Bill-on-the-Hill

So with the trip done, here are a few capsule reviews of some of the outfits we dealt with. The meaning of the letter grades is:

• A: A really first-rate experience, with people who go the extra mile to help; strongly and unequivocally recommended. Not many outfits will get this grade. Note that I don't give A-pluses.
• B: Everything satisfactory, with some add-ons; recommended. Shortcomings allowed if they're less important than the advantages. You should do well if you use a service that I rate B, or even B-minus.
• C: Satisfactory but basic, they deliver what they promise but not much more; recommended in the absence of alternatives, but you can probably find something as good or better. This is a "normal" grade and should not be considered a putdown.
• D: Marginal. Services sufficient for the offered product exist, but with significant shortcomings that will affect the traveler. Not recommended.
• F: Failure. The advertised services flopped abysmally and could cause serious problems for the traveler. Not only not recommended; don't even think of using this outfit. (Note in advance that I didn't have any grade-F experiences on this trip.)

TOURS:

• Volcano Discovery: A. Might as well start with something getting top grades. These folks really do a terrific job and went well beyond what they promised. I recommend them highly.
• Viator: B. The Vesuvius/Pompeii tour was well done, and the guides contributed value. Would have been graded higher except for the English-language problems when we tried to check in via phone.
• MagmaTrek (Stromboli): C-plus. I found the climbing guide annoyingly condescending, but he did his job adequately, and it wasn't his fault that we couldn't go to the top, nor that I struggled on the ascent owing to poor fitness and lack of sleep.
• Etna guides: A-minus. Rosario was really excellent, and we had a far more interesting experience with him than we would have with a "generic" guide. Downgraded just a tiny bit for a tedious experience with the shuttle vehicles, but no big deal.
• Argiletum Tour (in Rome): B. Easy to use, the guide spoke good English and contributed value.

TRANSPORTATION:

• Delta Airlines: C. They got us there, they got us home, nothing notable. C-minus for the Frequent Flyer program, at least when it comes to cashing in miles, where it took a long time interacting with a complex web site and then a frustratingly clueless human. They do much better (B) on accumulating the miles, but what good are banked miles if you can't use them?
• AirOne (used for the Naples-Catania leg): B-minus. They worked well, ran on time, and were better than average about communicating what was going on.
• WindJet (Catania to Rome): D. Our flight was extremely late, with frustratingly little information on what was going on.
• TrenItalia (train from Rome to Naples): B-minus. Fast, clean, comfortable. Would have been a straight B except that we almost missed the train because of an unannounced change in where the train was boarding.
• COMEDAS (bus/limo service on Sicily): B-minus. Would have been at least a B if the driver on the last day hadn't got lost.
• SIREMAR (hydrofoil in the Aeolians): B. Fast, clean, reliable, and with one exception (out of 6 departures), remarkably punctual. They could do better about crowd control while boarding (WGMIL got rather buffeted in the process), but queuing doesn't seem like the Italian way...
• USTICA (another hydrofoil line): C-plus. Not much to distinguish them from SIREMAR, but the boat we took was considerably more beat up; not a safety concern, just a comfort/aesthetics one.

AIRPORTS AND TERMINALS:

• Albuquerque airport: A-minus. Probably the most "user-friendly" airport I've used in the USA; easy to navigate, comfortable waiting areas with some samples of New Mexico art, almost all employees are courteous, and there's a good restaurant (Garduno's) on site. Could use a better bookstore, but if you have to spend time in an airport, you can do far worse.
• Atlanta airport: C. It's ... there. Finding food other than junky fastfood can be difficult in some terminals and at some times.
• Rome airport: C-minus. Poor luggage handling, and checkin for international flights is cumbersome even compared to other international airports. On the plus side, access to the train to get to the downtown rail station is easy and convenient.
• Naples airport: C, I suppose. I don't remember much about it owing to the early hour, but that's probably a good thing...
• Catania airport: B-minus. Modern, clean, surprisingly spacious and comfortable. Could have used a few more amenities beyond the security checkpoint.
• Rome Termini and Naples Centrale train terminals: C. Ho hum...

HOTELS:

• Best Western Plaza Hotel, Naples: B-minus. Generally rather routine lodging and amenities, but the staff were helpful in dealing with various language barriers.
• Villa Diodato, Taormina: A. Most comfortable lodging we had on the trip, and giving us the freebie breakfast on the first day was much appreciated. This is a really nice place to stay.
• Hotel Conti, Vulcano: B-minus. Would have ranked a B, or even higher, except for the nasty mosquito problem. Marco didn't like the food, but it was quite adequate for our needs.
• Villaggio, Stromboli: A-minus. Comfortable, atmospheric, and the English-speaking staff went out of their way to help us with laundry, etc. The only complaint was mediocre food service, but there too they went out of their way to help, by opening it early on our departure day.
• Hotel Corsaro, Sapienza (Mount Etna): A-minus. A bit rustic, but courteous service and comfortable rooms.
• Airport Hilton, Rome: A-minus. Hideously expensive, but with amenities to match. The shuttle service into the heart of Rome was a boon.

ODDS AND ENDS:

• Pompeii: A. Everything you expect it to be, a real don't-miss experience.
• The Vesuvius: B. Interesting enough, but it could do without the stand selling tourist schlock at the top. We wish weather had allowed us to circumnavigate the crater, which was impossible owing to high winds.
• Teatro Greco (Taormina): B-minus. Interesting site, but the 20th-century construction superposed on the old ruins is jarring.
• Laghetto di Fanghi (mud baths on Vulcano): B-minus. A unique experience and well worth doing, but quite basic. Bring a spare swimsuit, as the one you use here will stink for weeks.
• Ruins on Panarea: C-plus. Probably of great interest only to the specialist (as we were), but an interesting diversion.
• Aeolian Museum on Lipari: B-minus. More "depth" than "breadth," easy to get overloaded by the seemingly endless array of amphorae and other artifacts, but if you like that kind of thing, it's spectacular.
• Summit of Etna: A-minus if you're a hiker, not appropriate if you're sedentary or don't like great outdoors.
• Valle del Bove: A. Same as for the summit, but even more spectacular, another one-of-a-kind experience.
• Roman Forum and environs: B-minus. I was strangely unimpressed by these ruins, possibly because we saw them late in the trip and were ready to go home...
• Colosseum: C-minus. Much like the other ruins; not as large and grand as I expected. Security here would make TSA at American airports blush, and it was really jarring. To me, a disappointment.

That's it for now. I'll add a section on restaurants when I can deduce/collect enough names to make it useful.