Jet lag is a funny thing; you think you're over it and then it takes you by surprise just when you least expect it. Our second night in Rome, we tossed and turned, and couldn't fall asleep until almost 3:00am, so of course we overslept! We woke up at 10:00am, had a quick snack, checked out of the hotel, and hurried out to squeeze in a visit to the Vatican before we left Rome. Our hopes of seeing the Sistine Chapel were dashed on the rocks by the sight of a mile-long line waiting to get in. So, instead, in the light drizzle, we opted to just peruse the piazza. The Vatcian's buildings are just incredible; enormous, ornately decorated, and awe-inspiring. I must return to Rome to see the Sistine Chapel. I'll share with you an incredible link on the Vatican website that shows the ceiling in all it's glory.
Here's the scoop:
• Museums are open at 9:00 am - 6:00pm
• admission €15.00 for adults, €8.00 for children 6-18; children under 6 are free
• buy your tickets ahead of time to avoid the hours-long wait
• Getting there: take Linea A (red line) and exit at Ottaviano-S. Pietro. Walk south on Via Ottaviano toward St. Peter's Square, about 5 minutes. If you are heading towards the Vatican Museum, turn right when you come to the Vatican Walls and follow the road, or head into St Peter's Square.
• Must-see things: Michelangelo's famous Creation of Adam fresco is in the Sistine Chapel, St Peter's Basilica and St. Peter's Square.
• Here’s the family tour;
• A virtual tour of the Sistine Chapel
After we returned to the hotel to collect our bags, we caught a taxi back to the airport to rent a car to drive to Florence. This ride cost €45, but we figured it would be faster and less schlepping than taking the train. Our driver (very charming Roman lady) dropped us off near the entrance to the terminal where Hertz was located. Not long afterward, we were making our way out of the airport onto the Roman "beltline", in a very nice upgraded car, equipped with GPS. Roman traffic is very speedy, but my husband, with some NYC and Caribbean driving experience, was able to get the hang of it pretty quickly. We took the exit for the A1 highway, which is a straight route all the way to Florence. Italians dive fast, and lanes can get a bit narrow, but the A1 is a very well-maintained and well-marked highway and it was a beautiful ride northwards up into the Tuscan mountains. Around 8:00pm, we checked into the B&B, and settled in to figure out the next day.
Monday, March 5, 2012
Thursday, March 1, 2012
Day 2: Whirlwind tour of Rome on a cloudy Sunday
After the wave of fatigue washed over us the night before after dinner at Harry's Bar, we woke up to the sound of birds chirping in the tree outside on Via Venetto Vittoria, and feeling well-rested. Starving, and in dire need of some protein, we gave in and headed upstairs to the top floor of the hotel where they served the breakfast buffet. Significantly overpriced, they agreed to charge us half-price for the kids. Although, the views of Rome were incredible in all directions through floor-to ceiling windows, so maybe we paid the price for that!
After breakfast, we set off on foot to the Spanish Steps. Sunday morning in Rome is beautiful and quiet, and the streets of the city center are closed off to traffic. My daughter took special note of the unusual shape of the canopies of the trees, which she compared to mushrooms! Walking along the street, we passed an orange tree--which was actually bearing fruit! We trekked up a few hills, and finally reached the Steps. There were maybe a few dozen people there, which was to our benefit for picture-taking. We're told that in the summer season, the area is so packed with people that you can't even see the steps below them. We then set off to the closest Metro station to take the train over to the Trevi Fountain.
You can hear the roar of the water before you even see it, and it truly is a sight to behold. It is a flamboyant and ornate collection of sculptures, which commands your attention for as long as you'll allow. Don't leave without tossing a coin over your shoulder into the fountain; it'll ensure that you return to Rome!
We made our way over to the Pantheon, with it's amazing coffered dome. The building is an incredible 2,000 years old, and it remains the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome. There's no better place to enjoy a Gelato than standing outside contemplating the enormous columns and pediment, wondering how the ancient Romans completed their architectural feats. These four hungry travelers soon realized that lunch was in order, and we were in need of something fast. Just down the street from the Pantheon, on Via del Seminario, we stumbled upon a little place called La Sagrestia. Cash only and family-owned, it is a little gem. The spaghetti carbonara was incredible; no cream in sight (so Americano!), just parmesan and the delicate flavor of bacon, and a dash of olive oil. The kids loved the thin-crust, four-cheese pizza. We finished off the meal with pannecotta drizzled with caramel, which was very white, with a light creamy consistency, just delectable.
Completely satisfied, we made our way over to the Colosseum. With the streets closed to traffic, we were able to wander along in the middle of the street, making for great picture-taking vantage points! The Colosseum is still majestic and grand, despite its slow descent into ruin. With sundown quickly approaching, we decided it was time to head back to the hotel. We had trekked miles and seen so much; it was time to rest up for tomorrow.
After breakfast, we set off on foot to the Spanish Steps. Sunday morning in Rome is beautiful and quiet, and the streets of the city center are closed off to traffic. My daughter took special note of the unusual shape of the canopies of the trees, which she compared to mushrooms! Walking along the street, we passed an orange tree--which was actually bearing fruit! We trekked up a few hills, and finally reached the Steps. There were maybe a few dozen people there, which was to our benefit for picture-taking. We're told that in the summer season, the area is so packed with people that you can't even see the steps below them. We then set off to the closest Metro station to take the train over to the Trevi Fountain.
