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16 hours ago, HenryJames said:

Tivoli, Orvieto, Ostia Antica 

Full agreement with these suggestions.  Also Spoleto.  Easiest for sure is Ostia Antica.  Very chill.  If you schedule enough time, you can walk over to the Tevere and have lunch on the river on the west side of the ruins.  There are also restaurants in town near the castle. 

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1 hour ago, Ghost of LL said:

@texasdago or anyone else--any suggestions/thoughts on 72 hours in Venice in January?

Stay in Dorsoduro, not San Marco.  Better prices, better vibes, less touristy yet still central.  

24 minutes ago, texasdago said:

Stay in Dorsoduro, not San Marco.  Better prices, better vibes, less touristy yet still central.  

Counterpoint: the St. Regis on Marriott points.

1 hour ago, Ghost of LL said:

Counterpoint: the St. Regis on Marriott points.

I mean, free is free

37 minutes ago, texasdago said:

I mean, free is free

So with that one detail out of the way, any thoughts on restaurants or stuff to do?

Keeping in mind that it's January.  So it'll be cold.  Sitting on a patio isn't much in the cards.  But drinking in a bacaro definitely is.

22 minutes ago, Ghost of LL said:

So with that one detail out of the way, any thoughts on restaurants or stuff to do?

Keeping in mind that it's January.  So it'll be cold.  Sitting on a patio isn't much in the cards.  But drinking in a bacaro definitely is.

Man, its been a while since I was in Venice so my info is probably dated.  When we went it was in late November and it was foggy and dreary but that had its own charm.  We just liked wandering around and getting somewhat lost which is great with Google Maps (unlike what it used to be like).  The gondola ride is super touristy... if you try to catch you from a less busy spot when the weather is crappy, you might be able to get a better deal.  If there is the acqua alta, you might have to deal with some flooding so just be aware.  Honestly, the last time we went, I was happiest when not around the San Marco area so the further from there, the better it was.  That's a personal opinion but maybe not uncommon.

15 minutes ago, texasdago said:

Man, its been a while since I was in Venice so my info is probably dated.  When we went it was in late November and it was foggy and dreary but that had its own charm.  We just liked wandering around and getting somewhat lost which is great with Google Maps (unlike what it used to be like).  The gondola ride is super touristy... if you try to catch you from a less busy spot when the weather is crappy, you might be able to get a better deal.  If there is the acqua alta, you might have to deal with some flooding so just be aware.  Honestly, the last time we went, I was happiest when not around the San Marco area so the further from there, the better it was.  That's a personal opinion but maybe not uncommon.

Yeah--I think that's kind of where I am.  It's been probably 20 years since I was in Venice, but my key takeaways were:

1) It's incredibly hot, humid, smelly, and crowded (none of which should be a real issue in January);

2) Even so, you don't have to go far from San Marco to find yourself completely lost and wondering down the most magical little alleys; 

3) It's expensive AF.

4) But . . . you can hop from bacaro to bacaro eating cicchetti and have a fantastic "meal" for 15 Euro.  You can buy a day pass on the Vaporetto for 25 Euro and ride the boat all around the Lagoon.  You can walk through some of the most amazing churches in the world for nothing or next to nothing.  In other words, you can fill a full day in Venice doing all the Venice stuff for less than 50 Euro.

 

Anyway--this'll be different.  I figure a gondola ride will be nice when it's cold.  I imagine the gondaliers have blankets underneath which I can get handsy with Mrs.LL--that's definitely something you can't do in the Summer.

On 12/1/2025 at 1:17 PM, Ghost of LL said:

Counterpoint: the St. Regis on Marriott points.

This.  I stayed there in May.  I got upgraded to a Canal Front Suite.  I will post my photos.  It was not terrible.

I loved Venice. My friend is marrying a Venetian, so we are headed back in September for the wedding (staying at Hotel Cipriani where the wedding is taking place).  I have a load of recommendations from when I was there, and I was being told where to go by a Venetian (I still have the texts).  Will post them here this evening.

Man, y'all would laugh at the types of places we stay when we go to Italy.  I can include pictures of our laundry hanging on a line, the owner's cats wandering the property as we go to our apartment above a restaurant, the pile of shopping bags to reuse for our daily run to Conad or Coop.  Maybe I can get my wife to take a picture of me acting like the local closed circuit TV for the block...

Who needs security cameras when you have Sicilian grandmas on patrol? 👵🔍  #SicilianSecurity #BalconySurveillance #SicilianFoodCulture 

Oy, now I'm in the mood for a Venice trip in January. 

1 minute ago, YChang said:

Oy, now I'm in the mood for a Venice trip in January. 

I'm trying to see if I can pull off a flight into Italy next summer with miles.  

1 minute ago, texasdago said:

I'm trying to see if I can pull off a flight into Italy next summer with miles.  

Please share all the tips. I just got back from Athens & Istanbul and want to explore more of the Med countries. But I also enjoy going to places that are not at the height of tourist season. 

14 hours ago, PenelopeWitherspoon said:

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Ok, if we are going to post pics of cool Italy digs, I’ll play. 

San Bonifacio near Maremma

 

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Treehouse outside Florence

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Here are some completely random Italian pictures...

Knockoff cologne in a supermarket in Puglia.  For those who don't speak Italian, "Gabbiani" means seagulls:

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Me crying while taking a picture of fresh burrata and mozzarella di bufala:

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Emergency brakes on my car at the beach:

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The beach:

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Foraged arugula:

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One of the best views in Puglia at a fraction of the cost.  Second time we stayed here.  This time we had air conditioning.

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Herbie: 

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Probably spent a total of 12 weeks in this apartment, looking at this view... and I miss it so much.

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16 hours ago, Ted Lange said:

ITA starting up direct flights from IAH to Rome in 2026.  

Was looking at prices... seemed kind of high but man that would be nice

  • 2 weeks later...

Ok @texasdago

Gonna be in Venice from Jan 15 - 20 (With a day trip to Verona)
Genoa: Jan 20 - 23
Milan: Jan 23 - 25

Give me your recs!

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