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Classic Italy, The Tauck Way!

March 19th, 2010 by Open Road Guides

Recently I took a trip with my family to Italy, to do some random quality control on several of our Open Road guidebooks in one of my favorite destinations on Earth. I use our travel guides when I venture forth, but when I returned a friend pointed out that my trip shadowed in large part the great “Classic Italy” tour offered by the renowned tour operator Tauck. So let me give you Open Road’s annotated look at Tauck’s itinerary for those of you considering taking their grand tour of La Bella Italia.

You’ll spend the first two days in Sorrento, a lovely Old World town perfectly situated near the island of Capri, Pompeii, and the Amalfi Coast. It just so happens that I chose to stay in Sorrento as well, and at the same hotel (for those of you interested in local history, this beautiful hotel set among a five-acre garden with views out into the Bay of Naples, is where the great opera singer Caruso spent his last days): Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria. Take a gander at where you’ll be eating breakfast!:

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Sorrento has its share of great restaurants: if you have a free lunch or dinner, consider Caruso or Antica Trattoria, both very close to your hotel. In your two days in the area, the highlight will be the drive down the Amalfi Coast. While in Ravello, don’t miss the Cathedral, founded in 1086 with brilliant Byzantine mosaics still intact, and the Villa Cimbrone, with its lush gardens and incomparable views over the water (see photo below).

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Next up, Pompeii – even if you’re not into ancient history, the majesty of these incredibly well-preserved ruins are breathtaking. Walk down 2000-year old cobblestone streets, peek into homes and public baths and old marketplaces, admire the statuary and artwork of a kind long gone from this world, and gaze up at Mt. Vesuvius in the background:

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Then it’s on to three days of Rome, where you’ll be treated to special tours of St. Peter’s and the Vatican Museums, the Colosseum, and the Roman Forum. In your down time, I’d suggest wandering around Piazza Navona, where there is fun shopping, great gelato and snacks, street performers, two great fountains by Bernini and Borromini, and great eats. One restaurant I’d suggest very near the Piazza is Pietro’s (Via dei Pianellari, 19), a very small but intimate dining space, family-run, specializing in Tuscan truffles. Most tourists don’t know about it – yet! But you don’t have to leave the Piazza to sample great gelato at Tre Scalini (Piazza Navona, 28). Less than a 10-minute walk from Piazza Navona is the Pantheon, truly one of the world’s most wondrous sights (see photo below), with its inspiring soaring dome that has a hole at the top to let the elements enter in when the cosmos is angry! The square in front is wonderful as well, for sitting, people-watching, and enjoying a cappucino.

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When you arrive in Tuscany, you’ll see three picture-perfect medieval villages: Orvieto, Assisi, and San Gimignano. tauck-5 From the duomos to the great Basilica of St. Francis, to the vineyards and winding streets, this is the real deal for those wanting to experience rural Italy. If you’re looking for things to bring home, Orvieto is the place in this region: consider the local wine or olive oil, both very tasty, or if you’re in the market for beautifully carved wooden sculptures, toys, figurines or murals, stop in at Michaelangeli (Via Gualverio Michelangeli, 3B). I see from your schedule that you have dinner free in Viareggio, a seaside town with outdoor cafes along the boardwalk, so let me steer you to L’Oca Bianca (Via Coppino, 409), for a memorable seafood dinner or lunch. And you’ll also have the pleasure of seeing the Cinque Terre — the five lands — five villages connected to one another by narrow pathways hugging the coast (see photo at right). If you’re in the village of Vernazza, have lunch at Trattoria del Capitano (Piazza Marconi, 7). It won’t be a cheap lunch, but it’ll be delicious, with breathtaking views of the surf crashing against the rocks below.

On to Florence, one of the world’s most beautiful cities. You’ll do all the must-sees on your tour: The Accademia which house Michaelangelo’s Statue of David; the Duomo and Baptistery; and the world-renowned Uffizi museum. In your free time, it’s well worth your time to cross the Ponte Vecchio and visit the little Piazzale Michaelangelo, where all those incredible postcard views of Florence are taken (see photo below). There is a restaurant here on the square, very pricey but incredibly good, called La Loggia. If you’re here anyway to snap some photos, have some lunch and enjoy the ambience and the views! Since you’ll have some more free time, you can either stay on the other side of the Arno and visit the sweeping Boboli Gardens and the Pitti Palace, housing masterpieces by Titian, Raphael and many others. Or you can go back across the Arno and visit the exquisite church of Santa Maria Novella and then the San Marco Museums, one of my favorite museums anywhere. Inside you’ll find cloisters, a church, a library, cells where the monks used to live, and throughout gorgeous works of art by Fra Bartolomeo, Donatello, Michelozzo, and Fra Angelico (here’s one of his paintings, below):

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Looking for some great gelato? Go to Festival del Gelato (Via del Corso, 75r) where you’ll be treated to more than 80 flavors. Sweet tooth still not satisfied? For the best chocolate in the city, try Vestri (Borgo degli Albizi, 11r). Florence is also renowned for its artisanal stationery, beautiful paper, journals, pens and the like, which make great presents; visit Il Torchio (Via de Bardi, 17).

