4sammy

Hi everyone! I received so much help from this forum and am posting my trip report in the hopes it may help someone else. Certainly, I would LOVE to have 2 or 3 weeks to spend in one place - but for many of us, we take what we can get! Between our jobs, our kids and their hectic schedules, our other family vacations and other commitments - we consider ourselves extremely lucky to have even a few days alone somewhere! So, we had about a week, and when you factor in travel to and from... we had 4 full days to spend in Rome. And let me tell you... it was PERFECT .

The setup: I have been to Italy before, 20 years ago My husband hadn't. But he had been in Europe (all over the place) for 3 weeks prior to meeting me in Rome. So he was ready for our vacation but understandably getting a little over it all. The pressure was off... it was really just about experiencing the highlights and having a great time together.

We met at FCO Terminal 3 meeting point at 9AM. No problems finding one another and FCO has been modernized a lot. The immigration / customs lines were quick and easy. Took a taxi to the hotel - Marriott Grand Flora. Hotel was nice and clean, had a wonderful rooftop restaurant and as Platinum members we received a full breakfast each morning. The hotel borders Borghese Gardens to one side and I imagine the outdoor area bar is a wonderful place in warmer weather. The room was small but clean and fine. The location was... fine. It did seem a long way to all of the sights, but the tradeoff was the Gardens being right next to us. If we returned, I would probably stay there again.

Anyway, we got there and luckily our room was ready (10:30AM at this time)! Lucky us! We freshened up and hit the road .Grabbed a nice pizza lunch at a fine, but unmemorable spot around the corner from the hotel. Pizza and wine before noon... off to a good start already!

We had planned an afternoon bike tour of the city center for that first day. Maybe that sounds crazy - but I thought it would be a good way to stay active and fight off jet lag. I slept most of the flight over and although I could have probably taken an hour nap, I think it would have backfired. I really felt fine (and my husband was already acclimated) so off we went . We booked the tour through Viatour and it was operated by The Red Bicycle. We were the only ones - I can't say that I'm surprised. When one thinks of Rome they don't think "bicycle." But it was very fun. It was just the two of us and Glenn, the owner, and we got a good overview of the city. We saw the icons - Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, Spanish Steps, the Trastevere area, the Forum / Colosseum... I mean really, a lot of pressure taken off of making our way to some sights on our own. We had a few minutes to check things out, and then we made notes of where we wanted to return. Honestly... seen Trevi, check. It's crowded. Glad we got to see it, then we didn't go back. Oh we also got to see the "keyhole" view of St Peters from Aventine Hill. Very neat, and we probably wouldn't have sought it out on our own. So, a YES on the bike tour from both of us!

After that we grabbed a quick pasta meal at what seemed like a local chain on the way back to the hotel... Pasta Amore I think? Nothing memorable but fine and we hadn't figured we would be up for a late dinner that first night anyway.

The trip begins in earnest the following day...

4sammy

Friday, our first FULL day. We had booked the Sistine Express tour through the Roman Guy tours. It started at 7:45. Grabbed breakfast at the hotel and hit the road to Vatican City (we took a taxi). This tour was exactly right for us. It covers the Vatican museums, St Peters Basilica, and the Sistine Chapel all in about 3 hours. It was a perfect amount of information and entertaining - not too dry. The guide pointed out some highlights in each hall and basilica, and a good overview of what to expect in the Sistine Chapel. After the tour we climbed the Dome of St Peters (6 Euros and well worth every step). We had planned to grab an early lunch at Sorpasso as recommended on this forum - but we just weren't hungry yet. We decided to walk to the Jewish Ghetto since the museum and synagogue would be closed the following day (Saturday) for Sabbath.

We visited the museum, which was small but interesting and informative and included a visit to the Synagogue. We enjoyed both but I wish we had planned better - there was a walking tour of the Ghetto that day but we just missed the last one of the day. I knew going in that we may not be able to work it in but that is the one disappointment from the trip. Oh well. We were losing steam at this point, grabbed slice of pizza, and headed back to the hotel for a few hours of downtime before that night's activities. We read / relaxed / shared a bottle of wine in the room.

That night, we had booked the Colosseum at Night tour through Walks of Italy. We walked from our hotel to the meeting point at Vittorio Emmanuel. The tour was 7-10PM. It was a great tour - maybe a little long?? or was I just running out of steam by that point? Anyway, we enjoyed the tour, then went to dinner near the Colosseum at Trattoria Luzzi, as recommended by Glenn, our bike guide the day before. This was great!!! Great atmosphere, great wine, great starter (Roman Starter)... my Cacio e Pepe was "so-so" but my husband loved his classic spaghetti and meatballs. Then we walked alllll the way home to the hotel for the night...

4sammy

The next day, Saturday, we purposely left wide open. We slept in, ate breakfast, then my husband wanted to run in Borghese Gardens so I took my book and found a sunny spot. This, honestly, was maybe my favorite hour in Rome. It was just heavenly. There was some music coming from somewhere, I sat in the grass in the sun reading and peoplewatching, he ran, then we just relaxed a bit longer and talked about what we wanted to see next.

Eventually we showered and went out to explore more. It really was just wandering from sight to sight - Santa Maria Maggiore was a highlight, as well as San Giovanni in Laterano and the Scala Santa (Holy Stairs). Finally we headed to dinner at Flavio al Velavevodetto (recommended on some blog I found for Cacio e Pepe). OK. Yes, this was a haul (we walked everywhere including to the restaurant). But so very worth it. This meal was amazing and the setting was perfect... a highlight. We cabbed it home... it felt like we had walked 100,000 steps each of the last two days so we earned it!

The next day, Florence.

