Kid-friendly Rome?

So happy to have found this.  Written by an Italian-American momma living in Rome, this blog is all about what’s “kid-friendly” in Rome from restaurants to fountains, playgrounds and transportation.  Very fun little guide.

http://lolamamma.wordpress.com/

Ca’ Maddalena

Recommended by an Italian reader who stays there…

Ca’ Maddalena Bed and Breakfast
Loc. Pigno 2
Villafranca di Verona 37069
T: 39-045-6302943
W: www.bedandbreakfastcamaddalena.it

Close to a lake, amusement parks, and a myriad of other activities. See the website for complete details – in English. Here you’ll find hospitality at its best.

Lucerne, St. Tropez, Monaco, Milan

Trip Report and photos by Bobbie Banda

In June 2008, we loaded up the mini van and headed off on a road trip with two of our kids, a 19 and a 5-year old. We started in Gangelt and headed for the Cote d’Azur! We spent the night near Spangdahlem Air Base, so we could gas up and hit the commissary. Our goal was to break up the drive so that we all had fun and maintained our sanity. All in all, we drove about 1800 miles, but we split it up so that we didn’t drive more than 4 to 5 hours a day, so it wasn’t bad at all. We went via Southern Germany so we were able to gas up before we left the country and again as soon as we got back, so we only had to purchase 2 to 2.5 tanks of gas on the economy. We were able to bring all of our non perishables with us, such as tuna, pasta, juices, long-shelf life milk, cereal, etc. The units in St Tropez come fairly well equipped, but you’ll want to bring toilet paper, paper towels, coffee etc. The rental company lends you all your cleaning supplies on check out day, so you don’t need those.

Luzerne Switzerland

When you enter Switzerland, stop and get a road stamp. They’re 40 euro and good for one year.

We stayed here. http://www.hiexpress.com/luzern

We drove to Mt Pilatus and took the world’s steepest cog wheel train up the mountain. There are various options you can include, such as a tram ride and a boat trip, but we didn’t have time for all of those. The train ride is absolutely beautiful and the views spectacular from the top. Even in mid-June, there was snow on top, so bring a jacket!

http://www.pilatus.ch/

The town itself has many beautiful buildings. Definitely have some fondue while you’re here!

The Lion of Lucerne, designed by A. B. Thorvaldsen, was erected in 1821 in memory of the Swiss Guards (basically conscripts who fought in various European armies) who were killed in Paris in 1792. It is beautiful and touching.

Once you leave Luzerne, you will go through many many tunnels. Expect delays and make sure you have plenty of cold water. We froze water bottles and juice boxes and had them in the cooler. During a particularly long stau in a tunnel, we actually encountered a man who got out of his car and appeared to be in real distress, either heat stroke or heart attack! We were glad we had some ice water to offer him. The drive along the coast is one of the most beautiful in the world.

St Tropez

We stayed here: http://www.bj-rivieraholidays.com/pays/uk/index.htm These are self-contained little mobile homes within a resort area. They have a kitchen. Ours had 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. The two smaller bedrooms each had 2 twin beds in them. Ours also had air conditioning, although not all units do. I highly recommend the air conditioning! There are a couple of small grocery stores on the resort, which is situated right on the beach. You can get fresh bread there along with pretty much anything you might need. The prices weren’t too bad for a resort. They have a little amusement park at night with rides for the younger sect. There is a larger amusement park nearby as well as a water park. The resort is actually in Port Grimaud, a stone’s throw across the bay from St Tropez. There are a few restaurants and bars on the resort, a laundry mat (5 euro to wash one load!), and live music at night for free. Each unit has a patio area and a clothesline. You can rent a BBQ grill as well. There were people there from all over Europe. We even ran into a few from Geilenkirchen! We found a large supermarket a few minutes drive away called Geant Casino (http://www.geant.fr/). It is like a Super Walmart and we found some great stuff there for much less then at the market where all the tourists go.

The beach on the resort is wonderful! We alternated beach days and touristy days. We ate most of our meals in our little home, but did enjoy one of the best fish meals we’ve ever had in nearby Port Grimaud (walking distance from the resort!). Plenty of awesome gelato to be had as well!

We took a boat tour across the bay into St Tropez. On the ride, we passed “millionaire row” to look at the mansions. The one with the boat house right on the water is Dodi Fayad’s, where he and Princess Di stayed.

It’s fun to check out all the amazing yachts lined up. Note the chairs at the cafe right across from the yachts are all facing out so we commoners can people-watch the rich.

We also took a day trip to the Gorge de Verdun, called the “Grand Canyon of Europe”. The drive itself is full of extreme twists & turns, enough so that one of our children got car sick. Definitely bring Dramamine! There are some pretty villages and a huge bridge along the way. If you’re really brave, you can even bungee jump from it. We did not.

Our departure day finally came. We cleaned up our facility and packed the van and off we went to Monaco!

Monaco

We spent an afternoon in Monaco, the 2d smallest country in the world! It is less than 1 square mile. We took one of those small trains around it. There is a lot you can do, such as a world class aquarium and several museums. The palace is situated on a high promontory in the old town of Monaco-Ville. You can tour it if the Prince is not in. At noon there is a changing of the guards.

Monaco-Ville has lovely little streets.

You can go in the casinos, but only the truly high rollers can play at the tables.

We also visited the chapel where Princess Grace married Prince Rainier, and where she is interred.

http://www.visitmonaco.com

After a few hours, we were ready to get back on the road.

Milan

After Monaco, we drove to Milan to spend the night. Driving in Milan can be challenging and stressful. Thank God for GPS. Get used to much honking and yelling!
We stayed here: http://www.holidayinn.com/milangaribaldi

We went to dinner at a place called Nubucco’s. The food was expensive but really good. They serve you champagne as soon as you are seated. Our hotel receptionist said it was a kid friendly restaurant, but they didn’t have a kid menu. However, they did prepare some spaghetti for our 5 year old. There’s a really nice pedestrian area to wander around.

