About Sherry Ott

Recent Posts by Sherry Ott

Hops From Venice: Colorful & Vibrant Murano, Burano & Cemetary Islands

“You have to go to the islands! You have to go to the islands!” everyone kept telling me. Clearly they didn’t fully appreciate my neurosis regarding how stubborn I am. I can’t help it, if everyone keeps telling me to do something, then I really am skeptical about it and the less and less I want to do it. The more I heard about Murano and Burano the more skeptical and disinterested I became.

But then someone mentioned the magic word – cimitero. “What’s that? There’s a cemetery island too?” I thought. Visiting an island of the dead, now you’ve got my attention.

Julie and I navigated through the winding streets and canals of Venice to get to Fondamenta Nove water bus stop on the northern edge of the historic center. Of course we got hopelessly lost as I stopped to take photos and took wrong turns, but eventually we made it and squeezed onto a water bus heading for San Michele Cemetery.

Cimitero di San Michele

The island actually houses 3 separate cemeteries; a Catholic, Protestant, and an Orthodox graveyard. Each have a distinct personality to it and you’ll know immediately when you pass from one to another. In the Catholic section the remains are interred in high rows of tombs, resembling chests of drawers. There are photos of the deceased on the outside of the ‘drawer’ providing an interesting step back in time.

Some interesting facts about the cemetery island:
• The bodies are allowed to decompose for twelve years, at which point they’re dug up. The families can then pay to ‘extend their lease’ or the remains are moved.
• In the past, the dead were transported by a funeral gondola and procession (it’s unclear if this still happens today)
• There are a few famous graves on the island; composer Igor Stravinsky and his wife Vera lie in the Orthodox cemetery as well as Sergei Diaghilev the head of the Ballet Russe who brought Russian dancers to the West and changed the history of ballet.

Murano

We squeezed back into the water bus (seriously, no claustrophobia allowed here) that passed by the Cimitero and we got off at the next island of Murano. Murano is the home of glass blowing. And, well…that’s exactly all there was to it. There were glass blowing factories, a museum (which was slightly expensive for me), and hundreds and hundreds of shops selling the same things made of murano glass.

To accompany the hundreds of shops, there were thousands of tourists milling about and some restaurants and cafes catering to those tourists.

Very honestly – this island was hell to me. It existed for one thing, to sell to tourists; like a floating mall that I couldn’t get off of until the next boat came. And if you are like me and didn’t really want to buy any blown glass, it was a pretty big waste of time. Ok, I’m being a little harsh as I know plenty of people like to shop, but it just didn’t do much for me. There were a few lovely glass sculptures placed in piazzas, but not nearly enough to entertain me for long. However we spent the afternoon there having lunch and seeing a glass blowing demonstration; I don’t regret it, but next time I would skip it.

Burano

I had been told that this island was picture perfect – a rainbow of colors and cuteness oozed out of it like a newborn baby and it’s tiny little feet. Oozing cuteness is not normally my thing, but I have to admit I was excited about the photography opportunities there. I purposefully did not look at a single image of Burano before going there so that I could be surprised and find my own creativity.

Burano is known for fishing and lace making, so of course you’ll find plenty of lace shops catering to tourists there. However the colorful fishing houses which line the canals are the real draw; it looks as if an Easter egg exploded all over the island! There are even strict rules about painting your house in Burano according to Wikipedia – “if someone wishes to paint their home, one must send a request to the government, who will respond by making notice of the certain colours permitted for that lot.”

It was lovely to photograph, but in my opinion the island had a weird feel to it; full of tourists mulling about and very few locals were seen. I wondered if a trip there in the early morning hours would yield scenes of fishermen taking out their boats and give it all a more natural feel.  The island and houses were so picture perfect it was a bit eerie to me, as if Mickey and Minnie were going to jump out from behind a pink home and start waving! Clearly my blood sugar was low and a gelato stop helped my attitude before heading back to the island of Venice on a long boat ride.

Overall, the advice to “Go to the islands!” was pretty sound if you are a typical tourists just looking to shop and take some photos. However if you have only a few days in Venice, then choose wisely based on your travel style.  For me, I loved the photography of Burano, but honestly I could have been just as happy sitting at the Cimitero di San Michele all day and taking photos! The beauty of travel is that it’s different for everyone!

