here's a sneak peek for this week's episode i'm scott and i'm melissa and we are the sunshine travelers our passion is
and we are
sunshine travelers our passion is travel and sharing our experiences with those who enjoy it as much as we do or those who want to learn more about travel or even those who just want to live vicariously through our travel stories no matter where you follow along that journey get ready to hear about our first-hand experiences as we visit some of the most interesting and amazing places on earth. In this week's episode, we're going to share a two-day itinerary for visiting Rome, Italy. Rome is a popular destination for people who are traveling to and from Italy when embarking or disembarking from a Mediterranean cruise. It's a city full of history, culture, and food. We'll share things that we loved and make some recommendations on things that we might have done differently. So grab your passport and let's get started to Rome, Italy.
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Rome is such an amazing city. It's easy to get lost in all the hustle and and bustle, without the proper planning, it can actually be overwhelming.
It certainly can. I mean, it is very large, as we discovered. And so we are going to share a very doable two-day itinerary that covers most of the sought-after locations. And then we want to share a few things that we would have done differently. So this is something that you can do on a longer trip through Italy, which is very doable by train. And so this would either, this could be at the beginning of your trip or the end of your trip or in the middle. Like if you're going to visit the northern region and then, you know, take a train south. Or it can be beginning or end, like Scott mentioned, of a Mediterranean cruise, which is actually how we did it. Ours actually left from Rome and came back to Rome. So we had like basically one quick evening and then we did two days after. So either way, like that's what we're kind of saying, two days. So for more places that we think you should visit in Italy, we recommend episode 27 after you finish listening to this one on seven places you should visit in Italy or the episode right before this one specifically on the Amalfi Coast and Pompeii.
So let's go let's go ahead and talk about the itinerary that we'd use if you're going to try to plan two days in Rome. And, you know, let's just, for ease of sake, let's say you're going to have two full days. So you're going to get in on an evening, you'll get something to eat, you'll go to your hotel, you'll go to sleep, whatever. And so this is starting with that first full day. And so this is starting with that first full day.
And so for day one us, was after we had gotten off the cruise ship. And so we took the train in and we had two
full days after that in Rome. So we got off the cruise ship.
And so if you've ever been on you cruise, know that they basically kick you off like at the crack of Just dawn. But kidding. I really think looking I think back, we were off the ship by like 8 So that a.m. really did give us that full day in We took Rome. the train back to Rome and got there about went back 930, to the dropped hotel, our And so stuff. I think by like 1045 we were ish, at the Spanish So the Steps. Trevi Fountain Spanish Steps right there So together. we were at the Spanish Steps. And then of course, you want to visit the Trevi Fountain. Now it's going to be busy if you aren't there like super early, even if you go late, it's going to be busy. But like, I think if you go have to go super, super early for it not to be busy. But there is a wives tale, if you haven't heard this, about throwing a coin into the fountain so that you can return to Rome.
Let me jump in and I'll tell a little bit about this wives tale. And this is how it's supposed to work. And so we had read about this before going there. And so we knew what to do. So you're supposed to face away from the water and you use your right hand to throw the coins over your left shoulder. Now, I say coins because there are different meanings. If you want to just return to Rome, throw one coin over your shoulder. Toss two coins for your return and to meet a new romance. And if you toss three coins, you'll have your return, your love, and a marriage. So you might not want to throw three coins if you're already married. That might not be a good idea, but that's kind of the tradition behind those coins. It may have originated, and I've read a little bit about this, from the ancient Romans who would throw coins into water to ask the gods of water to help ensure a safe journey home. So they were throwing the coins into water, not necessarily the Trevi Fountain. They were throwing it into water, asking the water gods to help them with their safe journeys. And at this time, a lot of people would have journeyed by water, by ship or boat or whatever. So this makes sense.
Scott, how many coins did you throw in? I don't remember. I was wondering if you threw in, did you throw into a new romance without the marriage part?
Maybe. Who knows?
So I will say, so we are giving you this as like a two-day itinerary to see everything in just two days but we actually flew into rome before the cruise and had just the evening and then left on the cruise the next day we came in the day before just to ensure that we would you know get there in time to get to the port so we made sure to throw our coins in because we were supposed to return to Rome, you know, 11 days later. And so we needed that to ensure our safety.
Yeah. And I also just recently saw a reel where they went in and they drained all the water out of the fountain. And then they used this big vacuum cleaner to suck up all the coins.
Oh, cool. And so they just recently went in and sucked all those
they just recently went in and sucked all those coins out.
And what was the value? Did they say,
was the value? Did they say, I don't remember it saying what the value was, but I just happened to think that's like, that's a lot of money that goes into there.
Yeah, that is a lot of money. And it's also gotta be a pain because whoever's having to do something with it,
And it's also gotta be a pain because whoever's having to do something with it, you gotta imagine it's coins from all over the world.
That's true. Instead of just, yeah, that's right. Yeah.
