"Just Back- 11 day Globus... " a Italy Travel Page by JOG1151

My girlfriend and I just returned from an 11 day tour of Italy, which we booked through Globus/Monogram Tours. This included Hotels, tour packages, and all transfers from Hotel to Hotel, which was an invaluable service.
The Globus tour package included one day (really a partial day) of touring in each city (ROME, FLORENCE, VENICE), with a guide. These included tours generally covered the "highlights" of each city, and were very good, but again only lasted a 1/2 day. Make sure you have something planned for all your free time, although exploring all 3 cities on our own, sometimes getting lost, proved very interesting and was great fun as well. There were numerous optional tours made available through Globus, for a fee of course. Our only suggestion would be that Globus should give you the optional tour information in advance , to better allow you to plan your free time. For example, we booked the Ufizzi Gallery in advance prior to leaving for Italy, as we did not know this would be an optional tour available through Globus.
Upgraded Premium Hotel Package through Globus was worth the small difference in money. The HOTEL CICERONE in ROME was modern, clean, and spacious, very nice. We had a bad experience at the HOTEL ALBANI FIRENZE in FLORENCE. Our original room was nice enough however, the central air conditioning was not working. We were eventually moved to a much smaller room, without any of the upgraded amenities we had paid for. They insisted that no other rooms were available, which soured the stay in Florence. We stayed at the STARHOTEL SPLENDID SUISSE in VENICE, which was under renovation however, we were not at all effected by the construction. In fact the SPLENDID Suisse had the nicest amenities, and was the most spacious of the 3 hotels we had stayed at in Italy...I would highly recommend this Hotel which was centrally located (between Saint Marks and The Rialto), and right on one of the small canals.

The Concierges were neither friendly or very helpful at any of the Hotels, and provided the least amount of service possible. You must stay on them (don't be afraid to be pushy) if you want get anything accomplished. If you need a taxi, or dinner reservation, ask the Concierge for assistance.

As far as dining in Italy with your Tour Group, my general advise would be this...DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT book any OPTIONAL Tours which include dinner. Out of the 9 dinner meals we had in Italy, by far and away the worst meals we had were the ones which were included on the optional tours we paid for with Globus. The 2 different restaurants that we were taken to were what I would call "Typical Tourist Traps"!!! The food was mediocre at best, and it would not surprise me if most of the dishes were frozen and came out of bag. I did a great deal of research about the dining experience in Italy prior to leaving for our trip, and we were fortunate enough to find and enjoy many delicious "LOCAL" "AUTHENTIC" Italian restaurants. I understand that this is a business venture for Globus however, I was honestly offended by the food served in these restaurants. Although they gave you great quantities of food, sheer volume does not necessarily translate into quality dining. Also, stay away from any of the restaurants recommended by the Concierge, any restaurants with pictures of food, and any restaurants with the menu in several different languages these are all"TOURIST TRAPS"!!! We followed this rule and found many excellent Italian restaurants on our own. Here are our favorites in each City:

ROME - POPI POPI, Via delle Fratte di Trastevere 45, off the beaten path, mostly all locals eating there...definitely worth the taxi ride. Try the beef carpaccio over fresh arugula and shaved Parmesan cheese with olive oil, it was all so fresh, definitely a taste treat. Also surprisingly, for dessert, the Creme Brulee was the best I've ever had, anywhere! Everyone dining there was speaking Italian, and the place was packed with locals!

FLORENCE - ZIO GIGI, an Osteria on Via F. Portinari, 7/R - 501000 Firenze. Again mostly locals, we had the Beef Fillet with Porcine Mushrooms, and Veal Scallopini (nice change from all the pasta) both were excellent. We had a homemade dark chocolate cake for dessert which was wonderful. This restaurant was suggested by a local...great tip...it is located on a side street, in a local neighborhood, not too far from The Duomo.

