My family of four packed only three 26” Pullmans, five 22” inchers and a few miscellaneous Big K bags. Amazing that we could take so little for 10 days in Rome. But, ever since we were introduced to overweight charges, we’ve really learned how to travel light. The overnight flight was way too full of excited 8th grade graduates to allow any sleep except way up front behind that curtain. oh well, who wouldn’t be excited after making it all the way through 8th grade?

At FCO, none of the drivers held a card with “Clampett” on it. Several calls to the limo service’s new phone number were answered by a sweet Italian lady who I think told me she had never heard of that company. I know she ultimately had a few other kind words for me – I had heard a lot of them from waiters, taxi drivers and the like before. None of the waiting drivers admitted to having ever heard of our limo company either, and the company’s old number was disconnected. So I began to wonder if more of those unusual charges might appear on the credit card I had given. Everyone else began to wonder if we would have to walk into town (again)...

A nice gent in a fancy sports coat told us he could get a car to take us to our hotel very cheap, but before he could stack up our luggage, a policeman must have reminded him of a better fare, because he took off so fast. So we made our way outside, and there was a whole line of taxis. The way they looked at us and our luggage, you would have thought they had never seen an average American family on vacation before. Or maybe they just hadn’t seen the new Big K bags.

I knew they had small cars over here, but it was surprising when I thought I heard one cabbie say there wasn’t a taxi in all of Rome big enough. Eventually, a larger taxi from far back in the line came forward and its young driver swore he could get everything in and get all four of us, and our stuff to Residenza Zanardelli for 70 euro...

After reloading a few times, he did just that. There was only one small fender bender in route and he switched a currency bill when he turned away from us. But, drowsy as we were, both my daughter and I had carefully checked our payment to him, and we were having none of his “you didn’t pay enough” routine. So after a few minutes he gave up and even said a few of those nice things I had heard before. Then he went back to the damage on the side of his cab. The rest of us thought the trip was quite a success so far, but it was three or four days until my daughter was willing to get into another cab...

WOW- we are going to Greece next week for 15 days. There are three of us, my husband, myself and 16 year old daughter. We are each taking a 22 inch suitcase and a small packback, yes even the 16 year old girl. We learned on our first trip to Europe that is all we need for two or three weeks. We went to Italy for three weeks and it worked fine. There is always a laundrette along the way and a bathroom sink for quick rinses. You bring it - you lug it! Glad we were not too overloaded in Venice on the bridges and the stairs in Santorini next week should be a little easier.

Hmmm...OK I'm hooked. Sounds like a very "interesting" report. Will be watching for the next segment. LOL LOVE your luggage.

pbing - I think (hope) the OP was joking!!!

The Residenza Zanardelli was a 150 Euro per night palace. Although it was already after 10:00 am, only one of our rooms was ready. But at about 10x20 feet, it was huge. It even had a closet and a bathroom with only one door which was in our room. I just hoped people weren’t going to be walking through our room all night to get to the toilet. The young man who showed us in, assured me the bathroom was just for us, and even gave me a huge key to our room door, another to the Residenza door and a smaller one to the gigantic front door of the building How cool!!! Apparently the smaller the door, the bigger the key. Italy rocks!!!

Speaking of cool, it was also 16 degrees in our room according to the airconditioner. It even had a remote, and you could press up or down until you found a temperature you liked. The kid’s room turned out to be much smaller, but they were fine in it, and we would have been as well. The elevator was lots of fun. It was about 100 years old and had an old sign about there being no help if you weighed over 200 lbs. and got stuck, but we never did. Besides, its only one flight of stairs. I wondered if someone weighing under 200 lbs. could have gotten help, but we never found that out either. There was an old building odor in the hallway, especially on the ground floor, but I have smelled that all over Rome, Georgia or Italy, and it did not smell in the Residenza.

