USVI-On-Line

was wondering when you would jump in here
when we go to Italy will just come right to the source!

Thanks for those, Anthony! We are spending one night in Rome upon arrival and then the next 9 nights on the coast. I wanted to experience a few different things, so we have a coastal hotel in Sorrento for 2 nights, a villa in Praiano for 5 nights, and a B&B in Ravello for 2 nights. We are in Ravello during the Ravello Music Festival and plan to attend one of the concerts at the Villa Rufolo Gardens. I think that will be pretty cool. I looked at staying at Villa Cimbrone for the 2 nights in Ravello, but since a room for 2 nights cost about the same as a trip to STJ, I cheaped out and opted for something a little less grand!

Anything else you can share will be greatly appreciated!!

Anthony my bottles are almost gone guess I'll have to come back for another visit

Hi-

I know that you already decided but just wanted to toss this out for future trips! We stayed in Cinque Terre last summer for three days, Riomaggorie to be exact. Cinque Terre is a cluster of 5 villages on the Ligurian sea in northwest Italy. It is AMAZING! We will go back and next time stay in Vernazzo or Manrola. You can hike or take to the train to any of the 5 villages. We loved it because we found it to be quite quiet and laid back, like STJ, except for the town of Monterosso which was too touristy for us!

We spend the next 5 days at a villa in Umbria and took day trips (Siena, Orvietto, Cortona, Pienza).

We will defintely go back. Italy and STJ are two destinations we will return to time and time again!

Chris

Italy is my second favorite place to travel to other than STJ.

Anthony, a friend just left for Florence yesterday where she and a group of friends are staying in a villa or house for a week. One of the friends actually rented it for a month. I had never thought of renting a house/villa there; it seems like a great idea!

We looked into this several years ago. One company I liked was called Homebase abroad. They were very knowledgable and helpful and had a wonderful selection of homes to choose from.

The prices also seemed very reasonable. However you have to look carefully at some of the add on costs for electricity including heating and cooling.

Some places even included live in staff that would do laundry, shopping and basic cooking.

Renting a villa in the countryside or an apartment here in Florence for a week can be great if you are not into hotels or like your own kitchen, etc. My wife and I can actually be of help with this if anyone is interested - I will be able to tell you much more soon - but if you are looking in Florence or Tuscany do let me know!

wow- great pics Anthony. Thanks for sharing, you cemented in my mind that we made a wise decision with Amalfi.

Vicki, I will PM you with our trip info... it would be very, very bizarre if we were there at the same time.