The next day, we visited the Duomo di Milano (cathedral). For a small fee, you can walk up to the top, for slightly more you can ride an elevator. The walk wasn’t bad – not nearly as steep as the Koln cathedral! If you plan to visit, ensure you wear something that covers you shoulders and knees or you will be turned away.

Next to the Duomo is the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele. Beautiful! Expensive shops inside.
The Piazza Duomo-Piazza della Scala. The street people are extremely aggressive here. One tied a little string bracelet around our child’s wrist while we were saying “No” then expected money. Another cleaned our windshield at a stop light over our protests, then scoffed at the 1 euro coin we offered up! You really have to be forceful! There are, of course, lots of pigeons to feed, so bring some bread crumbs!

After Milan, we drove to Rastatt/Baden-Baden and stayed here. We had a small child with so really couldn’t do the whole spa thing; however, we wandered around Rastatt. There is some very lovely architecture, including Schloss Rastatt (http://www.wgm-rastatt.de/dasmuseum.html) a laid back atmosphere and some nice shops. We were there on a Saturday, so enjoyed their market as well.

We stayed here. http://www.holidayinn.com/rastattger

http://www.rastatt.de/servlet/PB/menu/-1/index.html

This was a great vacation for our family!

Tutti A Tavola Cooking Holiday, Tuscany

Courtesy of the American Spouses of Brunssum Travel Information Guide

Time of year: Spring

Lodging:
La Casa
53013 Gaiole, Chianti, Siena
Tel: 0039-0577-738-707

Cooking Holiday: The class included a welcome reception, three evening cooking classes, a day time wine tasting/vineyard tour, and a daytime trip to the market. The evening meals were included after you cook it. The class was about $1100 which included my lodging. I went with a friend and we both took our families. Since the cost of the class included one villa, we split the cost of another villa and each family got their own. There was an in-ground pool and lots of other things to do in the area. The old Italian ladies were so impressed with our husbands coming with us and caring for the kids while we went to the class that they made sure we had lots of food for the families at the end of the night.

Things to do in the area: Florence, San Gimignano, Livorno, Siena, and Lucca.

Recommendations: We used Epiculinary to book the class, but call direct for better rates (the number for La Casa). On the drive we stopped at Camp Darby for two nights. We bought marble in Carerra, toured Pisa, and enjoyed the beach. On the drive back, we stayed at Camp Ederle.

Websites:

http://www.epiculinary.com/

http://www.knowital.com/chianti/html/radda_chianti1.html

http://www.radda-in-chianti.com/zoom_map/nav.php

http://www.agritour.net/Itineraries/Cooking-Courses/TuttiATavola/who%27s.html

http://www.casaforcheri.com/

http://www.castellitoscani.com/albola.htm

Sample Itinerary:

15 May – Leave early morning – we left around 3 am (should take approx 11 hours)

15-17 May — Arrive Camp Darby before 5pm

Camp Darby (00-39-050-547580) confirmation number 65798 $55/night

Possible things to do:

American Beach

Marble Quarry

Leaning Tower and Church

Major Area Attractions

• Pisa, famous for its Leaning Tower (6 miles from Camp Darby). Turn left on SS11, turn right at the fourth stop light. Go under the railroad tracks and 100′ past the next intersection (the one with the stop light) and turn RIGHT into the parking lot. The Leaning tower is on the other side of the wall.
• Carerra, famous for its marble quarries (the same ones used by Michaelangelo). North of Pisa, take the Carerra exit, follow the yellow signs “CAVE DI MARBO” up the mountain. There are several marble gift shops. We shopped around and found the best one to be GIANCARIO CONTIPELLI & C. They have a small cafe in the middle of the store and they give Americans a 12% discount! Their phone number is (0585) 758005. We bought marble rolling pins ($9), marble lazy susans ($9), alabaster chess sets ($50-$90) and many other marble items! The tolls on the Autostrade are 6000 lire each way (exchange rate was 1538 lire / dollar) DON’T MISS IT!
• The walled city of Lucca, a quaint medieval village with its soaring cathedral and a commanding view of the Tuscan Hills (20 miles from Camp Darby)
• San Gimignano, a picturesque 14th century town renowned for its medieval atmosphere and characteristic towers (56 miles from Camp Darby)
• The peaceful Isle of Elba, Napoleon’s first place of exile (car ferry during the summer months, 52 miles south of Camp Darby)
• Florence, incomparable city of world art treasures, churches and palaces (75 miles from Camp Darby)
• Siena, showcase of Italian gothic architecture (60 miles from Camp Darby)
• Livorno, home of Modigiliani (6 mi. from Camp Darby)

17 May — Depart Camp Darby around 1300 to La CASA

Directions to La CASA (MAP QUEST DIRECTIONS www.mapquest.com were used for all directions needed for journey)

Address of Property : La Casa, 53013 Gaiole in Chianti, Siena, Italy
Owners: Marisa and Sandro Forcheri
Tel.: (++39) 0577 738 707

Arrival times: 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Departures times: By 9.00 a.m. on your departure day

Arriving from Pisa airport: Turn right out of the airport and follow the road in the direction SS LIVORNO – FIRENZE direction Firenze. Follow part 2.

Part 2:

Pay toll at the end of the motorway and follow towards Montevarchi. Follow SS 408 towards Gaiole in Chianti and Siena. Continue at least 19 kilometres until you arrive at crossroads. Go right in the direction Radda in Chianti. After 4 kilometres, and at the end of a quite difficult corner, at your left you have a white road in direction of Vertine – S.Donato in Perano – Spaltenna.

La Casa is the first house at your right after 200 metres.

19 May – Florence

17-21 May – Check-in at 1500 (Class Agenda Follows)

B&B Accommodations:

La Casa (I Gelsi) 53013 Gaiole in Chianti
Telephone (from USA): 011-39-0577-738-707
Your hostess: Marisa Forcheri

Cooking Class Itinerary:

Monday, May 17

Afternoon arrival and a warm welcome at your farmhouse accommodation.

