for 2 nights and then off to Parma.

The pieces are coming together!!

Monetrosso

FIRST HOTELS BOOKED!

Our hotel in Florence! 

Finally - a decision has been made ... 

2 nights in Florence at the Palazzo Guadagni! 

http://www.palazzoguadagni.com/rooms.htm

And ... the Savoy hotel in Parma (was one night, now for two!). 

http://www.savoyparma.it/eng/hotel-parma.php

Don't think these two hotels could be any more different! 

It's all coming together ... s l o w l y ...

Parma = the world's best ham,cheese, balsamic vinegar!!

BUT - you need the time to see and taste it all!

I found this great food tour that they offer in Parma ... you go to a Parmesan cheese proecessor and a place where they produce the best Prosciutto in the world ... prosciutto di Parma. After lunch at a winery, you go to Modena and try Balsamic vinegar from the place where it originates. Wonderful right?

Well ... this is a full day tour - starts at 8:30am and done by 5pm. BUT - we hadn't scheduled a full day in Parma ... so, we're dropping a night in the Amalfi coast, bumping everything by one day and staying in Parma for an extra night. This means re-booking rooms that we've already booked in Florence and booking an extra night in Parma. Not something that can be done online ... because the Italians apparently don't do the whole "online" thing.

Glad we have a good long distance phone plan!

102 Days to TAKEOFF!

Flights are booked ... Ottawa - Washington - Munich - Rome. At this point, we're still looking into all our hotel options and rental cars. I wish I could drive stick, because it looks like the automatic cars are double the cost of standard ones. Yikes.

After flipping through the 1000+ page "Lonely Planet: Italy" book, we've narrowed down the towns we want to stay in and the areas we want to stay in ... now we just need to book! We're starting to get a little frustrated with the vacancy rates in June - a couple of our first choices for hotels are booked solid. Who knew people go to Italy in June?! (sarcasm).

So, our 20 day Italian adventure will see us go from the southern coast to central Italy to north west to north east ... maybe a lot of travel for less than 3 weeks, but Heather and I are seasoned travelers who know how to get around!

Our schedule looks like this (for now) - we're still debating Lake Como, but might be tough to squeeze it in there.

June 2: FLY! - Ottawa to Rome
June 3: Rent a car at the airport and drive from Rome to Positano
June 4: Positano (Amalfi coast)
June 5: Positano (possible day trip to Pompeii)
6th: Drive from Positano to Rome
7th: Rome
8th: Rome
9th: Rome
10th: Drive from Rome - Montalcino (Tuscany!)

-- Note: I wasn't sure where we should stay in Tuscany, so I left it up to fate. I went to Google Maps, zoomed out so I could see all of Italy ... and then just clicked until it was zoomed onto the Tuscan area ... then zoomed in, more and more ... I finally saw Montalcino in the middle of the screen. Off to Trip Advisor, typed in "Montalcino" and the most highly recommended place was called "Vecchia Oliviera" ... I think it was meant to be.

June 11th: Montalcino (possible day trip to Sienna)

12th: Drive from Montalcino to Greve, still in Tuscany - but in the Chianti region
13: Greve

14: drive from Greve - Florence
15: Florence

16: drive from Florence - Monterosso (Cinque Terre)

-- Note: Really looking forward to this 'cinque terre' area ... there are a number of great hiking trails that lead along the ocean, awesome views ... I'm just hoping Heather will have recovered from the marathon enough to handle the Sentiero Azzuro - Italy's "most drop dead gorgeous coastal hike"!!

17: Monterosso
18: Drive from Monterosso - Parma
-- Note: Parmesan cheese, Prosciutto ... all my favourite foods originate in Parma, and considering this trip is partly a foodie adventure, we have to eat at the source of this deliciousness. Also, the recipes from everyone's favourite Italian restaurant in Ottawa (Mamma Teresa's) are Parma specialties ... so, a direct comparison is necessary!

19: train from Parma - Venice
20: Venice
21: Finally, stuffed full of food, wine, love and adventure ... fly home from Venice - Ottawa

June 22: ... back to work

Now ... let's get booking!!

A new beginning

From a previous trip to Paris in 2007

After getting married on May 14th, 2011 ... Heather and I (Olivier) will embark on our dream Italian honeymoon ... This blog will be updated here-and-there leading up to the trip where posts will include itinerary information, comments about dealing with Italian hotel websites (which were last updated around 1993) and other tales ...

The trip will being when we fly out of Ottawa - June 2nd, 2011 - on our way to Rome ... and my hope is to update the blog daily (thanks to free wi-fi!) with photos, anecdotes about our travels, stories about the people we meet, the places we see, reviews on the food we eat and the wine we drink - and anything we think we'd like to share and remember!

Mostly, this will serve as a great way for Heather and I to look back and reminisce - but if you do choose to join us along the way, we hope you enjoy it!!

Ciao!  

PS ... for info on the WEDDING ... check out our wedding website here

PPS ... this will be my second blogging attempt after (the much heralded) Viva La London blog from my time spent in London, UK ... working during the summer of 2008 http://www.blogster.com/vivalalondon/ - the blogster interface wasn't my fav, so I'm switched over to Blogger)