Fantastic 9 Nights with Rome "After Party" (6/19 - 7/3/25) - Now Complete!

[Calantha]

Hello and welcome to my family's review of the Fantasy 9-night out of Civitavecchia. We were a party of three (me, DH, and DS (10)). This was cruise #12 for me and DS, and #6 for DH. I booked on opening day last year, although I had planned to do this trip in 2026. I couldn't pass up the opportunity to do the Fantasy in Europe.

Starting the week before the trip though, I was terrified that the strikes in Italy were going to derail our arrival. I looked at some earlier flights, but Icelandair doesn't have a ton of extra space in their departures. We scoped out trains and even rental cars if we ended up somewhere else in Europe. In the end though, we decided to hope for the best and it actually turned out okay. I would probably fly in 2 days before in the future, depending on the destination.

Report Links:

• 19 June: Departure Day
• 20 June: Civitavecchia Arrival
• 21 June: Sail Away
• 22 June: At Sea
• 23 June: Chania
• 24 June: Athens
• 25 June: At Sea
• 26 June: Rhodes
• 27 June: Santorini
• 28 June: At Sea
• 29 June: Naples
• 30 June: Debarkation/Rome
• A pizza emergency!
• 1 July: Rome/Vatican
• 2 July: Rome
• 3 July: Return Home Day

 

[Calantha]

19 June: Departure Day - 8:30PM
As part of our splurge, I booked "Saga Premium" on Icelandair, which is comparable to a really good domestic first class but with no lay-flat seats. I would definitely fly with them again (and maybe stay in Iceland a few days next time). Since our flight was so late in the day, I did some fun things before hand like get a manicure and a haircut.

We arrived at the airport (IAD) around 5:30PM and headed straight to the Air France lounge (a Saga Premium Benefit). If you're ever in an Air France lounge, and you've done the champagne tasting on the ship, you'll know the champagne they pour is better than what you'd get at any regular lounge (the bartender was pouring Taittinger, not sure if that's what they always have).



Ultimately, the whole DC region had a ground stop that night due to weather, so we didn't get off the ground until almost 9:30, thankfully, we caught up during the flight and didn't have any issues after we arrived in Reykjavik.



I've attached our dinner menu here:



The other neat thing about Icelandair is their "Gin Bar":



Here's the pink gin, which wasn't too bad. As you'll find out later, I'm not actually a gin person...



And finally DS demos the toiletry kit provided.

 

[Calantha]

20 June: Civitavecchia Arrival

Part 1: The Rest of the Flight
We arrived in Reykjavik (actually Keflavík) and quickly made our way through the airport, which is remarkably tiny. Security lines weren't long, but we didn't get a chance to stop in the lounge, instead just making our way to the next flight and boarding directly.

The strike did actually mess up our arrival in Rome though. We waited almost 2 hours to get our luggage (ugh). Fortunately, we were in communication with our driver and she remained patiently (?) outside for us. We booked her through the hotel/guest house where we had our reservation for the night.

The drive to Civitavecchia was about 45 minutes and not particularly noteworthy.

Part 2: In Civitavecchia
Our hotel was the Il BorGhetto Guest House (link here), located just a few steps from Fort Michelangelo (and we thought, in walking distance to the ship, more on that later). They do have an elevator to the main floor, but the rooms are located up another set of stairs. They can host 2 sets of guests at a time. Our room had a full size/queen bed and then they added a single for DS.



We were starving at this point (it was almost 5:30 and we hadn't eaten much since a light lunch on the plane) so we went next door to the Pizzeria del Ghetto. They have just 4 types of pizza (we got the margherita) and it was the first of many delicious pizzas we ate on the trip. We took the leftovers with us and ate them with breakfast the next day.




At this point, we decided to see if we could walk to port. The owner of the guest house said we could not and that we would need to:

1. Walk to the train station and catch a bus to "Largo della Pace" (6 euros/person),
   where we could catch the shuttle to the ship (free).
2. Walk straight to Largo della Pace and just catch the shuttle to the ship (free).

So we did walk around the port but since we didn't know where the ship was docking (Pier 12 for future reference), we decided walking to Largo della Pace in the morning was our best bet. Ultimately, it would be about a 30 minute walk from the guest house to Pier 12 and I don't think we would have made it in the heat on the cobblestones (if the port officials even let us make it that far).