5:30 pm wine tasting at Podere Ciona. A good occasion to meet your fellow participants.

Tuesday, May 18

At approximately 9:30 am enjoy an olive tasting at Pornanino farmhouse, where Franco will teach you to understand and appreciate what it is that makes extra virgin olive oil so very special.

At 4:00, you’ll go to one of the farmhouses for the first cooking class. Some of the dishes you might prepare include: bruschetta, hand-made pasta, arista, and panna cotta. Dinner follows the lesson.

Wednesday, May 19

Morning free.

4:00 cooking lesson at another farmhouse. Today maybe you will make crostini, ribollita, scaloppini al limone, and zuccotto fiorentino. A dinner follows the lesson.

Thursday, May 20

At 9:15 am, you’ll go with your guide to visit the Montevarchi market. Afterwards a visit to shops and workshops.

4:00 pm cooking class followed by a festive farewell dinner.

Friday, May 21

Morning checkout after breakfast.

21 May – Depart Nove/Vicenza (3 hours)

Ederle Inn Caserme Ederle – Vicenza 011-39-0444-71-8034

Possible things to do: Venice, Nove (30 min see map quest directions), Vicenza (Teatro Olimpico Designed in 1579 for the Vicenza Accademia Olimpica to stage theatrical performances, this is the only surviving Renaissance theater in the world.)

Switzerland and Italy Trip

Information below courtesy of the American Spouses of Brunssum Travel Information Guide – used with permission

Place:

Strasbourg, France 1 night; Lake Lugano, Switzerland for 1 week; Verona, Italy 3 nights.

Time:

Early July, weather was wonderful; mostly sunny, temperatures normally in mid-80s. One day of heavy rain in Lugano.

Directions:

Stayed one night in Strasbourg, France on way down. Estimate about 8 hour drive otherwise. From Basel (borders of France, Germany and Switzerland), take A2 all the way to Lugano. Consider taking the Gotthard Pass over the mountain south of Luzern instead of the 17 km tunnel along the way for a more scenic drive. It was a 10 ½ hour drive back home from Verona, Italy, heading north on A22 to Garmish.

Accommodations:

Strasbourg:

Quality Inn and Suites: http://www.quality-strasbourg.com/cadre/residenceus.html We had a very nice room with a double bed and a sleeper sofa for the kids.

Lugano:

Apartment house “Aldesago Monte Bré Haus I+II (Utoring)”. The apartment buildings are situated high up in the heights of the bay of Lugano, on Monte bre. Incredible views of Lake Lugano. There is an outdoor heated swimming pool and cog train right by the apartment to take you down the slope and into town if you choose not to walk or drive. Apartment was older, however, very spacious and clean. Two private bedrooms, living-room dining area, full bath, two balconies, and fully equipped kitchen to include stove/oven, microwave, dishwasher and large refrigerator/freezer.

Verona:

EuroMotel, Croce Bianca Via Bresciana, 2. Every thing was nice about this hotel except the beds and pillows were not too comfortable, but tolerable if you bring some pillows from home! Otherwise we had a room with double bed and bunk beds for the kids and a wonderful breakfast included each morning. Hotel is convenient to reach, not far from the Verona-Nord exit.

Things to do:

Lake Lugano, Switzerland:

Boat trips around the lake are available; however quite expensive. We ended up taking the boat across the lake to just Melide, where the Swiss Minatur (like the Maudrodam but of Switzerland) is located. Paddle boats are cheap, 8 franc for 30 minutes. There are swimming areas along the lake. Along the lake between Paradiso and Lugano, there was a trampoline/bungee setup the kids really enjoyed. At the bottom of the slope from our apartment along the lake was also a very nice park/children’s playground. Higher up the slope from our apartment were hiking trails to Monte Bre.

Take a day outing to Bellinzona and Locarno (north of Lugano 30 kms). Bellizona is a quaint village where there are three castle/fortresses of interest. We bought some local wine and pasta in a wine store in the center of town. There is a church worth visiting in the center of town as well. Not much to look at on the outside, but beautiful black and white marble décor on the inside. The castle on the very top is small and has an art museum and restaurant. We did not check out either and could have probably skipped the drive up the slope to see it. The castle down in the village was very nice, you could walk on top the long wall on one side and then back under the tunnel below the wall and go up the fortress’s tower for free. Locarno is the major city along Lake Maggiore.

On our rainy day we took an enjoyable drive south to Como, Italy and drove along the east side of lake Como. We toured Villa Carolotta near Tremezzo; worth the visit.

Take the cog train to Mount Generoso. The first cog train leaves from the train station in Capalago (exit autobahn at Mendrisio, south of Lugano), at 10:15 am and is best to go early. The train does not run in bad weather. We hiked to the bear caves and were given a private tour of the caves where students from the University of Milan were excavating the remains of bears that lived in the caves between 35,000 and 50,000 years ago. There are numerous hiking trails, make sure to walk up to the peak of Monte Generoso. From this point you can see all three lakes – Lake Maggiore, Lake Lugano and Lake Como against the snow-peaked mountains. If you hike with little children, best to put them in a backpack, trails are not stroller friendly and paths are often alongside some steep drop offs.

Another day trip we took was to Luzern, Switzerland. This is an absolutely gorgeous area and town.  This is backtracking our route, would recommend finding a place to stay for a night or two on the way to Lugano if possible.  We tried this but hotels were very expensive.  On the way we took the Furka pass (between Lugano and Luzern).  We put our car on the train through the tunnel and then continued onto to the Grimmsel pass.  Both the Furka and Grimmsel passes are well worth the experience.  Incredible road construction!  But bring some warm clothes along; every time we have been there it has been cold and rainy at the top! At Luzern we only had time to check out the Rodelbahn, the toboggan sled ride, but it was closed due to rain earlier in the day. But we had a nice ride up a small gondola and hike to the Rodelbahn taking the Hergiswil NW exit off of the autobahn.  The gondola was operated from the top; you had to pick up a phone inside to let them know you wanted a ride. The Rodelbahn looked more for kids ages 6 and up, and looked more luring on the website but I think it would have been worth the try!