Your trip ends in Venice, and you have some nice chunks of free time here. tauck-7 After seeing St. Mark’s, traversing the Grand Canal and a few of the other must-sees, I’d recommend the little island of Murano where Venice’s glass-blowing industry is centered. You can see them making the glass at a few places as well. If glass isn’t your thing and you haven’t had your fill of churches, one of the more beautiful churches inside and out is Santa Maria della Salute, with a number of incredible Titian’s inside the sacristy. For dinner, if you want a local place that has great Venetian ambience, try Bandierette (Calle Barbaria delle Tole, 6671); for more of a splurge, go to Do Leoni (Riva degli Schiavoni, 4171, at the Londra Palace). The key word here is opulence. If you’re looking for nightlife in Venice, the place to head to is Campo Santa Margherita: bars, cafes, Irish pubs (yes, I said Irish!) and good restaurants. For you shoppers, there’s plenty of action. Why not bring home something Venice is known for: masks. Stop in at Venice’s best mask shop, Tragicomica (Calle di Nomboli, 2800), and you’ll be amazed at the workmanship and high stylings of their beautiful masks.

Let me end by paraphrasing from the introduction to Open Road’s Best of Italy by Doug Morris: It’s easy to see why so many Americans choose to visit the boot-shaped peninsula that juts into the Mediterranean. From the big tourist cities of Rome, Florence, and Venice to historic hill towns, small mountain villages and breathtaking coastal towns, Italy is romantic, beautiful, fun and exciting. Let Tauck show you the classic Italy that I know and love!

– Jonathan Stein, Publisher, Open Road Travel Guides

Open Road Publishing puts out travel guides to many destinations. If you’re interested in Italy, in addition to our Best of Italy mentioned above, we have Eating & Drinking in Paris and Open Road’s Italy with Kids. Check out all our other guides at the link above.

Posted in Uncategorized

The World’s Greatest Beer Destinations

March 1st, 2010 by Erin

It’s the most widely consumed alcoholic beverage in the world, as well as the third most popular drink worldwide, after water and tea. The earliest written recipes are for it. If you haven’t guessed it yet, we’re talking about beer this week, people. Whether you’re a lager drinker, a strict hefeveisen lover, or you stick to good ol’ PBR, we hope you’ll enjoy this piece on some of the best places in the world to down this sweet, hops-y nectar of the gods.

Vietnam

Vietnam has a beer culture that is far more diverse and developed than you may think. In Ho Chi Minh City you can visit the Hoa Vien Brauhaus, popular among the après-work crowd. The domestic microbrew menu has expanded greatly, with each city boasting a brew better than the last. Recently you’ll see more European style brewhouses, mostly clustered in the larger cities. Coastal brews take advantage of local lychee and passionfruit flavors, producing a beer worthy of your tropical vacation. In Hanoi you’ll find the greatest of the domestic bia hoi drink – an unpasteurized, unpreserved beer that is made before dawn and drunk by everyone from the working class to the elite that very day – often as early as 8am when the flavors peak, and certainly before the sun sets. Don’t leave Vietnam without sampling this aptly named “fresh beer.”

Munich

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This one is of course a no-brainer. Whether you visit Munich during Oktoberfest or another time during the year, this town is the beer-lovers’ Mecca. There are even entire travel guides dedicated to drinking your way through Munich. If you’re at all curious, we can pretty much guarantee you’ll learn more about the countless varieties of beer produced in this region than you thought possible and you’ll have the opportunity to sample everything from the lightest of pils’ to the darkest, unfiltered brew that’s ever graced your lips. Need a break from all the drinking? Check out these top places to see in Munich!

San Francisco

Photo courtesy of Rich Nieweroski

Call me biased, but I think San Francisco is home to some of the greatest local breweries this country has to offer. 21st Amendment, Magnolia, Anchor Steam, and Speakeasy are some of the local favorites and you can even get free tours at some of their breweries. For a great family-oriented beer drinking experience, ever so slightly reminiscent of the beer halls in Germany, head to Speakeasy’s brewery and sample their offerings right there in the brew house, complemented by classic rock piped in via boombox and a local family food cart serving up delicious tamales and burritos. It’s a low-key way to unwind from a day of work or sightseeing.