On the way back after our explorations, we found some gelato at "Bakery house caffè dei portici" that wasn't too bad and then we hit the ATM at BNP Paribas (3QRV+M2 Civitavecchia). The ATM is inset to the building and less exposed than the one down the street at UniCredit Banca. I thought we got enough money for the rest of the trip but lots of people (e.g., taxi drivers) in Italy and Greece still hate credit cards.

 

[Calantha]

21 June: Sail Away

Here are a few pictures of the dining room/living room from the guest house:



They provided toast, yogurt, cheese and fruit. We added our leftover pizza to the mix (which we re-heated in the available toaster oven).

Anyway, we had to check out by 10:30 and PAT was 11:15. It took us about 30 minutes to get to Largo della Pace and then catch the shuttle to Pier 12. It was already hot! Disney was lining everyone up by PAT and fortunately we were able to go right into the building. Check in at Platinum was long - we would have been better off going into the new cruiser line!

We only had a short wait and were on the ship by about 11:50ish. We went down to Enchanted Garden to confirm our server and double check that my Palo requests from last time we were on the Fantasy had been added (they had not, so we fixed that - thanks Luca!). Then, we headed up to Animator's Palate and were seated a few minutes later.

I got 2 empanadas for some reason so I gave the second to DH.



DH and DS riding the Vespa (sorry no faces):



We got DS checked into the Kids Club and the Edge. Then we headed up to our room at 1:30 and investigated our balcony view (Deck 9 mid-ship):



We didn't meet our stateroom host right away but our luggage arrived, so we unpacked and went to the Muster Drill.

Our first night dinner was in Enchanted Garden (main menu). We had the same server from our trip in April and she is so lovely!


Lobster ravioli


Sea Scallops


Date Pudding - Yum!

And a show!



Tomorrow - day at sea with Palo brunch!

 

[Calantha]

22 June: At Sea (Part 1)

Sunday was our first full day on the ship. We started our morning with this view off of our balcony:



This was the island of Stromboli (with the Stromboli volcano). Sorry, I couldn't get a sharper picture - it was really far away and 'misty' that early in the morning.

A few hours later showed we were approaching the Messina Strait:



I wanted to make sure we were ready for sailing through. Here's the tip of Sicily as we sailed past:



The narrowest part (not so narrow):



Time to go see Dr. Strange! This was the first time we've ever had a chance to meet him (although we saw him on stage during MDAS on the Dream last year):



We ended up having more time before Palo brunch (which I hadn't scheduled until 11:30), so we went and played a rousing game of shuffleboard:



And finally, after waiting so long (okay only since April), we returned to Palo (see next post!)

 

[Calantha]

22 June: At Sea (Part 2)

Palo brunch!


All the pastries...we also got cheese, shrimp and tuna too, but I didn't take
a separate picture of those plates (cheese in the corner of the bread picture)


Eggs Benedict and Goat cheese/sun-dried tomato pizza


Veal and Chicken Parm


Chocolate fondant and Limoncello torte

I'll be going back to the panna cotta next time. The torte was just okay.

We spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool with DS (who had been hanging out at the Kid's Club and Cabanas while we ate) and then had to hurry back to dinner to prepare for formal night!

We lucked out and had dinner in Royal Court, but didn't end up eating too much, because we were still full from brunch.

More dessert though!



The first of many awesome sunsets:



We met all of the officers and took pictures with the Captain (and Donald Duck). For the evening, we did not feel like going to see Aladdin, and went to the movie theater instead to watch the new Lilo & Stitch (the printed navigator over on DCL blog must have a typo). It wasn't terrible, but the original is better.

No rush to go to bed, since we weren't arriving in Chania until noon!

 

[Calantha]

23 June: Chania

Arrival time wasn't until noon so we had plenty of time in the morning to do other things. We watched the shore of Crete:







And hung out with Stitch:



When we finally docked, it was unfortunately very disorganized. They told us originally we could debark at mid and forward so we had lined up at forward, and then an officer came by and said no, everyone had to get off at mid.

Anyway, it took almost 45 minutes to get off the ship and get the bus to Chania (the ship actually docks in Souda, about 15-20 minutes away). Then, when we finally did get to Chania, they dropped us off another 15 minute walk or so from the actual old town.

