Reader' tips ... Italy on the cheap
Each week we run a section in the Guardian newspaper's travel section, asking for readers to send in tips on a particular subject. The best tip wins a digital camera courtesy of Jessops. Find out more here.
Winning tip
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Dar Poeta, Trastevere, Rome
Posted by CherryRed
The best pizza restaurant in Rome. Without doubt. When I first saw the entrance to this place I wondered why eight people were already waiting outside before it opened. It looks nothing from the outside, although parts of Trastevere are very pretty. Rather than the touristy places to eat in Rome here you get a real taste for Italian food (pizza mainly) at its finest. It's totally Italian, no English on the menu. Take a few minutes to see what others are odering, the staff are friendly so don't feel embarrassed to point and say you would like the same! It's tiny, full of character and if you are really lucky a cello player will sing and play to you. One of the best moments in Rome I have ever had.
www.darpoeta.com
0039 06 5880516
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Tours from Amalfi to Sorrento
Posted by DtheM
Forget expensive coach or taxi tours along the Amalfi coast - take the public bus from Sorrento bus station, and head out towards Positano. For a few euros return you will have one of the best scenic trips of a lifetime - try and get to sit on the entry step looking out. They even run to time. Magic!
www.sitabus.it
Main bus station - Sorrento.
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Behind the Tower, Pisa
Posted by gdeanouk
A relatively inexpensive small apartment in Pisa. Live like a local: shop in the supermarket around the corner or at the market in town; use the train to visit other nearby towns. No worry about airport transport - the owner will collect you from the airport and return you at the end of your stay.
www.behindthetower.com/en/
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B&B Organic La Casa Nei Pini, Viareggio, Tuscany
Posted by LJSmith
An affordable alternative to an agriturismo, this B&B is part rural retreat and hippie haven - everything here is 'organic', from the home-made and home-grown breakfast to the natural paint on the walls.
Ten minutes on foot to the sea and surrounded by the pine-forests of San Rossore National Park, the house is surrounded by natural beauty, and the owners treat guests like a member of the family.
It's the homely touches that really make this B&B stand out, from the bikes laid out for guests to use, to eating our (free) breakfast together in the garden - the feast of muesli and yoghurt, sticky cakes and fresh bread and honey was washed down with juice and herbal tea.
If you are visiting Viareggio at Carnival time, the owner will drive you into town to join in with the festivities, and medieval city Lucca, artists's haven Pietra Santa and Puccini's house at Torre del Lago are a short train ride away.
Rooms are around 30 euros a night - a bargain for Tuscany!
www.bbviareggio.it
Via Moses Levy, Viareggio, Toscana, Italy 55049
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Piccola Perla, Venice
Posted by Rahu
Last August my partner and I stayed at Piccola Perla, a charming one-bedroomed apartment in St. Antonin, located roughly midway between St Mark's Square and Arsenale.
It was quiet, tastefully decorated and it was great to come back in the evening after a long day's sightseeing and put our feet up in the little courtyard, together with a drink of Prosecco. Being on a budget, some evenings we cooked our own meals, so it was good to be a couple of bridges away from one of only two supermarkets I have come across in Venice.
Recommended as a romantic getaway for a couple or an inexpensive spot for a small family (there was a sofabed in the living room).
www.ourveniceapartment.com
Tel:01242 243693
Nearest Vaporetto: San Zaccaria.
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Hotel Balbi, Genoa
Posted by Pushkins
A small and friendly hotel in an historic palazzo complete with frescoed vaulted ceilings. Room 15 is an excellent example, large room with bathroom, fridge, T.V. and views of Via Balbi. Wake up to the smell of farinata/focaccia cooking next door. Close to historic sights and Station Principe. It cost us 80 Euros per night in high season including a good breakfast.
www.hotelbalbigenova.it
Balbi Family Hotel,
Via Balbi 23/3
Genoa
39 0226830102
Winning tip
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Dar Poeta, Trastevere, Rome
Posted by CherryRed
The best pizza restaurant in Rome. Without doubt. When I first saw the entrance to this place I wondered why eight people were already waiting outside before it opened. It looks nothing from the outside, although parts of Trastevere are very pretty. Rather than the touristy places to eat in Rome here you get a real taste for Italian food (pizza mainly) at its finest. It's totally Italian, no English on the menu. Take a few minutes to see what others are odering, the staff are friendly so don't feel embarrassed to point and say you would like the same! It's tiny, full of character and if you are really lucky a cello player will sing and play to you. One of the best moments in Rome I have ever had.
www.darpoeta.com
0039 06 5880516
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Tours from Amalfi to Sorrento
Posted by DtheM
Forget expensive coach or taxi tours along the Amalfi coast - take the public bus from Sorrento bus station, and head out towards Positano. For a few euros return you will have one of the best scenic trips of a lifetime - try and get to sit on the entry step looking out. They even run to time. Magic!
www.sitabus.it
Main bus station - Sorrento.
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Behind the Tower, Pisa
Posted by gdeanouk
A relatively inexpensive small apartment in Pisa. Live like a local: shop in the supermarket around the corner or at the market in town; use the train to visit other nearby towns. No worry about airport transport - the owner will collect you from the airport and return you at the end of your stay.
www.behindthetower.com/en/
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B&B Organic La Casa Nei Pini, Viareggio, Tuscany
Posted by LJSmith
An affordable alternative to an agriturismo, this B&B is part rural retreat and hippie haven - everything here is 'organic', from the home-made and home-grown breakfast to the natural paint on the walls.
Ten minutes on foot to the sea and surrounded by the pine-forests of San Rossore National Park, the house is surrounded by natural beauty, and the owners treat guests like a member of the family.
It's the homely touches that really make this B&B stand out, from the bikes laid out for guests to use, to eating our (free) breakfast together in the garden - the feast of muesli and yoghurt, sticky cakes and fresh bread and honey was washed down with juice and herbal tea.
If you are visiting Viareggio at Carnival time, the owner will drive you into town to join in with the festivities, and medieval city Lucca, artists's haven Pietra Santa and Puccini's house at Torre del Lago are a short train ride away.
Rooms are around 30 euros a night - a bargain for Tuscany!
www.bbviareggio.it
Via Moses Levy, Viareggio, Toscana, Italy 55049
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Piccola Perla, Venice
Posted by Rahu
Last August my partner and I stayed at Piccola Perla, a charming one-bedroomed apartment in St. Antonin, located roughly midway between St Mark's Square and Arsenale.
It was quiet, tastefully decorated and it was great to come back in the evening after a long day's sightseeing and put our feet up in the little courtyard, together with a drink of Prosecco. Being on a budget, some evenings we cooked our own meals, so it was good to be a couple of bridges away from one of only two supermarkets I have come across in Venice.
Recommended as a romantic getaway for a couple or an inexpensive spot for a small family (there was a sofabed in the living room).
www.ourveniceapartment.com
Tel:01242 243693
Nearest Vaporetto: San Zaccaria.
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Hotel Balbi, Genoa
Posted by Pushkins
A small and friendly hotel in an historic palazzo complete with frescoed vaulted ceilings. Room 15 is an excellent example, large room with bathroom, fridge, T.V. and views of Via Balbi. Wake up to the smell of farinata/focaccia cooking next door. Close to historic sights and Station Principe. It cost us 80 Euros per night in high season including a good breakfast.
www.hotelbalbigenova.it
Balbi Family Hotel,
Via Balbi 23/3
Genoa
39 0226830102