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Report 565: Lazio/Umbria, Sorrento, and Rome: Our 5th trip to Italy

By Roz from USA, Fall 2004

Trip Description: Off-season travel to Amalfi Coast, Rome, and a favorite B&B in northern Lazio

Destinations: Countries - Italy; Regions/Cities - Amalfi Coast, Lazio, Rome, Umbria

Categories: Hotels/B&Bs; Art Trip; Foodie Trip; Sightseeing; Independent Travel; 2 People

A bit of bad design

Mike (my DH) and I are great believers in off-season travel, and this trip again confirmed the wisdom of that plan. Although November is Italy's rainiest month, we had very good luck in the weather. Traveling independently also gave us the flexibility to adjust our daily plans so that we didn't have to adhere to a strict schedule if the weather called for a change. Yes, it did rain from time to time, but never hard enough or long enough to keep us from seeing and doing what we wanted to do.

We were pretty lucky to have a lot of the "Camelot effect" working for us, where the heaviest rain usually came at night. We also found that it was a total waste of time and effort to chase down weather forecasts in Italy. No two of them ever agreed, and most of them were wrong anyway. Just look out the window and get on with it.

We don't like crowds and, traveling at this time of year, it was wonderful to have many scenic spots like Paestum's Greek temples almost entirely to ourselves. Also, we had no trouble getting seated in any restaurant without a reservation. Finally, of course, there's the obvious benefit of saving money on flights and hotels, whose rates often drop dramatically in November.

A little background on us: Although mostly retired now, I'm a librarian, and Mike is a designer (industrial and graphic) as well as something of a history buff. We make a good team for traveling, as I love to research trips and am always coming home with piles of library books for months before we go. Once we're there, Mike's artistic eye helps me focus on details and concepts I might otherwise have missed, and he often has some interesting slants or bits of trivia that enhance the experience.

OK, on to the details. (Photo Tour link to the right)

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