Besides the typical statuary, fountains, piazzas and landmark photos, I'm making a list of things I want to take a series of shots of in Italy. Of course, I looked to the fine people on Flickr for inspiration.
Doors and Knockers
Courtyards
Unusual perspectives
Textures
Relics
Flower Markets
Vendors
Shop windows
Cemeteries?
Logos & Design elements that are uniquely Italian
Orthographic View (long lens)
Pano Collages
HDR (high dynamic range)
Views down alleys with long lenses
Reflections in water
Stairways
Verticals with wide angles
Up in towers
And just for fun...Playing with scale
OneLetter
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Ready to go.
I'm leaving April 30 and returning on May 14.
This week...
I booked my flight to Rome. I’ll have a little over two hours layover in JFK each way. I had something around 3 hours on the way back last time and even with checking through customs I had plenty of time to hang out, shop, eat, etc. I feel good about this combo compared with the other choices that had either a little over an hour and some with 5-8 hour layovers. It was suddenly available and cheaper than the other, less desirable combos. $885 round trip including all taxes and fees on American Airlines for all legs of the trip - which makes the transfers easier, too.
For flight searches I used kayak.com and sidestep.com which lead me most often to cheaptickets.com, vayama.com and I ended up getting my tickets through airfare.com. Farecast wasn't giving me any usable information. In the beginning I did a search with 3 days flexibility in either direction to discover which dates were repeatedly cheaper to fly on...and I just stuck with those from then on.
I paid the remainder on "my" villa in Tuscany yesterday. It's in a perfect location - I've been visiting the page for this villa ever since I returned from my last trip. I couldn't be happier with what Rentvillas did for me...extending my hold through the weekend when the original hold didn't last 48 hours. I changed my mind back and forth between renting for 1 or 2 weeks...with another week split on the beginning and end of my trip both in Rome and Positano. I felt more financially secure and practical not extending myself with the additional week of rental fees (both villa and car) and living fees and the forgoing of income...at least at this time. I can make a longer trip some other time.
With my villa rental documents, I got a little book written by the founder of rentvillas.com - "Living Like a Local in Italy." Oh boy am I eating this up...
It's full of checklists, links to resources every step of the trip and even recipes. Yay.
I've been vacillating between the fear of venturing out on my own (again) and knowing it's going to be okay. It's my goal to recognize it, face the fear head on and alleviate it enough to be firmly rooted in "knowing it's going to be okay" by the time I go. This book helps. What a great service. It's good to see a company thinking things through like this even after a great experience with their website and my booking agent.
I found a hotel in the heart of Rome (Hotel San Carlo - a block from Via Dei Condotti and the Spanish Steps) for about what I was going to pay for a hotel more on the outskirts (but near a metro station). I’ll stay there two nights at the beginning and one at the end.
I also reserved my Smart Car (or other substitute micro car) from sixti.com.
Crossing my fingers for the Smart Car. I love its tininess even though I'd be afraid to drive it here in SUV land.
I think it's funny that a five person auto in Europe is the Ford Focus.
I gotta find someone with a stick shift so I can practice again before I'm trying to shift my way out of Rome.
And I've really got to get the € conversion rate in my head. When I was there last, it was still lire...and it was almost exactly 2,000 lire to the $ which made for some pretty easy math. The € started off pretty much equal to the $ but now it's all complicated. Well...I guess it's close to 1.5, so it's not that complicated...except for us American turisti who take a beating on the exchange rate. Unfortunately when I calculated the allowed mileage and overages I’d likely incur, it’s not as economical as it seemed at face value...but it’s still better than other cars. And it’ll use less gas. I can rent it a few blocks from where I’m staying at the Villa Borghese in Rome. Though I’m scared shitless to drive in Rome for even a few moments. It’s seriously CRAZY just watching the drivers there. I'll be driving stickshift for the first time in a million years in all that fast-paced flowing-like-a-river-together traffic.
I just splurged for my room (2 nights) in Positano. I got the cheapest room I could get (standard double) at the nicer hotel. Gulp. I'm going to use their "take this train and that train and that bus" directions and avoid driving down there.
To do’s
Airline ticket purchase
Tuscany villa booking and payment
Rome Hotel booking
Rental car booking
Positano hotel booking
Get an International Driving Permit through AAA
Get train/bus other info from AAA
Find a hotel in Positano that doesn’t cost two arms and two legs
GPS
Check on my phone usage in Italy
Check with car insurance about additional coverage
Check with health insurance about coverage/documents needed if there's a problem
Make copies of all confirmations, passport, driver's license, credit cards
Figure out suitcases - 2 for check in - 2 for carry-on - all partially empty
Figure out what lenses, flash, tripods to bring
Photo storage solution
Laptop (borrow? from work?)
Print Google Maps for all my destinations
Check through old maps and travel guides
Potential Activities for consideration:
Umbria/Assisi or Tuscany by balloon
Firenze by Segway
Firenze cooking school
I considered taking a week-long painting class in Tuscany, but the timing and location didn't work out this time.
I'm also looking into local spas, winery tours (though I could do plenty of that around here), marble quarries, factory tours. I would love to see how Parmesan cheese is made or textiles or yarn or pasta or Ferraris. The latter requires that I get permission through my local dealer and I don't think I can pull off being seriously interested in a purchase, so I'll probably forgo that.
I'm going to leave plenty of time for wandering and stumbling upon places. And, of course, my camera will be soaking it all in. I'm going to be shooting for me and for making work out of this trip.
I'll get to eat Fettuccine Alfredo again soon. The real stuff. Where it was invented.
I have all my reservation confirmation numbers and now I'm waiting to GO.
This week...