Oh, and then one last thing on the Trevi Fountain. I also saw another reel where there's a bar or something that you can go up into and you look out over the fountain. And they say it's a much better view than being down with the crowds of people and trying to view it from that direction. I think there's a bar
a bar and then I think there's also a shop. And I actually just saw that again the other day. So I will look in the meantime, we'll try to put that in the show notes and see where it is because it's right there close by. So and look and see if we can give you some of those locations in case you can't make that like super early morning. Yeah.
One of the first places we went after leaving the fountain was to the Pantheon. Now we went there when it was free, but now you're going to need to buy tickets ahead of time before going.
Yeah, I don't think it's very expensive. I think it's just a little bit, but just to make sure that you get to go in. I mean, it doesn't take you very long or anything like that. But if that's, you know, on your list, that is one of the top sites, right, to see. Yeah. Well, I would say
Well, I would say for anyone who's listening and, you know, all these different names in Rome and stuff like that, and maybe don't know what all these different things are. The Pantheon was originally built as a temple dedicated to the pagan gods of Rome. And it means honor all gods.
I would
Oh, that's interesting. So then, so kind of the way that we would recommend or the way that we set up our day was then in the afternoon, we were going to do the Colosseum and Roman Forum tour. So that was kind of like while we were, you know, kind of like hitting some of these other sites and then going on the way. So we also passed by the Victor Emmanuel II Monument on our way to the Colosseum. Now, we didn't go in it or anything like that. It contains some museums and different exhibits. But I also recently posted a post about some of these tips when going to Rome on Instagram. And I got a tip from a follower and they said to go inside. And then I think you have to pay to go up in the elevator from what I understood to the bar upstairs. And so they have food and the bar, but it has, I saw pictures of it and it has a great view of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. So if you're not planning on going there or you just need something and, you know, a great place to take pictures. And then, like I mentioned, there's also a museum, works of art. So the monument is actually a celebration of the unification of Italy. And it is a large site and very beautiful.
So we left from the Victor Emmanuel II Monument. And now this was when we had time tickets to go to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.
Yeah, we had actually booked a tour. And my sister had given me this tip. And she said, definitely take a tour. But not just that. Take the tour that goes into the underground. But not just take the tour that goes into the that, because then you'll be able to underground, see like the like the function of where they actually had the gladiators. And the Right. fighting where they kept the animals. And you have somebody there to like tell you the whole story, you know, and a lot of it is, you know, not still constructed the way that it was, but they can kind of, they would have, she had like a booklet, right. To kind of show you some renderings and stuff like that. And just like so much information. And if you don't know this about Italy, but the people who are tour guides, they are there have to be like licensed and certified and they have to have like so much study go into, you know, to even be able to do these tours. And so we were very glad that we did that. So, yes, you can just buy a ticket to the Coliseum or the Roman Forum. But we really think it would be such an advantage to have somebody take you through and like let you know like what you were seeing, like this is where the floor was, like this is who would have come here. You know, this is who would have fought and, you know, the water that they used and just I mean, just so much information.
I would have never known that they actually could have flooded the floor of the Coliseum. And they actually went in there and recreated these battles, famous battles of history. And they recreated them and basically flooded the Coliseum floor, put these ships in there, and reenacted those battles.
Yeah, that just blows your mind. And so highly recommend that. Like and so but I would say like if you don't want to do the tour, go online and get your tickets ahead of time, especially in high season, because you hate to go all this way to Rome and think I'm just going to go up to the ticket window and you can't get tickets or, you know, you don't have, you know, internet access or whatever. Because I do think we had somebody tell us that they tried to, but you couldn't just go up to the window and buy it. Like they were like, no, you have to buy it online. And then they couldn't get access to it. So we would say book the tour. We actually did book ours on Viator and ended up being a fantastic tour. But at very least, like buy your tickets ahead of time and do that. Now, I will say that tour, I went back and like looked at my pictures because I remember it being like really, it was really long and really in depth. Like it really, was really long and really in depth. And so I think this tour lasted from like 2 o'clock till like 6 o'clock. 1.30, 5.30, And people were even like, she was still answering questions. And she kind of said, you know, the tours is, you know, if you need to go or whatever, because a lot of people did have dinner reservations and stuff, but she was happy to stay and like talk to people. So it was very informative because then you leave the Coliseum and go see the Roman Forum. And that's another one where then you can just go in and I'm sure there's some audio guides and maps and stuff like that. But then just to have somebody there to like point out all the different, you know, buildings
and. Yeah, I would say this is true for any city that has a lot of ruins. Sometimes you go in and you just look at these things and they're, you know, they're ruins, right? They're half a wall or, you know, half of something or a quarter of something. And you can't really envision that in your mind without someone painting that picture of how this was used and what it would have looked like and stuff like that. So I would say any city that you're going to that has a lot of ruins, it's a great investment of your time to have a guided tour. Yeah, definitely, for
definitely, for sure. There was
was a hidden gem on our list, and we realized from where we were at the Roman Forum that it was only a quick walk over to it. Now, this was late afternoon. And so the light would be good. And hopefully it wasn't going to be very hot by the time that we got there.
