Posted by Nick on September 18, 2010
If you are traveling along Italy’s Amalfi Coast, you may be looking for the best places to stay. If so, here are the three best hotels along the Amalfi Coast.
Hotel Santa Caterina
This cliffside hotel dates back to 1850. They have recently added four additional guest rooms in an adjacent villa. Doubles start at $631 per night. Find the hotel at 9 S.S. Amalfitana, Amalfi and on the web at hotelsantacaterina.it
Palazzo Sasso
For great views in Ravello, this is your hotel. This 12th century palazzo has rooms that offer stunning views and that are filled with local antiques. Doubles start at $330 per night. Find the hotel at 28 Via San Giovanni del Toro, Ravello or on the web at palazzosasso.it
Le Sirenuse
This is Positano hotel is another seaside hotel. It is completely furnished with handmade vases and tiles from the region. Doubles start at $712 per night. Find it at 30 Via Cristoforo Colombo, Positano or on the web at sirenuse.it
Posted by Nick on September 17, 2010
If you’re visiting Italy’s Amalfi Coast and want to bring back some Italian treasures, you’ll find no shortage of shops. The region is known for its pottery, and has been since the 13th century. This is due to the natural clay pits in the area.
Here are 5 shops in Italy’s Amalfi Coast not to miss:
Ceramica Artistica Solimene Vincezo – This factory and store is covered in 20,000 green and brown vases. You can get ceramics with designs that feature flowers, fruits and foliage. It’s located at 7 Via Madonna degli Angeli, Vietri sul Mare. Or visit on the web at solimene.com
Marsia Ceramiche - Just 10 minutes away from Vietri, you can get contemporary pieces at this shop. The London-trained, but Salerno-born, artist Mariella Siano does all of the pieces. She is known for her spherical lamps and agave leaf sculptures. Located at 49 Via Duomo, Salerno or on the web at marsiaceramiche.it
Antico Cotto di Berardino De Martino – The De Martino brothers use a 450-year-old wood oven to bake terra-cotta-colored tiles here. The shop is 10 miles to the north of Marsia Ceramiche at 2 Via Auripo, San Cipriano Picentino, Salerno. It’s in Monti Picentini Natural Park. You can find them on the web at antococotto.it
Ceramiche d’Arte Factory – You can see Pasquale Sorrentino create works from scratch at this shop. Tabletops to lamps to vases to plates – you name it and you can see it here. Most pieces feature intricate floral designs with Sorrentino’s signature blue. It’s located at 22 Via Roma, Ravello or on the web at ceramichedarte.com
Ceramica Casola – This factory and garden are decorated with ceramics. Urns, tiles, plates with designs that feature flowers and fruits. It’s located at 49 Via Laurito, Positano or on the web at ceramicacasola.com
Posted by Nick on August 10, 2010
If you’re planning a trip to visit Rome, your Rome travel guide may not list all of the amazing free sights to see in Rome. Taking a trip to Rome, Italy can be an expensive trip, which is what makes all of the free Rome sightseeing a bonus for budget savvy travelers looking for a cheap Rome itinerary.
Here are 15 free Rome attractions you can check out when you do your Rome traveling:
- St. Peter’s Basilica
- September’s White Night
- Largo di Torre Argentina square
- The Pantheon
- Numismatic Museum of the Italian Mint
- Janiculum Hill, or Gianicolo Hill as it is called in Italy
- On the last Sunday of the month you can visit the Vatican Museum free of charge
- Protestant Cemetery, also known as the “Non-Catholic Cemetery”
- La Bocca della Verita, or “The Mouth of Truth,” at the church of Santa Maria in Cosmedin
- Wander the Campo dei Fiori open air market
- The Capuchin Crypt under the Santa Maria della Immacolata Concezione church
- Climb the Spanish steps in the Piazza di Spagna towards the Trinita dei Monti
- Arco di Constantino
- Explore the Roman fountains throughout the city
- See the Roman Pyramid
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Filed Under: Italy
Posted by Nick on June 7, 2010
If you are planning a trip to Italy, and you want to see all of it (or at least a lot), you will need to plan for your transportation. Italy is a long country and getting from Northern Italy all the way down to the toe of the boot can take a long time. You may even find that your method of transportation doesn’t take you to all the places you want to go in Italy.
Fortunately, you do have a few options on how to travel within Italy while you are there.
If you are only hitting the major cities and tourist destinations, you can stick with trains or planes. There are flights available within Italy on some of the European budget airlines, like easyJet. Trains will definitely hit more cities than the planes, but it will be a slower form of travel. When traveling by train, you can enjoy the picturesque Italian scenery as it flies by your window.
For places in Italy that are off-the-beaten path, you can rent a car and drive yourself. Highways and roads are well-developed in Northern Italy. You will find the same to be true to a lesser extent in Southern Italy. Speed at your own risk, at it can be costly. The law allows for a 5% overage, which means you can safely go 5% over the speed limit without getting a ticket.
If you don’t want to drive yourself, but you want to go to places that are not serviced by the trains, opt for taking a bus. Bus service is available in most all cities and towns in Italy, but it may involve several transfers.
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Filed Under: Italy
Posted by Nick on April 2, 2010
Val Tidone, Italy is located in the Emilia-Romagna Region of Italy.
Val Tidone is a good area for wine enthusiasts to visit. Start by going through Borogonovo. There you can check out the impressive castle. In fact, there is no shortage of medieval castles in Val Tidone. There is a vineyard in Ziano. Ziano is the capital town of Val Tidone.
If you go south to Olgisio, you can see a massive fortress.