We were not loving it.

Lunch was a welcome respite...



My first and only (ever) glass of ouzo:



After lunch we had just enough time to do a quick walk down the street before we headed off to our excursion - a glass bottom boat with snorkeling. It was just an hour and not very expensive. Unfortunately, DS got sea sick in the tiny boat (the sea was a little rough)...but there were tons of fish out by the island where we stopped.



Some views of the harbor:





As soon as DS felt better, we started the walk back to the bus. We though about grabbing a taxi, but DS thought he'd feel better with a walk.

Overall, Chania was not our favorite, but I would like to go back to Crete and do something different next time.

Continued in part 2...Palo Dessert and gin tasting!

 

[Calantha]

23 June: Chania (Part 2)

Tonight's dinner was in Animator's Palate. It is one of my least favorite menus (and we were going to have dessert at Palo) so I avoided the entrees (focusing on appetizers instead):


Tomato Tarte


Pasta Purseittes


Chicken and Walnut salad (I'd never had this before, it was quite good)

Then we dashed up to Palo for dessert. We didn't do the souffle but instead tried a selection of other items: the gelato trio, tiramisu, and the panna cotta:



The panna cotta was beautiful and delicious.

We stepped out onto the back of the ship at Meridian, and caught the most amazing sunset:



Okay, time for a late night (and a story). When we sailed in April with my best friend and her husband, they did the gin tasting one night. I didn't go with them, as I don't typically eat/drink that late and I like to go to bed by 10. Anyway, they convinced me to try it this time, so I went on my own (definitely not DH's speed and didn't want to leave DS alone that late at night).



The tasting comprised of 5 gins + a mixed drink with each (except for the first one which was just the gin). We had a dirty martini, a gin and tonic, and some other things. By and large, I hated it. I'm going to stick with mixology, chocolate and liquor, and champagne for the future. The bartender (the manager of Meridian) did a great job and the group was lovely, but I am just not a gin person.

Get ready for a long day in Athens tomorrow!

 

[Calantha]

24 June: Athens -- Athens "On Our Own"


Sunrise over the Aegean

I didn't want to pay for a full tour of the city and it seemed like Athens was one of the places where I could get us around without too much trouble. Our day actually started the night before when I used the "Free Now" to pre-book a taxi from port to take us to the Acropolis. I had purchased our timed entry tickets online a few months ago from the official website: https://hhticket.gr. I didn't want to do the first arrival but figured second would work out well - 9AM for the Acropolis and 11AM for the Ancient Agora. You apparently used to be able to buy a combo ticket, but that changed this year. Also, DS was free, so that was pretty great.

Taxi arrived to pick us right on time outside the port. It was 25 Euros to go from the port to the Acropolis and about about a 20-30 minute drive depending on traffic. We actually arrived just before 8:30 (tickets said we couldn't get in before 8:45) so we used the restrooms (and just beat the giant cruise crowds).

We took the paper tickets I had printed up to the entry, and it moved very quickly. It was only 8:44 though and the scanner had to reject it, but she just let us step aside for a minute, and then as soon as it was 8:45, we were allowed to go in.

It was already hot. I recommend go as early as you can and go right to the top of the ruins, because by the time we left at about 10 AM, it was just a sea of people.



We hit the restrooms again and then meandered our way down the hill toward the Agora, I wasn't sure if they would let us in early given what happened at the Acropolis. The walk over there took about 15-20 minutes, so I'd say we go there closer to 10:30 than 10:45, but we were able to skip the long ticket buying line and they scanned us and we got in no problem.

The Agora was interesting, with the museum and the temple of Hephaestus.



While I know we didn't get all the information we could have gotten on an organized tour, we were able to wonder around and do things at our pace (when we were bored, we moved on).

It was moving toward noon and we were hot and hungry. I had picked a restaurant next to the place I wanted to have dessert - the Little Kook, but the restaurant wasn't open yet. So we tried to look around the Little Kook and they chased us out - apparently you can't go inside without a purchase.



Meh.

So, we headed to a nearby square and then picked the first likely looking restaurant nearby: Flint Athens.