And we were hoping that it wouldn't be like a long. So even though it's a hidden gem, we're hoping that we wouldn't have to wait very long, too. So let me give you a tip before we tell you where it is and what it is. A tip that we have is to save different places that you want to visit on like an Apple Maps or we, I'd still use Google Maps to save those. Like, so whether it's something like this or a restaurant that you've heard of or whatever. So then that way from where you are, you can kind of see, oh, that's close to us. You know, it's a good time to go do that. Let's go ahead and do that. So we realized that we could actually walk over there. But that's also great to let you know if you have several restaurants saved and it's time to eat. And I think we've mentioned this probably several times before, but then you can kind of look and say, OK, here's where we are. You know, I've kind of pre-vetted some of these things. So we've teased it enough.
So we've teased it enough.
Okay, okay. So this hidden gem is called the Keyhole of the Knights of Malta. And from this keyhole, you're going to get to see one of the most breathtaking views of Rome. The small keyhole belongs to the door of a place that was the priory of the Knights of Malta and the building that served as the headquarters of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
And can I just say that when we talk about a keyhole, it's literally a keyhole.
Yes, it is a green door with a keyhole. And you are waiting in line to peer through that so that you can see this. And so when you peer through that keyhole, what you see is a perfectly framed view of St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. The view aligns the dome of St. Peter's in the distance with the well-cut garden of the Priory in the foreground. And so both the location and the surprise element of the view, and of course, the historical significance of the Knights of Malta just contribute to the allure of this hidden gem. And so when we said we hoped we wouldn't have to wait very long, it's funny because if you look up the location on Google Maps, and so, you know, those are shot like at a certain specific point in time, right? And you have cars and you have different things like that. You can actually see people waiting in line on the satellite Google Maps, which is interesting. And so thankfully we didn't have to wait very long, but it's just something really interesting. So obviously the alignment of that was, had to be very intentional, right? I mean, it just, it, you know, I'm sure they had lots of meaning and stuff behind it of which I don't know. So that might be something you might be interested in researching, like why they did that. Just a really neat place to visit. I think Scott was like, why are we doing this? Like, what are we going to do?
to do? Possibly just a coincidence that if you look through this keyhole, you see the Vatican and that it lines up that way that nobody really planned it. It could
planned it. It could be, it could be, but I, I have a feeling just because in that, you know, in that
error, like they specifically, especially in the Roman empire, right. It was, what is it like the art de triomphe? And I'm trying to remember what was the other one that we went to go see? Oh, it escapes me somewhere else. And how all this stuff, like it, you know, it, it lines up like, so I don't, I bet that it was definitely intentional. So.
And we'll see if somebody can find that and let us know what it is. Yeah.
So I am going to put a link in the show notes to tell you how to find it. So we actually use these directions. It's written in great detail in my sister's blog. And that's, like I said, how we find it. So you're going to follow those directions and then look for the green door. And she puts in there, I think it has a number three on it and that's what you're looking for, but you'll see it. Like there's going to be people waiting, especially, you know, especially now that, you know, it's on social media and, you know, we're telling you about it and blogs have been written about it. So there'll be people waiting.
When you see people trying to line their camera up to a little keyhole, that's a good sign that you're there. Yeah, but just a
but just a neat, a neat place to see and a neat place to go. So, and like I mentioned, it's a quick walk from the Roman Forum, but I will say that even if you have a taxi drop you off or something like that, plan to have to walk a little bit of a ways like up the hill. Cause I remember like the place like right where it is, it wasn't like you can drive there and park, right. Or if you were driving for whatever reason, we wouldn't recommend driving in Rome. But, you know, you're going to have to walk a little bit of the way. So that link will be in the show notes so you can have the detailed directions of how to find it. But that's a hidden gem that we think that would just be a good add-on that a lot of people know about, but probably everybody doesn't know about. Yep. Good add on that a lot of people know but probably everybody about, doesn't know about.
know about. Yep. And so we're going to talk about dinner here just because this is something that we found for the first We'd time. never had it before. And now it's something that we'll occasionally have here at home as well.