More information:
I found this extremely helpful site on how to organize your self guided Venice Islands Tour from Europe for Visitors. If you are planning a trip to the islands – this should have everything you need in the way of water bus directions, advice, and what to do on the islands.
They warn you in the articles that the water buses can be crowded and they are (and we were in the off season!). I think that potentially doing the islands backwards may make things less crowded as you would be going the opposite way of the crowds. Start at Burano and then go to Murano and stop at the Cimitero at the end if possible.

Venetian Gondolas in Bright, Vivid Visuals

They are everywhere you look in Venice; you will spot them by their blue stripes and spastic leg movements.  Some of them even have a special song they sing.  However, they are quite rare as only about 400 of them exist in the wild…the wilds of Venice that is.

Gondoliers maneuvering their sleek, black gondolas are the symbol of Venice; the canals are like veins carrying blood to the heart (Rialto Bridge).  Much like being a NYC taxi driver, it’s not easy to become a Venice Gondolier.  The boat is expensive, but even more troublesome is that there are only a few (aprox. 400) licenses provided.  You must pass a test  to even have a chance of getting your license, but very few new licenses are given.  They mainly go to men and they mainly are passed down through a family.

I endlessly wandered the streets and alleys looking for the best vantage points and shots of these striped men and their boats.  However, on this trip I was able to do a little first hand research of the gondoliers.  I took a ride for 20 minutes around the canals and was serenaded by my gondolier, Little John, who also periodically blew me kisses.  I of course loved him.  I watched as he knew just the right time to push off the wall with his foot ensuring we would make it around the corner, while not missing a beat in the tune he was singing.  Gliding through the canals was a peaceful dream and I’m glad I did it at least once in my lifetime.

Venice Italy: Things to Do, See, Eat & More

My arrival in Venice was a bit bleak as I looked out the train window. “It can’t rain on my short 4 days in Venice! I have too many fun tips to do for it to rain!” I thought.

Venice was the second stop on my Go with Oh Blogger Tour and I had chosen it as one of my 4 cities because I had always wanted to stay in Venice. I had actually been to Venice once before on my original career break, however I was on a severe budget and stayed off the island and took a boat taxi every day to go explore which was good for my pocket book, but it was a bit of a pain.

I will be writing in much more detail about some of the twitter travel tips and sites, plus some new ones I found on my own. But for now this is a great collection of some of my favorite tips which led me around Venice…and yes, they got me lost!

Wine Tip

What can I say…I love wine, and I love wine even more when it can be bought in bulk…and it actually still good tasting! So, it may be no surprise that this was my pick for the Go with Oh tip winner! @olga_valentin You can also take an empty water bottle/jug to a wine shop & fill it up with GOOD red wine for just a few euro.

Do the Traditional:

For the first time I actually did take a Gondola ride with Julie. We found that it is possible to negotiate prices with the Gondoliers, and if you go in the middle of the day (like we did) you can negotiate quite a bit. The demand is much higher in the evening for the romance seekers. We talked our Gondolier, Little John, down to 60 Euro and off we went! Little John was quite a catch since he sang to us the whole time. I guess he thought he’d supply his own romance! The vantage point of the gondola was great for photography!

@VickiFletcher88 Tip #1: Go to the peaceful and pretty old Jewish ‘Ghetto’ on Cannereggio where the word originated from.

Julie and I walked through the lovely Jewish Ghetto and even stopped and had a picnic lunch with this view dangling our feet over the canal and soaking up the sun!  A great way to spend little to no money if you take your own lunch and wander – sometimes the hidden spots have the best views.

@GQtrippin chase pigeons in St. Mark’s Sq! Lol

How to be Local in Venice:

See the markets and shop like a local
@JBCanepa To experience Venice like a local visit the Rialto Market in the early morning for some fresh food and homemade gifts!
@thetravolution Check out fresh market at Rialto Bridge in the morn! U can beat the public eating ban and picnic in St.Elena gardens!

Markets and me…well, we were a match made in heaven!  Of course I made a stop at the Rialto Market. We even picked up food for dinner that night!

Drink Like a Local

@olga_valentin Join the locals in aperitivo w/ the orange coloured drink Spritz (Campari, white wine & sparkling water)

Eat at little cafes
@kets_1 make friends with a singing gondolier! (you find them in cafés)

I did actually see a gondolier having a drink and a panini at a little local café, but I can’t say that I made friends with him. But I did find that little cafes are the best place to experience local life. All the locals eat standing up!  In addition, I learned the the locals start drinking at 10AM, and of course I joined them…standing up.

Go to the Islands:

@wanderingwyatt my best Venice travel tip is to be sure to get to the little islands, like Murano! Oh, and have some tiramisu gelato.

