Hotel Grand Minerva

... late when it arrived in Hyderabad - and it was much more respectable time - 9.30am.  Was met without difficulty and taken to the Minerva Grand - which is quite Grand.  We had the rest of the morning to ourselves, shower, etc. and had arranged to ...

... the shops lining the piazza open their basements to reveal Roman ruins!  Flanking one end of the piazza is the Tiempo di Minerva, which is now a church called the Santa Maria Sopra Minerva.  We slipped inside this church for a quick view of its ...

... a neighborhood full of old world charm and beautiful views. We arrived at our hotel on a side street off the main road, The Hotel Minerva Palace (my review with pictures is posted). My entire stay there was enjoyable. By the second/third day it was very ...

... re walking through the tight streets of Florence and suddenly, there is this HUGE structure before you with the most grand carvings decorating both statuaries and facade, paintings above the three massive doors, tri color marble detailing every hand ...

... stern.  But good news -- it wasn't cold out. As the fog lifts a bit I see we are stern to stern with the Minerva II from Swan Hellenic Lines.   We took the free Casa Mario shuttle to old town and browsed their fine over-priced leather ...

... Venice at 8:30am after our wonderful night train experience.  We dropped our bags at the hotel, grabbed a cappuccino and then took the boat down the Grand Canal through the middle of Venice to Piazza San Marco (the main tourist square).  Venice ...

... an internet cafe to write home. That done, the girls I was with decided to do some sunbathing/people watching on the Temple of Minerva stone steps. I couldn't take the sun so I headed back to the hotel. One the way back, I ducked into a souvenir shop ...

... 40min so we were a little off schedule by the time we arrived in Rome.    Upon arrival we transferred to our hotel the Grand Hotel Parco dei Principi for a lunch buffet. After lunch we re-boarded the bus for a driving tour or Rome and once ...

... guards outside. The surrounding valleys with the volcanoes also looked very good by day. We checked out of the hotel and grabbed a taxi back to the Minerva bus terminal to go towards our next destination. When I had been planning this leg of the ...

... fixed price, and they serve whatever they have decided for the day. Christina say, "cooking just like my mummas'". Santa Maria Sopra Minerva was worth it for the simple vaulted nave. It is one of the few Gothic buildings in Rome, and the nave is ...

... could hold on, while they leaned over to be sick!  Built slightly higher, the capitol (dedicated to Juno, Jupiter and Minerva) is dated approx AD 218.  Storks’ nests sat high on the top of the reconstructed columns in the basilica and ...

...   so it withstood the ravages of time. Some are not as obvious, like the Duomo in Ortygia, where the Temple to Minerva can be seen incorporated within its walls. The influence of its occupiers is most obvious in its architecture. Many churches have ...

... that crap. I stumble down the grand canal quite surreally (is that word), and just as i am about to give up i happen upon the hotel minerva. There I run into, who I think is Marco (the owner) and tell him the whole story. He very kindly offers me wine. I ...

Woke up during the night with a runny nose and sore throat.  In the morning it was worse.  Didn't each much for breakfast because it was unappetising and I wasn't in the mood.  Need some food though to have something for the tablets to ...