LIVE from Celebrity Reflection - 4/27/18 - 10 nt Italy & Greek Isles Cruise

Several people have requested information about our post-cruise adventures in Tuscany. As I couldn’t even keep up live with the cruise portion of the trip I couldn’t do a live update of the post-trip stuff but I can give some highlights and recommendations here.

TRANSPORTATION

When staying in Tuscany having a car is essential if you really want to get the full experience as the region is quite large and a lot of the fun is enjoying those scenic drives among the rolling Tuscan hills. Yes, you can take a train and base yourself in one of the larger cities like Florence or Siena and then take guided tours out to the smaller towns and scenic areas but the costs will add up and you’ll have less freedom to make spontaneous stops.

We rented a car from Avis to pick up at Civitavecchia and drop off at Rome airport at the end of our trip. To try and make a long story short it was a huge hassle getting from the cruise terminal to the rental car office which is actually just a block or two outside the gates to the very large port area (we didn’t know how close until we got there). I had not reserved transportation in advance as I assumed there would be taxis waiting near the terminal when we disembarked like there always is in Florida or even when we were in Barcelona last year. There were only a couple taxis there though and they refused our fare only wanting to take people to Rome downtown or the airport. We had a lot of baggage so it was difficult for us to manage. In the end we had to take a shuttle bus from the terminal to just outside the port gates. From there you have to drag all your bags some distance through another gate to where the taxis sit and wait. Luckily we had help here to carry some of our bags out to a taxi. Here is where we found out though that the car rental was just across the roundabout from there. So I stood and waited on the sidewalk for 30 minutes with our bags while Mike got the car and then came and picked me up. It was a 3hr 20min drive to our hotel in San Gimignano.

HOTEL

We stayed at a lovely bed and breakfast called Locanda dell’ Artista located in the commune of San Gimignano. Most people know San Gimignano as the medieval town of the towers, but that’s just the old city. The township as a whole is larger and this inn is located less than 15 minutes drive from the old city and you can even see the towers in the distance. I cannot say enough good things about this property. It’s intimate, only 7 rooms, in a converted Tuscan farmhouse so it retains those traditional elements like wood beamed ceilings and stone floors but is totally modern in a classy boutique hotel style. The owners are a male couple, one American and one Italian, who are very involved in the day to day aspects of the inn. They and their small staff make you feel immediately comfortable like it is your home away from home.

Because the inn was lightly booked the week we stayed they upgraded us to a larger room at no extra charge. Most rooms are on the second floor with no elevator but they will assist you with bags if you need it. The rooms on the main floor have their own private terraces. We were on the second floor with beautiful views of the Tuscan countryside and San Gimignano’s Old City in the distance. A daily buffet breakfast is included in the rate which consisted of a variety of breads and pastries, cereal, local ham and cheeses, and boiled eggs; just enough to get your day started. There is a lovely pool overlooking the Tuscan hills. And an honor Bar is available in the living room. The guest rooms feature small refrigerator/mini bars. WiFi is offered all around the property. There is also a restaurant on-site where the breakfast is provided and which serves a fine dining menu for lunch and dinner. Covered parking is offered and the property is gated, although this area is very safe according to the owners (locals still leave their doors unlocked at night).

We had an amazing stay here and it is one of the best accommodations we have ever stayed in anywhere. Room rates are on the higher side. Our original room was about 315 Euro per night. The one we were upgraded to would’ve cost about 415 Euro per night. But for the comfort, service and location it was worth it to us. I would highly, highly recommend it and we would definitely come back.

http://www.locandadellartista.com

You can read lots of glowing reviews on Trip Advisor here: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g187901-d3641173-Reviews-Locanda_dell_Artista-San_Gimignano_Tuscany.html

It was the #1 inn/b&b in all of Tuscany when we reserved which is why we booked it.

