Italy: a 30,000-Foot View

Past midnight, we are zipping through Rome in the back of a cab, street lights flying by, windows down. It has taken 4 flights to get us to this point, and, after all that time in planes and airport terminals, the outside air feels delicious.

In about an hour, we will have checked into our hotel. We will sleep like logs (or maybe like a pair of felled Corinthian columns) our first night in Italy. And that will be even more delicious.

Over the next two weeks, Phillip and I would be traveling from Rome to Venice to the central Italian countryside to Florence and back to Rome. Here’s some of the stuff we were up to.

Rome I

Arrived by: plane – Delta + Ryanair | Lodging: Hotel Roma Room | Food / drinks: Hotel Roma Room + Lettrere Caffè + Locanda Del Gelato

Our first day in Rome, we took a Colosseum tour and visited the Forum and Palatine Hills archaelogical sites.

From there, we walked the length of the Circus Maximus into the Trastevere neighborhood, ate enough apertifs to equal dinner, and then were irresistibly drawn into the gleaming gelato shop across the street.

The next morning we were on a train to Venice.

Venice

Arrived by: train – Italo Treno | Lodging: Couzy House in Venice (Airbnb) | Food / drinks: Un Mondo DiVino + Gelato Di Natura (at San Giacomo dall’Orio)

From Venice’s Santa Lucia train station, we lugged our rolling suitcases over stairs and bridges and bridges with stairs to get to the quiet street where our Airbnb apartment was.

We had timed our visit so we could see both the annual Regata Storica gondola parade and race AND the premiere of the opera “L’Occasione fa il ladro” at Teatro La Fenice.

Of course, we saw some of the city’s more permanent sights, as well.

At the Doge’s Palace, we wound our way through the ornate apartments, stuffy prison cells, and across the Bridge of Sighs. Afterwards, we went to the Basilica San Marco, craning our necks to marvel at the detail of its ceilings covered in gold mosaics.

We rode a water bus down the Grand Canal but mostly did a lot of walking and got lost so, so many times.

When we were just starting to maybe get the slightest grasp on getting around, it was time to retrace our path back over stepped bridges towards the edge of Venice – and into a car rental office.

Le Marche

Getting there: car rental – Auto Europe | Lodging: La Tavola Marche | Food / drinks: La Tavola Marche + Crazy Bar

We were already behind schedule when we picked up our cute two-seater Smart car and began the (supposedly) 4-hour drive toward our next stop in the countryside of the Le Marche region.

Of course, it took us longer.

Winding through mountain roads well after dark, we finally arrived at La Tavola Marche, the inn/cooking school/agriturismo where we’d be staying. It’s run by a pair of American expats, chef Jason and marketing-genius Ashley, who have spent the last 10 years immersing themselves in the local culture and cuisine.

The “agriturismo” classification means all the food they serve must come from their own property or the local area. So they have fruit trees, chickens, and a big vegetable garden. We got to check it out the next afternoon, picking tomatoes for our cooking class.

Our last full day there we hiked a bit, and then got to sit back and enjoy a five-course dinner Chef Jason prepared just for two other guests, Phillip, and I.

At checkout time, we packed up our rental car, stopped briefly in the nearby town of Piobocco for postcards and an espresso, and then drove on to Florence.

Florence

Getting there: car rental – Auto Europe | Lodging: Hotel Ferretti | Food / drinks: Gelateria Vivoli + cafeteria in the Uffizi

Arriving in the city to a tangle of traffic, we were glad to leave our rental car behind and head to the Hotel Ferretti, walking distance from all the sights we were planning to cram into our single-night stay.

We visited the Piazza del Duomo, the Uffizi Gallery, and (lesser-known) Vivoli, a gelateria that’s a contender for having the world’s best gelato.

We were also a short walk from the train station, where Italo Treno would take us back to Rome.

Rome II

Getting there: Italo Treno | Lodging: Mallory’s Guest House (Airbnb) | Food / drinks: Trattoria Sora Lella

This time, we stayed in an apartment building built by our Airbnb host’s great grandfather. It was a lovely place to hang out when we stayed in to rest one rainy morning.

