Just Back From: Italy
In this installment of Just Back From, I spoke with an individual who recently visited Rome and Florence, getting all her unfiltered insights on where she and her family stayed, ate, toured, etc. She had visited these regions before and, with that experience, was such a helpful person to chat with about vacationing there.
What made you pick Italy over Christmas time? How many days were you in each city?
We picked Italy because it is my favorite country to visit. My kids had never been, and I knew it would be a special place to visit for Christmas. The decorations in both cities were over-the-top magical. The lights, the greens, it was beautiful all over. We were in Rome for the first three nights then Florence for four. We spent our final night before departing in Rome.
How was the weather in December? What type of clothing did you wear during the day/night?
It was warm in Rome, fifties or sixties. In Florence, it was a little chillier, probably in the fifties. I brought a heavy jacket but didn’t need it. I should have only brought a mid-weight jacket and maybe something for the evening. In Rome, we walked back to our hotel each night and it was beautiful.
Would you recommend visiting this time of year?
Definitely. It’s not New York cold where it’s in the thirties and there is windchill. We also went to Pompeii for a day, and that was warmer because it is near Naples in the south.
You stayed at The Portrait for the first part of your trip, a fourteen-room property that is part of the Lungarno Collection and owned by the Ferragamo family. How was the location? What did you think of the rooms?
The location was phenomenal, right at the bottom of the Spanish Steps. We had a studio deluxe room (room 211), and the kids were across the hall in a room that was smaller than ours in twin beds. It is a small hotel; there isn’t a big lobby. All the products in the room were Ferragamo, not just shampoo and conditioner but eye cream, lip balm, and aftershave. It felt very luxurious. There was no boutique in the hotel, though.
How was the service there?
A 10 out of 10. On our last day, for instance, I was in the bathroom and felt a drop of water fall on me. It was a leak, and we mentioned it to the front desk before heading out for the day. They switched us to room 214, which I definitely recommend due to its more spacious layout, and they moved all of our things for us.
I always love the little things that hotels give you when you check in, as it can really personalize a hotel. Was there anything special in your room when you arrived? Anything left for you at turn-down?
They had bottled water and little snacks like macarons. At turn-down, they brought us a little sweet, something different every night.
You mentioned the hotel was rather small. Were there any restaurants? A gym? A pool?
They had a restaurant on the roof with an outdoor, partially enclosed terrace. It was lit beautifully, and you could go for a drink or dinner. I don’t think they had a pool or gym, but they provided weights and a yoga mat in the room.
Where was breakfast served? How was the food?
Breakfast was a buffet at the rooftop restaurant as well. It’s Italian, so a lot of bread, meats, cheeses. They had eggs and yogurt. It was a decent breakfast. One morning we were leaving at 7 am before the breakfast was open, so they prepared containers of food to go for us – pastries, coffee, etcetera – and they brought it to our room. A highlight was the adorable candy cart they had at the rooftop restaurant.
What were the other hotel guests like?
It was mostly older couples staying at the Portrait. I wouldn’t recommend it as a place for families with young kids.
Did you use the concierge? Were they helpful?
Most of our activities were arranged prior to our arrival by our travel agent Jacqui Weidman, but the concierge team was also really helpful. I asked to get a blowout, for instance, and they booked one for me. I then had to cancel it because we were not going to be back in time from Pompeii, and they found me another appointment an hour later.
How did the blowout go? What salon?
It was great. The salon was called Maria Cristina Puccio and it was only a few blocks from the hotel. The stylist was really good, and I went back to her again when we were departing from Rome.
So overall, a very positive experience at the Portrait? Any negatives?
We loved it. It was great.
At the end of your trip, you stayed for one night at the new Six Senses in Rome that just opened in March. How did you find it?
It didn’t seem like it was completely up and running. It all felt a little slow, a little zen; something was a little off. They had this room with snack offerings, and we joked, It’s all kombucha. Location-wise, I didn’t love the area. It was close to the Trevi Fountain, and it was very touristy. The rooms felt dark, the service wasn’t great. There were no adaptors in the rooms. We called down and they said: “Let us see if we can locate them.” It was also the most expensive – more than the Portrait and the Four Seasons in Florence.
Where did you eat in Rome?
The first day we went to a restaurant called Life for lunch, and it was delicious. They offered tasting menus with truffles and artichokes – both happened to be in season – and it was great.
We went to Roscioli Salumeria for dinner one night, which was within walking distance from the hotel. The front of Roscioli is a market with meats, cheeses, and wines, and then in the back they have tables and a cellar where they serve dinner. We ate in the back area, and the food was so good. Some people say it was the best carbonara pasta in all of Rome.
We went to Nino’s one night for dinner, which was two blocks from our hotel. It was delicious; it felt like Upper East Side Italian.
How was the gelato?
Amazing. Every place was amazing. The one that stood out was San Crispino, which was a little hole-in-the-wall place, but delicious.
You did a private cooking class. How was that?
We did a class at InRome Cooking, and the teacher Alessandro was adorable. He said that in the busy season, they’ll do twenty classes a day with all different groups – families, companies doing team building, birthdays, everything. When we arrived, they had prosecco and bruschetta, a little snack set up. They had music great playing, and it was a fun vibe. The kitchen itself was bright, airy, and clean. We made tiramisu and pizza, and that was our dinner. It was about two and a half hours, and then we walked twenty minutes back to the hotel.
You hit two major stops on your first full day in Rome: the Vatican and the Forum. What were the logistics of that? Did you have a guide?
