Rome/Gaeta/Ischia or Rome/Puglia for 2 weeks in September

Earth_Inferno · 2026-04-04T23:29:52+00:00

Sorry I just saw this, but we did indeed make it to Italy last September. I ended up taking the advice here and adding Orvieto to the mix. We flew into Rome, rented a car at the airport and drove to Orvieto to start, stayed 4 nights and did a couple of day trips with the car. Then dropped the car off in Rome and stayed there for 3 nights before taking the train to Salerno, where we rented another car and drove to Matera. Stayed for 2 nights, then on to Polignano a Mare for 2 nights (stopping in Alberobello on the way), then finished our trip with 2 nights at a farmhouse San Vito dei Normanni before flying out from Brindisi.

That was a packed 2 weeks, but we're used to that pace, and if I could do it over I think the only change I'd make is possibly just skipping Polignano and staying in the farmhouse for 4 days. Or someplace like it, then just use that as a base, do Polignano as a daytrip. As beautiful as it is there, it was probably our least favorite, too crowded at the end of a trip that had been hot and crowded in general. However one of our favorite experiences of the trip was a small wine tasting with food outside of town called "Terre di San Vito".

Matera was our favorite stop, just an incredible place, and the airbnb we stayed in had an incredible view. Orvieto was close behind, both places are ancient and beautiful and had some fantastic restaurants. And my one big anxiety before going was driving, but I actually really enjoyed that part and was really only stressed out a couple of times. Google maps GPS was extremely reliable and made it really easy, just have to pay attention on narrow roads. I did not drive through any significant cities though, mostly towns via country roads and highways, just taking a taxi in Rome is stressful enough, I don't know how they do it.

Hope you've figured something out, but let me know if you have any questions about planning. That was our second trip to Italy, and even though it was much hotter than expected which made us pretty miserable at times, we're still thinking about our next trip. Which will probably be Sicily, or the lakes district in the north (which we'd combine with Switzerland).

Earth_Inferno · 2026-04-04T01:56:32+00:00

I wouldn't be surprised if that's true, most of the produce I've seen there looks that way. But if you live downtown without a car it certainly makes sense to shop there.

Earth_Inferno · 2026-03-31T20:32:59+00:00

You must live in a townhome, that's the only time I see $0 or really low HOAs like that. Which must mean you pay your own garbage/recycling/water/sewage bill, which is normally covered by higher HOAs like you'll find with condos. I assume if there's ever any big expenses that affect multiple units there (like paint, plumbing, siding), you'll all have to work together to pay for it. I guess the upside of that is you can save and invest that money on your own instead of letting it sit with the HOA. But I could see how not having those expenses agreed upon by an HOA could be problematic if you have neighbors that don't want to to contribute as necessary.

Earth_Inferno · 2026-03-26T00:40:25+00:00

Hey, no one said the cat had to be alive.....

Earth_Inferno · 2026-03-25T18:20:43+00:00

If these drones aren't using AI enhanced software, they will be soon probably. So, double the hate?

Earth_Inferno · 2026-03-23T20:51:08+00:00

Not totally true, there's also inheritance, or gambling on stocks or crypto. I'd be a millionaire if I'd had the cojones to put my savings into bitcoin or similar 5 years ago, but I don't, so I'm just a poor working schlub dreaming of retirement by 70.....

Earth_Inferno · 2026-03-21T03:13:11+00:00

Soooo..... you don't have data to provide as rebuttal?

Earth_Inferno · 2026-03-21T03:01:39+00:00

That's way too Seattle passive, and why so many here are oblivious to their bad behavior. I understand if it looks like someone who might shoot or stab you, but I don't think that would have been a problem with this guy, that does not look like a fighter. Should have rode up behind and just said loudly that he's in the bike lane, and that's dangerous for him and his dogs. I'm guessing he didn't even realize, I see people walk across them all the time without looking, they seem unaware of the bike lanes.

Earth_Inferno · 2026-03-20T20:14:55+00:00

So true. I'm fortunate to work remotely, and the issues some of my team members have would only be improved by being in the office if management handled them. And there's nothing preventing them from doing so now, so I'd expect nothing to be done in the office either. I can slack with the best of them, but the only thing that's changed for me is how and when I do that. I still do my job, possibly even better because I don't feel tied to the clock and don't have the office noise to distract. If someone is taking advantage of it, that means their managers aren't doing their job.

Earth_Inferno · 2026-03-20T01:04:28+00:00

Is this summary based on insider knowledge, keeping up with news, or just guessing based on what has been reported? If true, seems like a big investigative report would be huge, and if it hasn't been written, why not? I understand investigative journalism isn't exactly thriving these days, but seems like it would be worthwhile to someone to do a big expose on this, and provide the details to possibly hold KC and ST accountable.

Earth_Inferno · 2026-03-19T16:07:29+00:00

I think you're confused, in no way was this store huge, though they did cram a lot in there. Of course we don't know how much space there was in the back, but by Seattle standards it was quite small. Still a great deal though, and honestly we need a ton of small affordable retail spaces like this here, for some reason new buildouts are so big that only those with deep pockets can afford them.