Japan

Photo courtesy of Marcelo Teson

Sake, Sake, Sake, BOMB! If that sounds at all familiar to you, I’m guessing you’re a fan of the Asahi or Sapporo brands from Japan. But I bet you didn’t know that there are over 300 microbreweries in Japan and that sales of beer now outstrip those of sake in the country (much to the despair of traditional sake brewers and aficionados in Japan). Want to check out some of Japan’s lesser known but still popular breweries? Just outside of Kyoto you’ll find the Suntory brewery. This company started out as Japan’s first whiskey producer and grew into a successful player in the beer market. Or check out the lesser known Orion brewery outside of Okinawa. And that barely even covers the tip of the iceberg that is Japan’s beer culture.

Posted in Best Destinations, Travel Guides

Travel Peeves – and what to do about them!

February 8th, 2010 by Erin

We all have ‘em. That one little thing that sets us off and, if we’re not careful, can ruin one of our preciously saved vacation days. Breathe easy, fellow globetrotters. We’ve gathered some of your biggest little annoyances and we’re proposing solutions to each of them.

Scratchy Towels

Photo courtesy of Captain-tucker

This one’s courtesy of one of our BTT’s (Best Travel Tweeps, of course!), David Lee. The thin, scratchy towels you get someplace, even if they come in adorable elephant arrangements like this one, can leave your skin feeling truly awful – but what’re you to do? The thought of traveling with your favorite towel from home probably makes all but the most severe over-packers among us cringe. Dave’s not a fan of travel towels, but I have a couple that I keep on hand if I know I’m going to be roughing it at all. At as low as $10, this purchase may make more sense in your next suitcase than that extra “going out” shirt.

Luggage Fees

Photo courtesy of Kprateek88

The explosion of luggage fees which began in 2009 and continues to grow today has caught even the most loyal airline passengers off guard, and they’re not happy about it. Those fees add up quickly, sometimes costing as much as the price of your ticket or more. If you have just one bag to check, we may have the solution for you. Take it through security with you and check it at the gate or as you board. At this point, the airline staff is more focused on getting the plane boarded to avoid (yet another) late flight, so they’ll just grab, tag, and load your bag with no fuss. Sneaky, but so worth it.

Other Travelers – especially those of the “annoying American” kind

Photo courtesy of manolomen

While at field guide training in South Africa I got the opportunity to play the “American Tourist” during practical exams (game drives through the bush) for my classmates. It didn’t take much for me to muster the kind of behavior we’ve all witnessed from fellow travelers, especially those of the *ahem* annoying American kind. This happens to be my personal travel pet peeve and I relished the chance to try on their shoes and see how dumb I felt. The answer: pretty dumb. I refrained from disturbing the animals but I think after a few rounds of “How many impala do giraffes eat in a day?” and “Can I ride that zebra with a regular saddle or do I need a special one?” my classmates, many of whom were native South Africans, had a better sense for the kind of thing they’d have to deal with in their new career.

So what do you do about these tourists when you encounter them? I wish I could say you should call them out and give them a piece of your mind, but you don’t want to contribute to the problem. The best advice I have is to simply remove yourself from their presence to the best of your ability. And put a Canadian flag patch on your backpack.

Getting Sick on Vacation

Photo courtesy of Travel Clinic Jacksonville

Nothing’s worse when you’re on vacation that being stuck in the hotel room. Unfortunately, getting sick while traveling happens to us all at some point. I suggest that you anticipate it will happen and travel with as many familiar medicines as you can. If you start to feel sick, ask your hotel for a clinic that you can visit ASAP. Stay hydrated and rest up so you’ll recover quickly and can salvage as much of your vacation as possible. If you push it, you may end up miserable for the rest of your trip!

Posted in For Fun

The Best Destinations for Valentine’s Day Weekend

February 1st, 2010 by Erin

It’s that saccharine-ly, sicken-ly sweet time of year again, people. That’s right, Valentine’s Day is upon us. Before you choke on your own Hallmark card, take note – this Valentine’s Day is the same weekend as President’s Day, so many of us have the following Monday off! This is a good thing and a bad thing. For those of us who want to catch a romantic getaway (if coupled up) or a fun friends getaway to spite all those happy couples – success! Enjoy that extra day with an added day of skiing, tanning, or lazing about. For those unlucky amongst us who have Valentine’s with high standards, it just means there’s more pressure to create the ultimate day of love, without the excuse of work the next day to get us off the hook. Never fear, we at Ruba have gathered the greatest Valentine’s Day 2010 destinations. So grab your teddy bear, roses, and chocolates and hit one of these spots for a weekend of romance or fun!

Vancouver, Canada

We’ve blogged about this top 2010 destination before, but it bears repeating. With the Winter Olympics kicking off the Friday before Valentine’s Day, this is a once in a lifetime Valentines destination. You can get in some ski time, a romantic dinner in the city, and then snuggle up with your love to watch your country’s team go for the gold! No date this year? No worries! The Olympic city will be full of sports fans from around the world for you to celebrate with!

