Hi All,

Me and my sister travelled on the Italian Espresso from March 25 to April 1, 2007. We arrived a day earlier in Rome. We flew from Barcelona, Spain to Rome. We landed in Fiumicino Airport in the middle of the afternoon, it took almost an hour and a half for our luggage to come down the belt. They had 6 flights worth of luggage coming down one belt! Upon collecting our luggage I asked the tourist info. booth were I could catch a cab to our Bed & Breakfast. She told me catch the cab outside gate 5. We stood in a taxi que when a man wearing a airport uniform approached us and told us that a cab was waiting for us. WARNING ABOUT TAXI CABS: He quickly starting loading our bags into the trunk of the unmarked taxi! I asked the taxi driver where is taxi sign was...he started telling me how he is charging me a fixed rate for a taxi (65 EUROS) and how I would get a discount if I took the same taxi back once my trip was over (he then passed me a slip of paper with his taxi info on it). I was naive and climbed into the cab, I realized he had NO METER. Half way through the drive I called the bed and breakfast and told them we were on our way. I was SO SCARED that he would drop off us at somewhere else that he cut a deal with. Once we arrived at the B&B, I realized his scam, and then I passed him a 50 euros and told him he was ripping us off. I had 70 euros, but I lied and I told him I only have 50 euros. The B&B owner said I should have only paid 40 euros max. to come from the airport to B&B - so, basically I lost 10 euros. the moral of the story is: no matter how long the taxi que is, only climb into a taxi that is marked as a "taxi" and has a meter inside!!! You will be safe and in addition to this you will not be ripped off!!!

ROME: Since our B&B ("Matisse") was located a 10 minute walk from the tourist attractions, we were able to see the attractions in about 1 day. This was fantastic since the Contiki hotel was located WAY WAY WAY out of town. Don't be surprised if you cannot find it on the map. It is far out from the attractions which is very annoying. So, I am very happy we came a day early and booked ourselves in a centerally located B&B (Bed and Breakfast). The food at the hotel chosen by Contiki was AWFUL. However, if you are hungy you will eat it. Be warned that pasta comes before the entree. So, pasta is not the meal! There is always a piece of meat, potatoes, and small salad to follow the pasta entre (which is cooked al dente...so it may taste as though the pasta is undercooked, however it is not).

VENICE: We arrive late in the evening into Venice (its a 5hr drive from Rome to Venice) so once you check-in its dinner and then off to bed. The hotel is located WAY far off from Venice, in fact, it is on the outskirts of Venice. We hop the train (about a 5 minute walk from the hotel) to Venice early the next day. We have all day in Venice.

EXCURSION (Gondola ride): The Gondola ride is a must. Although it is very short (about 30 minutes - 40 minutes) it is well worth it. It is not very "romantic" as one may think, because you are with about 6-7 other people. So, for those couples, don't expect a "romantic" feel to this ride.

EXCURSION (Cantina Canaletto, dinner): We had a total of 50 people on our trip, only 10 participated in the dinner. This dinner was the best out of all the optional dinners! The portion sizes were large, the atmosphere was relaxed...all in and all it was great!

FLORENCE: The drive to Florence is very long (. So once you arrive, its dinner and then bedtime. The hotel is located WAY out from Florence, so even if you wanted to go into the city for some drinks it would be costly. Better to have some drinks in the lounge. If you offered the FREE WINE TASTING you must take it! You get the opportunity to sample olive oils, truffles, dessert wines, red/white wines, vinegar etc. It is a wonderful educational experience. The tour was awful because no one could hear the tour guide. More than 75% group dropped off the tour! It was impossible to hear the guide. If the ACADEMIA (the museum that stores the statue of David) is presented as an option skip it!!!!as the museum is total disrepair! In addition to this, the museum is sooo small! Statues/painting are not labelled. It is not worth seeing the statue of David for 6.95 euros when your not allowed to photograph it. Once you see the replica of the Statue of David in St. Mark's square, you do not need to see the original. Especially for 6.95 euros. What a rip off!

EXCURSION (Tuscan Dinner): What a rip off! The food was awful, the portion sizes were small, the wine was cheap. The dessert consisted of bread crimes and a small liquer. The entertainment provided was like going to a bad wedding with a group of bad musicians. I did not enjoy this experience at all.

EXCURSION (Night Club): I opted out of this one.



BACK TO ROME: We saw the sights of Rome for the second time (well worth it) with our tour guide, Emma. The Rome hotel was located FAR AWAY! Again, this was very annoying....

FREE DAY IN ROME: Emma, our tour guide arranged for an early (6:30am) tour of Colliseum and the roman ruins. It was well worth it! I learnt so much about the history of Rome. The tour starts of slow, but it gets very interesting as you move along to the Roman Ruins. Emma was nice enough to drop off us off at the Vatican, so those who wanted to see the vatican (which is 12 EUROS per person) were able to do so. I wish we had started off early in the morning to the Vatican and then headed back towards the Roman Ruins for the tour, because by the time we got to Vatican City the line was so long. The pizza place recommended by Emma was AWESOME!!!!! That is the cheapest, & the best meal I had in Italy. The gelato in Vatican city is delicious, you get larger helpings at a cheaper price!!

*this tour is FAST PACED!!!!! Be prepared to do alot of walking!

*I think an additional day could have been added to the tour to make it more relaxing, rather than feeling rushed rushed.

*As well, if you want to see the highlights of Italy this is a perfect tour. I won't be returning to Italy again, but I did enjoy the time I had there (however, I wish wasn't as tired!)

*Emma, our tour guide from Scotland was absolutely awesome. She added wonderful highlights to the tour that are not originally mentioned: i.e. the free wine tasting, the optional visits to 2 museums in Florence, the trip to Vatican city. She arranged alot of 'extras' for the tour group. I don't think I could have arranged as much as she did! She was enthuasiastic, friendly, positive, and alot of fun. She made this tour a great experience for me and my sister.

Addendum about taxi cabs ...
Use the meter - or you will also get screwed with a high price if you ask for a fixed rate from the Madrid Airport. Same applies if you ask the bartender at the Red Garter in Florence how much a cab fare is back to the hotel. He'll quote you double and get a kickback.

- Vic

This is some great information! Thanks.

I learnt so much just from reading your post!!! Thanks so much.... Its a big help to a first time traveller.