Arriving in Rome and clearing customs was much simpler than on our previous visits. The customs process was more automated and smooth; it was quick, even with the arriving crowds. We had prearranged a shuttle to our hotel, and just had to find the "meeting point" and look for our name on the reader board our driver carried. You can also just grab a cab and head for the city. The cabbies know all the hotels. Most speak some English and are a good source of local information.
Our first lodging, Hotel Smeraldo, is in a great, central location in old city Rome. The hotel is within easy walking distance of many of the historical sites you may have thought about seeing, as well as innumerable ones you may not have considered. A surprise is around every corner. The hotel is surrounded by many fine restaurants, bars, and coffee shops, and has an excellent bakery just across the street. We made our reservations to arrive two days before the tour started, and hotel staff arranged for us to keep our room during the Rick Steves portion of the tour, so we didn't need to change accommodations. The hotel also has a beautiful roof top bar for viewing the neighborhood, and provides a delicious and sustaining daily breakfast, which is a welcome start to our day.
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On our own for the afternoon, we wandered the surrounding neighborhood and found a great gluten free restaurant, "Voglia di Pizza" at via dei Giubbonari 33, a couple blocks from our hotel. We had several excellent meals there and enjoyed the delicious pizza and pasta; we felt like we became regulars.
Since we arrived two days early we had time to create a walking tour from our hotel to the Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps and Colosseum. All these are worth putting on your agenda. Time also allowed a long visit to St. Peter's Basilica. If you have the time and energy, the climb to the top of the dome provides a magnificent view of the great city of Rome.
Rick Steves' guide books contain numerous "walking tours" which will lead you to many excellent sites and will save a lot of time when planning your daily sight seeing route.
Another must stop for us was the Tebro Department store at Via Dei Prefetti 46, a great place to pick up fine linens to take home as gifts for yourself or others.
Rome is a city where there is simply so much to see it is difficult to discover it all in a few short days. This tour marks our third visit to this marvelous city, and each one brings us new insights and new neighborhoods to explore. We let our feet guide us, asked hotel staff for new recommendations and just wandered.
Day 3 marked the end of this Roman adventure and we were on our way to the Adriatic Coast and Vieste.
Day 3 marked the end of this Roman adventure and we were on our way to the Adriatic Coast and Vieste.
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