I will be adding this blog to my website. Www.gregsitlay.com. Hope you will follow my posts 
Greg’s Italy A blog from www.gregsitaly.com
SCOTT’S CHEAP FLIGHTS ARE CHEAP
I think the money I spend to get the premium version to Scott’s Cheap Flights is worth every penny. My only problem is I get so many emails with travel bargains, I want to go to all the destinations.
.
Here is an email I got today. No Florida origins, but east coast to west coast are here. You may consider signing up for their email alerts. The Rome price from NY is lowest I have seen lately.
PS: I do not work for them.
Amalfi
Rome
The Europe deals keep coming. Not mad about it.
No bag fees, etc. All prices roundtrip.
All prices are for roundtrip flights and in USD unless otherwise stated.
TO: Basel (BSL)
Boston (BOS) – $484
Chicago (ORD) – $484
Denver (DEN) – $499
Las Vegas (LAS) – $491
Los Angeles (LAX) – $484
New York City (JFK) – $445
New York City (LGA) – $449
San Francisco (SFO) – $484
San Jose (SJC) – $499
TO: Brussels (BRU)
Boston (BOS) – $458
Chicago (ORD) – $480
Denver (DEN) – $462
Las Vegas (LAS) – $462
Los Angeles (LAX) – $480
San Francisco (SFO) – $480
San Jose (SJC) – $490
TO: Geneva (GVA)
Boston (BOS) – $490
Chicago (ORD) – $490
Denver (DEN) – $505
Las Vegas (LAS) – $500
Los Angeles (LAX) – $490
New York City (LGA) – $449
San Francisco (SFO) – $490
San Jose (SJC) – $505
TO: Luxembourg (LUX)
Boston (BOS) – $468
Chicago (ORD) – $468
Denver (DEN) – $482
Las Vegas (LAS) – $478
Los Angeles (LAX) – $475
San Francisco (SFO) – $468
San Jose (SJC) – $482
TO: Paris (CDG)
Boston (BOS) – $441
Denver (DEN) – $441
Los Angeles (LAX) – $500
New York City (JFK) – $428
New York City (LGA) – $429
Newark (EWR) – $443
San Francisco (SFO) – $443
San Jose (SJC) – $443
TO: Rome (FCO)
New York City (JFK) – $426*
Newark (EWR) – $430
San Francisco (SFO) – $445
TO: Zurich (ZRH)
Boston (BOS) – $464
Chicago (ORD) – $464
Denver (DEN) – $464
Las Vegas (LAS) – $464
Los Angeles (LAX) – $464
New York City (JFK) – $411*
San Francisco (SFO) – $464
San Jose (SJC) – $495
* – nonstop / direct
WHEN: Generally August through mid-December 2018, including Thanksgiving for most routes.
NORMAL PRICE: $850+
AIRLINE: Air France, Delta, KLM
BUY BY: We think these fares will last 1-2 days
HOW TO BOOK
Reminder: Scott’s Cheap Flights does not receive referral fees from Google Flights, Momondo, or any other booking sites. Our only incentive is to find you a good deal 🙂
To find the cheapest available dates, search in Google Flights using the sample search below. Book directly here.
Sample Google Flights Search
Notes:
These fares could disappear anytime, even within a few hours. If you’ve clicked the sample searches, played around with a few dates, and not seeing fares close to those listed in this email, it likely means they’re gone
General advice on how/when to find cheap flights
How to use Google Flights & Momondo
Should I book via Momondo or nah?
If you end up booking this deal, hit reply and let us know!
Love,
Scott’s Cheap Flights
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Amalfi, Feast of Sant Andrea
One Hundred Of The Best Things To Do In Italy From Jen Reviews
I just received a copy of Jen Millers 100 Best Things to do in Italy and was fascinated by the diversity of the list. Almost every day we are bombarded with the “10 Things You Must Do” that usually link to a bunch of JUNK. This is not that type of list.