The day before we had wandered through the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica. We managed to make into the Vatican Post Office before closing time, so Phillip could check out the stamps.

At some point, we crossed the invisible borderline from Vatican City back into Italy. Instead of going straight to the Metro, we opted to walk by Castel Sant’Angelo (Hadrian’s Tomb) and hop on at the Spanish Steps.

Our final evening in Rome, we went to dinner on an island in the Tiber River. A couple different locals had recommended Trattoria Sora Lella for authentically Roman food, so we got the tasting menu and savored every forkful.

The next morning we were back in a cab, zipping through city streets on a circuitous route to the airport, grateful for our time in Italy.

We received media passes from Teatro La Fenice and Italo Treno.

September 25, 2017September 25, 2017

Around the Baggage Carousel

We definitely thought we’d sleep on the overnight flight from L.A. to Paris.

But we were mistaken.

Instead, we arrived at Paris-Charles De Gaulle airport in an exceptionally groggy state with an hour to get through the passport line, collect and re-check our baggage, and catch our connecting flight.

But we were misinformed.

Our bags wouldn’t be coming down the luggage conveyor we were watching so intently. By the time we realized they were booked through and already on the plane for Madrid, we almost didn’t make the flight, arriving breathless at the gate as final boarding calls were announced.

The plane took off, and we could see the Seine below us through breaks in the clouds.

A couple hours later in Madrid, we found ourselves once again staring down a baggage carousel, so we could switch airlines for our last flight.

It was around 11pm when that flight landed in Rome, and we went – one more time – to wait for our bags.

And that is how you tour three European capitals’ baggage claim areas in one day.

September 21, 2015September 21, 2015

Best airport shoes?

The right shoes make a huge difference when you’re traveling – starting at the airport. A lot of times, though, departure day shoes are kind of an afterthought.

A discussion about shoes at the airport on a designlovefest post got me rethinking this. (See comments #7-12.)

To me, the Holy Grail of airport footwear would be something you could rush to catch a flight in, remove easily for airport security, wear with socks (if you don’t want to be barefoot while your shoes get x-rayed), as well as, of course, looking great with your travel outfits.

While it’s a lot for one pair of shoes to aspire to, I’m thinking my new go-tos for hopping a plane will either be in the canvas slip-on genre (like TOMS or these Hellyer Slippers) or comfy flats (like ballet slippers or updated Mary Janes) with no-show socks.

What is your airport shoe strategy?

(PS In case you missed it, check out my tips for packing shoes.)

—

July 31, 2015

Our Indy Race (1st Lap)

It was just after 1am, and we were passing Indy cars like they were standing still.

Because they were. Phillip and I, on the other hand, were racing through the Indianapolis International Airport, dodging puzzled, groggy passengers.

When we were still waiting to get off the plane, I had called our hotel’s shuttle dispatch. They let me know we could take the one that was already en route – if we could make it to the stop in time. If not, it wouldn’t wait for us, because they were also picking up a flight crew, and we’d have to wait around for the 2am pickup.

Sitting halfway back on a plane with an aisle clogged with impatient passengers, we had just under 15 minutes, directions I’d already forgotten, and only carryon luggage. We decided to go for it.

So we ended up sprinting through the airport, not towards a flight but away from one, relying on ambiguous signage to guide us. Finally, we spotted the words “ground transportation” with an arrow pointing towards exterior doors.

We burst outside with a few minutes to spare, only to be greeted by air thick with humidy and mosquitoes, an empty curb, and a vague sense that we were not in the right place.

I redialed the shuttle dispatch. The same woman patiently explained again where we were actually supposed to be.

We rushed downstairs, out the door and across the street, and finally found our stop with the aforementioned flight crew sitting on nearby benches, waiting for the shuttle.