Belize

Photo courtesy of flickr: andolent

Perhaps you and your cuddle bunny need to thaw out from the winter chill. If that’s the case, try Belize where you two can stroll white sand beaches hand in hand, learn to SCUBA dive together, and share a laugh over drinks at a beach bar. You’ll return to the states feeling refreshed and sporting a tan that will make all your friends jealous.

New York City

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Just picture it: spending the day catching the sights, a delicious dinner a world-renowned restaurant, followed by a horse-drawn carriage ride through Central Park before returning to your world class hotel for champagne from room service while you enjoy the view. There’s a reason why New York is a popular romantic destination, especially for Valentine’s Day.

Las Vegas

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This is a great option for people with Valentine’s and also for people who just want to get away with friends for the weekend. There’s plenty of first class spas for pampering for couples as well as some of the world’s greatest restaurants and night clubs. Best of all, with new hotels sprouting up almost daily in this city, room rates are through the floor. The one downside of visiting Vegas this time of year? Most of the hotel pools are closed for the season. But we’re sure you’ll find other ways to occupy yourself!

Posted in Travel Guides

Stay fit on the Road!

January 18th, 2010 by Erin

By Ruba Guest Blogger Roger Elmore

Quick Workout Tips for Travelers

FISICAL_FITNESS

In my days and nights managing hotels, I saw a lot of different types of
exercises that people do to try and stay in shape while they are on the
road. Since we are just coming off of New Year’s I know there are a lot
of people that have losing weight or staying shape in mind. You might
think that just because you are away from home that you can’t get a good
workout in, fortunately you can. Here are some of the great ideas that I
have seen and put into practice myself:

Walking – A lot of people like to see the hotel anyway. If the
hotel is large enough, then you have plenty of room to walk and take laps
around the various portions of the hotel. If you get bored and the
weather is good, well you can take your walk outside as well and take in
the local scenery. Of course, you can also jog or walk outside if you
make sure to bring the right running shoes and clothes. In an absolute
pinch when you are very tight on space, you can simply jog in place.
Stairs – One of my personal favorites mostly because it ALWAYS
works for getting me tired is to go up and down several flights of stairs.
Who needs a stair-stepper machine when you have the real thing. I’ll
guarantee that after you walk up 10 flights of stairs or so, you’ll feel
it working (and you will probably not like me very much for recommending
the stairs).
Isometrics – There are some great isometric exercises that you
can do right in the comfort of your hotel room (assume 3 sets with 10
repetitions per set). You can do calf raises by simply going up on your
toes, count to 10, and then come down and just before your heels hit the
ground go back up. You can also do squats by standing with your back to a
wall and bending down until your knees are fully bent, hold that while you
count to 10, and then raise up going back down as soon as you reach a
fully upright position.
Abdominal Exercises – First we have to start with sit-ups, no
matter how you prefer to perform a sit-up, you can definitely do them in
your hotel room. You can vary the complexity of the situp by changing the
elevation of your feet (put your feet up on the chair or the bed).
Another great abdominal workout comes from doing leg raises. You lay flat
on the ground and leaving your legs straight you raise them six inches off
of the floor, hold them in the air counting to 10, and then repeat the leg
lift.
Tricep Exercises – One of my favorite exercises for triceps are
dips (also one of my favorite foods to eat when enjoying a bag of chips).
You need 2 chairs that will hold your weight and you place your hands
behind you while you sit on one chair with your feet resting on the other
chair and then you lower yourself off of the chair you are sitting on and
then back up starting down again as soon as you get back up. To add
complexity to the dip, hold the down position while you count to 10 before
rising back up.
Bicep Exercises – This is actually a pretty difficult one to do
on the road but depending upon your fitness you will definitely have a
couple of options available to you. The exercise is a bicep curl where
you hold your arm out straight in front of you and then bend it at the
elbow as you bring your hand toward your nose. You can do this holding a
bottle of water in your hand or you can do this with a small suitcase
depending upon your level of fitness (and how light or heavy you
pack).
Chest Exercises – The easiest exercise to do that will workout
your chest is push-ups. You lay down on the floor on your stomach and
then put your hands to each side and push yourself off of the floor
keeping your legs straight as soon as you reach the top you go back down
and repeat the push-up. To vary the portion of your chest that you are
working out you can again change the elevation of your feet by putting
them up on a chair or up on the bed. This will allow you to work on a
variety of upper and lower chest muscles.

If you manage to get several of the exercises above in on any given day,
chances are very good that you will be able to maintain your health and
fitness routine even when you are on the road.

Roger Elmore is a former hotel manager who now writes articles for Hospitality Management
Schools

Photo courtesy of Johan Pretorius