VENICE - I saved the best for last...in Venice don't miss Osteria AnlicoDolo, Ruga Rialto 772, Venezia...a small local restaurant with the most AMAZING food, not far from the Rialto Bridge. We had a Vegetable Antipasto for starters, all fresh grilled vegetables in olive oil... eggplant, mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, egg quiche etc...the flavor was amazing. My main entree was Tagliatelle (Thin flat pasta) with Zucchini Blossoms and "Prawns" all done Scampi style. This dish was ADDICTING!!! The best pasta dish I've ever had (sorry to my Italian friends and family back home). There was one woman doing the cooking and serving, and she was most helpful explaining the dishes, which were all superb!!! The Tirramisu was an excellent way to top off our meal as well!

For lunch, stick to either pizza (which is different than what we are accustomed to here in NY) or Pannini, toasted sandwiches with different variations of cheese, meats, lettuce, tomato, etc.. For variation, the Caprese Salad (Tomato with Mozzarella) or Prosciutto with Melon, was a nice change of pace. While in Florence make sure you try the Papa Al Pomodoro Soup,a tomato bread soup,local to the area and delicious.
Of course, you will be eating Gellato almost everywhere Don't feel guilty about the extra calories, you will walk it off, we walked at least 8 hours every day!

General tips... bring at least one very good pair of walking shoes, you will be walking and on your feet constantly, on hot, crowded, cobblestone streets. Don't worry about style, comfort is optimum for all the walking you will be doing. I went to a specialty store beforehand (The Walking Company). They will fit you with a walking shoe suited for your foot shape...considering the amount of walking we did, it was worth every penny. Although the Gypsy/pickpocket situation has improved from years ago (so I'm told), do not let your guard down as it still exists... hidden pockets, money belts, etc. are your safest bet for your money and credit cards. You must drink lots of bottled water in the summer, ask for "aqua minerale narurale" which is non sparkling water. If you can, find a supermarket and buy your water there, it is much cheaper than from the vendors on the street. If you do not want to eat or get charged for bread at the restaurants, tell the waiter "No Pane", of course there is still a cover charge for sitting at a table. We were there from 7/28/06 to 8/8/06, and it was extremely hot in Rome, a little more comfortable in Florence, the weather was beautiful in Venice. Dress for comfort...most of the women were either in shorts or Capri's, with tee shirts or sleeveless tops, also skirts and sundresses. The teenagers wore everything and anything, including jeans. The men wore either shorts, or light casual slacks with tee shirts or sport shirts. You do not have to dress up...neat and casual is fine.

Best sights - EVERYTING in ROME, from The Colosseum to The Vatican (The gift shop was overpriced, but they will have your purchases blessed and delivered to your Hotel), The Spanish Steps, The Trevi Fountain, The Pantheon...and so much more...just amazing sightseeing!!! Push yourself to see it all...it's well worth it!!!

FLORENCE is definitely for the art lover. The Accademia Gallery, seeing David...The Ufizzi Gallery with it's many-many works of art was overwhelming. Honestly, after looking at masterpieces in 34 rooms (and there were more)after 3 hours we had our fill. The Pontevecchio Bridge was interesting, with a beautiful scenic view, but the crowds of people, and the "overpriced" gold, detracted from the scenery. We took a side trip to the Pitti Palace, which also had some fantastic artwork...it was amazing to see how the Royal Families once lived. We also ventured out to the Boboli Gardens...the awesome scenery made the climb worthwhile.

VENICE was my favorite City...it was amazing to see the old world charm, the old buildings, The Duomo,the canals, the gondolas, ...up close...it was very surreal. Speaking of which, splurge for a Gondola ride...they are overpriced, but it's a once in a lifetime experience. We also splurged one night and sat at one of the restaurants right on Saint Marks Square...there were 4 bands on the Square playing at the different restaurants. Each band would play 4 or 5 songs (show-tunes, classics, etc. )and take turns playing...it was a wonderful memory. Of course in addition to the price of our dessert and wine, there was a cover charge for MUSIC...still worth every penny!