Yeah. So they call it ham and melon, which is basically prosciutto wrapped around cantaloupe. So it's just a good mix of like the sweet and the salty. And of course, it would be, you know, for them, especially like a certain time of the year. And we were there in late June. So that, like Scott said, that's something that we've just kind of fixed and on occasion. Oh, and I think probably they do a little bit of balsamic vinegar, but not like the saltiness comes from the prosciutto. So let's go now
to the second day. So the first day you're going to go back to the hotel room at the end of the day, you're going to crash because you have taken in so much on this first day. So now, you know, maybe you've slept just a little bit later. You've gotten up. You're getting your you got a cup of coffee, but don't sleep too late because we've got an early tour that we think that you're going to want to do. So here's
another one that my sister also recommended. So this was her too, that she was just like, these two tours, you've got to do them. So if you can find the early morning Vatican tour, small group tour, early morning, we recommend that. We were actually one of the first people to go into the Sistine Chapel for that day. So that means we had to get to the meeting spot early and go in and get to that spot. But that was just really neat. And the way that you know the difference is she actually took us back there to see it a second time, like during our tour and compared to it being so I mean, you're not the first people necessarily, unless your group happens to be the first people. But there's like, maybe a dozen people in there. And then when you go back, like the room is going to be packed out, for example. So highly recommend that if you can do that. And then not to mention just having that small group tour. So even if you opt to not do the early morning, maybe do a small group tour because the Vatican gets very, very busy. And so then that way, you know, you just have a small group and you can hear what they're saying. And this is another one that, again, you could just buy tickets and do on your own without a tour. But if you really want to understand what you're seeing and they point out, you know, obviously not everything because there's so many things, but the things that are very significant. And so we would recommend that.
And we're not Catholic, so we don't know a lot of the significance of some of the things that we're seeing. Yeah. And
Yeah. And she even, she would even point out like at one point in time, I guess there's like this little tram thing that the Pope and then, you know, the people very, you know, close to him use as like transport from one place to other. She pointed out, oh, look, you know, over there. And it's probably not even something you hadn't noticed when she kind of saw it, you know, moving or whatever. So just just little things like that that we felt was were very highly beneficial.
Let's back up just a minute, because I think the process of getting into the Vatican is something worthy of talking about. I mean, this is like you're going into a new country. Well, it's like going into another country because technically it is another
into another country because technically it is another country. So when you visit Vatican City, you actually get to check off another country on your list. And we actually didn't realize that at the time. I saw this, I think, just recently. And I was like, hey, Scott, you can actually add a country number to your list because it actually is another country. But you're right. I had not thought about that, about the security and having to go through, yeah, having to go all through the security and stuff.
And like our names had to be on the list and then they had to match the list to our passports and all of these things.
Yeah. So we had to take our passports. Oh, or did we?
I thought we did.
Yeah. You might be right. I just may be remembering incorrectly. So yeah, that's just definitely something that you want to check with your tour or with your ticket. So, but yeah, you actually might be right. Cause there was a quite of a process. And I do remember that for this particular one, like we had to be there quite early compared to like the time of the, you know, the tour, because they had to be able to do all that first. And so know that going to the Vatican to just in general, like again, like we mentioned before, get your tickets ahead of time, you know, and just, you know, plan ahead for that.
And I would also point out that inside the Basilica, just know ahead of time so that you're not disappointed when you get there. They say no cameras, no cell phones, none of that. They do not want you to take pictures inside of there. In the Sistine
Chapel. In the Sistine
In the Sistine Chapel, sorry. Yes, that's
Yes, that's true. The other thing that we want to remind you of is, which is also true in a lot of churches and stuff too, is just be mindful that you typically need to have your shoulders covered. So don't plan on wearing a tank top. And then also usually like your knees covered. So a longer dress or pants or something like that. So don't wear a tank top and really, you know, like short shorts and stuff when you're going and touring these churches. And they typically are pretty strict about that. I want to mention one other thing that I actually found out recently. So it was important to us to go see the Vatican part of it and see like, like see all of that Sistine Chapel. But if you don't want to do that, don't have time to do that, you can actually just visit the St. Peter's Basilica part. That that part is free. Probably if they, of course, if they don't have, you know, services and stuff like that. I do remember when we were there, unless they keep all that set up, they did have like all the chairs and stuff. Like, I don't know if they were going to be having something, you know, or had just had something. But just know that part is free, but we wanted to do, but that doesn't include, like I said, the Vatican, that doesn't include the Sistine Chapel. That part has to be, is paid and have tickets.
Well, that afternoon after visiting the Vatican, we decided we wanted to explore the catacombs. And so, you know, the catacombs were primarily used as burial places during a time when Christians were persecuted by the Roman authorities. And so burial inside the city walls was forbidden. So all these underground sites provided a safe and sacred space for the internment of the dead. And so they could carry out all of their burial rituals and stuff like that and do it kind of out of the eyes of the Roman authorities.
So the most well-known of the catacombs are San Callisto Catacombs, San Sebastian. Well, I guess you actually say it, Catacombs, San Callisto, Catacombs, San Sebastian and Catacombs, Priscilla. So we actually, I think we got a taxi for this because it wasn't like convenient to public transportation. And so I think that we had actually planned to go to Catacomb Priscilla and I'm not really sure why I picked that particular one, but just lost in transition. He actually took us to Catacomb San Calisto, which was fine because we were like, it wasn't like we had a preference. We hadn't bought tickets or anything like that over one. So the Catacomb San Callisto is actually the largest and most famous. And so that's probably why he took us there. This catacomb is actually includes the crypt of the popes. And so several early popes were buried there as well. So thankfully we were able to get tickets. And luckily for us, they were about to start a tour in English. And so they were like, oh, do you want to join this tour? And I think it was included in the ticket price. And I don't think it was very expensive to do this either. And so we, you know, we just joined that tour just on, you know, on the spot. But I will say I was looking back as we were kind of like writing out some stuff and preparing for this episode is I don't think they let you take pictures in the catacombs. And Scott kind of said, yes, I don't. I agree with that because I don't have any pictures, any videos or anything like that, which I which I guess makes sense because that wouldn't be
very sacred.