Of the 100 items on the list, I have only visited 39 that I can recall. That leaves quite a bit to see and do. Here is the link to Jens site which is entitled Jen Reviews. Take a look at it and you may wish to subscribe. This is not just a travel site, she does reviews on various products for he home and other items you may find of interest. Give it a look.
Here is the link to the list :
https://www.jenreviews.com/best-things-to-do-in-italy/
Here is a list of the table of contents of Jen Reviews The 100 Of The Best Things To Do In Italy
Contents
1 1. Colosseum (Rome)
2 2. Pompeii (Naples)
3 3. Venice Gondola Trip
4 4. Duomo Milan
5 5. Sistine chapel
6 6. Climb Mt. Vesuvius (Naples)
7 7. Leaning tower of Pisa
8 8. Solfatara (Naples)
9 9. Cinque Terre (La Spezia)
10 10. Vatican City (Rome)
11 11. Blue Grotto (Naples)
12 12. Trentino Winter Sports
13 13. Gardaland Fun Park
14 14. Nuraghi Sardinia
15 15. Murano glass factories (Venice)
16 16. Medici Villas and Gardens (Florence)
17 17. Arona/Lake Maggiore
18 18. Tremiti Islands
19 19. Siena
20 20. Catacombs (Rome)
21 21. Assisi
22 22. Ferrari Museum (Maranello)
23 23. Sicily
24 24. Sibillini National Park
25 25. Bridge of Sighs (Venice)
26 26. Bolzano
27 27. Castellana Caves (Bari, Puglia)
28 28. Museo Nazionale dell’Alto Medioevo (Rome)
29 29. Stadio Giuseppe Meazza (Stadio San Siro, Milan)
30 30. Alberobello
31 31. Aqualandia Jesolo (Venice)
32 32. Napoli Sotterranea (Naples)
33 33. Kite Festival Cervia
34 34. Civita di Bagnoregio- The Dying Town (Orvieto)
35 35. Pantelleria (Sicily)
36 36. Trevi Fountain (Rome)
37 37. Chocolate Festival Perugia
38 38. San Galgano (Siena)
39 39. Valley of the Temples (Agrigento, Sicily)
40 40. Lake Garda
41 41. Rabbit Beach (Lampedusa) and Rabbit Island
42 42. Valcamonica Rock Drawings
43 43. Etnaland (Belpasso, Sicily)
44 44. Santa Maria delle Grazie (Milan)
45 45. Gran Paradiso National Park (Aosta)
46 46. Palazzo Reale (Palermo)
47 47. Rainbow Magic Land Valmontone (Rome)
48 48. Acquario di Genova (Genoa)
49 49. Medici Aqueduct (Pitigliano)
50 50. Safari Park Pombia
51 51. Archiginnasio (Bologna)
52 52. Castel Nuovo (Naples)
53 53. Treviso Talking Tree Park (Venice)
54 54. Walk the Via Francigena
55 55. Capri
56 56. Ostia Antica (Rome)
57 57. I Sassi di Matera
58 58. The Pantheon (Rome)
59 59. Venice Carnival
60 60. Abano Terme (Padua)
61 61. Bioparca di Roma
62 62. Byzantine Mosaics Ravenna
63 63. Verona
64 64. Cinecitta Studios (Rome)
65 65. Santa Maria in Trastevere (Rome)
66 66. Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti (Rome)
67 67. Riserva naturale orientata dello Zingaro
68 68. Porta Palatina (Turin)
69 69. Peggy Guggenheim Museum (Venice)
70 70. Lucca (Pisa)
71 71. Galata Museo del Mare (Genoa)
72 72. Orto Botanico (Padua)
73 73. Castelmezzano
74 74. Castle Moncalieri (Turin)
75 75. Positano (Naples)
76 76. Parma
77 77. Caserta
78 78. Amalfi Coast
79 79. Dozza (Bologna)
80 80. Campo del Ghetto (Venice)
81 81. San Lorenzo Cathedral (Genoa)
82 82. Portofino
83 83.Bergamo
84 84. The Ruins of Paestum
85 85. Rialto Bridge (Venice)
86 86. Nora (Cagliari, Sardinia)
87 87. Punta Prosciutto and Torre Lapillo (Porto Cesareo)
88 88. Anzio (Rome)
89 89. Italia in Miniatura (Rimini)
90 90. San Leo (Rimini)
91 91. Tropea
92 92. Cortina d`Ampezzo
93 93. Museo Stibbert (Florence)
94 94. Zoological Gardens, Pistoia
95 95. Basilicata Adventure Parks
96 96. Frasassi Caves
97 97. Sorrento Ice and Pizza Cooking Course
98 98. La Scala Theatre and Opera House, Milan
99 99. Regata Storica (Venice)
100 100. The Chianti Wine Trail
https://www.jenreviews.com/best-things-to-do-in-italy/
The introduction from Jen Reviews
“It is difficult – if not impossible – to limit a list of things to do in Italy to 100, and even more difficult to put them in order of descending significance or entertainment value: home to Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Etruscans, Greeks and Romans, with islands as diverse as dour Sicily and African-influenced Pantelleria and cultures as far apart as Renaissance Venice and the prehistoric Trulli in Alberobello, Italy is a vibrant and colorful hotch-potch, a land of stark and passionately defended contrasts.