 Italy:

After checking into our hotel in Verona, drove to Venice the first day, stopping in Vicenza along the way to purchase gas coupons at the military post.  There are signs to Camp Ederle posted from the autobahn (second exit into Vicenza).  Make sure to bring a copy of leave orders, we were able to buy 200 liters worth.  Unused coupons can be sent back for a refund; make sure to get the address to send back any unused coupons. Need to bring orders to the MP station and then go to the PX to buy the coupons. 

Second day drove to Pisa, Lucca (nice town with wall built around the city) and Florence. Florence was very hectic and difficult to find parking but worth the visit.  Don’t try without a city map! 

Last day we spent a relaxing morning and afternoon in downtown Verona.  Lovely town, live shows are shown almost nightly (except the day we were there) at the coliseum in the center of town; arena di Verona. Verona is famous for being the scene of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.  Check out http://www.arena.it/ to make reservations for the arena before you leave home.

Restaurant tips/recommendations:

Did not eat out that much, as all the restaurants in Switzerland are expensive and we had our kitchen in our apartment. In Verona; however, we did eat one night in the Elephante Hotel, right up the road from our hotel. This was a very good gourmet-style Italian restaurant. Go early or make reservations ahead of time. Good spaghetti for the kids.

Websites you used or found helpful in planning this trip:

http://www.travelnow.com/index.jsp – booked hotel in Strasbourg

http://nl.myswitzerland.com/du/welcome.cfm – for things to do in Switzerland

http://www.interhome.ch – booked our apartment in Lugano

http://www.ticino-tourism.ch/control – for things to do in the Lugano area

http://www.pilatus.ch/ – things to do in Luzern

http://www.rodelbahn.ch/pages/startframe.htm – toboggan sled ride in Luzern

http://www.traveleurope.it/ – booked hotel in Verona

http://www.arena.it/ – Arena di Verona

6 countries in 1 week

Information below courtesy of the American Spouses of Brunssum Travel Information Guide – used with permission

Hungary, Croatia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Italy, Austria in One Trip

First off, what were we thinking? This many countries in one week? YIKES! And, if we are visiting this many countries, what do we visit in each one to make it worthwhile? Well, that one was easy for us. My son (International Politics Major) wanted to visit the capitals of countries. So that was our goal. We did not always make that goal, but we tried. Let me tell you right now, that in some of the descriptions below, I am quoting from literature we picked up along the way. I have pictures of everything but the descriptions that they provided were much better than what I could have written on my own! J

Where to stay? We decided to stay in Sopron, Hungary. We booked our room through www.afvclub.com. Our room included a full kitchen, one bedroom with two twin beds that we pushed together, and a living room with a fold out couch. It cost $249.00 for the week. The room was very clean and it was adequate. We took some food with us, so ate breakfast there each morning and pack lunches for our adventures. We tried to eat one meal in each country. My son complained that the bed was too small but he’s 6’3” and had to sleep sideways on it. The website for the town we stayed at is: http://sopron.ohb.hu/index.en.html.

Itinerary:

First day Saturday: travel. We drove to Hungary. We used www.viamichelin.com (this is the only website we found for the Eastern European countries) for directions. It stated that it was a 10-hour drive. We actually did it in 9 1/2 and that was with a stop of about ½ hour on the road for an accident. We only stopped when filling up with gas and would get a bite to eat at this time too. We used our gas coupons all the way until the Austria border (gas station about 15 miles from the border). Then the rest of the trip, we used cash. Please keep in mind that we drive an Explorer and got about 17 miles to the gallon. Arrived on Saturday evening, checked into the hotel, got a bite to eat there at the hotel (good CHEAP food) and then took off walking to get a look at the city.

Sunday Second day: Bratislava (capital of Slovakia) – This was about a one-hour drive from the hotel. Website is: http://slovakia.eunet.sk/bratislava.html. The first thing we saw as we entered Bratislava was the castle. It sits high above the Danube and was breathtaking. One of the towers is accessible from the historical museum, and from it you can get a great view of the city and the Danube. One of those views is of the Novi Most tower bridge with the Kaviaren Bystrica restaurant and vista on top. The elevator ride only costs 10 koruna (about 30 cents) and the view is fantastic.

About a quarter of the original city walls still exist. It covers almost a square mile, and is loaded with pubs, restaurants, shops, and embassies. The Slovaks are very proud of their new nation, and their flag flies everywhere in Bratislava. National pride also shines in Bratislava’s various architectural wonders. The National Theater and National Museum near the Danube are absolutely gorgeous buildings, as is the Primiatalpalais. Also, when you see the Residence building, go around to the back – often it is open to the public. There is a large enclosed park that contains numerous interesting sculptures from Slovakian artists. Adam and I sat here for a while when Ron was getting the car (also please keep in mind that my foot was broken during this wonderful week of walking all around!)

Finally, there is one very hard-to-find monument that is clearly visible from most of the city. Sitting at the highest point in the area, you will see the 40-meter-tall Slavin World War II monument. It honors the Slovaks and Russians who gave their lives on the eastern front.

