Monthly Archives: July 2023

Arriving in Venice

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After a 4 hour train trip from Rome, we arrived in Venice. The only train station I’m aware of with a canal running past its front. There to greet us was Alaria. She had organised a water taxi which took us and our bags through the canals of Venice, eventually reaching the Londra Palace. Our home for the next 4 days.

It’s a lovely hotel which has, in one guise or another, been receiving guests since 1857. It has both a bar and restaurant with terraces that look over the water.

If you are planning a trip to Venice then this could well be the relaxing retreat from the summer madness you are looking for.

Arriving at the hotel and our room with a view

Out and about in Rome

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We spent a day wandering around Rome – visiting some places we’ve seen before and adding a few new ones to the list.

We also took our first selfie – not sure why.

The Trevi Fountain
Crowds at the Trevi Fountain
First selfie – hmmm
Second selfie – better
The back streets of Rome
The Pantheon – recently a charge was introduced to manage the number of visitors
Fontana delle Pantheon
The missus, a picture of elegance in a sea of worn sneakers and ill fitting t-shirts
Piazza Navona
Bernini fountain in Piazza Navona
Third selfie – winner
The queue to enter the Pantheon – not sure if the new charge has worked.

Our room in Rome

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Hotel rooms in Rome are often slightly weird. Because they have to work with the existing building layout there can be some unusual layouts. Ours is long and winding, but the plus is the outside terrace and what comes with it.

Given the 30 degree heat, the sauna didn’t offer a lot of value, but the rest of the terrace was priceless.

Room 43 Hotel Barocco Rome – trashed but ours.

Trains, planes and automobiles to Rome

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After many hours travel we arrived in Rome yesterday. Everything went as it should – we made our connections, our bags arrived and all our transfers when smoothly although the final leg – a train from Milan to Rome and a taxi to the hotel was done with us largely asleep as the local time of 8pm meant our bodies had some catching up to do.

It was great to sleep in a real bed at Hotel Barocco – despite waking at about 6am with an overwhelming desire for dinner.

So soon after, we sat down to a three course dinner masquerading as the Barocco breakfast – pastries, cheeses and cold meats, fresh fruit, eggs, rolls and the inevitable cups of cappuccino.

The perfect way to start a day in Rome.

The view from our terrace – early morning in Rome.
Hotel Bernini Bristol made famous in the book The Da Vinci Code
Our first breakfast in Rome
More breakfast in Rome
A great way to start the day

On the train from Milan to Rome – bored and tired at 157 km/h

Our itinerary

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I’ve had a few requests for the itinerary for our Italian odyssey. So here goes:

  • 24 July – Depart Wellington
  • 25 July – Arrive in Rome, stay 3 nights
  • 28 July – Train to Venice, stay 4 nights
  • 1 August – Train to Florence, collect rental car, drive to Camogli, stay 7 nights
  • 7 August – Drive to Radda in Chianti, Tuscany, stay 5 nights
  • 12 August – Train to Naples and then driver to Positano, stay 3 weeks
  • 2 September – Train to Rome stay 4 nights
  • 6 September – Depart Rome for home
  • 8 September – Arrive in Wellington – recover from jetlag

So there you have it – 7 weeks in 9 lines. Simple.

Return to Venice

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We last visited Venice in 1999. That would be 24 years ago.

Although the memories have blurred with time, we have evidence of the trip in the form of the the photographs taken – with a Nikon 35mm film camera – as iPhones weren’t invented until 8 years later.

Looking at these shots, clearly neither of us have aged a day since then.

We are looking forward seeing the city again.

We will be back there is a fortnight and are staying on the Island at the Londra Palace. We have trips to both Murano and Burano planned and we may even spend a day at the Lido if the pull of a beach day becomes too strong.

From what we hear Venice will be crowded, with an inundation of day trippers. Hopefully the evenings will be quieter – and we can, once again, enjoy an aperitivo at Caffe Florian in Piazza San Marco listening to the music.

 

A short video using footage from our 1999 visit to Venice.

Goodbye Cathay, hello Emirates

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Photo sourced from emirates.com

Prior to Covid our route to Italy was well trodden. Cathay Pacific to Rome via Hong Kong with a taste of Air New Zealand on the trip home – the last leg being a code share between the two airlines.

Given our combined height of 373 centimetres we like a bit of extra leg room – so when we have the opportunity we fly premium economy. Apart from the legroom, the bonus is a quieter cabin and nicer food and drink. All this for a price pitched midway between economy and business.

But when we came to book our trip this year things had changed.

Some routes weren’t being flown – so no Cathay leg from Hong Kong to Rome – and the prices of the alternatives had gone up – a lot. Some fares had almost doubled.

Enter Emirates and their new Premium Economy service which offered all we needed. The price also seemed reasonable when compared to the other options available.

We’ve read good things about it in various reviews so are looking forward to trying it – in two weeks time.