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DAY 1

We drove directly from Civitavecchia to our hotel in San Gimignano. I had planned for us to stop and visit the small village of Civita di Bagnoregio along the way but we weren’t able to get all our luggage in the trunk of the car and I didn’t want to park in a tourist area where luggage could be seen in the back seat as it was an invitation to break into the car. We arrived at the hotel in the early afternoon and basically relaxed for the next few hours. I had wanted to go swimming in the hotel pool as it was actually quite warm out but thunderstorms had built up through the day and it started raining. So we just hung out in our room and enjoyed he down time. Note that at this time of year in May these thunderstorms are a daily event. So while the temperatures during the day, especially the morning, are comfortable (mid-70’s to mid-80’s) there can be humidity and that builds the storms. Later in May or early June are a better time to visit according to the hotel owner to avoid the storms.

In the evening we drove from the hotel over to the San Gimignano old city to have dinner and do a stroll around the town. Late afternoon into the evening is a great time to visit San Gimignano as the mobs of tourists have left and you can enjoy the atmosphere of this old town. There are lots of shops and restaurants throughout the town. Much of it is very tourist-oriented and restaurant choices here are not as good as other towns.

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For dinner in San Gimignano we ate at a restaurant called La Vecchie Mura. The highlight of the restaurant is that it has an outside terrace overlooking the beautiful countryside. Note that it can get cool at night at this time of year (low 60’s) and if there is a breeze you might need a light jacket...or a blanket (look closely at the first photo...the restaurant was handing them out!) The food was pretty good. Service was average though; not overly friendly. Photos show the assorted cheese plate, gnocchi in truffle and cheese sauce, peppery Tuscan beef stew and asparagus chicken. http://www.vecchiemura.it

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DAY 2

We visited the town of Assisi today. Assisi is not actually in Tuscany but in the adjacent region of Umbria. It was about a 2hr 20min drive to get there from our hotel so we had to leave early, around 7:30am, to get there in time to meet a guide we hired at 10:30am. Traffic was not bad and wasn’t terrible the whole week we were in Tuscany even when driving around rush hour times in morning or afternoon near a city like Siena. Another note about the weather. Each morning we woke up the region was enshrouded in fog, sometimes very thick. It generally wouldn’t clear up fully until around 10am so keep this in mind for photo taking when getting an early start on your touring. For this day we didn’t get to Assisi until near 10am so the fog had cleared. Unfortunately our GPS sent us in the wrong direction as we approached Assisi so we spent about 20 minutes trying to find the parking lot where we meeting the guide. This is an important note when driving in Italy. You must be very careful of the ZTLs in many of these old towns. These are restricted driving zones that ban either all vehicles or all but locals. If you drive into one you could face fines that will be charged to the rental car company who may then tack on more fees on top of that. Many GPS systems are not aware of these ZTLs and may try to guide you into these zones. So make sure you research a town’s roads in advance and have a map with you so you can get around if your GPS misguides you.

We met our guide Michele at 10:30 on the dot. We reserved a guide through a company called Umbria Con Me. https://www.umbriaconme.com/en/tours-in-umbria-excursions-and-experiences_1.html When doing research there was another company that ranked higher on Trip Advisor called Anne’s Italy. I would not recommend using her services. It took a couple requests to her to get a response and then instead of trying to set up a tour based on the things I said I wanted to see that were listed on her website she kept trying to sell me on hotel stays and other tours. Then my email to her got me put on a spam advertising list. Umbria Con Me as a contrast was very responsive and very clear on what was included in the tour and the price. They required payment in advance but that was actually more convenient so we didn’t have to outlay a chunk of Euros on site. The tour cost was 135 Euro for the two of us for three hours including entrance to the St. Francis Basilica.

Assisi was a wonderful town and it was interesting to learn all about the history of St. Francis and his follower St. Clare. This was the day where we encountered the most religious history of our trip so just be aware if that does not interest you. The town has little as far as ancient ruins go as they have been built over through the centuries but Michele did point out a few remnants from Roman times including a former temple in the main square. The highlight of the town is the St. Francis Basilica with its beautiful frescoes. No photos were allowed inside but the exterior is also beautiful. We had a great tour and I highly recommend visiting Assisi and using Umbria Con Me for your private guide.