I did a whole day of travel around the islands of Murano and Burano and a very special stop at the Cimitero (the island cemetery). Want to guess which one was my favorite? The water taxi’s take you there and can get rather crowded – so my best advice is to go early and do them backwards. Start with Burano (the colorful fishing village), then go to Murano (the glass blowing island) , and then make a stop at the Cimitero on the way back to Venice!  Oh yes, I did have gelato that day too!

Get Lost!

@Littleleona Hi! best tip on Venice is to look up.. High on the walls are directions to the nearest main bridge..You can’t get lost!

I loved this tip and used it every day. Pretty much every corner had an arrow to either the Rialto bridge or San Marco Square. This really made it about impossible to get lost – and it also made for some great photos.

@chipoblana No specific advice, but a heads up: you WILL get lost in Venice and that will lead you to wonderful discoveries!!!

I specifically took time to simply wander with no plan, the smaller the street the better and I purposefully went to see dead ends. I took my time, and my camera. These were a few of the ‘surprises’ I found when I was lost.

@aileenagan take the ‘wrong’ water bus on purpose and get to see another part of Venice. tht happened to us!

I accidentally did this on the my day in Venice as I was trying to head to the train station early in the morning. I intended to get on the ‘express’ perimeter water bus, but ended up on a Grand Canal water bus. It ended up yielding the best boat trip down the Grand Canal that I took. Here’s why:

These tips should get you started for your stay in Venice, but there are many more where those came from!

Italian Cuisine: Learning How to Eat Pizza Like an Italian

The waitress brings out my pizza straight from the wood oven. The smell of the bread and the wood from the oven makes me salivate. It’s thin, crispy and on an individual little plate just waiting for me to dig in. The waitress sets down a knife and a fork and says “Buon appetite!” I take one look at my plate and the excitement I initially felt about my Italian pizza quickly morphs into panic. Unlike pizza in America, this pizza isn’t cut at all, it’s simply a round, crispy pizza served on a normal size plate.

I look at the knife and fork, and I look around me at the Italians eating the pizza and realize I have to cut this myself; there’s no American pre-cut slices here. But where does one start when you have an uncut pizza spilling over a normal size plate; do you do it the American way and cut it like a pie, or do you use your knife and fork and cut it as if you’d cut up a steak in little pieces that you eat with your fork? I simply wanted to get it in my mouth as quick as possible; not sit and cut it up into bite size pieces! As an outsider to this culture, I immediately feel self-conscience about trying to cut my pizza. This is the one thing in Italy that has always baffled me – how do you eat pizza like a local in Italy?

After many various attempts of trying to slice my pizza to appear like a local, I finally met someone that could help. Dario is the husband of my friend and fellow travel blogger, Katrina from www.tourabsurd.com and www.absurdreviews.com.   Dario is from the Naples area (ahem – the birthplace of pizza) originally so I knew I had found the right person to ask about how to eat pizza the ‘correct’ way.

In addition to solving this dilemma, I would also be able to utilize Dario to take Bethany and I to the best, local pizza joint in Naples. When we first met Dario and Katrina in Rome I had told them about my quest to go to eat the best pizza in Naples AND to learn how to eat it properly. They immediately accepted the challenge and told us to make sure we didn’t order pizza in Rome as it would be a waste of time. They were insistent that the only pizza worth having was a Napoli pizza. Bethany took this advice to heart even though the Amalfi Coast and Naples was the last stop on our trip.

Every day when we sat down at a restaurant to eat, I’d try to temp her with ordering pizza and she would refuse based on Dario’s instructions. I was quite impressed with her resolve; I on the other hand didn’t really have a great of resolve.

Dario knew right away where he wanted to take us in Naples for a slice – Antica Pizzeria Sorbillo. – a local pizzeria which happened to be close to the place where all of the tourists went. There are multiple restaurants called Sorbillo along Via dei Tribunali; this is NOT the one with lines of camera toting tourists, but a instead a small gathering of locals waiting for a seat. It looks like this:

However, Sorbillo’s lack of line didn’t mean that it wasn’t good; the place was a constant buzz of activity with the wood oven in the front manned by a few big Italian men full of smiles and the back was packed full of people speaking Italian.

When we sat down I asked Dario what we should order and he said, “There’s really only one thing to order. Pizza margherita – it’s the only thing we really consider pizza.” He went on to talk about how the ‘less is more’ theory allowed you to simply taste the homemade sauce and enjoy the taste of the crispy crust. We decided to take Dario’s advice and we ordered 4 margherita pizzas.

