Sharing a recap of our time in Rome! We were able to spend four days in Rome with our Mediterranean Disney Cruise. Since these posts are so long, I’ll split the recaps into two posts and share the Disney Cruise post next week!
Where to start?! It’s been two and a half weeks since we’ve been back to the States and I’m missing Italy every day and probably won’t until we do it again. We had the most magical time and I’m still here for the Nutella croissant and espresso.
Since we were last in Rome, I dreamed of the day we could take our kids to see one of my favorite places in the world. It was so exciting to finally be able to do it! It ended up being perfect timing because they are the perfect age to travel a little longer and explore a lot.
We ended up doing two red eyes on the way to Italy, which I wouldn’t recommend to anyone. Our first flight from Phoenix to JFK was overnight, and no one slept on the way. We ended up getting a day pass at the TWA hotel at JFK airport so we could take a five hour nap before our onward flight from JFK to Rome.
The TWA hotel was amazing; I highly recommend it if you have a super long layover at JFK and want to sleep! The rooms were dark, clean and comfortable, they had a cute food court with tons of options and we all loved the vintage vibe.
We checked out of the hotel, had dinner and chilled in the Delta lounge and then boarded our next overnight flight.
The next morning, we arrived in Rome! We checked our bags at the hotel and actually headed to our friends hotel for another long sleep.
After that, we’re good to go. It was the only time we needed a reset since the adrenaline and excitement started.
The girls were blown away by the gorgeous historic buildings, the shopping, all the new sights to see, and of course, the food.
Recapitulation of Rome
Where we stayed in Rome with kids:
Hotel Marcella Royale
This is the hotel we stayed at last time we were in Rome! They are a small boutique hotel with charming interiors and a gorgeous rooftop patio. Although this next time felt a bit dated – I don’t think they’ve updated much in 10 years – we all enjoyed it.
Hotel 77
We liked the hotel even better; It was a 15 minute walk to the Coliseum and surrounded by cute restaurants and shops. It was a bit more modern, but still had that boutique feel.
When our return flight was cancelled: Hilton Rome Fiumicino. The room was ok, but the hotel breakfast was out of this world.
* It is worth mentioning here that both Hotel Marcella and Hotel 77 were booked using credit card points with Amex Platinum. We love our Platinum Card for the monthly deals, lounge access and travel perks. Whenever I book through Amex travel, we get complimentary room upgrades, early check-in, late checkout, and usually some kind of free breakfast or resort credit. We put everything on our credit cards (Amex Platinum, Chase Venture, and I use Southwest for all business expenses) and pay them off every two weeks. If you are interested in the Platinum Card, I have a referral link here.*
Where we ate:
Hotel Breakfasts:
Breakfast at Hotel Marcella was EPIC. It had everything you could want: eggs, deli meats, cheese plates, make your own pancakes (with nutella, jam and honey), pastries for days. Many breakfast buffets are similar, including the lovely selection at Hotel 77.
The buffet at the Hilton (airport location) was actually excellent! They circled around the gelato cart afterwards haha.
Mediterranean Pizza x 2:
I dream about this pizza forever. They change the flavors daily and it was right outside Hotel 77. It is slightly thicker than Napoli pizza, but still crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and the flavor combinations are so delicious and satisfying.
My favorite was this tuna pizza. AHH.
Fucolento and Al Viminale are two more standout spots for traditional Italian fare:
Cheese plates, prosciutto with watermelon, pasta carbonara, lasagna, gnocchi with bolognese, salmon, steak, dessert, everything. We didn’t hold back on ordering, and luckily, we traveled with friends who loved sharing plates of delicious food. 😉
+ Necessary daily stops at coffee and gelato shops. You really can’t go wrong with an afternoon espresso and a gelato cone or a Nutella croissant.
The food in Italy is actually a thousand times better than the food here. It’s fresh, bright, delicious, flavorful, not processed, and I eat things like dairy and gluten while I’m there that don’t make me sick. I don’t feel like taking a nap after a bowl of pasta. This is a stark contrast to the brown and greasy food we often see here in the US.
I was also surprised at the cost! We ate like kings in Rome and Greece and our most expensive bill was 150 euros. That’s with multiple appetizers, bottles of wine, entrees and desserts. It could easily be $500+ here… and hardly satisfactory.
Place to visit:
Our time in Rome was on either side of our 7-night Mediterranean cruise so we didn’t want to overdo it on tours/shows. Instead, we used it as a time to enjoy food, culture and the occasional adventure. While we were there, we spent a lot of time walking and shopping, eating (of course) and seeing the Colosseum,
Trevi Fountain,
And the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, which was beautiful.
I think I answered all of IG’s questions in the post (lmk if I missed anything please), but I got a couple of questions about shoe recommendations!
The streets in Europe are cobblestone, uneven and you will die in heels. Comfort and style are key; All the women I saw were wearing sandals or white low-top sneakers and sundresses or skirts and tank tops.
I wore my white Vivobarefoot court sneakers everywhere and also these Steve Madden sandals. Both are very comfortable and suitable for walking around. The girls wore low-top sneakers and sandals with straps when we went out.
It was the perfect introduction to Rome and Italy for the kids, who already can’t wait to go back.
Have you taken your children abroad? Any favorite spots?? We want to do Paris and Spain next.
xoxo
Zion