4sammy

After breakfast at the hotel, we hopped on a 9AM train from Termini to Florence and arrived there about 10:30AM .

Florence, what happened to you? On my first trip 20 years ago... I LOVED Florence. I still do, of course... the first sighting of that Duomo is something you never forget. But the crowds were insane. It felt a bit Disney-ish, after having been in Rome for a few days among the Romans we were suddenly surrounded by Americans and souvenir stalls. Anyway, we had booked our skip-the-line tickets to climb the Dome at 2PM, so before that we got in line to climb the Bell Tower. Grabbed a Panini at some place close to the plaza, then climbed the Duomo. WOW. Just spectacular!

After that we got lost somehow and couldn't find the Accademia. We didn't have a streetmap of Florence - dumb. I think it was at this point than my husband said "I'm Europe'd out!" Haha eventually we found David, spent about 15 minutes looking at the rest of the stuff there, got a gelato and a cannoli, and all was right with the world again. Walked among the throngs to Ponte Vecchio which was just gorgeous as the sun was setting. Then back to eat somewhere near the Cathedral... I can't remember the name of the place but it was very nice. I finally had something other than Cacio e Pepe... I had risotto with funghi... delicious

Trained back to Rome, went to bed, got up and caught a taxi for our flight the next day.

Overall - this was a perfect trip. We didn't overdo it. We didn't stress out. We ate a lot. One thing I have found - you're never hungry in Italy... it is hard to find time to stuff in all the wine, cannolis, gelato, pizza and pasta! Haha such a problem to have!

bvlenci

For a long time now, I only enjoy Florence in the winter. Actually, almost 20 years ago, I was in Florence in August, and told myself not to plan any more August visits. It was really the combination of heat and crowds. The last time I was in Florence for a few days was in late October, and it was much more crowded than I expected. Another recent visit was in April, and I nearly got crushed against a wall by a tour group taking a sharp turn around a corner.

High season in Tuscany runs through at least mid-October, and September is now usually more crowded than August. I don't see any mention of when you were there, but if it was before mid-October, I wouldn't be surprised to find Florence a bit overrun.

I've really enjoyed your trip report. You didn't cram your time full of box-ticking visits, and allowed time for serendipity.

massimop

"Florence, what happened to you?"

Several things, I think:

1) The US magazine empire of Conde Nast at one point (not so long ago) named Florence as the "best" and "must see" city of Europe.

2) Several previously impoverished nations developed a sizeable middle class with money-enough for discretionary travel (for example: where once only the very wealthy of China or Brazil or Poland could afford to visit Italy, it is within reach of millions more in those countries who of course flock to Florence)

3) the former mayor of Florence (later Italy's prime minister) rooted its economy in tourism to an extraordinary degree, distorting the experience

4) The combination of Italy's new fast train network + an intense interest in visiting the "Tuscany" of Under-The-Tuscan-Sun make Florence the obvious logistical choice for at least a short visit for many tourist itineraries of Italy

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2009...he-magic-city/

I agree that Firenze off-season (non-Christmas/Easter Nov-March) is a great experience if you are a keen student of the Renaissance

marvelousmouse

My experience with Florence was somewhat similar. Luckily I had no real ambitions to see most of the “must see” sights, and I think that salvaged my time there. I saw the David, and the science museum and spent a lot of time walking around.

But to add to what the other said- I think another problem is that the museum lines are not well set up. The ticket lines just take forever. Not enough crowd management. And there are definitely crowds to manage. Florence museums heavily suffer from what I call tourist syndrome. A lot of people who would normally never set foot in a museum visit them because if you go to Florence, seeing the David or the Uffizi is apparently a given. The Accademia had a lot of bored people sitting around, probably waiting for their art/history nut relatives or tour guides. And the Vatican Museum felt like the running of the bulls, complete with a real fear of being trampled. I think going during high season, it’s better to find the more obscure museums and churches rather than hit the guidebook top tens. That’s where all the tour buses go.

I sympathize with your husband. I was Europe’d out in Paris, mostly because Rome exhausted me. Even if you love art and churches, you just eventually hit a wall. Loved your report of the bike tour. That’s on my list when I return!

Sassafrass

Excellent report. I like that it included how you approached your days, plus what you did and saw.

Jean

Other reasons for tourist crowds (and not just in Florence)...

(5) Extremely low airfares within Europe. We've spoken with more than a few tourists who have flown into a city for a weekend because they "couldn't resist" the airfare. Since they don't have much time, they rarely leave the city centers.

(6) The internet. Travel info is easy to find and free to all, making planning less difficult. Booking confirmations are instant.

(7) The shared economy. With the advent of AirBnB, VRBO, Uber, etc., people think travel is cheaper now, esp. within big cities.

marvelousmouse

True, Jean. If I lived in Europe, I’d be in a different country every weekend! The airfare is cheaper than riding greyhound across the state here. Even for someone like me, thousands of miles and an ocean away, it’s cheaper to spend Christmas in Paris than in Hawaii.

I think also that all of your points boil down into accessibility. Not just affordability, but the idea that you too can be in Rome in front of the Trevi Fountain, or in Paris. The world is a lot smaller due to the internet, and if your less than bright high school buddy can manage, as documented on facebook, surely you can too!

massimop

yes, all good points. It can be important to pay attention to European holidays to avoid the worst of the crowds in some popular destinations.

Despite being landlocked, Florence has also experienced a considerable uptick in tourism from the popularity of cruise ship travel. Giant boats docking in Livorno bus very large numbers of tourists to Florence.

Still, if you are willing to don a coat, Florence is rather quiet from the middle of November to the end of March, and the light is beautiful