B82: Hope Springs Eternal (Part One of Two)

12/7/2022

Rome & Western Med. Cruise on Symphony of the Seas - 1-12 Jul 2018
Part One: Rome & Vatican City

Seeing the Vatican - 2 July 2018

So, as you may know, I had a major medical emergency in 2017 that almost ended my life. Within 7 months of leaving the hospital, partly to celebrate the gift of life and to “get back on that horse” …. but mostly to celebrate my brother Martin’s “big roundy birthday”, I was blessed to be travelling again in 2018. In July of that year, we decided to “push the boat out” and “splash out” on a trip for the 4 of us (Charlie & I; Martin & Mary) to Rome the Eternal City, for 4 days followed by a week-long Western Med Cruise on the biggest ship (at that time) the Symphony of the Seas. It was hard to comprehend that the same week the previous year, I was on life support!! Looking back I realise I was dragging myself around on this trip…..the lads will tell you I was “like a bag of cats!!” And I’m surprised I wasn’t dumped overboard somewhere approaching Majorca. However, it remains one of the best holidays I’ve ever had. This blog post is about how we got on in Rome for the first leg of the trip. Enjoy!!

Overview

We booked the flights from Dublin to Rome directly with Aer Lingus (as we had lots of air miles) flying out the afternoon of Sunday 1st July from Terminal 2. I got wheelchair assistance at the airports which was wonderful. The slightly over four hour flight brought us to Rome Fiumicino airport where we picked up our pre-booked Viator transport to our hotel in the centre of Rome.

Our hotel for the 4 nights in Rome was just down from the amazing Trevi Fountain, Boutique Hotel Trevi on Via delle Muratte. I had stayed in this area before and knew how wonderful it was to be able to see the fountain in the early morning and late at night without any of the crowds. We booked two double rooms on a B&B basis.

We would pick up the 7 Night “Western Mediterranean Cruise” on the Symphony of the Seas run by Royal Caribbean on the following Thursday, July 5th from Civitavecchia. This is the route we took and will be covered in the next blog post:

Rome – 1-4 Jul 2018

Hotel
The hotel was a little dated to be somewhat expected in this historic part of Rome but the positives outweighed the negatives for us. The location is amazing and everything is within 30 mins walking distance that is a must-see. Colosseum/Spanish steps/ Vatican City. There are so many good restaurants and bars on the doorstep staying here. You just need to check online reviews before you eat anywhere. We ate the four nights at pizza restaurants on Via Delle Murate and they were all good.

The bed was very comfy, clean sheets and air con worked well. The room was fine size-wise. The breakfast itself was good. No hot food but full continental breakfast and we all left with full bellies every morning. Good coffee and milk available. All the staff on reception were helpful.

Above - Us outside the Boutique Hotel Trevi

1 July 2018 – Sunday Night - Trevi Fountain
Having eaten, we walked the short walk down to the magnificent Trevi Fountain where we took lots of photos. We stayed a good while there soaking up the atmosphere.

2 July 2018 – Monday Morning - Golf Cart Tour Of Imperial Rome
After a hotel breakfast the following morning, we did a 3-hour Golf Cart Tour of Imperial Rome. This we booked through Viator but it is operated by Freeway Cars. It was hands down one of the best tours I have ever done and although a bit pricey was well worth it. At 10am we were picked up near our hotel and we gave our feet a rest from Rome’s cobbled streets to explore the city’s historical sites by golf cart, instead.

Our Golf Cart Tour of Imperial Rome - 2 Jul 2018

Our driver/guide, Ricardo was excellent and a really nice guy. We could ask him to stop to take photos whenever safe to do so….so we hopped on and off a lot. We also were glad of the shade of the golf cart from the sun.

Ricardo, our driver/guide and Me - Rome - 2 Jul 2018

On this 3-hour tour, we saw some of Rome’s top attractions and squares, including the Pantheon, Colosseum, Piazza Navona, Piazza Venezia, Circus Maximus, the Spanish Steps and finishing for us at the Trevi Fountain. You can get closer to the landmarks than you would in a regular vehicle but still enjoy comfortable transport around the city.

