So here’s the short list for Italy.

First, the not-really-so-bad downers:

• Delayed flights.
• European plumbing.
• Transit strikes (but only for a day).
• The restaurant in Rome Osteria dell’Antiquario (Frommer’s liked it, we hated it).
• The Hotel Savoia in Sorrento. They neglected to tell us about the construction they were doing when we booked, so we were promptly woken at 8 AM by hammering, and had a new hotel (see Hotel Mignon below) by 10 AM.
• Smoking. Many people in Europe smoke everywhere – train stations, hotel rooms, restaurants, etc. It was disgusting.

And now, on to all the good things:

• Damn good cappuccino for less than a buck, especially at our little bar in Rome in the Piazza Mazzini, Le Stelle.
• Sorrento in general.
• All the amazing sights: Hadrian’s Villa, Pompei, the Roman Forum, the Pantheon, the Galleria Borghese, etc., etc., etc. See pictures soon.
• The restaurant in Sorrento, La Fenice. It was amazing! Try the black linguine with zucchini flowers and shrimp – divine!
• Good shopping.
• Great pizza.
• The Pensione Paradise in Rome. Luigi and his staff are great, the rooms are nice (ask for one facing the courtyard rather than the street), the location is ideal, and given all that, it’s a steal of a price.
• The Hotel Mignon in Sorrento. They’re well located, sweet, it’s cheap, and breakfast is wonderful.
• Soccer (football) games. We saw Lazio tie Sampdoria in the Stadio Olimpico.
• The ever-so-convenient (near the airport) and reasonable Fiumicino Hotel Airport Surfhouse.
• The Vatican. Just jaw-dropping, really.

I’m getting pictures back tonight, and will scan them in soon. I’ll also post some more stories from our travels in the next few days.