Monday: Third day – Sopron, Hungary – we decided we liked the town we were in and wanted to check it out. And boy were there things to check out! Sopron is the town of museums. Since Sopron is the second richest town in monuments in Hungary, it received the Golden Medal of European Monument Protection Award in 1975. We visited the Fire Tower (served as the north tower of the city wall from the 13^th century), the Storno House (a castle-like Baroque corner house), the local history exhibition (though the fight against the Turkish and the Habsburgs was the main characteristic of the 17^th century, it was one of the golden ages of Sopron. Five Parliament sessions and three coronations were held then), the Fabricius House (a Roman bath was discovered by archaeologists in the basement of the building and there are many headstones … dating all the way back to 1541, altar stones, monuments and sepulchral urns; and there are several-meter high sculptures of the Capitolium Gods here), the Goat Church, the Apothecary House, the Scarbantia Forum (one of the border stations of the one-time Roman Empire’s Pannonia Province), the Medieval Synagogue, the Central Mining Museum, the Forestry Industry and Land-Surveying Historic Collection (maps from 1656, land surveying and cartography from the 18^th century), the National Lutheran Museum (story of the Lutheran congregation with its past of centuries is dated from the time of the Reformation in Hungary), the Collection of Roman Catholic Holy Art, the Soproni Horvath Jozsef Collection (Great painter of Sopron), the Zettl-Langer Collection (painter from 1852-1917), the Baker Museum, the Ethnographic Exhibition, the Karoly Lookout Tower, the Mining Museum, Stone Quarry, The Szechenyi Mausoleum (the most sacred place of pilgrimage for Hungarian people), the Fertoszeplak (ancient home of the Szechenyi family until the end of the 18^th century) and finally the Esterhazy Castle which is third in size among the most important building complexes in Hungary.

Tuesday Fourth day – Zagreb (capital of Croatia website: www.zagreb-touristinfo.hr) this was about a four-hour drive from the hotel. And there are two things that I very distinctly remember. We had a hard time finding the center of town and they REFUSED to let us get 2 of the same scoops of ice cream. All three of us tried and they refused! If we only wanted one flavor, we only get one scoop! Oh well, I had kiwi and watermelon and it was WONDERFUL! Don’t remember what hubby and son got but they really enjoyed theirs as well.

A good first stop in Zagreb is the city Tourist Information Center at Trg Bana Josipa Jelacica 11. The tourist office has a useful booklet called “Zagreb Info A-Z” which provides names of restaurants and other kinds of facilities. You can also pick up English brochures, maps and a walking tour plan. They also sell a Zagreb Card, a 72-hour card, which allows visitors to use local transportation and provides discounts at museums, galleries, restaurants, shops and clubs.

We took the city walk which lasted several hours and took us by St. Mark’s Church with it’s brightly colored, tiled roof with coat of arms, the stone gates (the year 1760 engraved about the northern entrance documents the last reconstruction of the gate) which are mentioned in the Middle Ages, Catherine’s Square, the Gallery of Contemporary Art and too many things to mention. All told we spent only about 6 hours here (walking, eating, taking in the sites) and then started our 4-hour ride back to the hotel.

Wednesday – Fifth day: Vienna (capital of Austria – website: http://www.vienna.com/touren1.php?lang=en) First thing I HAVE to say is that there is NO way to get enough of this city in one day. My college age son was so excited; he wants to bring his college buddies back here next summer. Vienna was only about ½ hour from our hotel so it made for an easy drive (my husband was very thankful!) There is just so much to see here that I don’t think I can even begin to go into it! One think I do HAVE to mention however, is while we were at the castle 2 men changed right in front of us into running gear (They were TOTALLY nude!) We were amazed, and tried to convince my son that “While in Vienna…” but he wouldn’t fall for it. While we were there, we saw the Opera House, Burgtheater, the Prater (Ferris wheel … no we didn’t ride it), the Karlskirche, the Schonbrunn, the Kunsthisisches Museum, the Stephansdom, the Belvedere, Café Central and Museums Quarter. And NO, we did not spend enough time there, and some of those we just drove by and took pictures. We could very easily spend a week there!! We could have spent a whole day just at the Schonbrunn Palace and Gardens. I can NOT say enough about the beauty in this town. When we go back, and we will, I want to go see the Vienna Mozart Orchestra in period costumes and wigs in Vienna’s biggest and most famous concert hall, I want to cruise down the Danube to Budapest, I want, I want, I want. Lucky for me, my husband and son agree with me that this city will take some time!

Thursday – Sixth day – Severe thunderstorms forecasted for the entire day for the whole area. Lucky for us, we brought our DVD player and watched 6 James Bond movies one right after the other. It was REALLY nice to relax for one day. We had been planning on going to Budapest today and Slovenia tomorrow, so we needed to decide which we were going to give up. We decided to go to Slovenia tomorrow because lots of tours go to Budapest but none to Slovenia. And looking at the map, Italy is only about 45 more minutes from the capital of Slovenia, and since I had not made it yet to Italy, we decided we would throw that in as well.

Friday: Seventh day – Ljubljana (capital of Slovenia … with a side trip to Trieste, Italy – website: http://www.ijs.si/slo/ljubljana/). Looking at the map, as I stated before, I saw that Trieste, Italy was not too far from Ljubljana, and we decided to go there first. It was about a 5 ½ hour drive to Trieste from the hotel. Overcast day but the scenery was WONDERFUL! Slovenia is a beautiful country. We made it to Trieste about 11:30. It was a nice little town. Not very touristy (at least what we saw) but we ate lunch in my very first Italian Pizzeria. And it was great! We walked around a bit, saw the Adriatic Sea and then headed for Ljubljana.