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After our tour in Assisi we had lunch at a restaurant called Taverna de l’Arco. I had made a reservation in advance which for this day was really not needed as there was only one other table occupied when we arrived at 1:30. More customers arrived while we were dining. The restaurant was very quaint tucked away on a side street next to an ancient arch (hence the name). The owner of the restaurant was very friendly and we had an enjoyable meal. Photos show the cacio e pepe, roasted pork with potato and chicken in citrus sauce. I would recommend this restaurant for a nice lunch or dinner. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187905-d1175820-Reviews-Taverna_de_l_Arco-Assisi_Province_of_Perugia_Umbria.html

After lunch we browsed some of the shops in town and bought a few beautiful art pieces at a shop by an artist named Alice. She has some lovely work I would recommend checking out. She doesn’t seem to have a website though so here is a link to yelp which gives location information: https://m.yelp.com/biz/alice-laboratorio-artistico-di-scaglia-alice-assisi

After this shopping visit we noticed some very dark clouds moving in and the rumble of thunder so we had to cut our stroll short and headed back to the car. On our drive back to San Gimignano the skies opened up and we were caught in an intense downpour that included hail. All cars on the highway had to pull off to the side of the road for 5-10 minutes until it calmed down. We had never experienced such an intense rain event like this while driving. After it quieted a bit we continued on. When we got back to the area near the hotel we saw they had experienced a similar storm as the vineyards and farms all around were flooded and police were around helping out locals. Our hotel was up on a hill so was not really impacted luckily.

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For dinner on Day 2 we ate at the inn’s restaurant Al 43. This was a fine dining experience as far as food was concerned but luckily the service was not overly stuffy. For those who have eaten at Luminae it was similar, with multiple courses and little chef treat samplers between courses, but with a much higher level of food quality. The food was described as a Japanese-Italian fusion. We struggled a bit with the menu choices based on the descriptions but the items we selected did taste good. It was a very long meal though, almost 3 hours even without dessert. Overall I will give the restaurant high marks for presentation and food quality but it was a bit too frou frou for our tastes. It was also on the pricier side. I’ve included photos of the main menu (they have tasting menus as well) and some of the items we ordered like the Cappelletti, Risotto, Sirloin Steak and Duck. If you are in the San Gimignano area and looking for a fine dining experience with a beautiful view at sunset (they have outdoor dining in nice weather) then I would recommend this.

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Adam -- I thoroughly enjoyed your review. I appreciate your complete and honest review. It was easy to understand why you liked what you did and vice-versa, so I found it quite useful. Your photos were beautiful and only increased my desire to book this cruise. Thank you!

Adam -- I thoroughly enjoyed your review. I appreciate your complete and honest review. It was easy to understand why you liked what you did and vice-versa, so I found it quite useful. Your photos were beautiful and only increased my desire to book this cruise. Thank you!

You’re welcome! We thoroughly enjoyed the cruise. Some people don’t seem to like others giving any constructive criticism so I appreciate those who can understand my point of view. Also, we were so active at the ports vs. when we take Caribbean cruises that we were not able to take advantage of the ship facilities as much this time around. On our next cruise on Edge I think we are going to stay onboard at 2 of the 4 ports so we’ll have lots of time to get to know the ship.

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DAY 3

On Day 3 of our Tuscan experience we visited the city of Siena which is the second largest in Tuscany after Florence. There is a lot to see there so I hired a private guide to take us around and give us details on all the major highlights. I used Siena Walking Tours which I found through Trip Advisor. The guide Costanza Riccardi was excellent. She was very friendly and extremely knowledgeable about all of Siena since she lives in the city itself. I booked a full day tour for us which was 7 hours including a stop for lunch (the lunch itself was at our own expense and we treated Costanza so we could chat with her while we ate). I sent Costanza the list of sights I wanted to see and then she set up the tour based on that, making some order adjustments on the day of to account for varying opening times and crowds. You can find her website here: http://www.sienawalkingtours.com The tour cost us 260 Euro for the day plus the cost of a pass to get us into all the various museums we visited (15 Euro pp).