Soon we had a table full of the best ‘pies’ Napoli had to offer and I could hardly wait to dig in. But wait…first I must learn how to eat the pie properly! Dario and Katrina nicely demonstrated for me and to my surprise it was more like the American way of eating pizza than I thought! Watch below and you can also learn how to eat pizza like an Italian.

The pizza was divine, and the sauce was perfect. It tasted as if they went out and picked the tomatoes 5 minutes earlier and put them on my pie. Now you know the best place to eat pizza in Naples AND you can look like a local eating it! Go forth and eat!

More Information:

Sorbillo’s Address: Via dei Tribunali, 38 – 80134 Napoli

Website: www.sorbillo.eu

Southern Italy: Naples in Images, Art, Graffiti & More

I never spent longer than 30 minutes in Naples prior to this trip; however that 30 minutes did yield one of he scariest cab rides I’ve ever taken! Since Bethany and I were on a quest to have the best pizza in Naples, we got to spend more then 30 minutes in Naples this time. We spent a whole afternoon eating pizza, walking around the streets, trying deserts, going into churches, and seeing castles; all thanks to our hosts Dario and Katrina.

They used to live in Naples, so it was a real treat to walk around with people who knew the city. Naples is one of those cities that is very easy to be intimidated by, and having a local show you around brings that intimidation factor down. In fact, I now think of Naples as a cute little kitten as opposed to the man-eating lion I vision I had from my previous visit.

The streets were filled with people and traffic was horrible, so we were better off on foot. Thanks to our slow walking pace we were able see and photograph some cool sites such as this tree mixed in with graffiti art (my favorite tree ever by the way). I would have loved to spend more time there and explore the narrow laundry lined streets and allies. The streets looked like a giant Christmas tree with lights and decorations strung from branch to branch in the form of laundry.

I’ve still only barely scratched the surface of Naples, but now since it’s a fuzzy little kitten in my mind, I think I’ll be planning a trip back!

Where are your favorite places in Naples?

Traveling Down the Italian Amalfi Coast

“I know you, you’ve been here before?” I was stunned that they would remember me after 4 years and countless travelers coming through their doors. I don’t really think that I stand out at all, I have no real defining features, no distinct accents, and with each year the landscape of my face changes with additional wrinkles which weren’t there before.

But they remembered me.

This happened multiple times on this trip to Southern Italy and Rome because I was retracing a path I had traveled before. When I came to Sorrento the first time I had been on the road for my original career break for 9 months and I made the area my home for one month taking Italian language instruction and cooking classes. Of course the moment Bethany said that she wanted to see Pompeii I was excited about seeing my old friends again in and around Sorrento.

I don’t often go back to a location I visited before, but when you spend a month living somewhere, you make friends, and it’s great to be able to get back and visit old friends and locations. I found that some locations had closed, and some had expanded; surprisingly, most remembered me, and we were all able to pick up where we left off 4 years prior.

A trip to the Amalfi coast is a jaw dropping experience. Little towns built into cliffsides, ruins of Pompeii, beaches, limencello, and plenty of Southern Italy food specialties. If you are traveling on the Amalfi Coast, I suggest you put these three stops on your Amalfi Coast  itinerary; and say hi to some of my friends!

Positano – Take a Bus

This seaside town is an easy and gasp-worthy bus ride from Sorrento. You can catch the local bus at the train station and take the 50 minute ride down the winding cliff road as you peer out the window and hold your breath as you look straight down into the Tyrrhenian Sea . Try to sit on the right hand side of the bus for the best views.

Bethany had no idea what to expect from the Amalfi coast, and it had been years since I had been there so it was equally surprising to me again as if I had seen it for the first time. She snapped photos out the bus window until we arrived in Positano where we slowly walked down to the beach through the little pathways which led through town.

This was off-season, so many stores were closed or doing repairs, which gave it a more local feel. We sat down by the beach and ate lunch while soaking in the sun and atmosphere of this magical town.

However, after this second trip to Positano for me, I decided if I ever come back, I’m renting a convertible and driving myself next time. Half the fun would be the drive and being able to stop wherever you want to take photos!

Italian Cooking Classes and Restaurant

Who doesn’t want to learn how to make their own pasta and sauces when visiting Italy? We stopped in at Mami Camilla’s cooking school and hostel and was happy to hear that business has been good for them in the years I had been gone. They just opened a new Italian cooking school and hotel (Soleluna) in Piano de Sorrento (a town just outside of Sorrento).

