La Dolce Vita - Rome Trip

 As our 15th anniversary trip was a cruise starting and ending from Rome I'm going to post Rome separately and then one on the cruise itself as that's kind of how I planned it out and how my note are organized. But first the getting there.. if you have no interest in the travel day skip to bolded Monday.

We sold stock in order to fly biz class in lay flat seats as Jeff said he's too old to sit in economy going that far. United Polaris lounge at Chicago ORD was great for a lunch as a free perk of the tix. It was right next to our gate so we spent about two hour before walking directly onto plane. The pods in business class were wonderful. My dinner of squash ravioli with salad and roll was actually very tasty! 

Enjoying welcome champagne in our side by side pods with privacy drop down.

 Still, I find it very hard to sleep on planes. Even with the seat converting to a lay flat small bed. Got maybe 3 hours on 9 hr flight. Breakfast was kinda nasty. But whatever, Jeff felt it was worth it and the miles/ points we earned as members of their reward program and credit card holders for this has now paid for 2x tix for Vegas in October and 2x tix to OK for Christmas so I try to remind myself the high cost also includes those trips that would have cost us about 2k.  

Monday 

Arrival day 8am...Had prearranged pick up thru hotel. 45 min ride from Airport, we arrived at hotel just after 10am.  

View of Basilca from hotel rooftop after dinner

Mecenates Palace Hotel is just across from Basilca Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore. We couldn't check in until 3pm so we changed clothes in lobby bathroom, dropped bags with bellman and walked next door to check out the basilica. Beautiful but as a non-Catholic, non Christian it was just art to me. We decided then to grab a cab to Pantheon. Had not pre bought tix as was not sure if/when we'd come but it was just a 20 min line wait. Just spent about 30 mins wandering around the inside. Worth the 15 pp euro I believe it cost.  

Site of Ides of March

We then walked 20 mins from there to the site where Julis Caesar was assassinated and ended up having lunch on that square. First meal in Italy included a bottle of wine and carbonara for me, mussles & Linguine for Jeff. Tasted amazing! Lazy stroll back to hotel led us past Emanuele II Monument and the Colosseum LOL. Was great what history you come across just walking around. Everything seemed to be about a 20 min walk from our hotel just depending direction. Ended with getting a Mango gellato next door to our hotel. We were able to check in and take a 3 hour nap thanks to jetlag. Up and ready to explore again at 6pm.  

Happened to come across Colosseum!

We wandered from hotel 20 mins to the Spanish Steps then over to the Trevi Fountain. Could not believe how crowded it still was at 730 a night. We did not spend much time as I get claustrophobic being so surrounded. It was supposed to just be a 1 mile walk back to hotel but the hills and perhaps poor google maps it took us quite a while. We stopped at one one to rest on benches and discovered we were sitting looking at the Presidential Palace. Once back at hotel, we utilized the fantastic rooftop restaurant for a late dinner and a bottle of chianti as the sunset over the Basilca. 

At Trevi Fountain 

Tuesday 

 Cab stand across from hotel we grabbed a quick & cheap ride to Vatican City early morning for our Take Walks morning tour from 945a for 3 hr tour. Sat at cafe meeting point enjoying coffee before tour. Guide was amazing, art was gorgeous and St Peter's Basilca was my favorite. So huge! Sadly the one thing I wanted to see inside (Michaelango's Madonna della Pieta statue) was closed off for restoration. 

Jeff joked neither I or the Vatican burst into flames.  I must not be evil incarnate! 😆

 Afterward we walked over river and past Castle Sant'Angelo before grabbing a cab back to hotel for late 2pm lunch and another 3 hour nap as we continued to adjust to 7 hr time difference. That night we just stayed around as the tour had worn our legs out. Had a few cocktails up on the rooftop bar. Then had best dinner of the trip next door at "Meet Me Here" restaurant. Best bruchetta of our lives! Lemoncello spritz and Amatricana pasta after 9pm and off to bed.  

