With the success of Alessandro Palace, not to mention a steady flow of backpackers flooding into Rome, Alessandro (yes, there really is one) opened up another cheap Italy hostel on the other side of the train station from the Palace. The success of the second hostel has led more recently to it splitting into two, but we’ll get to that some other time. For now, let’s focus on Alessandro’s second venture in Rome - Alessandro Downtown.
Alessandro Downtown is a few minutes walk toward the southwest of Termini station, and the reception desk is on the 3rd floor (2nd floor in Italian). When I visited, it was cheerfully attended by Luca and Esther (who operate together like some sort of comedy team), and it was Esther who showed me around. There are rooms on the same floor as the reception desk, and then more rooms upstairs.
The common areas include kitchen and lounge areas (on the same level as reception) which were recently completely redone - the kitchen, in fact, used to be across the hall where the lounge now is, so the present kitchen is brand new. The walls in the new spaces are covered in pretty new tiles and murals, the rooms are brightly lit and the furniture and appliances are modern and new.
>>Check out my other Rome hostels reviews, too!
No Comments
So, you’re planning to visit Florence, and you’re seeing all these incredible panoramic shots of the city - they overlook the Duomo, the Ponte Vecchio, the Arno River, and the hills beyond. Do you have to hire a helicopter to get your own photos like that? Not in Florence you don’t - you just need to make your way up to the Piazzale Michelangelo.
The Piazzale Michelangelo (pronounced pee-ahtz-ZAH-lay) is a big public square (notice the word “piazza” in there) that sits atop a hill above the Oltrarno neighborhood, on the opposite side of the river from the Duomo. This isn’t one of those Italian piazzas that’s beautiful to look at, or that’s lined with cute (though overpriced) cafes - this is a place you come for the view.
1 comment
Are you an internet junkie who just can’t get enough Italy news? Or are you simply an Italophile looking for another way to kill time at work? Either way, I’ve got something for you - the Italy Logue Twitter feed.
Twitter, in case you haven’t heard of it, is a site that’s been described as a “virtual water-cooler.” It allows you to post mini-updates (always 140 characters or less) to your page, and also to follow the updates of other Twitter-ers. These could be friends or colleagues, politicians or musicians, bloggers or journalists, or complete strangers whose updates you find interesting or amusing. And yes, you can follow the Italy Logue, too.
If you’re on Twitter, please do click over to start following my Italy Logue updates. I’m using Twitter to post Italy-related news bits and pieces I find online, so if you can’t wait for my semi-regular news snippets posts, you’ll be pleased to know you can get Italian newsy items on a more consistent basis, too, just by following the Italy Logue Twitter feed.
2 comments
For this Italy photo of the week, we’re in Venice:
In my opinion, Venice is endlessly photogenic. And not every picture has to have dozens of tourists in it, either. My most recent visit was at the end of February, and although it was still crowded there were moments of peaceful bliss in little side streets and quiet corners - and moments like that can be found anytime. You just have to be patient and get off the tourist track… And if you can’t find the ideal moment of peaceful bliss, you can still make your photographs …
No Comments
Some Italian news for your Sunday reading pleasure:
News Flash - all Eurofly flights from New York to Italy in May are only $499. Do not pass go, do not stop for lunch, just buy these tickets now!
Italians are reportedly “among the top orgasmers” (is that really a word?) in the world.
Italy apparently ranks last among European nations in terms of the divorce rate. Must have something to do with all those orgasms.
Venice’s city council ban against feeding pigeons in St. Mark’s Square finally went into effect, but it apparently …
No Comments
I love finding travel deals, so I was happy to find this discount program for Florence. It’s not a major discount, and it’s probably not going to save you enough money to spend an extra week in this incredible Renaissance city, but any way you can save money on a trip to Europe this year is worth looking into. So, let me introduce you to the Fiorino Effect.
The city of Florence and the surrounding province have introduced a new tourism campaign targeted at Americans called “The Fiorino Effect,” which gives American citizens a 10% discount on participating hotels …
No Comments
Some Italian news for your Sunday reading pleasure:
News Flash - all Eurofly flights from New York to Italy in May are only $499. Do not pass go, do not stop for lunch, just buy these tickets now!