While I was trying to nonchalantly catch my breath in the heavy air, I realized this could possibly be the crew from our flight. In other words, they may have just calmly gotten off our plane after us and everyone else, strolled through the terminal, and arrived here sooner. Which would mean we could have done the same without all the panic, confusion, and mosquitoes.

But maybe it wasn’t them. In fact, let’s just say it wasn’t.

I didn’t look too closely.

Either way, we all made it onto the shuttle. The woman from dispatch even called the driver to check on us.

“Yep.” she replied, turning onto the ramp that lead from the airport to the freeway. “Everyone’s here.”

– More info –

Watch for at the Indianapolis Airport:

Classic racing cars on display. There is a rotating lineup on loan from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum.
Permanent and temporary art (PDF). I saw TBI Prayers by Stephanie Lewis Robertson, which is on display until August 30.
Free wifi.
Confusing signs! Ask for directions or check a map (PDF).

May 9, 2014

Can you get a refund on airfare if the price drops?

If the price falls on your airfare and you’ve already bought your ticket, does it make a sound? (Cha-ching?)

I had heard that if you booked a ticket and then the price went down, there was some way to get a refund for the difference. This came to mind when I was worrying about how early to buy plane tickets for my BlogHer trip. I wondered if it was a real thing or an urban legend (a la angry naked hippies at Arcosanti).

They do exist (the refunds – not the angry hippies) but only under very specific circumstances, and they’re increasingly rare. Here’s how to increase your chances on spotting airfare price drop refunds in the wild.

Read the fine print (for real this time)!

Here are some things to keep an eye out for:

Is the ticket refundable, partially refundable, or nonrefundable? Policies can vary within an airline depending on what type of ticket you buy. Hint: If it’s a low price ticket, it’s probably nonrefundable.
Refunds are often in the form of a voucher or credit towards a future flight (especially if you’re buying cheap tickets), not actual cash or money back on your card.
Some airlines charge hefty change fees that may outweigh your potential refund or require the price to drop a certain minimum amount before it’s eligible.
The lower fare may have to be on the exact flight you booked originally.
Advance purchase may be required for a refund.

With all this in mind, you may be able to purchase a ticket that offers some kind of refund if prices later drop. This made me feel better about buying tickets earlier than recommended.

Examples from actual airlines

Before I bought my tickets, I checked into the policies of these carriers (because they had low fares for cities I was flying to). Here’s how they apply some of the rules above:

Alaska Airlines: If you book via their site and find a lower fare there within 24 hours, you can request a refund for the difference. After that, lower fares for the same itinerary are eligible for a credit towards a future flight or – if you have a fully refundable ticket – a refund in the original form of payment.
Southwest does not charge change fees, so you should be able to just rebook if you find a lower fare on their site. Depending on the ticket type, the difference will either be refunded to the original form of payment or be issued as credit towards a future flight.
U.S. Airways has a “lower fare guarantee,” but they deduct change fees if you try to take them up on it. Change fees are $150-$200 per passenger for domestic flights, and $150-750 per passenger for international flights. So the lower fare would have to be a whole bunch lower than what you paid for it to be worthwhile, which seems unlikely – even on the best possible day.

How do you know if the fare drops?

You can check online again when you think it’s likely to be higher, sign up for fare alerts from your airline (if they offer them), or sign up for a fare alert service. Although I haven’t tried any of them at this point (and can’t vouch for them), I came across a few services for email fare alerts while I was researching: Airfare Watchdog, FareCompare, and Yapta.

More information

If you want to keep reading, here are a few more resources to check out:

Getting a Refund When Airline Ticket Prices Drop (article)
Airline rules for obtaining a voucher (list of airline refund rules)
Chart: Airline fare drop refund policies (this seems a little out of date, but I still found it to be a helpful starting point)

Have you ever gotten a fare drop refund? Or tried a fare alert service? Leave a comment about your experience – I’d love to hear about it!

Disclosure: This post is for informational purposes only. The airlines can change their policies at any time, so you’ll want to do your own research. I did not receive any compensation from any of the companies listed and am not endorsing any of them.