According to legend, Ljubljana was founded when Jason sailed into the Ljubljana River while fleeing King Aites and slew the horrible Ljubljana dragon. Today’s bridge dragons are surrounded by a mix of Baroque monuments, art nouveau facades, and high-rises. One of the ways to see the sights is to meet in front of the city hall for a 2 hr. walking tour given in English and Slovenian. June – Sept. meet daily at 5 p.m.; July-Aug. also on Sundays at 11 a.m. Cost is 25 € per person. We decided to go on our own. One of the first things we saw was Ljubljana Castle. The castle’s existence was first documented in 1144 but most of the buildings are from the 16^th and 17^th century from renovations following the 1511 earthquake. The Virtual Museum inside the castle uses computerized presentations to illuminate the story of Ljubljana’s past. The presentation was good but it left you hanging at the end. We all felt like “What happened then?” It was like the story got cut off. Next up was St. Nicholas’ Cathedral. It is so absolutely exquisite that it would take many visits to absorb all of its beauty. Other things to visit include Triple Bridge. The architect modernized the old Spitalski Bridge by supplementing the stone construction with two footbridges. The Triple Bridge now provides a great entrance to the Old Town. There are remains of Roman walls, a cultural center, Parliament, parks, universities, and the Slovenian Academy of Arts and Sciences. If you are looking for museums, the is the National Museum (Archaeology, culture and Slovenian history from the Middle Ages to the present and upstairs the Natural History Museum showcases a paleontological exhibit and geological and mineral collections from around Slovenia), the Plecnik Collection Architecture Museum and the National Gallery (includes works by Slovenian and European artists from the Romantic through Impressionist periods and religious icons dating from 1270). All in all, this was a beautiful town, in a beautiful country!

On Saturday, our goal had been to start home but to stop and see Mad King Ludwig’s castles along the way. We figured we would get half the way home and then come home on Sunday but we were tired. Adam had never been to the castles (but we had) and he said he would prefer to wait and see them when he wasn’t so worn out. So we ended up just coming home.

Things you should know: Hungary had a thing for stamping our passports. We got 14 stamps from Hungary! They stamped it going in, they stamped it going out … at first I thought it was great but then I was concerned that they would use up my whole passport! Austria was the only other country that stamped it, and that made me sad! I wanted Slovenia, Slovakia, Croatia to stamp it and they just weren’t interested! L

One other thing … you have to get highway usage stickers for most of the countries. Just stop at the borders. I don’t think they cost more than €10 each. The countries that didn’t need it, charged tolls on their roads. Just look at the signs where entering the countries.

Rome, Italy

Courtesy of the American Spouses of Brunssum Travel Information Guide

Rome is a beautiful city full of life and a great place to take children. The people there love children and are very accommodating.

Lodging: Finding a hotel room for four or more people can be very difficult and expensive. We traveled with a family of four and stayed at a bed and breakfast. I recommend going to http://www.venere.com/ to search for a hotel or B&B. We made our reservations online and everything worked out fine.

We stayed at a great little place called the Martina House. It was clean and the host and hostess were wonderful. It was located across the street from the Marriot Flora and the entrance to the Villa Borghese Gardens and Park. There was also a subway station and grocery store around the corner. The food was wonderful everywhere and we were very pleased with the reasonable prices.

Time of year: We went during spring break. I do not recommend a trip during March or April. This can be the rainiest time of year in Italy and it rained on us for much of the week. Also, it is the beginning of peak season and the Easter holiday so prices for rooms were more expensive. If you want to be in St. Peter’s Square for Easter mass (which was really impressive) then a trip during this time is well worth it. Our hosts said the best time of year to come is in the fall. The weather is usually sunny and the sweltering heat of summer is gone.

Food: We did find one really great restaurant close by our B&B. When facing the Marriot Flora, take the side street to the right and go about 50-100 yards. On the right you will find an Italian restaurant called the La Bruschetta. It was excellent and had a wide variety of foods. We really enjoyed our meal there.

La Bruschetta — Via Sardegna 39. Tel. 06 42 01 37 21

Transportation: I recommend you traverse the city on foot or subway. We did a lot of walking.

Sites: We checked out a pop-out map from the library at AFNorth and a DK book on Rome. You could easily spend 10 days in Rome and never see it all. So we packed in as much as we could in 5 days. Here is a list of what I consider the things you must see:

1. Piazza Venezia
2. Piazza Narvonia
3. Piazza del Popolo — online map
4. Coliseum
5. Church of Laterano
6. Trevi Fountain
7. Vatican
8. Roman Forum
9. Catacombs
10. Castel d’ Angelo
11. Borghese Galleria (This was the highlight of my trip and the children loved it. There were amazing paintings here along with many statues. My favorite part of the museum was the marble sculptures by Bernini. They are breathtaking in their detail and beauty. This is something you don’t want to miss.)
12. Pantheon

Websites:

• http://www.italyguides.it/us/roma/rome_italy_travel.htm
• www.uso.it

Camp Darby, Italy – basics

Courtesy of the American Spouses of Brunssum Travel Information Guide

We drove to south of Camp Darby in Italy. We stopped overnight at a Holiday Inn Express outside of Lucerne, Switzerland both on the way down and the way back. It was a nice little hotel, for €150 per night for a double (2 twin beds). The restaurant next door was ok but expensive and the hotel included breakfast. That area was so beautiful that I told my husband I would like to go for a long weekend and stay sometime. It even snowed on the way back!

We drove on gas coupons through Germany, and we used leftover gas coupons from a TDY in Italy, so if you know someone, have them get you some when they go TDY, or just pay full price. There is an Esso in Germany, just before you hit the border in Basel, Switzerland.

In Italy, we rented an apartment on the beach about ½ hr south of camp Darby. It did not have a TV, clock or radio though, so bring them if you do that. We pretty much stayed in the Tuscany region – Pisa, Florence, etc. It was lovely…

Be on the lookout for thieves though, even when we stopped at a McDonald’s near Milan, there were Gypsies wandering around begging for money, and people wouldn’t leave their cars alone. Always someone stayed with the auto.

You need to bring your passports to go through Switzerland, and you need to have an autobahn permit which you can get at the ANWB places around town here. It cost me about €25 but is prorated depending on the time of year because it is an annual pass. There is an ANWB in the Op de Kamp and also in Heerlen.

It is a very long drive, so make sure you bring LOTS of stuff for the kids to do. It took us about 18 hours total between two days. We always stopped at the big service stations on the highway to go potty and get snacks. I don’t do rest areas or woods! Lol…And we brought coolers with snacks and drinks. Once you’re down there in Italy, you can go to the commissary on Camp Darby which wasn’t open on Sun or Mon when we went. They also have a Laundromat…

Lucerne hotel website: http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/h/d/hi/1/en/hd/luzsz

The apartment in Italy I got at the V & D travel agency as a last minute deal (€80.50/week). You also need to bring towels, they don’t supply them.

