Perfume shopping in Positano.

Tumbling recklessly down a steep side of the Amalfi Coast, Positano is one of the most picturesque places in the world. Arriving by ferry, you are greeted by orange and green umbrellas and a school of brightly colored kayaks.

Wind your way up the hillside along the cobblestone alleyways and you'll discover some of the most charming shops in Southern Italy. Antiques, estate jewelry, beautiful stemware, kitchen shops, and clothing stores galore.

Follow the main street all the way to top of the hill. If you're not dressed like an American tourist, you can pop into the legendary Le Sirenuse for a cocktail. On the left side of the street, past the hotel, there's an antiques store with lots of treasures spilling out onto the sidewalk. Profumi di Positano is next door.

Finding the best deals on hotelscombined.com.

As a rule, we don't like paying for hotels in advance. Plans change, and though -- given enough notice -- most reservations are refundable, the last thing we want to do is track down refunds.

That's why we like www.booking.com. It represents more than 60,000 hotels worldwide, charges no booking fees, and doesn't require prepayment. You use a credit card to guarantee your reservation and pay at the hotel. It's especially good for Europe, and the user reviews and rating system are helpful.

In the past, we used the check prices feature on www.tripadvisor.com to make sure the price was comparable, or better, than Expedia, Hotels.com, etc. But these days, more players are entering the market, and trip advisor doesn't track them all.

Fortuny's fabulous Venetian lamps and scarves available online.

Venice is always new. No matter how many times you return, there's always something fantastic across the next bridge or campo. If you love to shop, or just window shop, Venice is out of this world.

Fine paper, brilliant Murano glass chandeliers, gorgeous antiques and paintings, and fabulous masks are just some of the temptations. But our favorite is the exquisite creations of turn-of-the-century artist Mariano Fortuny.