by Editor | Apr 1, 2010 | Europe, Italy, Rome, Simon and Baker Travel Review
Il Comandante (The Commander) was named in honor of Achille Lauro, a Neapolitan shipowner and past mayor of Naples who was a previous owner of the building where the hotel restaurant is housed. Dinner at Il Comandante was a delightful surprise. The staff were polite and thoughtful and the service was punctilious.
Although we dined in a temporary venue (the restaurant’s space was being renovated) the dinner service was fine including lovely plates, silverware, glassware and perfectly ironed linen napkins.
by Editor | May 1, 2009 | Europe, Italy, Simon and Baker Travel Review, Tuscany
Le Capanne was a short two-hour drive from Florence, and a world away. The magic began to unfold with the last mile of our journey, as we started up the narrow, intermittently paved country road to Camporsevoli. It meandered steeply upward, each turn revealing more spectacular views of the valley below, a rolling landscape of vineyards and olive groves punctuated by centuries-old farmhouses. Soon a discrete wooden sign announced Le Capanne; an unassuming name ( capanne is Italian for shacks) for this superb $2.5 million fieldstone villa perched on five acres (two hectares) of beautifully landscaped grounds. It turned out to be merely an allusion to the humble origins of the villa. Le Capanne was for centuries one of the many farmsteads on the 500-acre (200 hectare) hillside Camporsevoli Estate. It was only recently restored into a five-bedroom rustic beauty with an inviting country Tuscan décor and the latest comforts and conveniences, including satellite TV, WiFi and a large swimming pool. The housekeepers, Francisco and Maria, were on hand to welcome us and ensure we were happily settled in.
by Editor | May 1, 2009 | Europe, Italy, Simon and Baker Travel Review, Tuscany
Tuscany is famous the world over for its rich history, its artistic status as the cradle of the Renaissance, its magnificent churches and palazzos filled with stunning art and its picturesque countryside of rolling hills dotted with sun-baked medieval villages. All have contributed to making this 8,880 square mile (23,000 square kilometer) triangle of land, barely the size of New Hampshire, one of travelers’ favorite places to visit in Italy, a country that is itself one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world. While Tuscany’s regional capital, Florence, is said to lure close to ten million visitors a year, it is but one of six United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Sites in the region. The remaining five, also vastly popular destinations, are the historical centers of Siena, San Gimignano and Pienza as well as the square of the Cathedral of Pisa and the Val d’Orcia, a remote valley south of Siena.
by Editor | Oct 1, 2005 | Barcelona, Campania, Europe, Italy, Monaco, Rome, Simon and Baker Travel Review, Spain
Our week-long trip aboard the SeaDream II was reminiscent of the by-gone days of classic ship travel where passengers had an opportunity to meet each other while sharing time and space with fellow travelers and crew members. In an era fraught with time constraints our “cruise” aboard SeaDream II provided us the luxury of meeting like minded people while enjoying a leisurely and luxurious voyage along the coast from Italy to Spain in the prime of the area’s tourist season.
We thoroughly enjoyed the pluses the sailing offered such as a limited number of passengers (there were 108 of us) and high crew to passenger ratio (there were 96 crew members).
by Editor | Sep 1, 2005 | Europe, Italy, Rome, Simon and Baker Travel Review
Although my hotel had recommended other more trendy restaurants and nearby trattorias I hoped to find a spot in a popular restaurant I had visited years earlier. A pleasant young man, Claudio, answered the phone when I called to make last minute reservations for dinner at La Rosetta, one of Rome’s better known seafood restaurant. It was in a historic Roman neighborhood, a 20-minute cab ride from my centrally located hotel. When I arrived at the restaurant later that night, it was nearly empty. I thought Claudio had pulled my leg but as the night aged the dining room and terrace filled up to capacity.
by Editor | Sep 1, 2005 | Europe, Italy, Rome, Simon and Baker Travel Review
Established by famed hotelier Cesar Ritz at the request of the Italian president in 1894, this Roman jewel is said to have its foundation over the Baths of Diocletian. The hotel, built on land belonging to Pope Sistus V, recently underwent a $35 million renovation requiring 450 workmen, including 151 skilled craftsmen and one million man hours of work.