Wednesday 

Took a morning cab over to Piazzo Navarro to see the 3 fountains here (Neptune Fountain, Four Rivers & ??). Think this was our only long haul cab ride but didn't really care as it still was only 14 euro and we had plenty of walking to do the rest of the day. Sadly all 3 fountains were fenced off for repairs but you could peak at all of them at gaps but not quite what I anticipated. We then walked south to find La Bocca della Veritas (Mouth of Truth) but accidentally walked an extra block past to find ourselves at Circus Maximus. Decided to have breakfast of jam croissants and cappuccino overlooking it before backtracking the block. The wait at Mouth of truth was just 10 mins. No cabs at the nearby cab stand so started a long hot walk back when fortunately we snagged at cab at Emanuele Monument.

Mouth of Truth didn't bite my hand off

 Rested a little before our afternoon 3 hr tour: Colosseum/Forum/Palatine Hill Tour at 1pm. This was thru Viator. Another good guide but admittedly the Vatican guide was our best of whole trip. Loved the tour, but HOT! And only bathrooms are at start or end so I guess it's good I sweat so much so I could hold it for that long. Exhausted we just did a repeat of night before only earlier, two hours of cocktails on rooftop then dinner next door and early bedtime.  

My favorite view atop Palatine Hill

Thursday

I'd scheduled a 1030am shared shuttle pick up to take us to cruise port. While we had time, we did not have the energy to attempt seeing an uncrowded sunrise Trevi Fountain so instead we just had breakfast and morning coffee in our new favorite spot, our hotels rooftop. One hour ride to Civitavecchia cruise port.  

Seriously, mornings looking over Rome sipping coffee on the rooftop were the best.

9 Days later Saturday 

Hotel for night after cruise: Hotel Cilicia junior suite near Appian Way and half hour from Airport. We got off cruise and to hotel by 11am. Since we had late breakfast on cruise before departure we dropped bags and started the 15 min walk over to Church of Domine Quo Vadis site where Christ met Peter after resurrection. Across the street is the entrance to walk the Appian Way. I had thought the Catacombs of San Sebastián were this was as there were signs for Catacombs. We enjoyed the 20 min walk on the Appian Way and arrived at....a different set of Catacombs LOL. Oh well! Lucked out that there was a noon English tour starting in 5 mins and tix were available for like 7 euros. A very interesting 45 tour underground with even a Pope room where four Popes were entombed. This was the hottest day of our entire trip of 94 degrees (who know what the real feel humidity temp was!) So going into the coolness of the Catacombs of San Callisto was very welcome! 

The beauty of Appian way near the Catacombs, but the scent of the Cypress trees was almost magical 

 We could still not check in after our 30 min hot walk back and this hotel was in a residential neighborhood so we had to walk another 15 mins past to the closest open restaurant. No one spoke much english (understandable as it's not a tourist area) and we don't speak Italian so it was a funny moment trying to ask for menus but the one thing they understood; but first BEER, I'm so hot! 🥵 I pantomimed drinking and fanning myself. They understood the word beer and everyone laughed (including other patrons). But apparently drinking beer and having pasta at 2pm when most are getting their afternoon nap was odd and comical to them all the same as the place was almost empty and they said limited menu. Layed around and grabbed a dinner of pizza by the slice and ate it in our hotels courtyard. Wanted a cocktail and the hotel bartender (also didn't speak english) was very mystified by my order of rum & coke. He gave me a full glass of bacadi rum! And a coke can. Had to choke down some straight rum and kept making room to pour coke in. He sat outside to smoke and saw me do this so I thought a second one, maybe he'll get it now I wanted them mixed. Nope! LOL, second full glass of rum. 😆😳 early bedtime after that ready to return home after our two week adventure of a lifetime.  La Dolce Vita- the sweet life indeed!

I was obsessed with this hydrangea in our hotels courtyard 

Finally got my drink to a resonable mix LOL