Yeah, that wouldn't be very sacred. And then you just have. But it was a very interesting it was very interesting place to visit. But Right. it was have. a very interesting, it was very interesting place to right? visit, Because this is when a lot of, you know, Christians were martyred. And just, and again, this tour guide was very knowledgeable and for him to, you know, walk us through and tell us the stories and stuff like that. So it ended up being very good. And so I would say that probably is very helpful to kind of see if you plan on going to one of these. Like, when do they, you know, offer the tours as well?
So we left from the catacombs and we took a stroll along the Appian Way. And, you know, this is famously referred to as the Queen of Roads because of its importance and role that it played in connecting and consolidating the vast Roman Empire. The Appian Way was originally constructed for military purposes. So, you know, providing a direct route of movement for troops and supplies. And today it offers visitors a chance to walk along the ancient stones, and it's the same ancient stones, and explore the historical and archaeological treasures along its path. explore the historical and archaeological treasures along its path. And so, one of the things I wanted to call out here was that during his preaching journeys, the Apostle Paul often used several of the famous Roman roads that you'll hear about. And on the way to Rome as a prisoner, he actually traveled along the Appian Way. And this is mentioned in the Book of Acts, And this is mentioned in the book of Acts, chapter 28, 14 through 16 of the Bible. And so it's really neat to walk along that same stretch of path as, you know, this is something dating back, you know, to the very first century. And so, you know, you can't not do that. I think when you're in Rome, this is a place where you've got to go and see this and touch it yeah so this might not be something that's on top of everybody's list but i
this might not be something that's on top of everybody's list but i it was it was on top of my list and so it worked out great that where he had actually dropped us at this catacomb so it wasn't like we had to, it was like, oh, it's right here. And so then we could just take our time. And then the second thing about that is that then that evening, so I think we finished at the catacombs like at 530-ish or so. And we just spent a couple of hours just kind of walking. There are different archaeological sites that you can just stop in. There were some gates, you know, that were open and you could just kind of walk in and they had little plaques and different things like that. We saw people on horses. We saw, you know, you'd have a moped going by you. But yeah, just the, again, you know, the stone. So again, you know, you're going to want to wear sturdy and comfortable shoes, but that was just neat to just kind of stroll that and not really be in any hurry to do anything. But we do have a funny story about that. So we had, I did kind of, go ahead.
go ahead. I think we did tell this story in our long European trip.
Yeah, I think we, I think we did. But, but just in case you haven't heard that one, because it's one of those situations that was like, okay, how are we going to get ourselves out of this situation? We
had, so I kind of had kept an eye on like Google maps, like where we were and then maybe how far we could go because we are literally heading into like, I don't know, how would you describe it? Like, like it felt like further and further away from like where a lot of people were and where civilization would you describe was. it? it felt Like, like like, further and further away from like, where a lot of people were and where civilization was, right? And it looked like and there were people on bikes and different things like that. But it looked like, okay, we can go this far. And then that's going to connect to a road. And then we can make our way back right with a taxi or something like that. We actually ended up using taxis more in Rome, I think than we thought that we would. Sometimes even when we tried to use the train, it was like this station was closed for construction or they may have been having a strike then. There was some reason that we ended up. So it was just like, okay, we'll kind of go and then we'll cut over. Well, we got to the place where we were gonna cut over and there was a gate. And by this time, it was like, okay, our choices are we can walk all the way back. But here we're talking about, I think we had wandered for like two hours, right? And just kind of walked like two hours and now it'll at least really pay. So we could have walked back a bit faster, but we were kind of, we were kind of far away from anything and anybody. Well, there was this gate and they had some, and so we knew we could see from the gate that if we could get through it we could kind of get to there was a road and that's where we needed to be but just on the google maps you couldn't tell that that gate was there and so we just i ended up like by the way this gate was locked oh
by the way this gate was
locked oh yeah the gate's locked yes but it was like a like where you have where they had the buttons that you could push and it would call somebody. Right. So I was just like, well, let's just try this. And then if all else fails, yeah, we can you know, we can walk back and, you know, just figure this out. So we just tried it. And so finally, I think one of the ones that we push, somebody answered. And I think when we didn't realize or when they realized they were speaking in Italian. And so I think we ended up like pulling up Google Translate real quick and tried to like explain to can we can you let us through them, the hey, gate? I don't even remember what we said.
