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We had a brilliant holiday at Nicolas Inn in Rome. Lovely rooms and the staff was very warm. The location is ideal, just a few minutes from the Coliseum.
They gave us priceless information on how to avoid the queues - go to the Vatican Museum in the afternoon. Every piece of research stated that we needed to arrive early or wait in line. We took the advice and went to the basilica first and arrived at the museum at 1.30pm. We walked in without a queue. Brilliant! To think we almost avoided the Sistine Chapel due to the horrible queues.
If you're visiting the eastern coast of Sardinia and fancy a change from the crowded beaches of the coast in high season, swimming in river pools is a tranquil alternative.
We found a wonderful cool pool to swim in on the way to the well known gorge of Gola di Gorroppu.
You drive from Dorgali towards Gola di Gorroppu and park the car when the track runs out, then cross the footbridge and walk on the right of the river in the direction of the gorge.
After about 15 minutes, the path forks - the right fork will lead you past a barrier into the national park and on towards the gorge, the left fork leads you downhill towards the river, where you can find big boulders and deep river pools to swim in.
After fighting our way through the crowded beaches in August it made a refreshing change, but sadly we didn't quite make the gorge which is a sight in itself.
On the way back, just short of the Dorgali road, you might like to stop for a drink or meal at the hotel Sant'Elene which serves Sardinian specialities and has a terrace with an amazing view over the valley.
heatheronhertravels.blogspot.com/2008/08/swimming-in-river-pools-in-sardinia.html
The town of Nuoro is in eastern Sardinia's mountainous province of Barbagia.
It's not on the tourist trail but worth visiting for a half day, especially for the Museum of Costume which is small but outstanding. There you find many beautiful traditional costumes and textiles, roomsets showing objects from daily life and spooky sheepskin outfits and masks worn at the local festivals.
Unfortunately the Museo d'Arte is closed on Mondays, when we visited but it houses modern art and sculpture from Sardinia's best known artists. You can get a taste by looking at the outdoor sculptures in Piazza Satta which commemorate the life of local poet Sebasiano Satta.
Stop for a coffee nearby at Caffe Tettamanzi on Corso Garibaldi and admire the mirrored interior painted with cherubs, where struggling local artists would meet in the past.
heatheronhertravels.blogspot.com/2008/09/museum-of-costume-in-nuoro.html
Angélique DeVil is the new luxury concept store about senses and eroticism. I recommend it because it offers a truly exciting shopping experience. If you're looking for sophisticated amazing lingerie or for sensual beauty and accessories, this is the right place to go. Very exclusive.
Angélique DeVil, Via Cerva 7, Milano (nearest underground station: San Babila). www.angeliquedevil.com tel 02 92885593
Ragazzi di Milano: Young Artists Portraits at the Turn of the Millennium on show from 7th September to 19th October 2008 at Galleria Carla Sozzani, corso Como 10 – 20154 Milano, Italia.
The magic of photography is here, and every time the artists, Molteni & Motta, show the great ability to depict secret existences, freeing them from rigid superstructures.
Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 10.30am - 7.30pm
Wednesday and Thursday 10.30am – 9.00pm
Monday 9.30am – 7.30pm
You were in Venice and you still dream of it? If you want to view the Grand Canal, the most important waterway in Venice: the water-buses, the boats and water taxis going up and down, click "il traffico" and view the real time traffic in the Grand Canal. The text is only in Italian but easy to use.
If you are not travelling alone, an apartment might be cheaper than a hotel. That's the advice I kept reading on the forums - yet I wanted to stay in an hotel for the additional comfort I thought I'd have. So I've booked two nights in an hotel close to Termini, and I was ready to stay three more nights there, but I ran away. The area is horrible at night: there were lots of strange people hanging around, my wife was complaining she didn't feel safe at all when we were coming back from our dinners. So I decided to find another accommodation, the hotel owner understood the situation and recommended me to go in the historical centre of the city (Piazza Navona/Campo di Fiori) which is much safer. We stayed in a small, affordable but very clean apartment rented through an agency called Rome Loft. I definitely recommend them as they found me accommodation very quickly, and I was really in a hurry to get out of the Termini nightmare!
We've just returned from four nights at this apartment in Castellammare del Golfo, and had a wonderful time. The owners are incredibly helpful, the view from the terrace is spectacular, and the town is perfectly positioned for exploring the beautiful north-west of the island. It's also very reasonably priced, and our favourite feature was the outdoor kitchen on the terrace. A great find.