It was a 40 minute drive from our hotel to Siena, so not bad at all, and no morning traffic. We met Costanza at 9:45. She started the day by taking us through some of the lesser traveled lanes in the city and then on to the museum of Siena’s cathedral. Here they have an observation platform that gives you great views of the city. (Stairs required) We started with that first as there was minimal waiting and then we toured inside the museum. This part of the tour was focused on a lot of religious art history which was a bit dry. If not interested in that then I’d skip the museum. (There are two other opportunities in town to get views from high up; in the ceiling of the cathedral and the city tower at city hall.) After this visit we entered Siena cathedral and did the tour of the Porta del Cielo which visits the cupola and roof. This was one of the highlights of our day as we got to look down into the cathedral from above, see behind some of the stained glass, look out from behind the stairs decorating the exterior and get great views of the city. I highly recommend doing this visit. You get it as an add on to the main museum pass I believe. You have to reserve a specific time for your visit as they limit the number of visitors since it’s tight quarters up top. Note that it involves a lot of climbing and some closed in spaces.

After descending from the roof we toured inside the main part of the cathedral which is beautifully ornate and a must visit. We also visited the “crypt” beneath the cathedral which is not an actual crypt but actual the remains of an older church that the cathedral was built upon. In the past few decades they excavated it and found all sorts of colorful frescoes. We concluded our cathedral-related tour with a visit to the baptistery, another building with a gorgeous interior. Our tour continued with a few stops at some shops that Costanza recommended for local foods and then we made our way to Piazza del Campo with the beautiful Torre del Mangia, Siena’s most recognizable structure. We were a bit overloaded on historical art at that point and Mike didn’t want to do any more climbing so we skipped touring inside the city hall or going up the city tower. Instead Costanza took us to visit a museum for one of the local contradae (neighborhoods). This is one of the most fascinating parts of Siena’s culture as these contradae from across Siena all have their own symbols (like an owl or dragon) and flags. They all compete against each other in a horse race called the Palio that takes place twice each summer. By touring one of the museums of one of the contradae we got to learn all about the history of the event and see costumes, flags and trophy banners going back hundreds of years. The museum we visited was for the owl contrada https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g187902-d10312600-Reviews-Museo_Contrada_Priora_della_Civetta-Siena_Tuscany.html. This was another key highlight of the day as the contradae and the Palio are so unique to the culture of Siena. I would highly recommend a visit here if you are with a guide. Costanza mentioned that some of the other contradae have museums open to the public too. The last major building we visited was the Church of St. Catherine with its sparsely decorate interior; I’d skip this if you don’t have time.

Overall we had a great day in Siena. It is a must see on a Tuscany itinerary BUT if you are torn between visiting or staying here or in Florence then you must go with Florence. Siena is very nice but pales in comparison to the works of art and important historical and cultural sites that you’ll find in Florence.

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For lunch in Siena I hadn’t researched a restaurant in advance as Costanza said she would bring us to one she recommended. She did not make a reservation though so the place she wanted us to try was full. She brought us to another restaurant though that had a couple tables left called Ristorante Numero Unico. http://www.ristorantenumerounico.it/?utm_source=tripadvisor&utm_medium=referral. The food was tasty and they seemed to deal with a lot of tourists so most of the staff seemed to speak English. We stuck to just an appetizer of local meats and cheeses and some pasta (Mike had a bolognese while I had the Pici Senesi in a cheese and bacon sauce) to keep the time tight. It’s close to the cathedral area so I would recommend.

We also stopped in to a gallery from a local artist named Loretta del Lungo who had some beautiful work. We bought a couple pieces and had them shipped home as they were a bit too large to carry on the plane. She does not have a website but I did find a video about her on You Tube where you can see her gallery and at work.

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After our day touring Siena we headed back to the inn. Originally I had requested a dinner reservation in Siena through the inn’s staff. They had reserved it but then the restaurant called back and cancelled it. That was fine as once we finished our tour with Costanza we were tired and dark storm clouds were moving in over the city. Back at the inn we checked in with the owner as he was going to request a dinner reservation for us at a place he recommended in the next town Certaldo. He was able to confirm it and we were so glad he did. Certaldo is only a short drive from the inn, about 12 minutes. Surprisingly the town parking lot close to the restaurant was almost full when we arrived for a Wednesday in mid-May.