Nove: Pottery Shopping in Italy

I just got back from a girls-only trip to Nove and Venice, so here’s the info and notes on how you can tweek it to make it your own. Due to the amount of information… I’ll continue onto Venice in a new entry.

Nove: Nove is one of those little known secrets – a lovely town east of Venice with over 100 pottery shops, many of which make beautiful, high-quality pottery for Lenox, Pottery Barn, Tiffany & Co. and others. Here you can get those things at 1/3 or better of the price.

Venice: It’s so overly-touristed that I expected more of a clichesque experience, but it was lovely. The people are friendly, the food is fantastic, and the place itself is enchanting.

Our Itinerary:

Wednesday: Fly into Treviso. Rent a car and drive to Vincenza.

Thursday: Shopping in Nove.

Friday: Post office in Vincenza at 10am. Lunch and three hours shopping in Nove. Post office in Vincenza at 1530. Drive to Treviso to return car. Take the bus to Venice.

Saturday: Tour Venice.

Sunday: Venice and fly home.

Getting there:

We flew Ryan Air from Dusseldorf/Weeze (also known as Niederrhein/NRN) to Treviso, Italy which is just north of Venice. It is possible to park your car in long term parking at the Weeze airport (which is located on an old military base), but if you don’t, a pre-arranged taxi service can work quite well. We used a taxi service out of Heisburg that hauled all six of us with our luggage to the airport and back for a pre-arranged fee of 190E – which is really not bad and saved us the stress of driving back late after a long trip. Do make sure that the driver knows where the airport is. Do not assume that someone from the local area will know beyond the greater Heinsburg area. Even with a taxi service, I will now take along my mapquest directions and a good map. We did not have a map. Instead, we had one lost German man driving a van with three GPS mounted on the windows and 6 women throwing suggestions his directions every few minutes. Good for a laugh only if you’re not in danger of missing your flight.

Renting a car:

The Treviso airport is small, but nice, and very easy to navigate. Downstairs is the line of stalls for rental cars. We had one reserved with Locauto. All the cars are parked in the parking lot directly across from the airport with the company sign in front of the parking spot, so they are fairly easy to find. If arriving late, I’d suggest bringing a small flashlight. The nice peugeot that we rented had plenty room for the 6 of us with luggage. When you return the car, there is often not a person sitting there. Just drop the keys in the drop box. They do not do inspections like you do in the US.

Locauto Rent
Partita IVA 04367-650-969
Aeroporto Di Treviso
Tel: 0422-433834
Email: info@locautorent.com
Web: http://www.locautorent.com/

Lodging in Vincenza near Nove:
Nove is about a 30 minutes drive from Vincenza – a nice town with a US Army base – Caserma Ederle where you can stay very inexpensively. The downside, of course, to the military lodging is that you can’t book very far in advance. (Next time we’ll book offbase as a back-up plan, then if we can get lodging on base, we’ll cancel the other). We stayed in triple rooms at the Hotel Victoria. Victoria did have nice rooms, a good breakfast buffet, free wireless internet, and is only 4 minutes from the base and right next door to a restaurant and a large shopping center, so if the base lodging is unavailable, it’s a great alternative and not unreasonably priced if you’re splitting the room rates.

Caserma Ederle Website: http://www.usag.vicenza.army.mil/sites/local/
Lodging on base: http://www.vicenzamwr.com/lodging.html
Hotel Victoria (off base in Vincenza): http://www.hotelvictoriavicenza.com/ing/index.html

Nove:

Getting to Nove from Vincenza isn’t hard. Just follow the signs to Bassano and you’ll end up in Nove. Of course, if you can bring a GPS, it will help you GREATLY. There isn’t one central place where all the shops are. Instead, the shops are sprinkled throughout the town, but the main ones (the biggest, most popular shops with Americans) are all on the same street. Most of the shops are closed for lunch, so if you are a serious shopper, arrive early (0830-0900) when the shops open, then go to lunch, and shop the rest of the afternoon. If you show up at 1130, you won’t have much time to look before the break, so plan well. If you head into the square with the big tower in it, you’ll see a large map set back in the square that is a map of Nove with all of the ceramic shops on it and their locations.

Money: Almost all of the shops take credit cards, but you’ll need cash for food and the smaller shops will be cash only. Some of the larger shops like V.B.C. also take American checks. If you are paying with cash or check, you will have a little more bartering room. And yes, do barter. They will most often knock down the price at least a little bit to those who ask.

Not shopping: There is a Ceramic museum in the center of town open Tues-Sat from 0900-1300 and on Sun from 1500-1900. And, if you can drive just a bit, the town of Bassano just up the road has a beautiful old square and a cheesemaker who’s been making cheese just about forever.

Nove Ceramic Shops:
*Though many of these shops have hours from Monday – Saturday, do remember that not only do they have mid-day breaks, but they also observe holidays and local festivals as well. The best way to ensure that they will be open when you plan your trip is to email a couple of the larger shops (VBC and Ancora) and ask them specifically if they will be open during the time that you plan to go. Ladies have made this trip many times just to discover that the shops are closed. Don’t let that happen to you.

La Ceramica V.B.C. is one of the most popular shops in Nove and the one that we went to first (and took 6 ladies a total of 3 hours to get through). The upstairs shop is beautiful, inspiring, and absolutely full from floor to ceiling of beautiful pottery in such a broad array of styles that you are sure to find something that you love. Lenox, Tiffany and Co, and Vietro adorn their shelves. You’ll also find dinnerware in almost every color, fruit and vegetable spoon rests, and beautiful mosaics. They pack everything extremely well in bubblewrap and stryophome peanuts to ship and charge only 5 Euros a box. We even brought purchases from other shops to VBC, then they met us at the front gate of Vincenza the following morning in their van (so you don’t need to worry about hauling boxes in the rental car), and led us to the post office where we unloaded our things and shipped them quickly. VBC does take American checks, cash, and credit cards.