Famous for its ice-cream and its wine and with such characteristic culinary specialities as pizza and pasta (to name but a few), Italy is a land of lovers, of (often tragic) romance, of beautiful churches, ancient ruins and smoking volcanoes, of vendettas and grand opera. It is very child-friendly – Italians love children – and very relaxed with regard to organization and punctuality, which means there is no point getting upset when your train fails to show up. When in Rome, do as the Romans do; take a siesta and enjoy La Dolce Vita. If you are travelling by car, be aware that this cocktail of attributes shows up in their driving, too. Rules are made to be broken, signalling is haphazard and you will rarely see a car without dents. That said, there are few countries better equipped as a holiday destination for all tastes. Buon viaggio!”
A Short Cruise To The Aeolian Islands From Milazzo Sicily
This is a short video of our day trip to Lipari and Vulcano. We were staying in Milazzo, a beautiful town in itself. The day trip well worth it.
Aeolian Island Trip From Milazzo Sicily from Greg Speck on Vimeo.
ISCHIA, a small Island Off the Coast of Napoli, a must visit location
CASTELLO ARAGONESE
My wife Angela suggested a visit to the island of Ischia, which is a short ferry ride from Napoli. At first I did not know what to think about this. Having never heard of it I began to do some research. The online photos looked good and we have always liked islands. Getting there was an adventure for us as we have to drive from Napoli to the suburb of Pozzuli. We were bring our rental car as this is a good size Island. There were no problems and a pleasant voyage with a quick stop at the island of Procida. This is also a place Iw Ould like to visit when we return to Napoli. Spend time at the beaches and enjoy the warm waters. Find a spa with hot springs feeding it. Walk or take the bus. This island is doable. Scenes from the movie, “the Talented Mr. Ripley” were filmed in Ischia. Also “While We Were Here” with Kate Bosworth. See all the films that used ischia as a location https://www.ischiareview.com/ischia-in-the-movies.html
THE ISLAND OF PROCIDA
ISCHIA MAP IN CERAMIC TILE
Once on the Island we started to explore. At on time we were on a small dirt road when it got narrower and narrower. Eventually had to back up and work our way into town,
HOT SPRING MINERAL POOL
Ischia is know for its hot spring fed mineral pools. The springs feed the pools and they are drained out each night and left to fill overnight. At least in the case of our hotel.
HOT SPRINGS FEEDING THE POOL
The Old Butcher Shop Selling Everyting
Ristorante Lo Scoglio, Sant’ Angelo d’Ischia
We headed out to dinner and found Lo Scoglio. It is located in Sant’Angelo and proved to be an excellent choice. The name translated to THE ROCK.
Photo from the restaurant web site.
View from the dining room
My wife’s choice, fruit dal mare.
Lo Scolgio in the daylight.
Il centro
Peperoni
The teenagers had no problem diving off the rocks.
View from our hotel.
