Roma 2019 with the kids
It was a super rainy Friday when we hopped on a flight to Rome from Newark airport. Yeah, you read that right, Newark (NJ) airport, not JFK (New York/Queens)! We went for a overnight flight with Norwegian Air despite all the buzz about them being a budget airline and having money issues. But hey, everything was spot on. They had cool in-flight entertainment, good food options, and the cabin lighting was just right. We finally touched down in Italy at 1:20pm, local time, and dashed out of the airport. Getting through customs and immigration was a breeze, and within 90 minutes of landing, we were on our way to the hotel.
Our digs in Rome, Hotel Le Clarisse al Pantheon, were in the perfect spot and the service was top-notch. The room was a bit old-fashioned, but it had that Italian charm and was a good location in the city. We had prearranged the airport transfer through the hotel’s concierge via email before the trip. I double-checked two days before we left, and when we landed, they were all set and waiting for us. There were a bunch of stairs, but they did have a tiny elevator that could fit 1-2 people and some luggage. The location was so central that most of Rome’s attractions were just a 5-10 minute walk away. They hooked us up with breakfast, and it was really well done. The breakfast spot had a terrace, but it could get a bit chilly in the morning, especially if you’re visiting in the off season.
An extra cool thing at the hotel was the phone in the room, which was actually like a fancy cell phone with a data plan connected to the hotel. It was from this company called Manet. We could use it for GPS maps, make reservations, and even call the hotel when we needed to. This phone was a lifesaver. I could have used my own phone and shelled out extra money, but since I only have a US plan, it would’ve cost a fortune. This device was awesome. More hotels should totally get on board with this. Big thanks to Le Clarisse for that!
So, our first day in Rome, I planned a walking tour for 6:30pm, right after we landed. I know, crazy, right? But I had to make sure the kids (7 and 5 years old) didn’t crash at 4pm and then wake up at 2 am. I needed them to adjust to the Italian schedule quickly so we could have a blast. The first tour I booked for the kids was the Illuminated Rome Tour for Kids with Gelato and Pizza. Would you stay awake for that? I totally would. But then, the weather decided to be a party pooper. It started pouring just 15 minutes into the tour. The kids managed to power through Campo di Fiori, pizza, Piazza Navona, and gelato, and then called it quits. We missed out on some sights, but hey, sometimes you just gotta go with the flow. I was freezing anyway. Another option is to do a BigBus Tour of Rome: Relax and sightsee a bit to get a preview of the city. So we hit the hay at 9pm and woke up at 6am. Not too shabby with a 6-hour time difference. See slideshow below.
The day after, we went on this epic tour of Rome… starting with the Colosseum. We booked the Gladiator Gate and Arena Floor Special Access Tour through Viator and it was so cool. When we got there, we easily found our guide after arriving by taxi. The group was pretty big, about 25 of us, and we all got earpieces to hear the guide. It wasn’t the most personal tour, but the guide did a great job, and getting access to the arena level made the extra cost totally worth it. After the Colosseum, we headed over to The Forum and Palatine Hill, which are right next door. As we were leaving, we spotted the line for tickets to get into the Colosseum… oh boy, it was insane! Always buy Skip the Line Tickets in advance to avoid that chaos. I heard that the trick is to get tickets for everything at Palatine Hill and Forum to skip the Colosseum line, which can be like a 3-hour wait! What a waste of precious vacation time. Luckily, we had our amazing Manet phone with us, so we decided to walk back to the hotel. Then, we hit up the Pantheon, Vittoriano, Il Vittoriano, and Trevi Fountain. We walked everywhere, and everyone did a great job navigating the narrow streets with all the cars. A gelato stop definitely helped keep us going. For dinner, we wanted something quick, so we gave Pasta Eat Fast Food on Corso Vittorio Emanuele a try. It was perfect for the kids after such a busy day, and the pasta was absolutely delicious. A win-win! See slideshow below.
After a heavy nights sleep, we headed via taxi to The Vatican. Here we booked the Vatican for Kids Private Tour through Viator. Why a private tour here and not yesterday? I guess I decided based upon the sites, which one would you need more entertainment for the kids, gladiators and lions or a church and museum. So we chose the latter. The guide was wonderful. She explained it appropriately for the kids and answered our questions as well. We all had fun looking for small objects that she asked us to find. The Vatican is overwhelming, and one day was not enough, but the tour helped us see the necessary places for the amount of time we had. The Sistine Chapel, St Peter’s Basilica, and the Vatican Museum were all beautiful. A fun idea the guide had was to send a postcard from the Vatican to home to get the seal of the Vatican on the card when it was stamped there. There was a large post office in the square and we send two postcards home. Travel Tip: Please book a tour ahead of time, by the lines to get into the Vatican Museum, we saw people selling tours that were extremely pushy and seemed alittle out of place for the surroundings. Not cool. I heard them insulting some tourist as well. On our way out, we turned left and saw 3 restaurants with someone in front saying “Eat here!” Usually you should avoid those places, but we needed a bathroom so we grabbed a snack and ran out. Another option is a McDonald’s behind those restaurants, grab some fries and use the bathroom and move on. We walked about 1/2 mile to Castel Sant’Angelo, a cool site to see if you are in the area, and the pedestrian bridge in front of it is a great spot for pictures. See slideshow below.
We took a taxi to Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini, say what? The crypt, or ossuary, contains the remains of 4,000 friars buried between 1500 and 1870, during which time the Roman Catholic Church permitted burial in and under churches. The underground crypt is arranged into different rooms, the leg room, the skull room, etc. Was an interesting side trip, but I would spend no more than 1 hour there. We walked back from here to our hotel and used our handy cell phone, Manet to get us there. Along the way we stopped for gelato, of course, and our guide from the Vatican told us of a great place to get a platter of meat and cheese and we stopped there. L’Antica Salumeria was a great find, and I would return. In the back of the store, only Italians were there and living a perfect Italian life with wine and a platter of meats and cheeses. Il perfetto! Back to the hotel we go.
The moral of the blog…. buy tickets/tours early, talk to the locals and find the cool Roma hot spots, find a hotel in the center of everything, this could make or break your vacation. I also packed a collapsible backpack and a security waist pack with me everyday. Put water and kids stuff there and important documents around my waist under my shirt, we were safe from pickpockets. The extra bag helped so I didn’t have to empty my airport bag and then repack it two days later. Travel with kids is not easy, but bring things to keep them busy and pizza and gelato will take care of the rest. You got this!
Tomorrow we head to Napoli via Roma Termini on an Italo train, with our ultimate destination…..Sorrento! To be continued. ….
