We came back last Thursday, but I still can feel a ‘past-taste’ of Italy. We could not even go to the Russian art show at Guggenheim museum this Sunday, because our minds are still full of Michelangelo, Bernini, Tintoretto, etc. The trip was great
Regarding the hotels: Casa Cosmo guest house in Venice – nice and clean room, NO TELEPHONE or TV in the room, safe-deposit box in the room, convenient location – easy to find and close to almost all attractions; breakfast includes croissants, butter, jam and coffee (they even made decaf cappuccino for me) delivered directly to your room. The reception closes after 7 PM, but they may leave your keys in a nearby guest house. We had prepaid worldwide phone card (Nobelcom), but it did not work from public phones, and the guest house did not let us use their reception phone to make a phone call to our family.
Palazzo Ricasoli hotel in Florence – nice room, but not clean enough (room service, for some reason, did not clean the floor), the shower needs work; telephone, TV and small refrigerator in the room, but NO safe-deposit box; location relatively close to the historical center, but it’s hard to find if you don’t have detailed map for that area; car parking with small lots – for compact cars only; breakfast includes almost everything you may need – yogurts, cheeses, ham, bread, butter, jam, fruits, coffee. They also have a bar where you can buy additional food and drinks. The reception closes after 11 PM, but there was a guy waiting for us at the entrance.
Subasio Hotel in Assisi – very nice big and clean room with a small balcony open to a beautiful panorama, telephone, refrigerator and safe-deposit box in the room, bathtub and window in the bathroom, convenient location, public parking is about 100 meters down the street, and the hotel validates your parking ticket, so that you pay less; breakfast is good enough – same as at the Palazzo Ricasoli hotel in Florence. They also have a nice restaurant, but we could not have lunch there, because it is closed from 3 PM to 7 PM. Free Internet access from the hotel lobby.
Antica Roma hotel in Rome – very nice and clean room with a large terrace (shared with another room), telephone, TV, safe-deposit box and small refrigerator in the room, convenient location – easy to find and close to almost all attractions; breakfast is good enough – same as at the Palazzo Ricasoli hotel in Florence, but they provide instant coffee – unusual for Italy. They have affiliated car service, so getting to the airport (Fiumicino) is cheaper than by using a regular taxi. Thank you again for your advice and help with the hotels.
Lev and Marina K, CT