After leaving Positano and the Amalfi Coast, we wanted to make our way up to Rome. We chose to use Italy Limousine again for a pickup at our hotel and transfer. However, along the way is the ancient Roman city of Pompeii so Italy Limousine also helped to arrange for a tour guide to take us for an hour and a half visit through this archeological site buried in volcanic ash by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D.
Our guide, Costanza, was terrific and was able to take us into the site very quickly using the “guide line” and then to the more remote places of this city (it is much bigger than you probably imagine); all while strolling around the streets pointing out details we would not have found in a guidebook. One in particular was a “sign” carved into the cobble stone street pointing the way to the brothel. It was a, let us say, slightly risqué depiction of a body part which only became obvious as she poured her bottled water over it highlighting the male feature – and immediately drawing a crowd of giggling visitors around snapping photos.
You could easily spend an entire day exploring the streets of Pompeii, and our guide did a great job of taking us through the highlights of the brothels, homes, baths, statues and relics – including talking to a team of archeology students in Italian about what they were excavating on that particular day. All in the short amount of time we had available before we had to continue on to Rome.
We do want to mention when you are trying to see so many areas of Italy as we did, you have to make some choices on where to spend your time – and we only allowed for two days in Rome. It would be quite easy to spend three or four days in Rome enjoying the evenings; going on the Scavi Tour or night tour of the Crypts and Catacombs; or simply visiting every sight, museum and religious area in more depth. Given our timeframe, our goal was to see as much of the city as we could.
In Rome, we selected the Corso 281 Luxury Suites and were very pleased. They have accommodations for a family of four (as well as smaller rooms) and the location is right in the center of town leading up to the Piazza Venezia and the impressive Altare della Patria (sometimes referred to as the “wedding cake” due to its white stone and architecture). The hotel is also in walking distance of most of the key areas of Rome. We would best describe the rooms (as the French might say) as a pied-a-terre or “foot of earth” – meaning the rooms are smaller but very well appointed and provide you a place to rest your head in the heart of the city.
Our first activity was a night tour of the Vatican Museum and Sistene Chapel. Given our location, we decided to make the twenty-minute walk and pick up dinner along the way. On advice from a friend, we chose to go a bit of off the main street and visit Antico Forno Roscioli. This is a popular stop for locals for pizza and bakery items which you then enjoy standing in the street; or sitting on one of the stoops; or around the corner on the stairs of the church. The pizza is amazing and there is something uniquely Italian about enjoying casual food outside between the beautiful buildings.
Afterwards, it was on to our night tour of the Vatican. A quick note, we found out after booking our trip, the following day of our visit to Rome (Saturday) was the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul. Peter and Paul are the patron saints of Rome; making this day a holiday for the entire city – but not any of the other cities in Italy. This presented us with a few scheduling challenges (we had to do the Vatican tour on that Friday night – and we could not do the After-Hours Crypt and Catacombs Tour which we wanted to do the next day). However, when life gives you lemons (or in this case a holiday), it also gives you an opportunity to find some amazing things to do specific to that event. Travel Tip – we often run into special events during our trips but rather than fighting against them, we always recommend trying to see how you can make those events part of your trip (like the Palio in Siena).
The one downside of the holiday is the Vatican was going to be closed both Saturday and Sunday which meant the night tour of the Vatican was far more crowded than usual- almost double. This made it extremely hot (with no air conditioning) and often claustrophobic. It was one of the least enjoyable tours we have ever done – not because of the sights – but rather the heat; the crowd; and how our tour company handled those two issues. Given this was an anomaly we will not disclose the tour company we used – but we are also not going to recommend them. Our only recommendation is to try to find a very small, intimate tour company if you can – to move more at your desired pace through this amazing place.
After our three-hour tour (and four bottles of ice-cold water), we stopped in for some gelato to take with us on our walk back. Travel Tip – if you are visiting Italy in the summer months, it is all about maximizing your time at night. Every city we visited was amazing at night whether you are simply strolling along the River Tiber or stopping in for food and drinks at a restaurant. Try to allow for time to wander during these less crowded and cooler hours.
And while the holiday may have made our Vatican tour overly crowded, we knew the night before the Feast was a special place in St. Peters Square which is already magical at night. Part of the festival includes the “Flowers in the Square” where teams of masters (infioritori) make large square mosaics out of flowers, sand and stones. Watching them work into the night with large spotlights as they line the streets of Via della Conciliazione with beautiful (yet temporary) paintings was a great way to end the evening.
Life is all about balance. If our tour the night before was crowded, our private tour the next day was one of our best of the trip; with the aptly named “Best Rome Driver”. After a quick breakfast, our guide and driver Michael arrived at 11:00 am with an air-conditioned (yay!!) limo van. And we cannot say enough about how great this tour was – so much so, we are buying the tour for my parents as a gift for their upcoming trip.
Michael knew all the back alleys, access points, parking spots and more to visit all the major sights of the city. There are almost too many to mention but we will try – Colosseum, Constantine Arch, Circus Maximus, Palatine Hill, Aventino Hill (and the Secret Key Hole), Giardino degli Aranci, Bocca della Verita, Piazza Venezia, Campidoglio and the Forum, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Sant’Angelo and Castel Sant’Angelo, Camp de Fiori, St Peter Square, Giancolo Hill and even on to the ancient aquaducts.
Travel Tip – if you are visiting the Secret Key Hole in Aventino Hill, it is very hard to get the photo right with an iPhone. Using a telephoto lens produces the best result for capturing this image.
At every location, Michael knew exactly where to go so we could get out of the van right in front and then we had as much or as little time as we wanted to explore each area. He even dropped us right at the top of the Spanish Steps so we could descend them; enjoy the view of the obelisk; fill up our water bottle from the fountain and then hop right back into an air conditioned van where he met us with perfect timing.
He also provided history of Rome at each stop – like the obelisk on the Spanish Steps and how there are more obelisks in Rome than any other country including Egypt. Apparently, as the Romans encountered the Egyptians, they had expected to find them to be behind in terms of art, culture, architecture, clothing, etc. Instead, they found they were masters in these areas and the Romans began adopting many of their architectural styles throughout the country – and even transported many of the obelisks to the city of Rome.
By the end of the day, we had seen more of Rome than we could have ever expected in a single day. And we knew from researching the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul there would be fireworks that evening at the Piazza del Popolo to celebrate. Our hotel (Corso 281) was kind enough to reserve us a table right along the piazza so we were able to enjoy dinner and drinks while the piazza filled with residents – and then one of the longest fireworks displays we have seen was shown right over the square making for an evening we will not soon forget.
Again, it would be easy to spend two more days in Rome but for us, it was time to head to Tuscany. As we mentioned in our Getting Around or Driving post, Tuscany is in the countryside, so a rental car was the most convenient option for the rest of our trip. So, we had pre-arranged for a taxi to pick us up from RomeCabs at 9:00 and take us to the Avis rental at the Rome Termini. From there it was on to Tuscany and Florence.
For notes on our entire trip to Italy, here is our two-week Itinerary. And, if you are just starting to plan your trip, we have created four “how to” guides – Planning, Preparing and Packing, Getting Around and Driving and finally Once You Arrive.
We also have detailed notes for each individual destination for Positano, the Amalfi Coast and Capri; Rome and Pompeii; Tuscany, Siena and Florence; the Palio di Siena; Venice and Lake Como. We would love to hear if you found any of these pages and notes helpful – or if you have any feedback you would recommend for other travelers.
