tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-131633442011-06-08T07:06:32.115+02:00AS WE ALL LIVE IN ROME AND TRAVEL AROUND THE COUNTRY AND OTHER PARTS OF EUROPE EXTENSIVELY, SO WE PUBLISH THIS BLOG TO GIVE YOU THE INSIDERS VIEW OF ITALY AS WELL AS SOME NEW FINDS AND OLD HAUNTS TO GIVE YOU SOME INSIGHTS AND SOME HELPFUL INFORMATION FOR YOUR NEXT TRIP...ITALY ACCOMhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16104860676113985907noreply@blogger.comBlogger301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-46448791055284275342008-03-16T17:47:00.004+01:002008-11-13T13:07:36.916+01:00

For all the runners out there, here's a photo of today's Rome Marathon race as it passes near our office ....The winner at a time of 2:09:36 was Ken Kemboi Chelimo of Kenya. The women's winner with a new record time was Souad Ait Salem from Algeria at a time of 2:25:07.

jill Kammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12533660350101131467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-37000728191866281542008-02-16T17:22:00.000+01:002008-11-13T13:07:37.138+01:00

The winter months on the Sorrentine Peninsula and the Amalfi Coast is known to be very quiet and some say, don't go, it's all closed, so on a very sunny February weekend we decided to take a drive down to Meta di Sorrento to stay in one of our properties Apartment Sunset and take some photos and see for ourselves just how closed it is in February.We arrived in Meta at lunch time as planned with

jill Kammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12533660350101131467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-3058618095709461382008-01-17T13:37:00.003+01:002008-03-16T14:01:23.079+01:00

TV cameras filmed half a million colored balls cascading down Rome's 18th Century - Spanish Steps, in the most recent stunt by the man who dyed the waters of the Trevi Fountain red, Graziano Cecchini. The balls rolled down the steps into the boat-shaped Barcaccia fountain in Piazza di Spagna below in a spectacle that stunned passers-by, who snapped photos and scooped up the balls as

jill Kammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12533660350101131467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-43327586746588134402007-11-18T12:30:00.000+01:002007-11-18T12:45:10.146+01:00

Da Oio A Casa Mia is where you go to enjoy true Roman cuisine in a completely unpretentious atmosphere in the Testaccio quarter of Rome, an old working class zone just across the river from Trastevere, you may find it a little rough and ready in the service department - but this just adds to the authenticity of a real Roman location... you'll eat the most wonderful Roman delights here such as

jill Kammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12533660350101131467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-80314200201639490152007-11-15T13:26:00.000+01:002007-11-18T12:30:46.076+01:00

Now Rome is... as most people know, an incredibly beautiful historic city, but cool, modern and hip?..... it's hard to find, it's just not Rome's thing .... so when you happen upon a fabulous new cool cafe, cocktail bar, it's worth talking about. Il Baretto has just opened on via Garibaldi on the way up to the Gianicolo Hill from Trastevere. It's just a 5-10 minute walk up from John Cabot

jill Kammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12533660350101131467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-1165790706250947852006-12-10T23:37:00.000+01:002007-11-10T15:17:40.123+01:00

When inspecting the beach side properties of Dario in Cefalù, we happened to get onto the topic of our next destination, Siracusa, Dario insisted that we must eat at his favorite Da Mariano, we naturally made out to find it as soon as we arrived, never to give up the chance of eating well... we were welcomed by Mariano himself, who sat us at one of the outdoor tables that line the narrow street.

jill Kammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12533660350101131467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-1165322076460473322006-12-05T12:11:00.000+01:002007-11-10T15:10:58.938+01:00

I visited a wonderful location in Umbria today, only an hour from my home in the historic centre of Rome - Castello delle Regine, (Castle of the Queens) a 400 hectare wine & olive estate, with restaurant, 17 apartments located in various locations over the estate, 3 swimming pools, tennis court and the tranquility and views you wouldn't imagine were possible only an hour from Rome. (soon to be

jill Kammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12533660350101131467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-1164198936367236502006-11-22T13:31:00.001+01:002007-11-10T15:18:47.308+01:00

It seemed as though winter simply did not want to arrive in Italy this year. On the last weekend in October the beaches near Rome were full of Roman's that were enjoying a beautiful sunny and warm day a the sea. Rome is famous for its Ottobrata Romana - the Roman October which can be described as an Indian Summer but these glorious sunny, warm autumn days rarely ever go all the way through to

jill Kammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12533660350101131467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-1162336806364280492006-11-01T00:05:00.000+01:002007-11-10T15:20:16.251+01:00

It's the second last day of the October and we find ourselves on a near deserted beach, the sun is shining hot and the water is warm enough to swim, it's as close to perfect as you could ask for, we have found the Feniglia sandbar a Nature Reserve just 3 km from Porto Ercole on the Argentario.The reserve is open to pedestrian or bicycle traffic only and has a magnificent flat pine forest,

jill Kammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12533660350101131467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-1162380436585731882006-10-31T12:05:00.000+01:002007-11-10T15:21:24.036+01:00

