I am sorry it took so long, I know people were asking for info, but it took me forever to write this, because the first time I did I was on my DH computer, and Iforgot to log in so everything I wrote was lost after I tried to post it! I was very p i s s ed! So, here it is and hopefully it will be of help to those planing a honeymoon in Italy! Here is a photo link, although we don’t have any pix from Rome, because we cant find the film! (oops) (for some, reason the link posted on the bottom)
So, our Italian Honeymoon! We flew into Rome, spent a few days there and then drove up north in a rented car. There definitely was some anti-American sentiment present. In fact, on our second day in Rome we were rudely awaken form our pre-dinner nap (jet-leg and all) by a very loud anti-war and anti-American demonstration. It was taking place on a big piazza right in front of Via Veneto, where all the big hotels are. Ours was right in the beginning of the street so we could hear and see everything really well. They were screaming all sorts of things, and playing recordings of bombs being blown up! The demonstrations (we saw two more later in a different part of the city) mostly consisted of doped up college students. I must say it was scary the first time, but then we got used to it and actually found it kind of amusing! Just to finish off on the anti-Americanism in Italy, Romans were by far the most aggressive bunch. We saw one more demonstration in Perugia but that was nothing compared to the one that broke out in front of our hotel that night! Also, there were a few anti-American gratifies on buildings in Verona, but by that time we saw those, the whole sentiment had gotten old and boring and really didn't bother us at all!
I think right now it would be perfectly safe to go there! The only reason everyone was so hot and bothered about the whole issue when we were there is because the war started the day before we arrived and was on everyone's lips. I don't think those who are planing to go to Italy now have anything to worry about!
Anyway... To be honest we didn't like Rome very much: it's a very busy, very noisy and dirty city! NYC cabbies are amateurs compared to your average Roman driver! It's virtually impossible to cross the street at first, then you figure out that nobody is going to stop and let you pass if they see you standing on the curb, like they do here. You have to start walking in front of the speeding traffic, then they break right in front of you and let you go! You gotta have some balls to survive in Rome! By the way, try not to take cabs, very expensive and very reckless! We took one from the airport to the hotel and my DH, who himself drives like a maniac told me after we got out that he thought he was going to have a heart attack at many points during the trip! Locals are certainly not the friendliest people in the world! I must agree with some previous posts that Rome is not a place to go on your honeymoon! There certainly is a lot to see there, and if you put the sentiments aside for a few days you can actually enjoy it! The subway system is great and will take you to most tourists’ destinations, from Coliseum to Vatican City! Some areas are very nice to just walk around, like blocks around Vittoria Emanuel the Second! Also, there are lots of ancient ruins that are still being discovered all over the city, and that was my favorite part about Rome! Very mysterious! Imagine walking to your local coffee shop and seeing a 3 thousand years old wall that used to to be a house of a Roman senator or something like that! Pretty great! There is a lot to see and the 3 days we were there was not enough to see it all, but we moved on nevertheless! Now, and I must say this: if you love ice cream (like I do) you must come to Rome! They make the very best ice cream in the world! It’s unbelievably good! Just for the ice cream I had to forgive Romans everything that rubbed me the wrong way! Yes, it's that good! We stayed in Hotel Alexandra and I wouldn't recommend it! The rooms are tiny, the service is bad and bathroom is the size of the average shoe closet (I am NOT kidding) with a shower that has a curtain instead of the door! Needless to say the floor in the bathroom is wet all the time! Anyway...
Our next destination was Perugia! What a beautiful town! We really wanted to see it because it's the one part of the country where Medieval Italy really shines through! Perugia is the capital of Umbria and to get to it we had to drive on the spiral road to the top of the hill and drive around a massive medieval wall which used to guard the town! It was absolutely breathtaking, but you better be a really good driver, the roads are narrow and steep and the traffic, even though there are very few cars, is going both ways! Perugia is very small, you can literally walk around for an hour and see all of it! But each street is like a scene out of some period movie! Beautifully preserved medieval town! People are simple and friendly! We stayed in Bruffani Palace Hotel which I highly recommend! Great service, great food in the hotel's restaurant! We ordered room service for dinner and got a complimentary bottle of Champaign! They gave us a beautifully decorated junior suite (we only paid for the regular room) with 2 balconies and a breathtaking view of Perugia that I can't even describe! I felt that I was transported 700 years back! It was expensive but worth every penny! Oh, and they have a pool with transparent floor and you can see Etruscan ruins through the glass while you are swimming! It was awesome! Ok, I will stop raving now!
We drove through Tuscany to get to Florence, our next destination. The roads in Italy are in excellent condition. There are a lot of expensive cars on the roads, going with the speed of 140-200 kilometers an hour! But only in the left lane, though! Everyone else is proceeding with the normal speed in the center and right lanes! My crazy husband rented a new BMW and was driving in the left lane the whole time! After I got over the initial shock, i started to enjoy the speed too!
http://www.shutterfly.com/osi.jsp?i=67b0de21b33cecd32548