But we told them the long story about how we had wandered around and we found ourselves anyway, behind this gate. And now we're trying to get out to the Yeah.
trying to get out to the Yeah. road. And somehow they figured out what we were talking about and, you know, how when there's a gate and then somebody, you know, pushes it to release it. It's kind of like, you know, getting into a building or an apartment or something like that. Same concept. And you could hear the gate, you know, and it unlocked and opened. And we're saying, grazie, grazie, grazie, grazie, and then running fast before it locked again. So anyway, just an interesting experience and story that I guess we will not forget.
So wrap up your second day, go and have dinner in Campo di Fiori, one of the piazzas. Take in all the sights and sounds of Rome while you have dinner and maybe a glass of wine. Take a little load off your feet because you're going to have walked a lot that day. And, you know, this will be a good rounded ending to your two days in Rome.
Yeah. And so the reason we point out that Campo di Fiori is that's one of the most famous ones. And so that way you can kind of kill two birds with one stone, right? Having dinner. And a lot of the times in those big piazzas, it's not, I mean, yes, there's restaurants and yes, you can eat inside, but you know, so many people, they have tables set up outside. And so you can just kind of be immersed in that. One of
the things that we wanted to share, we obviously didn't know anything about this at the and it time, may be something in One of that. the things that we wanted to we obviously share, didn't know anything about this at the time, and it may be something newer that they're doing now, is if, you know, maybe if you have somebody who struggles with mobility issues, or if you were just flat out tired and you just can't walk anymore, there's actually a golf cart tour at night of some of the most, you know, notable places. And, you know, you're not going in them, you're not doing tours inside of them. You're basically just seeing the sights from this golf cart. And, you know, my dad and stepmom did this recently when they went to Rome and they loved it and said that, you know, the tour guide just gave them a lot of information as they were going along and they asked a lot of questions and they really enjoyed this trip. So if you're there and, you know, you're either tired or you have mobility issues, this would be a good way for you to get around and see.
And the other thing I wanted to mention about that is the way that they light everything up too. So like Rome in the day is going to be it's different. Right. Because then they light everything up. And she even mentioned that people were like, when's the tour? Like the tour went a little bit long and people like, oh, we have a dining reservation and we thought it was going to be over. just expect that they like to talk about their city and like they like to show you stuff and stuff like that. And so she even mentioned it like went on and on and on. And they were like scrambling to like get somewhere where they could get dinner and stuff like that. So maybe just, you know, plan ahead and be prepared for that. And that's what we would say about our other two tours is like I mentioned that one for the Roman Forum, you know, lasting from like 1.30 till we didn't plan to for it to be like almost six o'clock, you and know, then like 1.30 till we didn't plan to for it to be like almost six o'clock, you know, and then Vatican, the same thing. I think it was, you know, I think we went in at like nine. But like I said, I think we had to be there quite a bit early and it went all the way till lunchtime. So. Yeah. So let's
So let's talk a little bit about what we would have done differently.
Okay. So on our first night, like I mentioned, we were pretty tired. And so this is when actually we were just kind of wandered and we had just gotten there and we were going to do the cruise the next day. And so we had gone to get dinner, see the Spanish steps, see the Trevi Fountain. We had done our coins or we're in the process of doing our coins. And we got sucked into one of those. Would you call it a scam? I guess it is a scam.
is a scam.
We got sucked into one of the Polaroid picture taking scams at the Trevi fountain. And so this is basically where they say, Oh, let me take your picture. Let me take your picture. One Euro, one Euro. Let me take your picture. Polaroids. And it's like, and you don't really want to like, you're, you're just like what? And then by that time they've already like taken them usually. Right. And so then they're like, oh, well, something. You
You know, you're thinking one euro. That's not so bad. And so, you know, you let them take the picture. Well, they take the picture and they have them in their hand. And as they come over to give them to you, then all of a sudden the price changes.
Yeah. And then I think it's like, oh, these are so good and whatever. And now they're going to be 10 euro. And then you're like, no, no, no, we don't want to. Well, I've used all my, you know, I've used my film. And so you're just, I just feel like in these situations, you're just like flustered. And then if you've just gotten there, you're just, you know, jet lag and tired and stuff like that. So, but if you just like be adamant, like if you don't want to do it, just say, no, I'm not, you know, it's one euro or it's nothing. And just don't be afraid to just keep declining and just walk away. I mean, they're probably just going to follow you and badger you and stuff like that. But, you know, at the end of the day, just, you know, no. And that's, and that's a good thing about, you know, street vendors and these types of things anywhere, you know, you'll go lots of places where they're trying to hand you a flower or hand you this and that, and just, you know, just, you know, be prepared to say no. Now we did get our 10 euro, spent our 10 euros on the Polaroids. And I recently actually dug those out and I don't know that I have ever taken a picture of them. So I took a picture of them to have them on my phone. And so I'm like, well, this is a good, you know, this is a good, good memory. But just know that those kinds of things happen, especially at, you know, tourist sites. And so, you know, so I'm glad I have those, but I still feel a bit swindled.
know, tourist
And so speaking of which, you know, we never have any problems when we travel to cities like this. Well, we never have had any
have had any problems. Yeah, let me back up because I've been to a few locations for work where it's just nothing but one scam after another.