I booked my flight to Rome. I’ll have a little over two hours layover in JFK each way. I had something around 3 hours on the way back last time and even with checking through customs I had plenty of time to hang out, shop, eat, etc. I feel good about this combo compared with the other choices that had either a little over an hour and some with 5-8 hour layovers. It was suddenly available and cheaper than the other, less desirable combos. $885 round trip including all taxes and fees on American Airlines for all legs of the trip - which makes the transfers easier, too.
For flight searches I used kayak.com and sidestep.com which lead me most often to cheaptickets.com, vayama.com and I ended up getting my tickets through airfare.com. Farecast wasn't giving me any usable information. In the beginning I did a search with 3 days flexibility in either direction to discover which dates were repeatedly cheaper to fly on...and I just stuck with those from then on.
I paid the remainder on "my" villa in Tuscany yesterday. It's in a perfect location - I've been visiting the page for this villa ever since I returned from my last trip. I couldn't be happier with what Rentvillas did for me...extending my hold through the weekend when the original hold didn't last 48 hours. I changed my mind back and forth between renting for 1 or 2 weeks...with another week split on the beginning and end of my trip both in Rome and Positano. I felt more financially secure and practical not extending myself with the additional week of rental fees (both villa and car) and living fees and the forgoing of income...at least at this time. I can make a longer trip some other time.
With my villa rental documents, I got a little book written by the founder of rentvillas.com - "Living Like a Local in Italy." Oh boy am I eating this up...
Guidebooks are helpful, but most fall short of the "guidance" you need for renting your own property. Why? Because living like a native is nothing like staying in a hotel! Whether you're packing for your adventure or trying to figure out how to grocery shop in another language, staying in your own home - away from home - presents a different set of challenges.
Over the years I've made many trips to Italy: first as a student, then a single traveler, later as a mother of three, and finally as the owner of Rentvillas.com. Part how-to, part insider's guide, this traveler's companion is based on my experiences a a renter. You'll find dining suggestions and recommendations for must-see sights as well as all the nuts and bolts of traveling to Italy, such as airport arrivals and surviving on the road.
Chapters:
Before You Leave Home, Arriving In Italy, En Route to Your Property, Making the Most of Your Stay, Cities of Italy, Regions of Italy, Useful Vocabulary, Metric Conversaions
It's full of checklists, links to resources every step of the trip and even recipes. Yay.
I've been vacillating between the fear of venturing out on my own (again) and knowing it's going to be okay. It's my goal to recognize it, face the fear head on and alleviate it enough to be firmly rooted in "knowing it's going to be okay" by the time I go. This book helps. What a great service. It's good to see a company thinking things through like this even after a great experience with their website and my booking agent.
I found a hotel in the heart of Rome (Hotel San Carlo - a block from Via Dei Condotti and the Spanish Steps) for about what I was going to pay for a hotel more on the outskirts (but near a metro station). I’ll stay there two nights at the beginning and one at the end.
I also reserved my Smart Car (or other substitute micro car) from sixti.com.Crossing my fingers for the Smart Car. I love its tininess even though I'd be afraid to drive it here in SUV land.
I think it's funny that a five person auto in Europe is the Ford Focus.
I gotta find someone with a stick shift so I can practice again before I'm trying to shift my way out of Rome.
And I've really got to get the € conversion rate in my head. When I was there last, it was still lire...and it was almost exactly 2,000 lire to the $ which made for some pretty easy math. The € started off pretty much equal to the $ but now it's all complicated. Well...I guess it's close to 1.5, so it's not that complicated...except for us American turisti who take a beating on the exchange rate. Unfortunately when I calculated the allowed mileage and overages I’d likely incur, it’s not as economical as it seemed at face value...but it’s still better than other cars. And it’ll use less gas. I can rent it a few blocks from where I’m staying at the Villa Borghese in Rome. Though I’m scared shitless to drive in Rome for even a few moments. It’s seriously CRAZY just watching the drivers there. I'll be driving stickshift for the first time in a million years in all that fast-paced flowing-like-a-river-together traffic.
I just splurged for my room (2 nights) in Positano. I got the cheapest room I could get (standard double) at the nicer hotel. Gulp. I'm going to use their "take this train and that train and that bus" directions and avoid driving down there.
To do’s
Airline ticket purchase Tuscany villa booking and payment Rome Hotel booking Rental car booking Positano hotel booking Get an International Driving Permit through AAA Get train/bus other info from AAA Find a hotel in Positano that doesn’t cost two arms and two legs GPS Check on my phone usage in Italy Check with car insurance about additional coverage Check with health insurance about coverage/documents needed if there's a problem Make copies of all confirmations, passport, driver's license, credit cards Figure out suitcases - 2 for check in - 2 for carry-on - all partially empty Figure out what lenses, flash, tripods to bring Photo storage solution Laptop (borrow? from work?) Print Google Maps for all my destinations Check through old maps and travel guidesPotential Activities for consideration:
Umbria/Assisi or Tuscany by balloon
Firenze by Segway
Firenze cooking school
I considered taking a week-long painting class in Tuscany, but the timing and location didn't work out this time.
I'm also looking into local spas, winery tours (though I could do plenty of that around here), marble quarries, factory tours. I would love to see how Parmesan cheese is made or textiles or yarn or pasta or Ferraris. The latter requires that I get permission through my local dealer and I don't think I can pull off being seriously interested in a purchase, so I'll probably forgo that.
I'm going to leave plenty of time for wandering and stumbling upon places. And, of course, my camera will be soaking it all in. I'm going to be shooting for me and for making work out of this trip.
I'll get to eat Fettuccine Alfredo again soon. The real stuff. Where it was invented.
I have all my reservation confirmation numbers and now I'm waiting to GO.
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