Chase - You're in for a marvelous time! I hire out (cheap!) as a tour guide :) Ok, first, do everything that mustangs said. She's exactly right! Here are a few more thoughts: - Don't have a car in Rome or any other major city. When you do drive to many of the wonderful Tuscan hill towns, park outside the city walls, always. Otherwise, you could get stuck in permit parking, pedestrian only areas really easy (ask me how I know). - If you want to dine with Italians instead of Americans, don't even think about going to dinner until 10 pm, even later in Rome. It's easy to make the shift if you take a nice break in the middle of the day, start up again about 5 or 6 pm, stop for an aperitif and a small bite, participate in "la passeggiata". The pace works well because many/most shops are closed in the afternoon for 3-4 hours anyway. - Instead of pottery, look for linens to bring home. There are such beautiful table runners, napkins, etc. found throughout Tuscany. (much lighter to carry too!) Also, to find cool Italian designed kitchen gadgets, you don't need to go into fancy shops, check out the small town hardware stores. - Check out www.bbc.co.uk languages to learn a bit of conversational Italian. Really good. I'm going through "Italian Steps" right now. In Rome: - The Trastevere area across the river is great for evening people watching - street performers, open air concerts, restaurants, very lively. A really great, casual pizza place in that area is Dar Poeta (vicolo del Bologna 45) - tiny tables, jam packed, really fun. The restaurants around the piazzas tend to be really so-so foodwise, but good for people watching. - Campo dei Fiori market - best fresh fruits and vegetables and olive oil tasting and salami and... - Salumeria Roscioli and Roscioli Restaurant - "450 different kinds of cheeses, more than 100 different kinds of cured meats, a wine list of 2200 labels, 20 different types of homemade breads and a professional team of sommeliers and chefs." - right near the Campo dei Fiori (via dei Giubonnari 21 & via dei Chiavari 34) - In general, eat at restaurants that are not directly on the main piazzas. They're often tourist traps. - Purchase the Roma Pass (you can do so at the subway station closest to the Colosseum). Not only do you get good value, you also get to go in a special line to get in to the Colosseum, saving hours of wait time. (And stay away from those "gladiators" taking photos. Major trap, many horror stories about them.) On the way from Rome to Tuscany: - If you have the time to stop over for a night or two on your way to Tuscany, you must stay at Castello di Proceno. (www.castellodiproceno.it) A true castle in the same family for generations. You can stay in apartments within or attached to the castle. The owner, Cecilia, will take you on a private tour of the tower which is like a private museum. The food at the restaurant in the restored stable - amazing. And she's an expert on Etruscan history if you are interested. Very reasonably priced. Beds and pillows, not great but the experience is worth it. In Tuscany: - Siena, DH's favorite small city in the world - Chiusi: great underground museum Etruscan history, Roman waterways. Osteria la Solita Zuppa: really small place, no written menu, just let them take care of you, expect to spend hours there - slow food at its very best. - Terme Bagno Vignoni (thermal baths): go to the baths for the day, soak away your aches and pains. - Definitely go to hear the chanting at Santa Maria Maggiore. - Florence: If you stay overnight, I highly recommend Antica Torre Tornabuoni - great location. We had a suite with a small private patio overlooking the Arno. Go for drinks on the rooftop deck. Worth the splurge. Don't get gelato from any place on the Pontevecchio - lots of ripoffs. Plenty of gelato places everywhere otherwise. The Galileo Museum - small and wonderful. Mercato Centrale - yes! If you do wander the flea markets all around the market, and are interested in Italian leather, make sure it's real Italian leather - lots of fakes. I could go on, let me know if you have particular questions or interests. Since you're there for a month, if you do decide on a side trip further out, such as Venice or the Amalfi Coast, I can offer suggestions there as well. www.slowtrav.com is a good source of info. I have not been disappointed with recommendations I found there. I like using Rick Steves' books as the best source for general areas of interest, and tips on museum and transportation passes, but if you use them for restaurant and hotel suggestions, be aware you'll run into lots of other people carrying his book. Hope this helps. Ann

Bri...glad to hear you had a good trip and some time to shop and even take a cooking class. I have to admit I had to look up garganelli as I wasn't sure what that was. Food looks delicious. I'm also a fan of Italian food. Never got to Bologna but went to Rome, Florence and around and was enchanted by the scenery and the food. Even the cheapest little trattorias had wonderful pasta and sauce. I hope you'll come back and post some more photos of your garganelli of this coming weekend and some recipes such as the ricotta cheesecake! Welcome back and now have a good rest and get over the jet lag! ...73 & 88 SharonCb

We were in Venice in March one year--and the weather is about the same then as in November. I would recommend some type of waterproof shoes or clogs or boots if rain is in the forecast. Depending on the amount of rain (you're more apt to get rain in November than March), the byways can get pretty sloppy. I would try to have footwear that can get wet without worry. A nice, warm sweater and raincoat should be sufficient--that's what I wore, and layers are always good when traveling. I'd take some warm scarves and small umbrellas and such to supplement. I also took gloves. I'm sure you have plenty of guidebooks, but when we went, we used the marvelous children's book "Vendela in Venice" (by Christina Bjork) and followed her itinerary (suitable for all ages). It had the perfect mix of activities for a 1-week stay! Imagine our astonishment when the author of that book got into line behind us in San Marco square! We recognized her from a book signing a month earlier in DC, and showed her our copy of her book. It was a surreal moment. Have a lovely time. Venice is wonderful no matter what the season! Florence is nice, too, but Venice is just magical. We also rented a car for a day and went up from Venice into the Italian Alps for some of the best food. Venice is many things, but the cuisine there is not quite as marvelous as in other parts of Italy. No matter! We always rent apartments when we travel in Europe, and sometimes I'll go to the markets (there's a splendid fish market in Venice--even if you don't plan to buy, it's incredible to visit) and throw together an easy meal from the marvelous things we've found.

For food, Bologna is fantastic, along with the other towns nearby. But it shines in summertime or spring/fall. Florence can be a mixed bag with food, you have to choose carefully. The country side is also wonderful, so many lovely hill towns. You might just consider spending time there, and go to Siena, San Gimigiano and the like. You can take the train into Siena, and then taxi into the center (the train stop is outside of the central area) I've been to Como a couple of times, but in the summer. Bellagio is a jewel but Varenna indeed may appeal better. But I've not been there deep in the offseason.