If you are driving up to the Maremma region from Rome, you must stop at this roadside shop for a panino, forget stopping at an Autogrill ! Each time we passed this tiny shop we noticed a dozen cars or more lined up, so something in there had to be good. We finally stopped on our way up this weekend to find delicous and inexpensive local produce. The highlight though is the rolls and sandwiches

jill Kammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12533660350101131467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-1162335886869638812006-10-30T23:40:00.000+01:002007-11-10T15:22:10.994+01:00

The beautiful Maremma region in Tuscany is an area of Italy we - personally - are just discovering. We've had a few weekends in the area, both on the Argentario in Porto Ercole and as a guest of one of our proprietors further inland in Marsiliana to inspect properites, but we didn't really spend enough time here to understand what it has to offer. We have taken a winter rental for the weekends

jill Kammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12533660350101131467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-1159740932396317802006-10-01T23:59:00.000+02:002007-11-10T15:31:17.079+01:00

If you're fortunate to be in Rome on the first Sunday of the month, this antique market is a wonderful place to stroll for a few hours, of course you'll only have room for the smaller items in your suitcase, but there's plenty of interesting small objects there - like small picture frames, jewlery, nick nacks, books etc... Today I found a brand new guide book for Italy from 1955 which was a

jill Kammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12533660350101131467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-1159739300536798692006-10-01T23:42:00.000+02:002007-11-10T15:36:26.911+01:00

If you're in Rome with your husband, lover, or even your best friend - go to the lovers bridge, Ponte Milvio - one of Romes older bridges that spans the Tiber River near the football stadium. Roman lovers and bosom buddies buy a simple lock, write on their names, eg: Dario and Marzia then lock it up to the chain and throw the key into the river to symbolize their friendship for life. The chain

jill Kammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12533660350101131467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-1159605602884220682006-09-21T10:37:00.000+02:002007-11-11T01:02:28.866+01:00

Ask a Sicilian concierge or tourist office for information on getting to the Eolian islands, the main response I received was, "don’t worry the ferrys run - all the time, just turn up at the port", as we are all so used to buying tickets for just about everything on line, it felt a little uncertain leaving it till we got there, but as it turned out it’s true, no need to book in advance. When

jill Kammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12533660350101131467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-1159529204048260242006-08-24T22:15:00.000+02:002007-11-10T15:38:18.753+01:00

Well, the summer is almost over and I’ve been working on the new Paris site between trips down to Positano and up to Umbria. I’ve been very fortunate to have had help from my daughter Ava who is a confirmed Francophile at 18 years and thank goodness she speaks pretty good French, so she is accompanying me on this trip to help out and do all the talking, we even managed a trip up to Montmartre

jill Kammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12533660350101131467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-1159536881229115712006-08-17T15:34:00.000+02:002007-11-10T15:39:24.671+01:00

This August as mentioned in my blog on Casa Sara, our family ended up in Positano for our summer break, this was not our fist choice as we normally try to find the most tranquil of places, however having teenage daughters the choice is no longer soley ours and if we are to actually get our girls to come with us, then we have to swing their way. So we reluctantly agreed to spend time in Positano

jill Kammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12533660350101131467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-1159536849259074052006-08-15T14:33:00.000+02:002007-11-10T15:42:18.428+01:00

This August we had the great fortune to stay for our second time in Casa Sara in Positano. Our family has fond memories of our first stay back in June 05 and I think most of you will agree, when you repeat a holiday it doesn't always quite cut it the second time around - I am pleased to say that I now know for certain that I can repeat this experience as often as I can make it down to Positano

jill Kammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12533660350101131467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-1159525365987140842006-06-03T11:41:00.000+02:002007-11-10T15:40:02.694+01:00

After years of refining our product Italy-Accom, we're making the leap beyond the borders and beginning Paris-Accom, the first of many French accom sites ---- in our sights? Many of our clients have been in touch over the years asking if we can arrange an apartment for them in other European cities, so its a natural progression for us to move ahead with this project, the first of many European

jill Kammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12533660350101131467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-1162477639877947822006-04-20T14:41:00.000+02:002007-11-10T15:45:57.232+01:00

When our family planned our last Easter holiday, there was the usual family debate deciding where we to go. Finally everybody voted on Nice; so, I commenced the process of pouring over many websites looking for an apartment, that might suit our family of four.We were looking for a short-term apartment but after many hours of internet surfing, I just couldn't seem to find a website that could

jill Kammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12533660350101131467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-1129639810219651622005-10-18T14:23:00.000+02:002007-11-10T15:48:27.342+01:00