I ordered dolmades (grape leaves) and a quinoa and shrimp salad. They were both delicious. DH had a mixed platter and DS had spaghetti. All very tasty. The bartender was out of elderflower (I asked for a hugo spritz), so he made me another drink that was like a limoncello spritz - it was delicious.

I would recommend.



Rejuvenated, I tried to walk the family around the Varvakios Central Market (real fish and meat for sale, among other things) - but it ended up being a little too smelly.

We stopped by Mokka coffee to watch them make traditional coffee, but the line was too long to try anything.



Then, we decided to wrap up the day at Monastiraki Square - and we stopped for "real" ice cream at Ice Roll along the way. Very tasty and just at the corner of the square. They put whatever toppings in that you want and then roll it out on a frozen tray.



We were able to catch a taxi back to the ship (traffic was a lot worse for some reason and it took almost 30 min to get back). Also, he didn't want to take our credit card despite what the rules in the taxi say (and then his machine wasn't working) - but we gave him some cash and then paid the rest with Apple Pay. I think I'd order from Free Now again rather than just grabbing a taxi from the taxi stand.

Back on the ship, it was Pirate Night! But no pirate menu...instead we had "Land and Sea."

This was one of the special menus, and had some nice options:


Gazpacho!

Sorry, I ran out of space for more food pictures.

We did not stay up for any pirate night activities, and instead went to see Elio at 8:15. It was okay. I felt like it was Lilo & Stitch in reverse. A great day overall though.

 

[Calantha]

25 June: At Sea

Time for our second sea day. This really was an ideal itinerary with a sea day, 2 days of ports, a sea day, 2 days of ports, etc. etc.

We had three things planned for the morning: Art of the Theme tour for me and DH, which I have never managed to attend, invading the Vibe for a private pool party for DS (this was not in the Navigator App, and came on a printed invitation to our room), and Mickey Churro Waffles (which we got twice!)

But first, Santorini as we sailed by on our way to Rhodes:



Towel creature in the bathrooms outside of Meridian (where the tour started):



The most expensive bottles of wine in the fleet (located in the area outside of Remy - the other ships have some of them too):


Apparently you have to pay before you purchase. These are $10k+ bottles...think how many cruises you could go on instead!


Oh, Mickey Churro waffles, I love you. Also, pro tip, if we have them on Castaway day, I pack them in a Ziplock bag to eat on the island later in the morning with my mimosa.

While DS was at the Vibe pool, I hung out at the adult pool area. Even in the Med, I love the hot tub.

We also had this exciting fellow (Santorini in the background again):



Didn't do much the rest of the day but hang out at the pool. Dinner brought us the Land and Sea menu in Royal Court and the second most disgusting thing I ate the entire trip (stand by for the first, later in Rome). We also had our Platinum gift (the Prosecco) delivered to the dining room to have with dinner.


Do not eat!!! This was supposed to be a double baked cheese souffle. It was awful. I'd rather have 100 lobster bisques than ever see it again. If someone does like it, please let me know in the comments!

Instead I ate my son's feta from his shrimp and DH's bruschetta (which he was accidentally served instead of the tomato and mozzarella salad).



Main courses weren't particularly interesting, but here is dessert:


Carmel Apple Cheesecake and Light Lemon Cake (should have been called Little Lemon Cake)

After dinner, we went to see the Thunderbolts (sorry Frozen). DS and I saw in the theater the weekend it came out but we wanted to see it again (DH didn't know it was a Marvel movie, he gave up after Phase 2-ish).

Straight to bed afterward, because it was going to be an early morning in Rhodes.

 

[Calantha]

26 June: Rhodes "For the Win"

So, didn't have "Rhodes was our favorite stop" on my bingo card, but it was awesome. I would go back on another vacation to spend more time there.

This was another 'on our own' kind of day where I planned everything (spoiler alert from the other trip report, that pesky land slide at the butterfly valley totally screwed up the schedule though).

The day started bright and early (about 8AM) with - a car rental!



We thought they were going to bring the car to port, but instead they shuttled us and another family over to their main location. This was fine, but definitely delayed my starting plans (which included visiting the supposed site of the Colossus).

Another pro-tip - download an offline maps service likes maps.me and plot everything there in case you lose internet (but the 5G in Greece was generally pretty good I'll say - way better than what we had in Italy, which was barely LTE sometimes).