While the LW figured out the airconditioner and unpacked a few things, the kids and I walked over for gelato at Fiocco di Neve and a quick look at the Pantheon. Their gelato was even better than grandpa’s homemade ice cream, but that would not be the case everywhere…

Lunch was outstanding buffalo mozzarella & tomato paninni with a nice Lazio white wine at Ristorante Passetto. They were very well done, as they should have been for 63 euro, including about 15 for the wine, and our waiter was very charming, all decked out in his white dinner jacket and bow tie, even though nobody was getting married. After explaining that the tip was not included, he said I could leave one…if I wanted to, he thanked us and walked away. I guess we weren’t his first Americans. Despite all the Fodorites’ advice, an intervallo nap was sounding good…

After a good intervallo nap, we took a walk around Piazza Navona, and the surrounding neighborhood, had pizza for dinner, and did lots of people watching. Boy this Piazza is going to be fun. Look at all those foreigners selling fake stuff to unsuspecting tourists. Too bad they’re not all savvy world travelers like us. Wait, are those our kids over there getting something tied to their wrists by those two foreign looking guys. Boy this will be a laugh when they find out our kids don’t have any euro. Sure enough, we just stood back and watched the show. Eventually the “bracelets” were cut off, and the two foreign guys were good sports about it. They even wished us well, just like I had heard before. Tomorrow the crisis of Rosetta for breakfast…

We thought the Residenza Zanardelli was very nice for 150 Euro per night. Although it was already after 10:00 am, only one of our rooms was ready. But at about 10x20 feet, it was huge -big enough to store all our luggage. It even had a closet and a bathroom with only one door which was in our room. I just hoped people weren’t going to be walking through our room all night to get to the toilet. The young man who showed us in, assured me the bathroom was just for us, and even gave me a huge key to our room door, another to the Residenza door and a small key to the gigantic front door of the building. Apparently the smaller the door, the bigger the key. Italy rocks!!!

It was an impressive 16 degrees in our room according to the airconditioner. It even had a remote, and you could press up or down until you found a temperature you liked. The kid’s room turned out to be much smaller, but they were fine in it, and we would have been as well. The elevator was lots of fun. It was about 100 years old and had an old sign about there being no help if you weighed over 200 lbs. and got stuck, but we never did. Besides, its only one flight of stairs. I wondered if someone weighing under 200 lbs. could have gotten help, but we never found that out either. There was an old building odor in the hallway, especially on the ground floor, but I have smelled that all over Rome, Georgia or Italy, and it did not smell in the Residenza.

While the LW figured out the airconditioner and unpacked a few things, the kids and I walked over for gelato at Fiocco di Neve and a quick look at the Pantheon. The gelato was even better than grandpa’s homemade ice cream, but that would not be the case everywhere…

Lunch was buffalo mozzarella, tomato & basil panini with a nice Lazio white wine at Ristorante Passetto. They were very well done, as they should have been for 63 euro, including about 15 for the wine, and our waiter was very charming, all decked out in his white dinner jacket and bow tie, even though apparently nobody was getting married. After explaining that the tip was not included, he said I could leave one…if I wanted to, he thanked us and walked away. I guess we weren’t his first Americans. As we left, he wished us well. Despite all the Fodorites’ advice, an intervallo nap was sounding good…


Later, we took a walk around Piazza Navona, and the surrounding neighborhood, had pizza for dinner, and did lots of people and fountain watching. Boy this Piazza is going to be fun. Look at all those foreigners selling fake stuff to unsuspecting tourists. Too bad they’re not all savvy world travelers like us. Wait, are those our kids over there getting something tied to their wrists by those two foreign looking guys. Boy this will be a laugh when they find out our kids don’t have any euro. Sure enough, we just stood back and watched the show. Eventually the “bracelets” were cut off, and the two foreign guys were good sports about it. They even wished us well, just like I had heard before. Tomorrow the crisis of Rosetta for breakfast…

Most sorry to repost - twice no less. The third of the last three is the edited post. Seems I don't have have a clue how to edit and post.