The last time Berlusconi was the PM, one of his cabinet ministers had to step down after he wore a T-shirt bearing a cartoon likeness of Muhammed. So what does Berlusconi do as the new incoming PM of Italy? Why, he names that same fellow to a new cabinet position, that’s what.
More blasts from the past with …
No Comments
I’ll admit that prior to my most recent trip to Italy, I’d never stayed in a hostel. And I had private rooms in all the hostels I stayed in on that trip, too. It’s not that I don’t like people, it’s that I’m just not the backpacker type - for one thing, I’m far too old, people. Trust me. But after forking over so much for Rome airfare these days, I still want to save money on my room. I’m the sort to stay in budget hotels when I’m booking my own trips. I visited several cheap hotels in Rome during my March visit, and one of them was the Hotel Positano.
Hotel Positano is a two-star hotel near the Termini station in Rome, on the northeast side of the station (this is the side most people will tell you is nicer and less dodgy). It sometimes bills itself as a Rome hostel/hotel, because on the top floor there are some “dorm-style” rooms, but the majority of the rooms here are hotel rooms, and you won’t feel like you’ve booked yourself into backpacker central here, either.
The hotel is located in a building with at least three other budget hotels, and is a short walk from the M&J Hostel - in fact, the folks at M&J will send people to Hotel Positano if they’re full, or if people want a little more privacy than M&J can accommodate. The reception desk, manned by the friendly Ercole when I visited, is on the 2nd floor (1st floor in Italian), and there is an elevator if your room is on an upper floor. (The picture at the top of this post is the lobby area when you walk into the building off the street; you look to the right, and the staircase leads you up to the Hotel Positano - it’s incidated by the yellow sign on the bottom.)
2 comments
In light of the upcoming Euro 2008 Championships in which Italy’s national soccer team is playing (and favored, at least by some, to win), I thought I’d introduce a lighter side of the sport for those of you who aren’t so terribly interested in the yellow cards or offside calls. I’m calling it: Italy’s hottest footballers.
Just so you know, I’m admitting right up front that this is a biased list. Your choice for #1 Italian soccer hottie might not have made my list, but that’s just it - it’s my list. Of course, your suggestions are welcome in the comments, because I’m also admitting that I haven’t seen every single Italian footballer so I might have missed someone who’s completely worthy of being included here.
At any rate, here are my picks for my top 10 hot Italian footballers (and that means it doesn’t matter who they play for, as long as they’re Italian). They’re not in any real order, except I’ve reserved my pick for #1 for last. The teams each guy plays for are in parentheses after his name. Oh, and there’s a special surprise treat at the bottom of this post. Well, it’s a treat for anyone who likes seeing beautiful men in their underwear, anyway. The rest of you might want to look away.
>> And for those of you not only don’t want to look away but want more of the same, check out the hottest Italian soccer players - part 2! Yes, the hotness continues. Thank goodness.
12 comments
Summertime in Italy can be glorious, so it’s no wonder that in the month of July in Italy it feels like the country is absolutely overrun with every last tourist on earth. The further south you go, the warmer the weather will get - this is true year-round, but in a month like July this can mean that places in Calabria and Sicily can get furnace-hot. Of course, you might be into that kind of thing. And the fact that the locals in the hottest areas are spending as much time as possible in the water should be a clue to your own behavior.
So, that’s the trade-off of Italy in July - great weather throughout most of the country (beach-going weather in many areas) and massive numbers of tourists. Oh, and another downside of Italy in July is the higher prices, because the high season prices will be in full swing. Everything will cost you more, from souvenirs to accommodation to Italy airfare, in most parts of the country. Yes, it is hard to find cheap tickets to Italy in July, but that doesn’t seem to keep anyone away… Savvy travelers will be wondering why anyone still travels to places like Italy in July, given the crowds, but for many this is the only time of year when they can get away - especially if you’re talking about a family with kids who would otherwise have to be pulled out of school - so it’s not surprising why the crowds persist in the summers.
No Comments
