4 Days in Rome
We were in Rome for 4 days (2 full days) before we set sail on our Mediterranean Cruise on Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas.
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Day 1-
We arrived by train from Florence and took a taxi to our Airbnb. We stayed near the Vatican and really liked the location. After resting we explored the area and had dinner at Spaghetti’s. When in Rome eat at Spaghetti’s! 😋🤣
The steps we’re sitting on were once the marble seats in the Colosseum… I love all of the information I learn on tours!
Day 2-
I booked a private tour with Easitalytours to show us around Rome. We traveled with another family so we had eight of us all together, including three children. A private tour was the easiest way to get all of us around Rome… Also a great option if you’re short on time. Nik, our tour guide/driver picked us up at our Airbnb and then we set off on our driving tour through Rome. Here’s where we stopped during our 7-hour tour:
•Knights of Malta Keyhole
•Roman Forum
•Palatine Hill
•Circus Maximus
•Colosseum: Get your Colosseum tickets here.
•Piazza Venezia
•Trevi Fountain
•Spanish Steps
•Ancient Appian Way
In Italy by law, drivers aren’t allowed to walk into the sites with you. So I arranged for Easitalytours to get our tickets in advance for the Colosseum. Nik explained a lot to us before we explored the Colosseum on our own.
On our tour, we drove past so many other points of interest. It was a great tour! I always enjoy getting local guides who can give their point of view and share their knowledge and the history.
Our tour ended at 3:00. Nik dropped us off at the Vatican. I made reservations at 3:30 through the Get Your Guide App for the Vatican: Museums & Sistine Chapel Entrance Ticket. I tried to buy our tickets online 2 months in advance (when tickets open up) through the official Vatican website but it sold out before I could get them😂. The Museum and Sistine Chapel are closed on Sundays.
Day 3-
The girls spent the morning in Trastevere while the boys & Cicily slept in. Every Sunday morning Rome's most popular flea market is held at the Porta Portese. They sell everything from antiques to clothing. Charlotte enjoyed it but it was way too crowded for me. Our Uber driver warned us about pickpockets as he dropped us off so-be vigilante if you go.
After visiting the flea market we walked around Trastevere. It’s one of the prettiest neighborhoods in Rome. We loved the narrow cobblestone streets and the colorful buildings dripping with ivy. I recommend spending some time just walking through the streets and seeing what you find. Via Della Lungaretta is one of the main streets in Trastevere. You’ll find cafes, restaurants, bars, and shops. Walking along this street will lead you to the popular Piazza Santa Maria. In the Piazza is the Basilica of Santa Maria one of the oldest churches in Rome. This would be the perfect place to take a guided food tour.
We met the rest of our group at the Pantheon. The Pantheon is a former Roman temple and, since 609 AD is a Catholic Church. Pantheon tickets cost 5 euros. We happened to be there on the First Sunday of the month, so we got free admission. 🙌 Every first Sunday of the month, visitors to Rome get to enjoy cultural sites run by the state free of charge. This includes museums, galleries, archaeological sites, and monuments.
Next, we walked to Piazza Navona, one of the most beautiful squares in Rome. It’s home to the Fountain of the Four Rivers, the Fountain of Neptune, and the Agonale Obelisk. Rome is the city with the most obelisks in the world. It has 8 Egyptian and 5 Roman obelisks, as well as some more modern ones.
We made our way to the Vatican passing Castel Sant’Angelo, one of Rome’s most iconic and recognized structures. You’ll see the statue of Arch Angel Michael, the right hand of god, perched atop the Castel. You can enter to see the museum or view from the outside. In modern times, it has served as a fortress to protect the Pope in times of invasion.
St Peter’s Basilica is the final resting spot of Saint Peter and has seen the burial of many Popes. St Peter Basilica is in Saint Peter’s Square, Vatican City, in a state within the State in Rome city center. Saint Peter Basilica is a working church and you do not need tickets to visit. But you will need tickets if you want to visit the dome, the Vatican treasure, St Peter’s tomb, and the necropolis. You can choose between several ticket options, guided and self-guided.
You will find fewer tourists at Saint Peter’s Basilica before 10:00 a.m. or after 4:00 p.m. To access Saint Peters Basilica you need to join the line at the start of the colonnade on the right, and you will have to go through security. Make sure you dress appropriately. They don’t allow short skirts, shorts, and sleeveless tops, but they are more lenient with children (Cicily’s made it in wearing shorts and a tank).
The highlight for me was seeing the Pieta by Michelangelo (near the entrance and to the right), and going to Mass at St. Peter's Basilica (5:30). I recommend going to Mass if you have the time we really enjoyed it.
We had dinner at Bonci… Hailed in Italy as the “Michelangelo of Pizza!” It became more popular after being on Chef's Table on Netflix. Known for its potato pizza and Carbonara. Our Airbnb was down the street from Bonci and every time we passed it was packed... so we knew we needed to try it before we left Rome.
Day 4- Getting to the Civitavecchia Port:
You have a few options for getting to the port in Civitavecchia.
Train: It will take about an hour by train to get to Civitavecchia. You can find a taxi outside the train station that will take you directly to the cruise terminal. It takes about 10 minutes to arrive at the port by taxi. If you want to walk to the port from the train station it’s about 1 mile.
We booked a private shuttle through Easitalytours since it was easier with kids. It’s a little over an hour to arrive by van to the port.
Some cruise lines will offer a bus service.
We wanted to visit one last place before leaving Rome. Our driver met us at our Airbnb to take us to the Rome Italy Temple before dropping us off at the Civitavecchia cruise port. The Rome Temple is in the opposite direction of the port 🤣 but this worked out best for us and our schedule to visit on our way to the port.
We were excited to see The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ beautiful Rome Temple, and the Christus statue & 12 Apostles.
In the early 1800s, a Danish sculptor trained in Rome crafted sculptures of Jesus Christ and I2 New Testament apostles. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints digitally mapped the statues in Copenhagen, quarried marble in Carrara for the modern-day replicas, and then placed the reproductions within view of the Rome Italy Temple. The Christus statue & 12 Apostle statues are amazing! We were so happy to see this before we departed Rome and left on our Mediterranean cruise!
