Oh Rome, you most definitely have my heart. Rome was my number one spot that I could not wait to visit on our cruise. Since we only had 1 day in Rome, I really wanted to make the most of it. Since we had booked one day with Joe Bananas Tours in Pisa/Florence, I pulled the trigger and booked another tour with them for our day in Rome. I was SO happy I did because we had an amazing driver (Hi Dino!) and an amazing day in Rome.
You might be wondering, how in the world did you see Rome from a cruise ship? Rome is definitely landlocked, so this is where cruise lines get sneaky and actually have you docking in a port nearby. We docked in Civitavecchia, which is about an hour away from Rome. If you are thinking you will walk into the city or get a cab from the port to Rome, think again. While cabs are an option, I strongly discourage it given the distance. Using the cruise lines’ tours or booking with a private company is the best option and worth the money.
Our tour guide picked us up right outside of the cruise ship. Again, we had an air-conditioned Mercedes with bottled water awaiting us and was SO nice. Mediterranean heat and sun is real, ya’ll. I had also booked the tour for just the 4 of us, which made it so nice and much more intimate. This also allowed us to make our own custom itinerary and decide when and where we wanted to go. I told Dino (our driver) that the number 1 thing I wanted to do first was go to the Trevi Fountain. I had read how crowded the fountain can get the later in the day you go, and it could not have been truer. We got there early, so had plenty of space to move around, make our wish, and take pictures in front of, but by the time we left, the crowds were getting crazy!
From there, we went to the Vatican. As much as I would have loved to be able to go inside with a tour, there were so many other sites I wanted to see, so we got to walk around outside and see how beautiful the grounds were. Pro Tip: Definitely buy your tickets to go inside in advance. The lines were SO LONG to buy tickets and get inside. Advance purchase is the way to go!
After the Vatican, we buzzed over to the Pantheon. Since the Pantheon sits in this beautiful square, we walked around and went inside some of the cafes and little shops. We bought some authentic spaghetti to bring back home to cook!
From there, we had told Dino we wanted authentic pasta for lunch. We asked, and boy did he deliver!! Dino grew up in Rome, so he knew all of the local and great places to eat. He booked us a table at Antonio Camponeschi (http://www.trattoriatritone.com/ ) and it was amazing!! The wait staff barely spoke English and it was truly an awesome Italian experience. I had the spaghetti Bolognese, and it was divine.
We really did make the most out of our day in Rome (it definitely paid to have the private driver) because from there, we had tickets to enter the Colosseum. Again, buying your skip the line tickets in advance is A MUST DO. The lines again were so long for this, and having the advance tickets made it worth it to bypass the regular line and walk right in.
One other Italian “must do” on my list was to get gelato. Dino (I will forever say how amazing he was) took us to his favorite local shop where we had the most delicious gelato. We even got to sneak in a peek of the Spanish Steps before heading back to the port!
It was a whirlwind day, and by 4 PM, I was exhausted. Joe Bananas Tours was the way to go for private transportation and tours in both Pisa/Florence and in Rome. Both times they even called me in the car on the way back to the ship to confirm everything had gone well and if my expectations had been met. I can truly say I would use them again in the future.
Remember, if you’re taking a one and a lifetime trip, you get what you pay for!
Love and Travel Dust,
Molly
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