The restaurant’s name was La Saletta. It was a family run place with the owner and his wife preparing recipes passed down from his family. The owner took our order as he spoke some English. (Most of the other diners were non-Italians so he was used to it.) He describes each item on the menu without us asking which was very helpful. The food was absolutely delicious and was the best meal of our whole trip. For starter we each had the Ribollita (Tuscan bread and vegetable soup), followed by what is shown in the photos: Risotto with pecorino and pears, pasta with Cinta Senese sauce (Tuscan meat sauce), Tonno del Chianti (looks like tuna but is actually pork) and Beef Filet in a wine sauce. We were so full from this that we had no room for dessert unfortunately. If you are in the area I highly recommend you dine here. Reservations are a must. Book at least a week or more in advance as they don’t have a lot of tables and they were full the night we were there with guests making reservations for future nights while they were there. http://www.osterialasaletta.com

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DAY 4

On this day we had planned to visit the town of Volterra in the morning. But after such a busy itinerary we decided to sleep in instead and have a more relaxing day at the inn. After we ate breakfast there we asked one of the staff for a recommendation for a nearby bakery or butcher where we could get fresh sandwiches to bring back to the inn for lunch. She recommended a bakery called Forno Moderno which was in Certaldo, the town we had dinner in the night before. They had a nice selection of cookies and pastries which we bought some of and they whipped up a couple sandwiches as well. I had a Porchetta sandwich on focaccia which was fantastic. Porchetta is a tender, fatty and tasty pork roast. It has so much flavor you don’t need anything but the meat and the bread. Mike had a simple ham sandwich. The staff was friendly and helpful despite being extremely busy. If you’re in the area I would definitely recommend a stop here, and when in Italy you must try Porchetta! http://www.fornomoderno.it

We took our purchases back to the inn and had a lovely lunch. Unfortunately our plans for having it outdoors along with some pool time were disrupted by Mother Nature who brought a lot clouds and a little rain, so we spent the afternoon just relaxing indoors.

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Later in the afternoon, the clouds and rain cleared out and made for a lovely end to the day. We returned to San Gimignano’s old town to explore a bit more. We wandered the town snapping photos and soaking up the scenery.

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For dinner in San Gimignano we stopped in at a little place tucked away on a side street in the north end of town called Echoes. I had seen them listed on Trip Advisor with pretty good reviews. We were the only people eating there at the time. Service was okay and the food came out quickly although both the appetizer and entree came at the same time. Their menu has about 50 or more different types of bruschetta. I tried one with ham and several different cheeses. We also ordered a mozzarella & tomato plate and Mike had a bolognese pasta. The food was good but not great. If you’re looking for something quick and easy and don’t want pizza then you might want to check this out. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187901-d2331481-Reviews-Echoes-San_Gimignano_Tuscany.html

After dinner we stopped at San Gimignano’s most famous gelato shop, Dondoli, ranked as the “best gelato in the world”. It was pretty good. My favorite was the coconut. They usually have long lines though (we got lucky with no wait) so be prepared. http://www.gelateriadondoli.com

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DAY 5

This day was very active for us in Tuscany. We toured the Val d’Orcia (Orcia Valley) which is the iconic area within Tuscany where they get all those beautiful photos that you see featured in guide books with the lush green rolling hills dotted with cypress trees and poppies. Because of the number of places we planned to stop and visit we had to leave early from the inn at 7:30am as it was a 1hr 45min drive to our first stop, the town of Montepulciano. The owner of the inn was kind enough to prepare us a boxed breakfast to go like he had done on our previous early start day. This was one of the little touches that made this place special. As we got near Montepulciano we got our first glimpses of some of the beauty of the Val d’Orcia although there was still some of the morning fog left lingering.

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In Montepulciano, we spent the morning wandering the streets of the quaint hilltop town. We took a climb up to the top of the city hall tower which gave fantastic views over the town and out into the valley below. (5 Euro pp, but it’s really tight in the stairway if you’re claustrophobic).