Here is the link to the Wikipedia description of Ischia. It is definitely a destination not to miss in Italy https://wikitravel.org/en/Ischia
CELL PHONE BARGAINS IN ITALY
In September I will be returning to Italy and taking a bike tour from Bolzano through Lake Garda and on to Venice. I began thinking about my cell phone. I had used all the credits and in the past had to renew through recharge my sim. de but alas they are no longer in business. So lets look at your options. TIM has a very simple plan called TIM FOR VISITORS. Google the link and click on the English Flag to change language. 
it is not a bad deal. For 30 Euro you get 4 GIG data, and 100 min of talk. You can purchase the voucher in the US an bring it to any TIM store. I used the one at Fiumicino, Leonardo da Vinci, Rome;s main airport. It took less than 15 minutes to get me up and running and have the attendant set up my phone. You can purchase the voucher using your US credit card. 
OK, now it is time to take about recharging your card. You can go through your minutes quickly and until recently you could not recharge your sim with an foreign credit card. First go to https://www.tim.it
You will get the Italian language screen, best thing is to use Google Chrome or install the translate extension in Safari. Right click and you will get the English language translation. Keep in mind TEXT MESSAGES ARE NOT FREE. You can use iMessage or other apps that will allow you to text for free on the data. Also consider installing Skype for calls back to the US. I have had excellent results with Skype.
ITALIAN, Ricaica means recharge.
English translation. Click recharge after you use pull down to select amount.
MAKE SURE YOU CHECK THE BOX MARKED FOREIGN CREDIT CARD
At the bottom, you can select the receive email notification. It will come to your email account of choice. There os also a box to insert a TEXT which will be sent to your cell to confirm all is working.
Here is my email confirmation.
Gentile Cliente,
Ti confermiamo la presa in carico dell’ordine nº xxxxxxxxx del 08/04/2018 23:07:16
DETTAGLI ORDINE
User:
Numero: xxxxxxxxx Data e ora: 08/04/2018 23:07:16
Metodo di pagamento utilizzato: CDC
Costo a pagare: 10.00 Euro
Ricarica:
Importo ricarica: 10.00 Euro
Numero ricaricato: 339xxxxxxx
N.B. La ricarica sara’ immediatamente resa disponibile come credito telefonico e comunque non oltre le 48 ore dal momento della richiesta.
Ti ricordiamo che sul sito tim.it puoi attivare altre offerte o servizi, acquistare prodotti e Ricaricare. Inoltre, accedendo alla sezione MyTIM Mobile del sito potrai:
verificare il tuo credito residuo
verificare lo stato delle offerte attive sulla tua linea
modificare il tuo profilo tariffario
consultare lo stato dei tuoi acquisti online
There are other options, Vodafone has a similar plan. Google Vodafone Holiday for information.
Keep in mind none of the plans have everything you may need. You need an unlocked cell phone with GSM capabilities. You will always need your passport when purchasing from a Tim or Vodafone store.
You can fly to Italy for $400
I have paid a lot to travel to Italy and I have also gotten some reasonable fares. Recently I subscribed to a site called Scott’s Cheap Flights. There is a free version and a paid version. I got an email last week and found a Euro sale. I looked at Milan for $400 and thought this was a bargain. 
I then went to Google Flights, and MATRIX AIRFARE SEARCH
The Air Italy popped up with a $423 Fare from Miami Non Stop to Milan. Amazing. The fare actually was $407 with out bags. I ended up booking a flight for $488 with bags and online check in. I was planning a bike tour and needed to bring slightly more than my cary on would permit. My total price was Total amount passenger $488.06. To put things in perspective, in 2004 I flew to Naples for $875. .In 2006 I paid $710 for the same flight On 2011 the flight cost $762.
Air Italy is a division of Meridiana. This is the same company that operated Eurofly USA several years ago.
I highly recommend Scott’s Cheap Flights and feel the $32 per year to get al their updates is well worth it. My blog is not commercial and I get no remuneration from them.
Here is their web site https://scottscheapflights.com
Here is a sample fare to Rome from Miami, non stop also.