So with that delay, we headed straight to the Valley of the Butterflies:



Park at the second location and walk up hill...then if you still have energy, you can do the lower part. This location has the gift shop, snack shop, and pay restrooms (I think it was 1 euro per person).

It was cool in the valley and not very busy when we got there about 9ish, but was pretty crowded when we left.


Waterfall


A Lone Butterfly

So things went awry on departure - the second part of the pro-tip on maps is that they might not be updated - oops! So, we drove up the hill and through the rock slide area because someone had left the blockade open and there were no signs. BUT, when we got to the top, it was blocked by a bunch of orange blockades (obviously). So, we went back down and had to fight with the guy to let us back through (because by then, the lower blockade had been closed).

Then, we had to double back the way we come to get back out to the coastal road. We decided to drop our second stop (Anthony Quinn Bay) since we were almost an hour behind at that point (we had to have the car back by 3 - next time, I'll give it more time).

This led us to our scheduled lunch stop - the Castellan restaurant, just north of Faliraki. We were the only people there at 11:30 (and the only people there in fact, the entire time). It was just one little Greek grandma who did everything (she said her daughter was busy that day). Best food of the trip and I wish I had taken more pictures. The best tomatoes and tzatziki I've ever eaten (DH ordered the same thing, and DS had spaghetti). She also brought us ice cream for dessert (on the house).



Next stop was Kallithea Springs - which I had hoped still actually had the hot springs, but alas, that part was just a ruin. It did have an nice rocky beach for swimming and some neat buildings to walk through (10 euros/person to enter + additional charge for sun beds, etc).



It was almost mid-afternoon, and we needed to return the car, so we headed back to Rhodes town, and dropped off the car. The agency then drove us back to the ship. We took everything back to the ship...and turned around and went back into town to do some souvenir shopping. Also, I hit up an ATM, because all that extra cash I got in Civitavecchia had gone poof to all the credit card haters!

The walled city was so cool - and I wish we had had more time to explore:





And the view from the ship to where the Colossus was supposed to be:

 

[Calantha]

Rhodes (Part 2)

Random shot of our door:



Dinner was at AP and the third special menu (World of Flavour)

We had spring rolls and empanadas (different than the first day at lunch):



Cheddar cheese soup (recommend dipping the nights bread service - which was actually a pretzel in the soup)



Shrimp curry and prime rib



Trio of dessert night (cheesecake, pear tart, and apple strudel), which DH and I split:




Killer sunset with the moon hanging over the islands (balcony ftw):



Be ready to hurry up and wait tomorrow, when we visit Santorini!

 

[Calantha]

27 June: Santorini - Hurry up and wait


Sunrise over Fira

So, I booked a private excursion, despite understanding what a pain tendering and the lift are in Santorini.

We were supposed to meet our guide at 9AM. I thought an hour and a half would be plenty. Wrong...so wrong.

We showed up to the Disney Theater right at 7:30 (when they said tendering would start) and we sat...and sat...and sat for almost an hour and a half. We finally got a tender and then the line for the lift wasn't too bad, so we were only 30 minutes late for the start of the excursion.

Spoiler: Our guide, Markos, was awesome and I highly recommend him if you go to Santorini: https://iamsantorini.com/

He picked us up a few blocks away from the lift in Fira and we set off for the day. Despite being late, he didn't dock us any of our time.

First stop was Oia, slightly before the rush... It really is as beautiful as they say, but it very quickly became too crowded. We stopped for an early gelato at Lolita's Gelato - their t-shirts were great, they said something like, "Your last wish before the eruption" (only a little dark!)





We then went to visit a small town in the center of the island and enjoy local architecture (with no crowds).





Lunch was a stop at the Galini Restaurant Tavern. Food was good, but not our favorite (dessert and wine were very delicious though). DS got to play in the sand and we enjoyed lovely sea views.





Last major stop was on the hill up to the Prophet Elias Monastery. It gives 270 degree views of the island and I still can't get over how tiny it actually is. In the picture below, you can see Oia all the way at the far end of the island, and then Fira and then all of the other tiny towns dotting the island.



On the way back to Fira, Markos took us to a local grocery store and helped us select several bottles of wine to bring home.