You can hear the roar of the water before you even see it, and it truly is a sight to behold. It is a flamboyant and ornate collection of sculptures, which commands your attention for as long as you'll allow. Don't leave without tossing a coin over your shoulder into the fountain; it'll ensure that you return to Rome!
We made our way over to the Pantheon, with it's amazing coffered dome. The building is an incredible 2,000 years old, and it remains the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome. There's no better place to enjoy a Gelato than standing outside contemplating the enormous columns and pediment, wondering how the ancient Romans completed their architectural feats. These four hungry travelers soon realized that lunch was in order, and we were in need of something fast. Just down the street from the Pantheon, on Via del Seminario, we stumbled upon a little place called La Sagrestia. Cash only and family-owned, it is a little gem. The spaghetti carbonara was incredible; no cream in sight (so Americano!), just parmesan and the delicate flavor of bacon, and a dash of olive oil. The kids loved the thin-crust, four-cheese pizza. We finished off the meal with pannecotta drizzled with caramel, which was very white, with a light creamy consistency, just delectable.
Completely satisfied, we made our way over to the Colosseum. With the streets closed to traffic, we were able to wander along in the middle of the street, making for great picture-taking vantage points! The Colosseum is still majestic and grand, despite its slow descent into ruin. With sundown quickly approaching, we decided it was time to head back to the hotel. We had trekked miles and seen so much; it was time to rest up for tomorrow.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Day 1: A Roman holiday
The train brings you to Rome Termini Station, where we then took the Metro to the stop closest to our hotel. All told, though very convenient, it was quite a shuffle getting from the airport to the hotel using public transportation, so for next time I would probably just take a taxi.
When we emerged from the Spagna stop, we popped up just outside the walls of the old city. After a little back and forth to orient ourselves, we were within a stone's throw of the hotel. The hotel is in a beautiful building on a very nice street, within walking distance of the Spanish Steps. At this point, hunger began to take over, and realizing that most restaurants were in that in-between time of lunch and dinner (it was 6:00pm, and most restaurants start serving dinner around 7:00pm), we opted to go across the street to Harry's Bar. The service was friendly and attentive, the food was OK but on the pricey side. The drinks are probably what make this place an institution. Order a Negroni and you'll be in a vacation mindset, happily imbibed! After dinner, we were all exhausted, so time to rest up and get ready for Day 2.
Here's the scoop on the travel details:
1. FCO (Fiumicino Airport, Leonardo da Vinci International Airport)
Via dell'aeroporto di Fiumicino, 320
00054 Fiumicino Roma, Italia
06 65951
to Rome Termini
Leonardo Express (http://europeforvisitors.com/rome/transportation/leonardo-express.htm)
Rome Taxi (http://europeforvisitors.com/rome/transportation/rome-taxis.htm)
Go to Spagna stop, follow signs for Villa Borghese (parking?), walk through weird underground shopping area (past underground supermarket).
Metrebus (subway/bus) tickets: http://europeforvisitors.com/rome/transportation/rome-metrebus-tickets-and-fares.htm
Buy tickets
Go to Spagna stop, follow signs for Villa Borghese (parking?), walk through weird underground shopping area (past underground supermarket).
Metrebus (subway/bus) tickets: http://europeforvisitors.com/rome/transportation/rome-metrebus-tickets-and-fares.htm
Buy tickets
- Ticket counters in Metro stations (Have cash for this or buy from Tabachi, 24 hour pass is from midnight to midnight -- not a good deal for us! Single ticket is 1E)
Monday, February 13, 2012
The Itinerary for 10 days in Rome, Florence and Venice!
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| © Pictures of Rome courtesy of Rome.info |
DAY 1: Saturday afternoon, arrive in Rome. Take train to Marriott Grand Flora. Check-in, relax a little, head over to the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain.
DAY 2: Sunday. Since most museums are closed, and parts of the city are closed to traffic, we'll head over to the Colosseum.
DAY 3: Monday morning, visit the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. Afternoon, check out of the hotel, take the train back to the airport and pick up rental car. Drive to Florence, arrive in the early evening. Check into Fiorenza B&B on the outskirts of the city.
DAY 4: Tuesday, since we have the car, take a day trip to see the Leaning Tower of Pisa in the morning. Drive to San Gimignano and spend the afternoon.
DAY 5: Wednesday morning, take a quick 2-hour trip to one of the outlets (not sure if it will be The Mall or Barberino). Have lunch there, then drive back to Florence, return the car, and spend the rest of the afternoon wandering around Florence.
DAY 6: Thursday. A full day in Florence, starting with a visit to the Uffizi. If the kids can handle it, we'll visit the Duomo.
DAY 7: Friday, spend the morning in Florence. After lunch, check out of Fiorenza B&B, and head over to the train station to take the train to Venice. Arrive in Venice in the evening and check into Oltre il Giardino
DAY 8: Saturday. Take a trip over to Murano in the morning, spend the afternoon roaming around. Venice will be the "relaxing" part of the trip.
DAY 9: Sunday. We'll spend most of the day roaming around, with the requisite visit to Piazza San Marco.
DAY 10: Check out of Oltre il Giardino, and head over to the Venice airport to, sadly, fly back to New York.
So there it is! I'd welcome any comments, tips or suggestions, especially if you've visited any of these cities.
Friday, February 10, 2012
Getting ready for a trip to Italy!
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| © Pictures of Rome courtesy of Rome.info |
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