La Canonica, Catania Sicily a great ristorante.
My wife Angela took this one at La Canonica in Catania Sicily. Angela has a great eye for composition.
My eye heads for food. Antapasti is my desire when we are in Italy.
I can not remember how many times I have consumed Pasta Alla Norma. My favorite from Sicily. Egg plant ( melanazanie) and salted ricotta plus tomatoes and some spices make this a favorite of mine.
Of course, seafood is plentiful on the island.
I highly recommend this ristorante. We enjoyed the food and the service. In the center of Catania. Just off Via Vittorio Emanuele.
Help Support Hungry Children
I have never tried to monetize this blog and I do not intend to. Life is good in retirement and now I try to pay back and pay it forward.
That said, please consider a donation to the PAN FLORIDA CHALLENGE. This is a 200 mile ride I will be doing next week from Naples, Fl back to my home town of Vero Beach, FL.
Consider the following:This is our mission. Our creed. And our battle cry. Call it our manifesto –It moves us. Hunger in Florida’s children is solvable. It’s doable and we are the ones doing it. Here and now. Today. And we are not too few. We are thousands already. And we are starting a movement. The Pan-Florida Challenge to end childhood hunger. This is a call for you and thousands of others just like you to join us. End hunger in our local kids with us. All together, once and for all, we will End Hunger in Florida’s children. We know how. We have cracked the code. And We have been doing it already. Join us.
WHAT WE BELIEVE.
If every child in Florida was fed, no local children would go hungry. Not one.
This is no longer a wish or a far-off dream. It’s here, today. For just such a time as this.We can solve this problem. It’s doable and we are doing it. We are the Pan-Florida Challenge. We are a movement – not another cause. We are on mission to get to No local kid hungry. Not one. This is our creed. And It moves us. How about you? Step up and become the hero to Florida’s next generation of kids who need you. Find your spot. We have been waiting for you. Great things will be done here. This is your chance of a lifetime. Step into your spot. Do something extraordinary. Become a hero to kids. Legends will be told about us all years from now.
Take the Pan-Florida Challenge. No Local Kids Hungry, Not One!
On Friday, March 10th, I will embark with several hundred other fund raisers on a ride acorss Florida, from Naples to Vero Beach. A two hundred mile challenge for mdy 75th birthday. My wife and I have donated to the cause. So have some wonderful friends who have helped me come close to my goal.
Please consider donating to the cause. One Hundred Per Cent goes to feeding children. All riders pay the cost of their ride and meals. If you would click on the link at the bottom of the page. Please enter my name Greg Speck which will help be get some credit for your kind donation. This goes in the search participants section.
The Pan Florida Challenge is 501 3 c non profit.
Thank you and keep on enjoying gregsitaly.blog
http://support.panfloridachallenge.org/site/TR?fr_id=1040&pg=entry
Monterosso Al Mare and Up the Coast
So many beautiful sights to see. I have been having some software problems, so sorry for the delay in posting.
A Quick boat ride to Monterosso Al Mare made for a nice day trip from Vernazza.
We were here in April and it was warm enough to enjoy the beach. Totally uncrowded at this time of year.
Perfect spot to unwind and relax from travel stress. Cinque Terre is best reached by rail. It is possible to drive, but parking and access is difficult. We parked up at the top of a hill in Vernazza, got a shuttle and then had two walk about half a mile to reach our hotel.
Fishing boats by the shore.
.
Places to shop and stroll.
Cinque Terre is definitely worth a visit. Plan ahead and avoid the peak travel periods of June through August.
We stayed an additional night in Santa Margherita and were able to take a boat trip to Portofino. A beautiful seaside village. Helps to be a bit on the rich side.
No margins here and these are 2007 Prices. But it is worth doing some window shopping in Portofino.
Seaside dining.
Beautiful view of the port area. There is much to do in the in the area from Portovenere to Santa Margherita Ligure is good for several days of exploration. This is a great place to visit, Hope you have the chance to visit and enjoy all the attractions. Next time I will bring my hiking gear and explore all the trails. Ciao