Yeah, let me back up because I've been to a few locations for work where it's just nothing but one scam after another. I mean, they're just all over you. So I have run into that a lot. And I would say that's why it's always good to have a local with you, because there's something about the locals. They just know that look that they can give somebody and those people go scurrying like, you know, cockroaches.
Yeah. So that probably depends. I mean, that would be difficult to do in Rome. I mean, you know, to have somebody with you all the time, but some places that you might want to do that. But we just want to make you aware of that, not to scare you or anything like that, because it's not anything we like to be, you know, scared of. But just to say it's OK to say, no, I don't want this Polaroid. I realize that you have taken it, but just know and just walk away. And that's, you know, I mean, they just be aware they get no's like way more than they get yeses. So there's three recommendations we have here. One is
So there's three recommendations we have here. One is to wear a small crossbody that you can keep close to you that zips up, that you can keep all of your important documents, stuff like that. The second thing is for guys, don't put your wallets in your back pocket. Make sure you have a wallet that will fit comfortably into your front pocket and use that while you're traveling, you know, because otherwise you're going to get pickpocketed. And then the last thing is don't put your phone into your back pocket. I mean, that's just so easy for one of these pickpockets to lift and take off. And so then you're, you know, trying to get around without a phone and you have just such a nightmare for the rest of your trip. So don't put those in your back pocket. Matter of fact, I know that we talk about a lot of things on the phone, like using Google Maps and stuff like that. As much as possible, pay attention to your surroundings. Don't be down into your phone. Go sit somewhere, read what you need to read on your phone, and then keep going. I see this all the time. People walking around on their phone, not paying attention. And that's when these things happen. Yeah. Or be
be sure, like if you're somebody has, like you're saying, having to do it, stop, but then having somebody else to like be vigilant. Or if you are by yourself, that's a good point. Like, you know, like you said, sit down and do that. And for ladies, like Scott said, having that, you know, if you have that crossbody, just having it to wear, you can kind of pull that toward the front. And that's why you'll see people who do have backpacks, like wear them around to the front because those that have the zippers and stuff like that. And I would say if you do have to have it on your back, you know, just don't keep valuables in your back pocket and keep things like, you know, we don't recommend ever like, unless you have to like carrying your passport around and, you know, lock, keeping it locked up in the safe if you can. But if so, if you do have to take it, like we mentioned, if you do look back and see, yeah, we had to take that to the Vatican, keeping that in a, you know, a safe place as you go. The second thing that I would say that we did that was that we would do differently for sure is we stayed too far away from the city center. And I'm not sure if just, again, this was a one, you know, this was part of the trip where we had to plan a bunch of stuff and we wanted to use points. So I don't remember if this was because.
No, I remember why we booked this one. It's called Central Park. And so we were thinking it was centrally located. And when you look online, you see pictures of the Vatican. And so like, you know, it kind of gives you this illusion that it's closer to the city center than it really is. And so I think that's one of the reasons that we booked it. But like you said, it was too far out. And now we would know to look on a map and see where it is compared to just looking at pictures and stuff like that. Yeah. And I think ever since
Yeah. And I think ever since then, or ever since this trip in general, we have looked and said, okay, where are we staying versus where are the main things, right? Because you don't want to spend a lot of time, not only time, but you don't want to spend a lot of money, you know, having to, you know, get transportation back and forth. So it did have an excellent view of the Vatican, like Scott mentioned, St. Peter's Basilica and specifically, but from our window, but we had to go quite a bit of the ways to get in that. So yeah. So that's one thing is just paying attention to. And then the second thing is if you attention And then the second to. thing is if you do happen to be driving, so let's say you're doing like a road trip of Italy, also looking at the parking situation and like what's it's going to cost to, you know, park your car because it would be, I wouldn't recommend like driving around Rome, wouldn't you say? Probably to like to get to these sites, like that would just be a pain to be finding parking. So just kind of finding that out. And and then the second thing so if you happen to be going to the port so you're doing this part of cruise
to like
second thing so if you happen to be going to the port so you're doing this part of cruise we wanted to give you a tip on this because what we had done was we had looked and said okay we need to buy our tickets well let me back up so just so you'll know. So the the airport is about an hour maybe from Rome and then the port is about an hour. But if you go from if you were going straight from the airport by train, for example, to the port, it would take you like an hour and a half. OK, so we were staying in Rome. And so that's probably like if you have time on the ends, like you're not going to want to stay at the port because that's far from the city. And you're not going to want to stay near the airport because that's kind of, you know, far from the city. And so what we did was we bought those tickets ahead of time from central Rome. And so we went from our hotel. We went to that train station. We waited for that train. And then here we head to the port. And as we're going to the port, we realized that, oh, we just passed a station that we, I think, got off on or that was like maybe got off on to get to that train station or something like that. So we backtracked.