Undoubtedly the most luxurious serviced apartment complex in Venice (and probably the only one!) We had the pleasure of staying there for the weekend in the apartment "Bucintoro", a two bedroom, 1 & half bath apartment on the fifth floor of this restored grain mill on the island of Giudecca. This apartment towers over Venice with the most beautiful views over Dorsoduro and the Giudecca canal.

jill Kammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12533660350101131467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-1129638049829558922005-10-18T14:13:00.000+02:002007-11-10T15:46:54.994+01:00

A new discovery for me is Traghetto in Venice, I had always used the bridges when going from one side to the other of the Grand Canal - these - as anyone who has stayed in Venice will know can sometimes be quite out of the way, but a recent trip with a friend in tow for company taught me something so useful and fun. There are seven points on the grand canal - in between the bridges - with a

jill Kammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12533660350101131467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-1129637551809983082005-10-18T14:10:00.001+02:002007-11-10T15:49:36.927+01:00

Finding a good restaurant in Venice for those not "in the know" can be a little tricky, however on a recent trip I discovered a small book - A Guide to the Eateries of Venice by Michela Scibilia, when I realised that my own few favorites were included I bought it in view of my next Venice trip, I am writing this on the train on my way home from that trip and have to say it was a wonderful guide

jill Kammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12533660350101131467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-1129223808877386822005-10-13T19:10:00.000+02:002007-11-10T15:53:08.194+01:00

This is possibly one of the laziest blogs to date. I sent out an email to my friends asking them to name 2 things they love about Rome. This is a run down of what I got back:Via del Corso on Saturday afternoonsSuperfluous use of sunglasses and the superfluous use of mindless over flirtingThe dolci and the knitwear that, I can never afford.The Pantheon and the Forum. Oh...can I add ice cream?Love

Michael Nnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-1120680353996179532005-07-06T21:30:00.000+02:002007-11-10T15:52:06.847+01:00

Last weekend we had the good fortune of traveling to Tuscany to inspect one of our latest properties in the heart of Chianti - Rocca di Castagnoli. Possibly due to the fact that the Palio was on in Siena (only 30 minutes away) Chianti was a true paradise, hardly a soul to be found anywhere, and after a two week heatwave in Rome the signifcant drop in temperature in the countryside was a great

jill Kammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12533660350101131467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-1120575954567067112005-07-05T16:05:00.000+02:002006-11-01T13:02:51.623+01:00

After 10 years of being a tour director throughout Italy and Sicily - I really thought I knew every nook and cranny of this country, so just imagine my surprise when I "stumbled" on an absolute jewel of a town last weekend!We all know Tuscany is beautiful, no secret there. Its wine country is magnificent, its art cities (Lucca, Firenze, Siena, San Gimignano, to mention but a few) are amongst the

Angelinanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-1118590878871302902005-06-12T17:39:00.000+02:002007-11-10T15:51:04.755+01:00

Being fortunate enough to live in the absolute heart of Rome; any more central and our bed would be on the Spanish Steps; our office is located just five minutes on foot from our apartment - so sometimes when I indulge myself in the pleasure of taking that short walk as though it were the first time, I can momentarily forget that I had to wait ten minutes before the water in the shower turned

Leon Kammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10414757797103369843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-1118428201874264562005-06-10T20:02:00.000+02:002007-11-10T15:32:42.705+01:00

Yesterday in the vodafone shop in Rome, my daughter and I came accross 3 lovely Australian girls, all first time travelers who were nervously checking their phrase books for the right words -- needless to say, they couldn't find the phrase "I'd like to buy an Italian sim card please". Lucky them -- they were in earshot of our conversation and detected our Aussie accents and asked for help. For

jill Kammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12533660350101131467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-1118418291487759862005-06-10T16:42:00.000+02:002007-11-10T15:25:02.538+01:00

On my monthly journey to Florence, I found myself right on the edge of the historic centre for my first apartment inspection -- I go to Florence each month and think I know it pretty well - however - on checking my map for the location of the second apartment I had to inspect I figured on a 20 minute walk, I was surprised after 5 mins to be half way there standing in front of the magnificent

jill Kammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12533660350101131467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-1118414323725773772005-06-01T16:18:00.000+02:002007-11-10T15:24:16.031+01:00

I was in Florence today to inspect some new properties and am now definitely convinced that there are no signs directing you to the taxi stand. On my previous visits I have only ever discovered it by walking around the outskirts of the station until I found it, always arriving at the end of the very long queue -- so for anybody arriving by train in Florence in need of a taxi -- don't go to the

jill Kammerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12533660350101131467noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13163344.post-1117215922161268682005-05-27T19:42:00.002+02:002007-11-10T15:23:39.843+01:00

April 2005- St Peters- Announcement of the new Pope.An impromptu stroll down to St Peters resulted in being caught up in what is possibly the world’s biggest news event of the year. At least for the holy folk that is.It isn’t often that one gets to be a spectator at a historical religious moment.I must admit I did feel like I was part of the studio audience at a strange religious game show.

Michael Nnoreply@blogger.com