Overall, we have had very smooth transportation and travel. As English schools let out on Friday for summer break, Monday was a super busy day at the airport. Birmingham (UK) airport is installing a new screening area, so the queues were managed in a temporary maze. Most folks just went with the slow flow. Seemed to be the theme of the day, as our first flight was full of passengers who just attended a Tony Robbins’ seminar and the positive energy onboard was bolstered by callouts/responses of “Just Say YES” and “YES!!!” Airport pickup was smooth; driver was on time, and very communicative about our meeting point, etc. We used the same company (SharedShuttle.it) for a shared shuttle to the ship - again, well done and very reasonably priced.
Speaking of transportation, the highlight of our time was a Vespa Tour of Rome! No driving necessary - each Vespa had a driver and a sidecar which held 1-2 persons. Our first stop was the Colosseum; after this we went to sites that are not on the usual path, including the Baths of Caracalla, Aventine Hill, Janiculum Hill (for the 12 o’clock cannon which helps the church bells synchronize), Trastevere, etc. There were only nine guests on the tour, and our guide Cesare was wonderful in his explanations. We booked through Viator, but you can book directly through the company’s website.
Other Rome Recommendations
Hotel Albergo del Senato. Our hotel was right next to the Pantheon and lovely. Centrally located, nice-sized rooms, nice breakfast buffet, and I am a sucker for a rooftop terrace bar. This was during the heat wave, so I just popped up to check it out.
Monday Dinner - Vinando A Tor Margana, Piazza Margana 23. Eight years ago I stumbled across this restaurant on my way to an outdoor classical concert. I enjoyed it so much, I went back again the next night. They don’t have a website, but you can make a reservation, just google Vinando Piazza Margana. We had only nibbled with our flights, so we were right hungry and overindulged.
Tuesday Lunch - Pane Pane Vino ar Vino, Via del Gesu 84. Rick Steves guidebooks are pretty spot on with his recommendations so we tried out this suggestion. After the Vespa tour, we grabbed some freshly made focaccia sandwiches at this little sandwich bar.
Tuesday Dinner - Achille Al Pantheon di Habana, Via dei Pastini 120. I had mapped out some pizza restaurants near the Forum, where we would be ending our afternoon tour of the Colosseum, but we were hot and tired, left the tour and decided we just wanted to find something close to the hotel. While in general I will avoid overtly tourist restaurants, I also believe in eating before getting hangry. We started light with bruschetta and salumi plate, and ended with pizza, dessert and limoncello.
Wednesday Dinner - Canaletto, onboard Holland America Line’s Oosterdam. For our first night onboard, we stayed with our Italian theme and enjoyed the Italian specialty restaurant. Canaletto has a new menu, which debuted on Oosterdam that night. The new menu was delightful - it is still small plates to share and then we each had a main and dessert.
As this was the start of our trip, sometimes our eyes were bigger than our tummies, sometimes we were pretty spot on for what our bodies needed at the time. We could always be drinking more water.
Some thoughts:
Do keep yourself fueled and eat before getting hangry. Chances are you are doing a lot of walking, more than at home.
Do keep yourself hydrated. Rome had neat fountains to refill water bottles.
Don’t feel like you have to eat every course. Italian menus will have pasta courses and main courses - you don’t have to do both. Or maybe share a pasta before a main.
Do try the local specialties. Just like at home, local usually means fresher.
Do indulge in a treat on vacation, but you don’t have to indulge in every treat (or every gelato).
But what about all the carbs?!
Check out Creative Edge Travel’s article “ How Italians Eat So Many Carbs: Healthy Secrets of the Italian Diet.”
Also, over the years, I have heard that European flour is different than American flour. To learn about the science of this, take a look at “Is Italian flour really better?”
That’s it for now. After a few days in Italy, it is time to move on to Greece. Opa!
Bon Voyage & Bon Appétit!
Updated August 25, 2024
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