Castellammare del Golfo
www.leomar-sicily.co.uk/
Wow - probably the best restaurant I've ever eaten at (not just because of the food). Il Pentagono emerged mirage-like on our journey west from Villa Rey. We were starving and so had taken a gamble and followed the crossed fork and spoon signs along and then off the SS125. Totally empty when we arrived, we were soon treated to a feast of local delicacies, including mussel gratin, tasty seabass, fruit fresh from the farm and wine produced on site. Service was exceptional and although we had a plane to catch, it would have been rude to turn down the trolley of homemade liqueurs, wheeled out with the bill. The bill for four (three courses, plus wine, liqueur and an extra bottle of wine to take back) came to an unbelievable 60 euro.
presso Lago Simbirizzi Q.S. Elena (Ca)
Tel: 070 830879
A superb hotel, recently completely renovated, 15 minutes' walk from the centre of this lovely town in Südtirol. Around 70 GBP per person per night for B&B in a junior suite which was truly luxurious, great food, great staff and a setting to die for.
A 400-year-old building with seven apartments for holiday rental. Great location, close to all we wanted to see, and a quiet, friendly atmosphere. We spent five nights in July. My kids liked the idea of entering the building using their own keys. We felt at home.
Very close to main train station and good facilities!
www.ishflorence.com
Via Faenza 67
Florence
Italy
While in Rome, I took Presto's tour of the Vatican (prestotours.com I think). Excellent guides, although we ended up waiting in line at the Vatican for quite some time, despite the claims to quick entry. Still, the quality of our guide (Michael) made the wait worth it.
I recently spent two weeks in a beautiful part of
Tuscany called Val di Chiana, near a village called Pozzo della Chiana, in the province of Arezzo.
The place where I stayed was Villa Scannagallo - a beautiful country house divided into apartments, with an amazing garden, swimming pool, bbq facilities and breathtaking view of the surrounding olive groves.
The owners are very welcoming and each apartment is beautifully furnished. And it is not expensive either! I highly recommend it to anybody: families, couples, group of friends...
Reality was nicer than pictures. Really quiet hotel (rooms 1,2), which is not so usual in Rome. Lots of restaurants outside. We found the Hotel Felice to be very conveniently located between the termini and the metro stops. The staff, particularly Mario (at the desk) were friendly and helpful. Great staff and location.
Termini train Station area:
Via Tiburtina, 30
Tel. 0039.06.4453347
Fax 0039.06.4460290
www.hotelfelice.com
info@hotelfelice.com
The Colosseum as of July 2008 is approx 11 euros entry for an adult. You will queue about half an hour or so and then you can purchase an audio guide for four euros.
Be careful - you will get approached many times by people offering you the chance to queue jump as they have a reservation and they will take you on a 40 minute tour for 20-25 euros. Sounds good, but don't go. Basically there are real tours that go through a different queue. When these tour groups get to a certain part the group leader will pay for everyone at the ticket office and then take you on a tour. However they do not really check whether the tours are official. So what these other people are doing are taking you through to the ticket office using the tour queue which may be ever slightly quicker, and then they are purchasing your tickets and keeping ten euros themselves after giving you a quick unofficial tour. I would advise you queue in the normal line and use the official audio tour guides for four euros.
If you are unsure whether the people you are talking to are real staff at the Colosseum, I can tell you that they all wear a uniform. The uniform we witnessed was black t-shirts and black trousers. So all these others outside in their own clothes are unofficial guides.
The Colosseum can be found easily but I advise going to a newsagent or to the kiosk at Termini Station or another metro station and purchasing a seven-day pass. It is 16 euros and entitles you to seven days on buses, metro and trains, unlimited use. Get off at Colosseo stop for Colosseum or Termini for Trevi fountain, Spagna for spanish steps, etc... or travel for 40 minutes to Loro Central and it's a ten minute walk to a lovely beach! Great value for money! Metro comes every three minutes, absolutely fantastic!
You can take your dog on the Vaporetto but don't forget to bring a leash and muzzle. Always carry a pooper-scooper and plastic bag to keep your dog from soiling the city. The fine can be quite high, from €25 up to €500.
www.comune.venezia.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeBLOB.php/L/EN/IDPagina/144#abe1c6
I recommend Sarnano for its beautiful mountain views. In the village there are lovely friendly shops. There's the Centro Storico and the market on Thursday. Not far from there is water rafting that you can do if you dare, there's hang gliding to face a vertigo fear and maybe stay at Villa San Raffaello to look at the fields to see some racing deer. This town is safe enough to let your kids go around, I would know because I do and I'm 11. I think it's perfect for children of any age and there's a water park and beaches near to Sarnano.
The scenery along this train route is spectacular, via Lakes Como, Lugano, Lucerne and through beautiful alpine valleys.
The ferry is very convenient, leaving at 8 and arriving at 7. There's a free shuttle to the boat from the port entrance. It has a decent buffet restaurant and bar and the staff are pleasant.
Send your feedback or queries to been.there@guardian.co.uk
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