Mami Camilla’s was one of my highlights of my career break and I was overjoyed to go back and see my old friends Augustino and Chaf Baggio. Bethany and I went to dinner at the new school/hotel where the students prepare 4 course dinners for patrons every night at a great value. We arrived and the family remembered me; soon we were all family again drinking apertivos and sharing stories. I introduced them to Bethany and they introduced me to new employees and students.

Bethany and I sat and ate with the students at the school who were doing chef internships; and as expected, it was one of the best, most social nights we had the whole trip. One of my favorite things about the school is getting to meet the students and other travelers; it’s a social experience that a solo traveler like myself craves. Oh yes, and the food was divine of course; homemade ravioli, fried sardines, and a pastry dessert.

Pompeii

Using Sorrento as a home base is a great way to see Pompeii; it’s an easy train ride away via the Cirumvesuviana local train. I had been to Pompeii before, and quite frankly it was my least favorite place to visit in the area; I just have a hard time appreciating and visualizing the ancient history from ruins. I even used the audio guide on my first trip, but it still wasn’t enough to help me enjoy my time there. It’s a personal flaw I suppose, I just don’t have an imagination when it comes to ruins. But this time I really wanted it to be different and I wanted Bethany to get something out of her time there. Thanks to a recommendation from Karina, my expat blogging friend, I hired a local tour guide named Aldo ( third generation Neapolitan tour guide) to help visually paint the picture of Pompeii and it’s history that I needed to enjoy it my second time around.

Aldo filled Bethany and I with history, facts, stories, and theories about the old, doomed city of Pompeii for 4 hours and it changed my feeling about Pompeii. Sometimes people make all the difference, and for me Aldo made Pompeii come alive.

Of course there are many other things to do while in the Amalfi coast area of Italy, but if you have 3 days, be sure to check these experiences out!

Places to Stay in Rome, the Beehive Way

 

Rome is buzzing – can you hear it? It’s near the termini and the buzz is indeed from a Beehive. Don’t fear, it’s not the winged gold and black bees feeding off of the spring flowers in bloom, it’s my favorite ‘hotel’ in Rome.

Why the cheesy quotes around ‘hotel’ you ask? They are there because I’m not really sure how to describe the Beehive, it doesn’t feel like a hotel, it’s not really a true hostel, but it’s the coolest place to stay near the Termini. Even after talking to Linda, the owner, for a few hours hanging out and sharing travel stories, I still didn’t really know how to categorize this unique lodging option; but I do know that it has a mojo that has brought me back multiple times. This was my 3rd stay at the Beehive over the course of 4 years, and it gets better every time!

What made this most recent stay memorable was the fact that I was able to meet Linda and her family and hear their story first hand. Linda is a kindred travel spirit who has a passion for supporting travel in every way possible; her business is travel, but her love of travel goes way beyond the business and the Beehive. Since I was there last in 2007, she and her husband took a sabbatical from the Beehive and left it in the capable hands of their staff to opt for living in Bali for a year. A year turned into two as they realized the many benefits of raising a family in a foreign environment and the benefits of a sabbatical in general. This short afternoon with Linda opened my eyes and refocused me in many ways. Don’t you just love it when good people rub off on you?

Check out these great videos the Beehive has made about various aspects of getting around and staying in Rome. They are cast with her 3 daughters and are a great example of how easy it is to be ‘local’ in Rome as well as an indication of the overall atmosphere of the Beehive.

They built the BeeHive concept from the ground up and are continuing to expand it into new and unique lodging options for Rome. While I was there I was lucky enough to experience two of their lodging options.

Beehive Hotel

Location:
Just two blocks from Termini the yellow building with a cute garden patio are a welcome site. But an even better site is the helpful staff – who actually remembered me after 4 years of being away. The central location is perfect to catch metros or buses or simply stroll to sites in the Historic Center. Plus, if you are traveling outside of Rome, it’s a great location near to the Termini.

Rooms and Amenities:
You have a choice of staying in the cheaper dorm room which houses a few bunkbeds in a comfortable airy room, or you can stay in a private room with shared bathrooms. The private rooms are a great bargain if you are traveling as a couple or a family but they still give you the social fun of being in a hostel like environment with common areas and a little café downstairs open for breakfast and snacks.

