So much history here. It was hard for me to imagine what once was an empire to be neglected into…read moreruins but that is what happens when empires fall and there is no money for maintenance. People pillaged and plundered these buidings and repurposed the material to build other things elsewhere. This is located right next to the colosseum and you can get a combined admission ticket to see both. FYI that there are metal detectors and scanners at the security checkpoint. I got a lot of steps in that day! Many of the paths here to not connect so need to double-back much of the time. Five stars!

Some countries have ghost towns, dusty abandoned places where you might find an old gas station or…read morea closed mill. Italy has the Roman Forum, an awe-inspiring collection of ruins, the remains of the heart of ancient Rome. Founded in the 8th century BC, the Forum was the center of city life until around the 6th century AD. Temples and government buildings, a thriving marketplace, a compound of vestal virgins. Meetings and speeches, trials and gladiator battles--this place was happening over two thousand years ago. The Forum fell into disrepair, the temples and shrines abandoned by the 8th century. It was ruthlessly dismantled and exploited, especially during the Italian Renaissance, when its materials were extracted for building projects. Like, for example, St. Peter's Basilica. Seems like a mistake to convert downtown ancient Rome into a marble quarry, but hindsight 20/20 and all that. What remains standing in 2025 is absolutely incredible. The ruins are well preserved and quite legible, at least with the help of a guide (we took a Forum and Colosseum tour with Crown Tours, which I'd highly recommend). It was downright surreal walking around those grounds, imagining the life of ancient Rome. I mean Julius Caesar hung out here, among buildings he had erected. If you're visiting Rome for the first time, I'm sure you're planning to hit the Colosseum. Don't miss the Roman Forum while you're there. It's just as amazing, a unique, transporting journey into the rich depths of history.

A must if you are visiting Capri! Though if you are afraid of heights, this one may not be for you…read more It's a chairlift that is continuously moving, and it slows down a bit for you to hop on, where a moveable metal bar acts as your protection from falling out of the chair. Though I made that sound pretty terrifying, it seems relatively safe. As long as you're not shifting about while you're up there, which you probably wouldn't want to anyway. Seats are for single riders, unless you have a small child, in which case, they'll have to sit on your lap. Tickets are €11 one way or €14 round trip. But I can't imagine why you would buy a one way. Perhaps you can hike up/down? But I didn't see anyone doing that. It takes about 7 minutes each way, and we spent maybe 30 minutes at the top taking pictures/walking around. There is a little cafe at the top, and a toilet but it costs €1. If you want to see Capri from way up above, this is the thing to do!

The attitude of the very rude chair lift gate attendant totally ruined my vacation on the day. He…read morewas highly hostile. I was a 68 year old tourist quietly enjoying my trip to Italy. I was not saying or doing anything to offend anybody. Out of nowhere, with an intense hateful look he was yelling in my face in the language I do not understand. His manner was in a way as if I had violated his family . I would have given lower star rating for the experience but unfortunately one star is the lowest available.

Thanks to social media, we found this shop. We put this on the itinerary to try the Sorbetto di…read moreLimone. When we arrived, we discovered that they sold all things inspired by lemon from lemon-flavored oils to lemon-infused pasta and many lemon-centered items in between. The overall ambiance was fresh, bright and surprisingly quite interesting. When we arrived, one of the staff members offered samples of Limoncello in two flavors. Since it was all about the experience, we tried both; however, we were eager to get to the main attraction. We also sampled the lemon-flavored chocolate covered almonds. To be such a small store, it was quite crowded. After finally reaching the counter, we observed a variety of lemon-flavored sorbet and gelato options. I selected the lemon basil and lemon cheesecake. The Amalfi lemon was filled with a scoop of each and served with the lemon top for presentation. The lemon basil was my favorite. It was so lemony and refreshing with basil for a little kick. The cheesecake flavor was underwhelming in my opinion. I would have preferred two scoops of the lemon basil. Once I got to the bottom of the lemon, I observed that they had not fully removed the interior of the lemon. By leaving the pulp in the inside, it took up space for the sorbet, which gave the illusion that you were getting more than was actually inside the lemon shell. Additionally, a lot of the sorbet was trapped at the bottom. At first we thought that there was only one location, but as we navigated throughout Rome, we discovered quite a few locations along with other shops selling the same item. On other visits during our trip, we purchased the lemon granita, Limoncello to take home, a variety of oils and pasta and some of the best lemon-flavored chocolate covered almonds. Overall, it was a great experience.