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On our stroll out of Montepulciano we stopped at a fantastic chocolate shop called Laboratorio del Cioccolato where we picked up some delicious chocolate truffles in a variety of flavors. http://www.casadiedel.it

For lunch we wanted something easy so we stopped in at La Casa di Edel where we tried their version of a hot dog and hamburger. Their burger was made with the local chianina beef and topped with local cheeses and bacon on a rustic bun. We had tried to avoid fast food on this trip but this burger was not your average McDonald’s burger. Service was fast although staff did not speak English. I would recommend this place for a quick bite. http://www.casadiedel.it

After leaving Montepulciano we drove down the hillside to the base of the town where the San Biagio Church is located. This is worth a photo stop for the lovely exterior. We skipped going inside as it cost 3.50 Euro per person and we wanted to move on. Our day was basically following the route recommended in Rick Steve’s Tuscany guide book under his “Heart of Tuscany” drive. Driving away from Montepulciano as you start this scenic drive you’ll see a pull off to get a nice view of the town skyline.

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Following the Heart of Tuscany drive you’ll pass by some of these scenes I share in this next photo set. Are next town stop was at Bagno Vignoni, a village built around natural thermal springs. The springs run out to a cliff at the edge of the town with the water cascading into the chasm below. You can’t get much of a look at that water falling though unless you follow a path that takes you to an observation area further down the cliff (we did not do this as we did not want to have to walk back up). But you can see the area at top where the water has created sluices in the rock over time making its way to the cliff. And you’ll see the old thermal pool at the center of town used as baths back in Roman times. There are a couple modern spas in the town where you can bathe in the waters if you want. This was only mildly interesting and a brief visit for us. If tight on time I’d recommend skipping it and spending more time in Montepulciano.

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wow !!! pictures are amazing . You have done a wonderful job for all of us and what great memories for the two of you ! thank you for sharing !

Brockmom

(Ros)

The next stop in our Heart of Tuscany drive was San Quirico d’Orcia, a quaint sleepy little village perfect for strolling (flat almost the whole way through town) and taking in the atmosphere. There were a number of cute antiques stores and little cafes plus some pretty parks and churches.

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In the next part of our drive we made our way to the hilltop town of Pienza, but along the way we pulled over for some beautiful views of the Tuscan landscape.

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Looking forward to your review we will be on a 10 day Reflection Italy Greece cruise in July (yes i know it's hot and lots of people but its the only time we can leave work) We too are flying Norwegian Premier Class for the first time Oakland non-stop to Rome so i'm looking forward to hearing how that goes.

We will be flying OAK to BCN and FCO to SFO in Oct on Norwegian and am wondering how Norwegian is. Wanted Premium Ec n from Rome but is sold out [emoji78] can’t believe how reasonable the prices are. Still haven’t purchased.

Arriving in Pienza in the late afternoon it was pretty hot so we needed a refresher as we entered the town before doing a walk around. Right where we came into the town was a highly rated gelateria called Buon Gusto. The owner was friendly and seemed to enjoy interacting with tourists. The gelato flavors are made fresh each day and change daily. I tried a lemon and a strawberry sorbet and they hit the spot perfectly. Definitely check them out if in Pienza. https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g644280-d4366447-Reviews-Buon_Gusto_Gelateria-Pienza_Tuscany.html

After our gelato stop we proceeded to walk around Pienza. It’s not that large and could be easily walked in an hour or two with stops. At this time of day it wasn’t very crowded which was nice. As we had a long day already the only building we stopped in to explore was the cathedral. This was an interesting place as the building is leaning on the edge of a cliff. You can feel the slant as you walk to the far end past the altar and you can see the huge cracks in the walls and floor from settling through the years. During our walk we stopped in a cheese shop. Pienza is famed for its pecorino cheese, a hard cheese with a sharp taste and strong smell but oh so good! One of the shops I had seen recommended was called Da Marusco e Maria. They have been written up by the New York Times and Rick Steves among others. Oddly enough they do not appear on Trip Advisor even though other cheese shops do. I think I might know why. I had some of the iciest service I had encountered through our entire European trip. No bongiorno, no asking if I needed help, and a very disinterested attitude when I asked for help in selecting cheeses. I did buy two quarters of cheese but if I had known about the attitude in advance I would’ve gone elsewhere. There are a few other cheese shops in town that get great reviews on Trip Advisor. I would recommend shopping with one of them. After this unpleasant experience we finished our walk and returned to our car to head on to our final stop of the day.

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From Pienza we drove to the small town of Monticchiello for dinner. Along the way we enjoyed more beautiful views of the valley as the sun moved closer to setting for the day.

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Thank you for your review. Your pictures are amazing.