We went to the Vatican in the morning, leaving the hotel at 7:00 for a 7:30 tour. We had a guide whom we met there, and she was knowledgeable but would over-complicate her explanations. My kids didn’t love her. It was not a private tour, but when you go that early in the morning they only allow a limited number of people in. So there was only one other family in the Sistine Chapel with us.
How did the kids like the tour?
They were a little bored. It was a lot of walking and moving around. I wouldn’t recommend it for younger kids. It would be better if you had a lively, engaging guide who turned it into an enjoyable activity for them, like a scavenger hunt.
So then you did the lunch and the Forum?
Our guide recommended a lunch place for us called L’Insalata Ricca. It was really good, and in the afternoon we did the Colosseum and ruins with the guide. It was a bit too much to do both on the same day, but we combined the two so we could go to Pompeii.
What was it like getting to Pompeii? Did you have a guide there?
We got picked up at 8 AM and drove two and a half hours to Pompeii. My son had learned about it in Latin class, and he was dying to go there. It was fascinating. It had been destroyed when Mt Vesuvius erupted and buried in ash. We did a two-hour tour with a guide, and he was fabulous – energetic and engaging. The kids loved him. We got home at about 4:30.
Did you do any shopping in Rome?
A little bit. There was a nice Celine store, an Adidas for my daughter who needed a more comfortable sneaker – everything is right there, so you can get your shopping in really quick.
How did you get from Rome to Florence?
We drove. We had a driver, and it was about two to three hours long. We stopped in this little town Orvieto on the way to break it up. It was beautiful, with this famous old cathedral. We had another tour guide there who was lovely. The town itself was charming, the kind of place where everyone knows each other.
You stayed at the Four Seasons in Florence. It looks like it has more of a traditional feel than the two hotels you stayed at in Rome. What was the decor like? How was the location?
The Four Seasons is very old and traditional. The holiday decor was over-the-top beautiful. Everything is decorated – the restaurants, the lounge areas. They do a beautiful job. The hotel also has beautiful gardens, a great spa (everyone got massages), and an outdoor heated pool and jacuzzi. Location-wise, it felt a little removed. It is not right in the center of everything with the crowds. We would still walk into the city’s center and to dinners, but at night we would take a taxi back to the hotel.
What category of room did you book? What did the kids have?
We had a standard room with a little sitting area. The kids were right down the hall. When we arrived they had champagne, a fruit basket. It was a little ‘old world.’ Very traditional.
How was the service at the Four Seasons?
Amazing. My son has an allergy, and they were great about accommodating it. There was this one several-course tasting menu, and they made him different variations to accommodate him. The servers all knew – they would bring him his own bread basket at the restaurants. They didn’t do that at the other hotels.
Did they give anything at turn down?
Just waters. Nothing like the sweets at the Portrait.
What were the other hotel guests like?
It was very busy: a lot of Italians and Europeans, Americans, and people who live in Florence, too.
Would you say that it is a good hotel for kids with families? Did they have activities?
I’m not sure if there was a kids club, but we did see a lot of families with young kids.
Where did you eat in Florence? How was the food?
On the first night in Florence, we ate at Cantinetta Antinori, which was upscale and a little dressier, the food was excellent.
We went for lunch at the Gucci Osteria, which I wouldn’t recommend. It was a prefix, five-course meal that was a little too ‘food-ie’ and overcomplicated, made worse by the fact that the dishes were meh. We would joke, and for the next course, we’ll be having air…
We would have been better off with a pizza place, and I definitely wouldn’t recommend it if you are traveling with kids.
We went for dinner on Christmas Eve in the lobby of the Four Seasons, where they had tables set up with a Christmas-tasting menu. The food was excellent, and for dessert, they served three traditional panettone cakes.
Did you feel that because of the holiday certain things were closed?
On Christmas day, the hotel was in full swing – people were using the spa, using the gym. Some small trattorias were open, but none of the big stores. On Christmas night, restaurants are mostly closed. We ate at the hotel on Christmas Eve and Christmas night.
Did you see any art? Tour the famous spots?
We did a half-day tour with a guide and saw Michaelangelo’s David. Again, my kids were falling asleep. On the second day, the guide took us around the city’s center, and we saw the Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo, and the Pitti Palace. Again, it is so much better to have a guide who is lively and energetic. It makes the tour so much more engaging.
How was your gelato-making class?
We did an hour-and-a-half class at Eating Europe where we made fruit-flavored gelato and this cool sponge cake dessert. The instructor was nice, and it was a great activity for my father and his grandkids.
So you head back to Rome for your last night and stay at the Six Senses. How did you spend your last day?
We did a little bit of shopping and walking around. It was beautiful weather. We had lunch at Taverna Trilussa, a delicious pizza and pasta place. We also went to Global Blue Lounge in Piazza di Spagna – you can do all your tax documents there, so you don’t have the headache of dealing with it at the airport. So we did the VAT stuff there.
I also spoke with another member of the family for her opinion on the hotels: Here is a little lightning round interview!
On the Four Seasons in Florence:
It is nice, of course, but the rooms could use a facelift. They are renovating the villas so hopefully will renovate the main buildings as well. We had to book an executive suite to get some extra room; all the rooms were small, even junior suites.
On her favorite restaurant in Florence:
On her least favorite restaurant in Florence:
On the Six Senses in Rome:
Not our favorite. The rooms were small and sterile, very minimalist. We wouldn’t stay there again due to the room quality and the location. The staff was great, but it wasn’t for us.
On the Portrait Milan, which she stayed at before going to Florence:
Fabulous location and the staff couldn’t be better. It is a boutique hotel but has a large courtyard so you don’t feel cramped. Rooms are on the small side, so if you stay there, I’d recommend getting a suite. The food at their restaurant was great, and we would stay there again.