Alas, back in Fira started the almost 2 hour wait to get back to the ship. It was hot and there were 2 lines and it was a mess. Here's a closer shot of that climb up to Fira.



Dinner was back in Enchanted Garden and we had the other rotational menu. Nothing too exciting there.

Tomorrow...final sea day.

Overall take on Santorini - very beautiful, and I'd go back if we were flying in during the spring/fall, but the crowds are killer!

 

[Calantha]

28 June: At Sea

We didn't do much:


Yes, there is a child there.


A beautiful view of the sea.

We played cards...ate more churro waffles...and just relaxed.

Dinner:

Eggplant!


Lobster!


A weird ice cream sundae that had no filling in the middle...

Next stop - Naples!

 

[Calantha]

29 June: Naples - Eat All the Pizza

Naples was a mix of successes and failures. We booked a tour of Pompeii through GetYourGuide/World Tours and we were pretty disappointed.


Sunrise over Mount Vesuvius

It was a semi-small group tour - turned out to be about 18 people. We were told to meet at the meeting spot about 15 minutes early...and then they were 30 minutes late picking us up.

The guide on the way to Pompeii was very hard to understand. Once we got to Pompeii, we got a different guide - but we had to wear the earpieces, which just didn't fit on my DS's head properly. He tried to stand near the front to hear her, but he was only partially successful.


Ruins Kitty


Ruins with the volcano in the background

We did see what we wanted to see though over the course of about 2-3 hours, so I'm not in a hurry to go back.

Once we got back to the ship, we dropped our extra stuff and headed off to...the #2 pizza place in the world according to https://www.50toppizza.it/50-top-world-2024/.

Diego Vitagliano Pizzeria is about a 10-15 minute walk from port on an unassuming street. We luckily got there during a lull, by the time we left, there were people outside waiting to get in. The service wasn't great - the menu was on a QR code (and pretty baffling) BUT once we got the waiter to help, it was AMAZING. So amazing in fact, instead of dessert, we ordered another pizza.



The heat had worn us down, so we caught a cab back to the port. We spent the rest of the afternoon packing and sorting through stuff.

We also made our first ever visit to the up-charge ice cream shop. I've bought snacks there before, but never ice cream. I got the cheesecake gelato with strawberry pearls (like they have in Palo) - I think I'll be back.

For the evening, we had the last rotational menu and Animation Magic at AP and enjoyed the sunset.


Shrimp Pasta


Peach Tart


Our last amazing sunset

We packed-ish, since we weren't flying out the next day but did our best so that we wouldn't have too much to handle on the way back to Rome.

 

[Calantha]

30 June: Debarkation/Rome

The next morning was truly one of our greatest mysteries of the trip. I had no idea how we were *really* going to get back to Rome. The plan was to take the train, but I didn't really understand how we'd get from Pier 12 to the train station - would we have to switch over at Largo della Pace? Find a taxi?

I knew which train we wanted to catch, since we had to be at our AirBnB (the Romentic House - yes, that is how it is spelled) at 11:30AM to drop off our luggage. The plan was to drop luggage, eat lunch in the Jewish Quarter, officially check in at 1PM, and then go to our 2PM golf cart tour of Rome.

Anyway, it worked out that there was a bus straight to the train station when we got off the ship - and despite waiting in the wrong line, I was able to get us tickets at the last minute through the Trenitalia app. We arrived in Rome, only slightly delayed. What I hadn't accounted for was waiting in line 30 minutes to get a taxi. Ugh.

So, we ended up arriving at our AirBnB closer to noon. It was fine. The building superintendent let us in to drop off our stuff and then directed us around the corner for lunch.

Here, I had the most horrible thing of the trip. We went to BaGhetto Milky and I ordered the fried appetizer platter, which contained Supplì Classico/Cacio & Pepe, Fiore Di Zucca, Crocchetta Di Patate, Mozzarellina, and Carciofo Alla Giudia.



Supplì (similar to arancini balls) - delicious, carciofo (deep fried artichoke) - also delicious.

Everything else on this list, seems fine...BUT...beware the mozarellina - which was an innocent mozeralla ball...filled with TUNA!!!! Oh, it was horrible.

But, I survived after drinking the entire bottle of water.