They provide a great Rome Recommendation Guide as soon as you reserve your room so you can start to use that to make plans. It covers their favorite ‘local’ restaurants, shopping, activities by neighborhood, and a whole section on Holistic Rome which includes organic food markets, yoga studios, and massage options. This guide is better than anything you’ll get from a guide book; it’s much more personal. I used the guide to find a place to eat in Termini neighborhood one night and it was a great local place where all of the patrons were speaking Italian!

Bee Hive café serves healthy options for breakfast as well as snacks and drinks throughout the day. They also have brunch which runs all afternoon on the weekends.

All of the other standards are available – free wifi throughout, towels, hair dryers, safes, an internet connected computer, books, magazines, and patio.

They also offer extremely reasonable massage at the Beehive. For 35 to 45 Euro you can get a 50 minute massage from a trained masseuse who will come in and work out all of your kinks from carrying luggage!

Atmosphere:
That’s what keeps me coming back. The staff are extremely helpful even allowing me to send them things to print at the front desk, providing restaurant and transportation recommendations. They simply take good care of the place as if it were their own home. It’s bright and cheerful throughout every room, bathroom, and shared space. The downstairs is filled with family photos which makes you feel like you are staying in someone’s home rather than an impersonal hotel. They often have art exhibitions from friends who are local artists hung through the halls and in the rooms.

Costs:
Dorm room – € 30 per person
Privates shared bathroom – €80 double room / €105 triple room
Be sure to make reservations – even for the dorm beds as they do fill up.

Would I recommend it?
Yes – else I would have never gone back 3 times. Each time it does seem to get even better. The Beehive is an oasis in the myriad of hotel choices in the Termini area. From the original booking process, to the amount of great information they give you when you make your reservation, to your experience at the hotel – it’s the best I’ve found in Rome.

The Sweets

The new project that Linda and family have taken on are the Sweets; a cross between an apartment rental and a private room. Just ¼ block away from the Beehive are the Sweets, private rooms with ensuite bathrooms and a shared kitchen and living room area in an existing apartment building. I had the opportunity to stay a night at the Sweets in the first few weeks of their opening!

Location:
Also 2 blocks from Termini in a local apartment building. Just around the corner from the Beehive lobby. You actually check in at the Beehive Lobby and then they will provide you keys and information for the Sweets.

Rooms and Amenities:
All rooms have private bathrooms and a little desk, and wardrobe. They have towels and air conditioning. There is no ‘front desk’ in your building, but you can easily go to the Beehive and get any assistance you need.

The kitchen is stocked with cooking necessities and is shared among all of the rooms. There is also a living room and dining table that make the whole place feel cozy. In addition, each room has a little balcony where you can get fresh air or sit out and eat breakfast in the morning. The kitchen area is cleaned daily, but guests are asked to pick up after themselves in the kitchen.

There is wifi throughout and an ipad that is located in the kitchen/living area for people to use to catch up on news, look at maps, or research things online.

You still get all of the same access to Amenities such as the videos, Rome Recommendation Guide, and the café in the morning.

Atmosphere:
The rooms are brightly decorated again providing a really cheery atmosphere. However since this is more like a private apartment the amount of socializing is less typically.

The design is very minimalistic and I love how they have furnished the rooms in cleverly designed furniture.

Costs:
€ 60 to €100 – varies during holidays

Would I recommend it?
If you are looking for a bit more private experience, and you want to save money and cook some meals yourself, I would recommend the Sweets. Even though I was there in the first few weeks of opening the place was up and running nicely. It was a more private way to stay if you weren’t really looking for a ton of socialization, but still wanted the ability to have your own kitchen to eat breakfast in and be able to pack lunches for a day or touring. Strangely though I ended up meeting a great couple out in the kitchen area and we sat and talked most of the night! Basically the Sweets are as social as you want them to be. They are slightly more expensive, however you can save money on food by eating breakfast in and storing snacks in the fridge or cook dinner for yourself one evening.

More Information:

Beehive Hotel Website – www.the-beehive.com
Rome Videos (tips on shopping, and traveling by train)

View all photos of the Beehive:

Disclosure: The Beehive hosted my 2 nights of lodging in Rome. However, all of the opinions expressed here are my own – as you know how I love to speak my mind!

Italy’s Very VISUAL Amalfi Coast

There’s more to Italy than Rome and Tuscany.  Have you seen the Amalfi Coast?  It will leave you breathless! This collection of photos is from my recent trip back to the Amalfi coast after 4 years of being away.  I’ve also included some of my older original photos too in order to get an idea of what summer looks like there.

For more great information on the Amalfi Cost – check out Italylouge.com!

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