Woo hoo! Limoncello is made here. We got to meet the (distiller? brewer?) and taste this amazing…read morestuff. A fantastic stop on our food tour and I returned later to purchase a 100ml bottle to bring home, since that's the limit for carry-on. They have other lemon stuff, even pasta! [Review 19210 overall - 361 in Italy - 180 of 2023.]

Is this a tourist trap? Yes, absolutely, they know it and at every turn you are paying or tipping…read moresomeone. But, is this a must do experience? Yes, absolutely. I had to see that blue water for myself and I'm so happy I did it. Having been to Capri once before and not seeing the Blue Grotto, this trip we made sure to schedule this first thing in the morning and went with a private tour to simplify the process. Since it's popular and the grotto itself is small, there is often a long wait for your small boat to enter the cave. Especially in high season. Best advice, get there early, before it even opens at 9am otherwise you can wait 1-2 hours. That's waiting in a small boat in choppy waters! Also be aware that if the weather is bad and the water is too rough, the boats can't access the cave. We took a ferry from Sorrento to Capri then hopped on a boat that took the 25 of us over to the Blue Grotto. The ride there was about 15 minutes with beautiful views everywhere. We got there early before the cruise ship passengers and other tourists so the small boats and rowers immediately came over to us and explained the process which I will share, because if you are like me, the details matter. We sat on the edge of the larger boat and stepped down into the small boat with the help of the skipper and then immediately sat flat on the floor, legs stretched out. Each boat can hold 3 or 4 passengers based on weight,, 2 per side, and the second person sits within the legs of the first. Since we were the first boats this day, we didn't get wet but later in the day, I can imagine you will definitely be laying in water. The skipper took us over to a larger boat where you pay an entrance fee. After some discussion and showing proof that we already paid, they let us pass. Be prepared because they will try to get more money from you! The skipper then rowed us over to the cave entrance where we all had to lay flat as he grabs a metal chain attached to the inside wall of the cave and pulls the boat into the cave. It takes just a few seconds and then you can lift your head and marvel over the iridescent blue water inside. The water is as blue as the pictures, a result of the sunlight passing through an underwater cavity that shines upward creating a spellbinding blue color. It's truly one of natures miracles and wonders. The cave is small, much smaller than I envisioned. I assumed once we went through the opening it would be a large pool of water. It's not. It's a small area and there are 10 or 15 other boats and they row around in a circle. All of the skippers serenade their passengers but not in unison! It's quite an experience. It was challenging to get good pics inside. I recommend taking a video as that provided the best capture. After just a few minutes, the ride is done and you exit the cave, once again laying down. The skipper takes you back to the larger boat. This is when I got nervous wondering if I could get out without falling or tipping the boat! You step onto a wooden board that goes across the small boat, then sit on the edge of the larger and turn to bring your legs inside. Phew! Made it. The skippers are aggressive about tips but mine didn't have to be. I happily gave him $5 euros for the experience and for getting me out of the darn boat safely! So yes, it's touristy, but for me, it was a bucket list item and I'm happy I experienced it. Others in my group had been to Capri before and did the Blue Grotto so they passed and just spent more time exploring the shops and cafes. When I go back to Capri, I'll do the same as this is not something I have to experience twice.

How can you rate this other that 5 Stars? What an experience my wife and I enjoyed. The history…read morestory our boatman told and the little singing he did was icing on the cake. Make the best of you trip to Capri and see the Blue Grotto. Also enjoy the shopping on the island. My wife bought several pairs of sandals while the cobbler made them. Great experience overall.