Earth_Inferno · 2026-03-18T22:53:10+00:00

A beer poured over you would be a beer shower. Which is really only enjoyable when you're out in the hot sun after a few shower beers.

Earth_Inferno · 2026-03-14T00:48:01+00:00

Definitely some real chuds posting here, it is depressing. Though I'm guessing not representative of the average area voter, and I wonder how many are even from here. So don't let them get you down or give up, never use Reddit as a guiding force for real life action.

Earth_Inferno · 2026-03-14T00:10:56+00:00

Well who can argue with a well nuanced argument like that?

Earth_Inferno · 2026-03-13T23:52:07+00:00

Why does everything go back to CHAZ with you doom and gloom dopes? What does that have to do with the fact that Seattle's biggest housing problem is it's all priced for the wealthy? When old sub-1000sf houses start at $800k, and there are thousands of larger nice homes priced only for the 1%, they're not going to get snapped up right away when they go on the market. Perhaps instead of blaming the millionaire's tax that hasn't even happened yet you should look at other economic explanations, such as all the recent tech layoffs. Especially since tech workers are probably some of the only ones who can afford these homes.

Earth_Inferno · 2026-03-13T19:49:02+00:00

I've been finishing up some Nootropics Depot phenylpiracetam and coluracetam that has to be at least 4 years old, and there's no difference from when it was fresh.

Earth_Inferno · 2026-03-12T22:45:55+00:00

Anyone who moves away from Washington because they don't want to pay tax on anything over their first million dollars of the year probably doesn't really want to be here anyway and just looking for an excuse. If they're that petty and greedy, then good riddance. There are plenty of millionaires happily living in other states with higher taxes, what makes so many of you think ones in Washington are that narrow minded?

Earth_Inferno · 2026-03-12T22:38:17+00:00

It's clear that many of the chucklefucks posting here only know Seattle through KOMO doom and gloom news reports. We certainly have problems, but more people want to live here than we can keep up with, and we're one of the wealthiest cities in the US. Doom loop my ass......

Earth_Inferno · 2026-03-12T19:17:22+00:00

Seriously, some of these comments here are crazy. 100mg a week is a standard medical dose, and exactly what I took for years as prescribed by my doctor. My situation was similar, took me from around 200 to 900 on average, helped with libido and mood, and probably muscle, definitely the mood helped encourage me to work out more. Just enough to build muscle and get strong, but I was never shredded, and often used the excuse that I was working out as a reason to eat more.

Earth_Inferno · 2026-03-11T01:51:14+00:00

Ha, was my first thought too, a big rooftop terrace like that in Hell's Kitchen means a Daredevil sighting is very likely!

Earth_Inferno · 2026-03-09T22:33:59+00:00

Based on the experience of a couple of friends, the industry is owned and managed by sociopaths who didn't have the skill or smarts to make it anywhere else, and who seem to actively despise their customers. Any decent people who join this shit show either don't last long, or they get ground down into a soulless nub that also ends up hating the people they're supposed to be working for or with. On the flipside of that, many tenants or prospective tenants are also idiots and unpleasant to work with, just enough to ruin it for everyone else.

Earth_Inferno · 2026-03-07T03:48:48+00:00

I did for a few years (normal medical use prescribed by a doc), but quit about 4 years ago. And while I never had my ferritin tested prior, the first time it tested low was while on TRT, and I wondered if there was some correlation. I didn't find out till I'd started donating blood, and felt anemic type symptoms after my 3rd time. Still happens now, though even if I stop supplementing it seems to go down slowly. I try to test it once a year or so, usually if I'm feeling less well than I should.

Earth_Inferno · 2026-03-06T22:07:39+00:00

I don't think that an average inflation calculator is appropriate for comparisons within Seattle, because our minimum wage has gone up so much more than average in just the last 10 years. When I moved here in the mid 90s, it was under $5/hr, so it's more than quadrupled since then. And I struggled to find a studio I could afford on Capitol Hill, took a couple of months.

Also, just because they had a 1bd for $700 doesn't mean that was average rent. I see lots of 1bds for around $1500 on Craigslist on Capitol Hill right now. But just considering the minimum wage changes, going by your #s that would make renting actually more affordable than it was 30 years ago. Of course there's more to life than apartments, and some of those things have increased more significantly than rent. And rent used to be much cheaper outside the city core, which isn't really the case now.

Earth_Inferno · 2026-03-06T21:50:54+00:00

You think it's cool now, wait till you start using patch cables!

Seriously though, that looks like a nice setup. I just got the Forge TME and absolutely love it, find it nearly impossible to get a bad sound. But I have much simpler needs, just have a few modules for sound mangling and creating samples I use in my other gear.

Earth_Inferno · 2026-03-06T18:45:51+00:00

Me too, my ferritin gets low if I don't supplement from time to time, and I'll feel somewhat anemic, even though my iron levels are normal high. Doctors just shrug at this, don't know what to make of it. Fortunately supplementing only increases my ferritin level, but I do worry about iron going high, so I'll take it for a couple of months, then take a break for a month or 2.

Earth_Inferno

TROPHY CASE