We backtracked. So we went
We backtracked. So we went there, waited for this train, whereas we could have just gotten off at that station and then just grabbed the train that was going to the port and saved probably like an hour or something like that. And so when we were coming back, we were like, OK, even though our ticket goes all the way to the central realm, whatever, we are just going to get off and then change trains and just be on our way to save this time. So just be aware that it may not be necessary to buy, just depending on where you're staying in Rome, and you're going to the port before or after. It may not be necessary to go all the way to that central station. So just kind of, you know, do some research on Google Maps and plan that out. And so the other thing we would say is to plan ahead for tours and tickets in the
so the other thing we would say is to plan ahead for tours and tickets in the summer. That's a very popular time to visit. And remember, Europeans take time off in the summer, especially August. But I think recently I've noticed that they do it in July as well. So I'd say July and August are very popular European travel times. So you want to go in and book some of these ahead of time. We've got on our website, there's a link for travel resources. And right there, you can find all the links that you need for things like Viator, Viator, booking.com, all of those things to easily get there. And we even have some of them specific locations that are just links that all you have to do is click and you can go and book those right away. So, you know, we would recommend that to you. The other thing that I mentioned is that Rome is a great city to do a hop on hop off bus tour. So, you know, you may not have enough time to do all the sites that you really want to see. This is a great option. It doesn't allow you to see it necessarily up close and in person and go in them if you stay on the bus. But the great thing about a hop on hop off is you can get off in the places that you want to. You can go and see and look around and then you just catch that bus again later on and it just does a circuit. And so hop-on hop-off buses are a great option for Rome. We would highly recommend that. Even if you can't see things, like I said, up close and personal, you'll at least get to see them in passing. And Yeah. a lot of times they you have, can't see things, like I up said, close and personal, you'll at least get to see them in passing.
Yeah. And a lot of times they have, you can buy it for one day or you can buy it for like two days or multiple days. So just depending on what you need. So we will put links both to the Hop On and Hop Off bus. So you can take a look at some options for those. And then also to the specific Viator experiences that we book. They are linked on our experiences. So I'll put a link to that. Then our last big recommendation is that we would not recommend that you book more than one of these tours for a day, meaning don't try to do the Vatican and the Colosseum in the same day.
They're going to give you tons of information, and if you're like me and you have a daily word count, whether it be spoken words or words that you hear, you're going to quickly fill that up because it is a lot of information that they give you on these
tours. Yeah. So, so I did. So we did mention, yes, we did the Vatican in the morning and we ended up doing that catacomb tour, but that was, you know, that was kind of an impromptu thing, but like a planned, you know, one of these major sites, like don't try to do those in the same day. Not to mention, I just don't know that you could like you would actually be rushing. Right. And it would be just be like, well, you know, the whole day. So that would be a lot. So that would just be our recommendation.
Yeah. I saw a meme or something the other day that talked about, you know, I go from sitting on the couch to doing 35,000 steps a day when traveling to Europe. So, and that is a true story. And with all destinations, one of the things we asked Melissa is what do we need to pack for a trip to Rome? So
again, I wanted to mention that we were there in late June. So you might need to adjust this depending on the weather. If it's going to be quite a bit chillier, right, then you will need jackets or scarves or whatever the layers that you're going to need. But regardless of the time of the year, wear comfortable walking shoes so that you can walk on the cobblestone and they're comfortable on your feet for a long period of time on tours. I had taken a pair of tennis shoes and a pair of Birkenstocks that are very comfortable to me because I also don't recommend people wear like the same pair of shoes like two days in a row if you can swap them up because then just helps your feet not to be so super tired. So that is an absolute must. If you're there in the summer, outside tours, you can do shorts, lightweight shirts. You're going to want a hat and sunglasses.
And say for men, just remember that a lot of European men don't wear the trucker style hats and things that are popular here in the US. So if you're wanting to blend in, you might not want to wear those types of hats there. You might not want to wear those types of hats there. you at the same having that shade from the sun would be a helpful thing. But, know, time, So maybe just screw say, it. I'm going to be out in the sun and I need a hat. And you wear what's comfortable for you.
for you. Yeah. And you can't wear hats in like the churches and too. also, stuff, So you just, being aware know, of that as well. And for the churches, again, have your shoulders knees covered. covered, you bring So, something know, to put over it, you if it you super hot as well. know, is, know, And then a refillable water bottle. So the water in Rome is very drinkable, very clean, and they have lots of places for you to fill up for free. So bring that refillable water bottle. And then, like I mentioned, other than that, if it's going to be chillier weather, then, you know, you're going to want to plan accordingly and have jackets and things like that.
So we left from Rome the next morning and we headed to Naples and the Malphite Coast. So if that's on your agenda, listen to our last episode, the one before this, and we're going to tell you what we did right and what we did wrong when we visited there as well. We probably rushed through Rome and
and could have spent a few more days here. The issue is that there is so much history to consume. It is hard to do it all in one trip. What things would you recommend that people do when visiting Rome for a short trip? Send me an email, scott at sunshinetravelers.com and let me know what you think. We are always inspired by your travel journeys.
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