Above: Just a small selection of the sights we saw that day in Rome - 2 Jul 2018

We stopped off en-route for the tastiest limoncello ice-cream ever. When it was over we sat outside Baccano Ristorante and had a tasty lunch and a few cold beers. What more could you want??

Rome has the best Limoncello Gelato!!

3 July 2018 – Tuesday Morning – No Wait Dedicated Access: St. Peter’s Basilica by Vox Mundi
The following morning at 10:30 am we turned our attention to St. Peter’s Basilica…. with one of the few Vatican tours that focuses just on the church and not on the museums. I had seen the latter before and the lads just wanted to see the Basilica. We again booked it through Viator. We had seen it from the outside on the previous day’s golf cart tour but with this tour we stepped straight inside with our guide and group and we listened to stories about the world-famous Catholic basilica as we walked around.

Above: Some of what we saw in St. Peter's Basilica - 3 Jul 2018

Above: Us in St. Peter's Basilica - 3 Jul 2018

We heard the stories behind lauded artwork, such as Michelangelo’s La Pieta (below) and all of the numerous other works of art there. We caught all the commentary from our guide with the provided headphones which was great as we did not need to be standing beside the guide.

"The Pieta" by Michelangelo - 3 Jul 2018

We learnt how the basilica is thought to have been built on the site where St. Peter the Apostle was crucified, and listened to stories about the colourful architects and artists who lavished their attention on the basilica over the centuries. Highlights of the tour include Michelangelo’s La Pieta, Bernini’s bronze Baldachin, and the tomb of Pope St. John Paul II. I was particularly taken with a portrait of Maria Clementina Sobieska (1702-1735) below, one of only three women with monuments in the basilica.

Maria Clementina Sobieska - one of only 3 women honoured by monuments in the Basilica - 3 Jul 2018

We bid our guide goodbye and stayed on inside the basilica for as long as we liked taking photos. We then took some outside and Martin and Mary went to the nearby Vatican Post Office to post Postcards home while Charlie and I sunned ourselves.

We then had a delicious lunch in a nearby restaurant. Between us we had delicious Italian food …sampling pasta, pizzas, gelati and wine (Below). A lovely day we all agreed.

4 July 2018 – Wed Morning – 90 Minute Colosseum Restricted Gladiator’s Arena Tour by Crown Tours SRLS
Entrance queues for the Colosseum can be up to hours long. With a pre-reserved admission ticket again booked through Viator, we skipped long lines and headed straight in with our guide, who offered little-known facts and anecdotes about the arena’s dark history. This tour included areas inaccessible to the general public, offering a rare perspective on Ancient Rome.

We stepped inside the Colosseum from the Gladiator's gate, a separate entrance restricted to a limited number of people per day, enjoying priority access. We started our guided tour by visiting the arena floor, the actual stage where battles used to take place in Ancient Rome, and stood in the centre of the stage, where once exotic animals and gladiators once fought. It was a really memorable experience…..even if it was a scorching 32 degrees in the shade!!

We went back to the hotel and rested before going out to eat. We also did a bit of souvenir shopping. Tomorrow we would head for Civitavecchia and the Symphony of the Sea!

TO BE CONTINUED ...

Bucket List Items Ticked Off in the above Blog 82

Number 34 - Food & Drink - Eat Regional Foods

Italian gelati (ice-cream) & pizza in Rome, Italy

Number 57 - Travel - 7 Continents

Europe

Number 58 - Travel - 80 Countries

Italy
Vatican City

Number 59 - Memorable Hotels

Boutique Hotel Trevi, Rome, Italy

Number 60 - Travel - 80 Cities/Towns

Rome, Italy
Vatican City

Number 69 - Travel - Iconic Man-Made Wonders

Check out the Colosseum (Italy - Rome)

Number 76 - Experiences - 80 UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Historic Centre of Rome, Italy
Vatican City

Other Blog Posts
Blog 11 - Sydney, Australia
Blog 12 - Hong Kong, China
Blog 17 - Beijing, Xi'an & Shanghai, China
Blog 19 - California, USA
Blog 27 - Scotland
Blog 28 - Barbados
Blog 29 - Canada
Blog 30 - Alaska
Blog 31 - Everglades, Florida

Have you ever been to Rome? Tell me about your experience in the comments section below.

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