Planning for Greece and Italy
This item appears on page 13 of the June 2014 issue.
My husband, Jerry, and I used several methods to see the sights before, during and after a cruise with Windstar Cruises (Seattle, WA; 206/292-9606), Oct. 22-Nov. 8, 2013. We went from Athens to Rome, stopping at several charming Greek and Italian islands along the way, including Sicily. These places are so well known, I don’t need to describe their highlights, but here are some suggestions that, hopefully, will add value to other travelers’ trips.
In Athens, we stayed at the Electra Palace Hotel (18-20 N. Nikodimou St., Plaka, Athens 105 57, Greece; phone +30 210 3370100), ideally located in the Plaka area.
We had a room with a balcony that had a view of the Acropolis (fifth, sixth or seventh floor). I’m not sure what we paid per night because it was part of a package, but the rack rate is about €175 (near $243) per night. I highly recommend the hotel.
The cost for our Greece package — which included transportation from the airport and to Piraeus for the cruise; a one-day cruise to Hydra, Aegina and Poros, and four nights at the Electra Palace — was $1,911 through Homeric Tours.
Fred del Pozzo of Tzell Travel Group (New York, NY; 212/944-2121) tied together the three parts of our trip: Athens, the cruise and Rome.
We didn’t hire guides in Athens. Instead, we used Rick Steves’ free audio guide — an app which we loaded onto our iPhones — for walking tours, visiting the Acropolis, the Agora and the Archaeological Museum. The guide was excellent.
The guide assigned to us off the Wind Star for our Mt. Etna full-day jeep tour in Sicily was Flavia Condorelli (phone +39 338 613 57 36 or email info@roadtosicily.com). The shore excursion cost $299 per person and included lunch at a farmhouse.
Knowledgeable, energetic and enthusiastic, Flavia specializes in Sicily and also leads tours on the Ionian Islands. I was impressed with her so asked for her contact info; you can check out her website, Roads to Sicily, inside the website www.origindestination.it.
Through Fred del Pozzo, we purchased a 6-night Rome package for $5,115 for two that included dock/airport transfers to Hotel Bernini Bristol (I wasn’t crazy for this hotel), three half-day tours with a guide (visiting ancient Rome, the Vatican and the Galleria Borghese) and a full-day tour to Villa Hadriana and Villa d’Este with a driver.
As part of that package, we spent two delightful mornings with the wonderful guide Lea Luchic (phone +39 328 716 03 90 or email b_rogata@yahoo.com). She made ancient Rome come alive for us, expertly guiding us through the Colisseum and the Vatican and saving us a great deal of time, not only by having our tickets but also by knowing shortcuts to navigate the huge spaces. Lea charges €40 ($54) per hour, and we would use her again.
Based on Lea’s recommendation, we had fried artichokes at Ba’ Ghetto (Via del Portico d’Ottavia, 57, Ghetto, Rome; phone 06 68 89 28 68) and at Ba’ Ghetto Milky (Via del Portico di Ottavia, 2/a, Ghetto, Rome; phone 06 68 30 00 77), both in the old Jewish Ghetto. Ba’Ghetto Milky is more relaxing because it’s on the “pedestrian only” part of the street.
Another restaurant we enjoyed was Taverna Antonina (Via della Colonna Antonina 48, Rome; phone +39 06 678 37 17). It has a very pleasant outdoor section and wonderful food.
In just about all restaurants, expect to pay €5-€7 ($7-$9.50) for appetizers and €15-€20 for main courses.
I also want to share information about two sites in Rome that Lea suggested: Palazzo Doria Pamphilj (Via del Corso, 305, Rome; phone +39 06/6797323) and Santa Maria sopra Minerva Basilica (Piazza della Minerva 42, Rome; phone 06 6793926).
The former is a private palace, still lived in and owned by descendants of the original family, with fantastic artwork by Caravaggio and other great artists. Both the palace and the artwork are fabulous.
The latter is a gorgeous church with a statue of Jesus by Michelangelo and other wonderful art. In any other city in the world, there would be lines around the block to view the church and its artwork. In Rome, the church is virtually empty of visitors because there are so many other venues.
NILI OLAY
New York, NY