My wife, her brother (both Ialian), myself and her brother's wife returned from Italy on 5 oct 02.<br><br>since there was four of us, we had decided to rent Villa's for our 15 day stay. <br><br>We flew from Manchester NH to Philly, then direct to Rome via U.S. Airways.........cost, about $720 per person R/T.<br><br>The 6 passenger van we had rented via the internet was waiting for us. Cost was about $750 for 14 days, including zero deductible for damage, and zero deductible for theft, plus accident medical insurance.<br><br>Before we left the U.S. we had purchased insurance which included "baggage loss, trip cancellation, trip interruption, medical, medivac etc. etc......cost about $140 P/P per two weeks<br><br>We drove from Rome to Naples where we our first villa was located.....in Posillopo (SP). The Villa was part of a 4 or 5 million dollar mansion with 2 bedrooms, 3 baths, large kitchen, huge family room, and an equally large dining room. We had our own private entrance with enclosed large patio, nestled on the side of a cliff overlooking the Bay of Naples with a view of Capri. Each bedroom had sliders to the patio, as well as access from the kitchen and dining room.<br><br>We visited all the regular tourist spots, Sorrento, Capri, Amalfi coast, pompei....etc. etc. We had a great time, especially because our location was outside the "tourist zone"<br><br>The 2nd week, our villa was located in Poggio Metato, about 1 hour North of Rome. The Villa was located on the side of a mountain, 3 bedrooms, 3 baths, 2 kitchens (up and down) kitchen/living area, 3 patios, with a 270 degree panoramic view of the valley below that extended for about 20 miles to the mountains on the other side.<br><br>To my knowledge, we were the only tourists in town. At the end of our week, I think all the shop keepers and bar owners knew us by name. From there (Poggio Metato), we visited Rome (twice) and several other recommended towns and villages. We had an audience with the Pope on a Wednesday, not private of course. My wife had her religious medals blessed which was a great joy to her.<br><br>For anyone travelling with 4 or more people, I highly recommend renting a villa, the price is much less than a hotel, many more ammeties, and a lot more fun.<br><br>Gerry <br><br>PS regarding train/metro/bus situation-- The trains are great, fast and comfortable and available from even the most remote villages (where we stayed). They connect with the Metro in Rome and bus system, for four (4) bucks per day, you go anywhere for 24 hours......including florence or any other city......an enjoyable adventure. We paid € 4.40 P/P....about $4.40 for an all day pass. In our remote village, the trains ran to Rome once per hour. However, for a 20 minute drive to a larger village the trains ran to Rome every 15 minutes. They have a great transportation system, and everything is clearly marked. We had some confusion on switching metro's, but not enough to bother us.<br><br>We chose the train to Rome because we thought the driving and parking would be a problem...........a wise choice.<br><br>Just keep your hands on your wallet, I made a mistake and paid for it........my fault.<br><br>The taxi fares in Rome were reasonable, we never paid over 9 bucks to get to any given location......Example: We paid $9.00 to get from Vatican city to the main train terminal in Rome......we didn't feel like catching the metro, which would have been free, since we had the pass.<br><br>