We arrived at 7:30 PM, and there were plenty of tables in the dining room, but we were seated in…read morethe back storage room since we didn't want to sit outside. No problem! The dad (I assume owner) was very friendly and jovial. The son came to take our order, and he was extremely curt and rude. When we weren't ready to order immediately, he reminded us that he would be full and busy in the next 20 minutes. We asked for bread that never came. The aperol spritz was premade. We ordered the lasagna and three different types of pizza. The lasagna was decent, but I've had communion wafers with more taste than the pizza. Very disappointed.

The food was great here, don't get me wrong. But I had a not so good experience with the price…read morecharging, turning it into a bad experience for us. We ordered pizza and pasta initially with some drinks. Then we were asked if we wanted ham and mozzarella (the waiter pointed to a table next to us that had a plate of ham and a plate of mozzarella and he said just like that). He said he strongly recommended it. Okay sure, we were down to try it. Then we received two plates of ham and one plate of mozzarella. Looking back, we really should have asked for the price first. Because that was 19 euros!! It's funny because thinking about it this waiter kept on checking in with us to make sure we enjoyed the appetizer whereas he didn't check in on us at all after till the very end when we got the check and had a question on it. The appetizer turned out to be our most expensive part of the meal because each main dish we ordered was 8-10 euros each. So, when the bill came, it didn't total to what we had (even with the appetizer amount). The total was higher than everything listed. Shocking. They also mischarged a pasta for a higher value. Double check your bill before you leave. Could've been honest mistakes but it wasn't just one mistake and they had already seemed like they wanted to charge us more... Left a sour mood to the evening. Should've just ordered to go instead of sitting down as most locals were ordering to go.

I'm a huge Yelp user when traveling and thought ... why do a food tour?!?! Well with my family of…read morefour it was amazing to relax and just let our tour guide Robbie take control! He showed us approx 10 different places with smoking from each. He has a sincere personality very warm and welcoming. It was like being with extended family. We got to Meet two other families one from England and one from Australia both were very interesting and warm. An absolutely great night of people, food, and drink. We did the drink package but wasn't necessary as those who did not still got a little wine along the way. If you like... coffee, Prosecco, spritz, pizza, beer, cheese, rice balls, wine, cheese, more wine, cannoli, pasta and gelato... this tour is for you! I can only hope you get to Meet Robbie!

Rome may not have been built in a day, however you can sample some of the best in Italian cuisine…read morein just one afternoon. Secret Food Tours offers three-hour long tours that take you on a gastronomical adventure throughout the heart of Rome. This experience is more than just delicious food, which is what makes Secret Food Tours so unique. The tour explores Piazza Navonna, a city square ripe with history, as well as the Campo Dei Fiori Market, offering sightseeing as well as culinary escapades. Along with four other visitors, we embarked on a daytime tour, which started at an intimate café in Piazza Novanna. Our tour guide Tomasso was a local Italian and incredibly knowledgeable about the city square and its rich background. Here, he introduced us to the finest Italian coffee, freshly brewed for our group. I sipped a cappuccino, which alerted my taste buds with rich, full-bodied flavor and an airy foam. I was awake and eager for the next stop. While enjoying three different types of real Roman style pizza at Forno Campo de Fiori, our tour guide made us feel so welcomed. He took great pride in his city, and it showed in his passion for both the locales and the food. Next we stopped at a specialty shop, known for fried balls of risotto, called Suppli, which basically solidified my trust in anything this delicious city had to feed me. Crispy on the outside, warm and creamy on the inside. I was excited to visit the Campo Dei Fiori Market, which as our guide informed us is the oldest market in the town. With so many fresh and beautiful vegetables, it's easy to see why the food in the area is incredibly tasty. I was pleasantly surprised to do some sightseeing during the tour, as we got to see some of the Roman ruins that dot the city and here a few stories of the many narrow streets. Whether it was Carbonara near the Jewish Ghetto, amazing cannoli at a legendary bakery, and salty Italian hams, salamis, and cheeses at 'Beppe', our guide always made us feel like locals. We ended on a sweet note with the most refreshing gelato. Our tour guide was so fun and friendly, and the food was exquisite. A real "taste" of Rome.