When visiting the top three Italian cities for tourists: Rome, Venice and Florence, it’s helpful to pick up a map and a guidebook that lists the major sites.  Here I have listed a few suggestions those books may not share with you.

Venice

The magical city of Venice may still be sinking.  Various engineering projects are in the works to preserve this beautiful world treasure.  If you have not yet visited, start saving your euros.  It is not cheap.

Go to the top of the San Marco bell tower near the end of the day.  There are shorter lines and you may be able to watch the sunset and the lights come up over this gorgeous city.

Aside from the Basilica, a must, you will want to go inside the Doge’s Palace.  The lines can be very long.  If you buy a ticket at the Museo Correr, across the piazza from the Basilica, it works for both.  The lines there are not long and that museum is nice. We went to Correr at the end of the day and to the Doge’s palace first thing the next morning, beating a very thick, long line.

Use the main transit boats to cruise the Grand Canal.  They are called vaporeti.  They are cheap and most of the greatest palazzos are fronted on the canal.  We traveled the length back and forth several times, sitting as close to the front as possible enjoying the views from Venice’s “Main Street.”

Negotiate the price and length of your gondola ride before you get into the boat.  Our 45 minute trip was about $120.  Despite the high price, it’s an essential experience for romantics.

We loved the modern are collection at the Peggy Guggenheim museum. The Ca’d’Oro and the Rialto Bridge cannot be missed.

Eating in Venice

This pricey but gorgeous coffee house is memorable:
Cafe Florian ( http://www.caffeflorian.com/ ) right on the Piazza San Marco.

We found the wine bars, osterias, to be easy for food.  Like tapas, you can point at whatever strikes your fancy.  It’s always cheaper to eat at the bar than to sit for a meal.

We found a delicious restaurant, not too pricey in the Campo San Margherita
Ai Sportivi (Trattoria)
Dorsoduro, Venezia: Centro Storico
rio terá Canal No. 3052

Where we stayed in Venice

At the Corte Gherardi Bed & Breakfast we had an enormous room by any standards, well situated within an easy walk to the Rialto Bridge. Room rates from $210 to $300 per night
http://www.cortegherardi.com/Introduction.html

Rome

In my opinion, the Eternal City has more riches than any other place in the world: the history, the art, the architecture, the culture and the food will forever bring me back.
 
We got a 7- day metro pass. It works for the underground, buses and street cars – a deal.  I wish we had gotten to know the bus system better.  It seems thorough.  The line A underground stops running at 10pm. The line B underground runs until about 11:30pm.  This is due to nighttime construction on a new subway line.

Go to the Capital Hill for a fantastic view of the entire city.  The elevator to the top is worth the cost.  But you can still see a lot without spending the money to get higher.  The museums on the hill are all free too.

Entering Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican is free.  Climbing to the top is not.  The elevator does not save you much in terms of walking.  There are still tons of steps at the top of the elevator.  Don’t spend the extra money for the lift.

The Sistine Chapel is part of the museum in another part of Vatican City.  There is an admission charge.  The Museum is U-shaped.  The Sistine Chapel with Michelangelo’s famous ceiling is at the bottom of the “U.”

Villa Bourghese Museum in the park is fantastic!  The Bernini sculptures are nothing short of spectacular.  You will need to make reservations in advance.
http://www.galleriaborghese.it/info-en.htm

The night spot everyone raves about is Muccassassina on Friday nights. Via di Portonaccio, 212, 00159 Roma (http://www.muccassassina.com/ ).  It was wild.  We waited for an hour to get in.  I would get there early, 10pm.  We got there at 1am, got in at 2am.  The crowd is young, hip and fashionable.  There are three huge floors with different vibes.  There is a half and half, gay to straight ratio.  $20 to get in – one drink with the entrance fee.

After the various markets have close, Campo de’ Fiori is a wonderful piazza that seems to attract young native Romans in the late evenings.

Eating in Rome

In our neighborhood in Rome, near Piazza Mazzini, we found a wonderful pizza place with about 25 different kinds of expected and completely unfamiliar types of pizza.  We made dinners by sharing slices of ten varieties.

Ristorante Piperno is a Jewish/Roman restaurant we love.
http://www.ristorantepiperno.com/  Get the fried artichokes appetizer and a first course (pasta), skipping the main course, for an affordable experience.

Where we stayed in Rome

Hotel delle Vittorie is near the Piazza Mazzini, a five minute walk to a subway station and a 15 minute walk to the Vatican.  Our room was very clean, well decorated and medium size.  The cost was less than $150 per night for our double purchased at http://www.bookinhotels.com/.
http://www.hoteldellevittorie.com/eitaliano.htm

Florence

Even on the wettest day in March, you will find crowds in Florence.  Pre-planning is essential.

Get reservations in advance for Galleria dell'Accademia (smallish museum with Michelangelo’s  David) and Galleria degli Uffizi (very large museum with lots of gorgeous Botticelli’s)
http://www.b-ticket.com/b%2Dticket/uffizi/default.aspx
They can be purchased with timed reservations at the American express office in Florence.

Most museums are closed on Monday.  We went to part of the Pitti Palace and the top of the famous Dome on a Monday.

We found a night club called Yag quite fun on a Sunday night. Mixed crowd.
Y.A.G Bar
Via de' Macci 8r
Tel : 055 246 90 22
Open: 5pm-2am

Eating in Florence

Anita’s serves three course lunches for $13.00
Via Perlascio 23 Corner of Via Vinegra
Directions: Near Piazza della Signoria

We also had great dinners at both
Baldovino
Via San Giuseppe, 22r
Florence 50121 Italy
+39 55 24 1773
and La Spada
http://www.laspadaitalia.com/en/ristorante.php

Where we stayed in Florence

Our hostess at the five room Bed and Breakfast, “Dei Mori” could not have been more helpful.  An ex-patriot American, she carefully marked up a map for us, highlighting all the essentials.  Breakfast was abundant.  The location is perfect and the cost is quite reasonable.  The only problem was the three flights of stairs we had to climb to get to our room.  The cost was about $180 per night for our double room.  http://www.bnb.it/deimori/