Okay, on to the most awesome part of the day - a semi-private golf cart tour of the city with LivTours that turned out to be a private tour.

We caught the bus from Largo Arenula to the starting point at the Anatara Palazzo Naiadi Rome Hotel. The bus system is pretty good. They have something called Tap N Go - where you just tap your credit card at the kiosk on the bus and it is good for a certain number of hours (one card per person). Kids 10 and under are free.

DS said the tour was his favorite activity from the trip (even if Rhodes was our favorite stop). DH and I had a blast as well. It is the best way to see most of the main attractions in a few hours without excessive walking. Highly recommended.


Our Ride...


Trevi Fountain


The Colosseum


View of the city from on top of the Passeggiata del Gianicolo/Janiculum Hill


The top of the Spanish Steps

We grabbed dinner at Emma Pizzeria near our AirBnB and it was decent. On the way back, we ate the second of many gelatos (we also had some on the tour).


Making all the pizza at Emma Pizzeria!

 

[Disnsyncey]

I just looked at the location of your AirBnB.....that's near where my last one is! LOVED the location (besides it being such a hike to Giolitti) because it seemed a little farther away from the wall to wall tourists......we ate dinner on the south side of the Corso every night, once in Trastevere.....I need to go over there more.....

 

[Calantha]

I just looked at the location of your AirBnB.....that's near where my last one is! LOVED the location (besides it being such a hike to Giolitti) because it seemed a little farther away from the wall to wall tourists......we ate dinner on the south side of the Corso every night, once in Trastevere.....I need to go over there more.....

Yes, it was not crowded at all, but still easy to get everywhere. I would definitely stay there again.

 

[Calantha]

We interrupt this Trip Report for a digression on pizza...

So, I read online that there were four kinds of pizza common in Rome, but we actually had 5 (counting Naples)! I thought this was too important to try to describe during the next two posts, so I've highlighted it here.

1. Neapolitan Pizza - puffy crust, cheese, tomatoes, basil



2. Roman Thin Crust (very little edge)



3. Pizza by the slice (sold by weight) with lots of toppings (I had potato on one, and eggplant on another)



4. Pinsa (not even called pizza) with a unique oval shape and a different type of dough



And last but not least...

5. Pizza Ebraica (i.e., Jewish/Hebrew Pizza) - found in the Jewish Quarter - I'll explain where to get it in the next post. And yes, it looks like a fruit cake.



Eat all the pizza in Rome.

 

[Calantha]

1 July: Rome/Vatican

Today started super early, as we had to be at the Vatican entry by 7:15. We caught a bus from near the AirBnB and easily found the spot where we needed to wait. It was another LivTour (that's all we did in Rome - I got a "buy 3" discount back at Thanksgiving). This was another semi-private with a family that had 2 kids about DS's age.

The tour ended up being very long and even though we were inside for most of it, it was hot too. Nevertheless, we were some of the first people in through the gates, so the first hour or so, was not crowded at all. By the time we got to the Sistine Chapel though, it was very busy.







The other good thing about the tour was allowing us to just pass over to St. Peter's and not have to go wait in another line (although there was a short line right at the church entrance).





I was creep-ed out by seeing the embalmed popes...but I guess that's a thing.

By the time we finished, we were so tired that my plan for the rest of the day was kaput. We did make it to the planned gelateria stop at Old Bridge Gelato, but there was no way we were going to walk to where I had planned lunch, let alone walk back across the city to our AirBnB. The place we stopped at instead (Vinsanto) was cool - we got to watch a chef make dough while we ate.



We caught a bus back to the AirBnB instead and just relaxed the rest of the afternoon. We walked over to where Julius Caesar was assassinated, and then got some excellent pizza by the slice for dinner (too soon?).


Down these somewhere in that square, Caesar died on 15 March 44 BC.


Pizza Florida - the place to go for pizza by the slice

I also went to Pasticceria Boccione, the 200-year old bakery (that doesn't even have a sign) to get the Jewish pizza. I walked in and there were still no signs inside, just lots of pastries. I would have liked to try other things, but I didn't know what to ask for. See the previous post for a picture of the Jewish pizza.

We also had (another) gelato stop at Il Gelato di Mastroiocco. I very much enjoyed their ricotta and nutella gelato. I also loved that a small gelato was only 3 euros.