Address: Via Molini 45, Nove
Tel: 0424-590312
Email: office@laceramicavbc.com
Web: http://www.laceramicavbc.com/
Hours: M-F 0830-1300 and 1330-1900

Marco Pizzato does not really advertise to random shoppers, but rather sells to large companies. Still, if you can get in, you’ll find something special. His pieces are warm and beautiful and his prices cannot be beat. Go there for large platters and other fun serving pieces. Check carefully for small cracks as some of the pieces tend to sit there for a while and do not be surprised if he won’t sell one – he doesn’t sell the last ones. Just a block down the road from VBC, do go and check it out. It’s a very nice shop and some of my favorite finds were found there.
Address: Via Molini 67
Phone: 0424-590082
Email: info@ceramichepizzato.com
Web: http://www.ceramichepizzato.com/

Ancora is another shop that sells Lenox and Pottery Barn ceramic pieces along with a fabulous assortment of the traditional chicken pitchers and beautiful letter and number address tiles. They also have a resident artist, Floriano Gheno, who handpaints one-of-a-kind bowls and platters that are as much art as utilitarian.

Address: Via Martina 26-28
Tel: 0424.590023
Email: ceramicheancora@libero.it

Bottega Del Ceramista is near VBC on the Via Molini (#88) and also has very nice things. The shop is run by two brothers who make and hand paint everything, so it is smaller, but very nice and has some beautiful canister sets and olive jugs. The most unique items there are old roof tiles that have been hand painted in the old style.

Web: www.ceramics.it/pegoraro
Email: antonio_pegoraro@libero.it

More Ceramic shops: Had I known about this site, I may have been a little more prepared and more focused. Wow. This is great. Pour over it and you will come back, quite literally, with everything, AND the kitchen sink!

http://www.ceramics.it/tavola_en.html

Nove Pewter and Copper Shop – DON’T MISS THIS!!!

Carla and Roberto Rossi run this shop full of Roberto’s artistry. Hand made copper and bronze items fill the store that at first, is very overwhelming. Fortunately, this shop does not take a midday break like the others, so it’s a perfect stop during the break and you’ll need that time to look. Roberto’s hand-signed pieces are pricey, but you’re getting high quality copper and pewter that shouldn’t break in the next move. The pewter wine canister and cooler sets are perfect gifts. You’ll see things both rustic and utilitarian and high-styled art deco. If you’re lucky, you’ll meet Roberto himself – the artist. But, Carla is delightful and friendly and also stocks a wonderful selection of sterling charms, masks, and Venetian glass.

Roberto Rossi – Casa Del Peltro

Via S. Romana 13

0424-592535

Open every day 0800-1930

Email: rossiroberto@cheapnet.it

Dining in and around Nove:

Cafe Roma: A reliable lunch spot in the center of Nove, Cafe Roma offers delicious food at reasonable prices. The salmon lasagna was excellent. The gnocci and salads looked delicious as well. A nice lunch with beverage and the service charge (coperto) ran about 10 Euros a person. Closed on Sundays and Mondays. Open T-Sat 1200-1500 and 1800-2400. You won’t miss it right on the corner of the main intersection, but for you GPS types, go to Via Molini #1, Nove 36055.

Pizzeria De Asporto: Take Away. Wow. This pizza brought about smiles and moaning from our group. You wouldn’t think pizza would be quite this exciting… but it was amazing. For less than 3 Euros a person, we stuffed ourselves on the absolutely most delicious pizza ever. The place doesn’t look like much. There is very little seating inside and it looks like a fast food joint, but the kitchen is immaculate, the couple that owns it, friendly, and the food – out of this world.

Pizzeria Da Asporto
Via Astronauti 12; Nove
0424-829168

Alle Fornaci: You won’t miss this restaurant on the way to or from Nove due to it’s large brick stacks looming overhead. The stacks were originally built as ovens for brick manufacturing in the 1840′s. Now they are part of a restaurant that makes absolutely delicious pizzas inside those brick ovens. I would eat there again in a second. The food was great, the prices reasonable, and though our waitress spoke little to no English, she was very friendly and helpful. Address: Via Marosticana, 339 Deuville. Tel: 0444-361238. Closed on Mondays.

Shipping Your Treasures:

Obviously you won’t be hauling service for 12 back with you on Ryan Air or any other airline… so, VBC will pack all of your purchases for you and deliver them to the front gate of Vincenza. You will have to park right inside the gate, wait for the white van, then sign them onto the base. Before your trip, call and make an appointment at the post office there. Pre-fill out your white customs slips and address labels to make the process quick and easy. The post office opens officially at 11, but they do make appointments as early as 0900. The staff is so friendly, they deserve cookies. Next time I’ll bring some. The number to call is: (39) 0444-71-7430.

Venice:

If you are going to Venice from Nove, then return your rental car at the Treviso airport. There is a gas station where you can fill up the tank just past the airport on your right about 1 km down the main road. It is full service, so you don’t even need to leave your car. You will most likely just be dropping your keys off in the drop box, then walk over to the bus tickets counter and purchase a round trip ticket to Venice (Venezia). One-way costs 5 Euros. Round trip is 9 Euros. The bus is right outside the airport. It will stop at the Mestre railway station and then the Venezia bus station from where it’s a quick walk over the bridge and onto the island. The total bus ride from Treviso to Venice is about 45 minutes. (Venice info in another post)

More Information:

Nove Stars and Stripes Article: http://www.estripes.com/article.asp?section=103&article=40448&archive=true

Italy travel site: http://www.enit.it/

Other sights in the region: http://www.slowtrav.com/italy/veneto/bassano.htm