Our First European Vacation to Italy

Troy, Momma, Noah
Vatican City 2016

 My first European vacation to Italy was in the last week of December 2016 with my brother, Troy, and our mother, Annette. Christmas Day (12/25/2016), we flew Delta from Montgomery, Alabama (MGM) to Atlanta, Georgia (ATL) and then across the Atlantic to Rome, Italy (FCO). We were only in Italy for one week and flew back to the United States on January 1st (01/01/2017) with a pretty rough ending,

Flying to Rome

Learning to Speak Italian

Our European vacation to Italy did not just start with flying to Rome. There was much more to the beginning than just that. After we decided that we were going to Rome for our trip, we started researching airfare, hotels, tours, Rome attractions, historical sites, language, currency, weather, history and whatever else we could find.

Our First Day in Rome and No Jet Lag

Troy, Momma, Noah and the Colosseum
Via dei Fori Imperiali

Our first day in Rome was a really impressive and inspiring day. After arriving at the Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino International Airport (FCO), catching a taxi to the Hotel Opera Roma and then another taxi to the Via dei Fori Imperiali, we were in the middle of everything. It was already afternoon by the time we took the photo above.

Florence, Italy - A Day Trip from Rome

Earbuds and Stickers for Guided Tour of Florence, Italy

After a good night's sleep, we got up early to catch an express train to Florence, Italy for a guided tour. We used https://graylinerome.com/out/florence/ and had an excellent excursion on the 'Full-day Florence by high-speed train at your pace'.

The Colosseum of Rome

Our favorite tour company.

Wednesday, December 28, 2016 - This day did not start exactly as planned. The plans had been to have a guided tour of the Roman Colosseum in the morning and then a guided tour of Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum in the afternoon. Both of these guided tours were again booked through Grayline and the problem was not with them at all. In fact, they went above and beyond to accommodate us. The weather was great so that was not the reason. Our problem was jet lag. On day three, we all slept late... like really late into the mid-morning. So late, that there was no possible way of making our morning tour of the Colosseum.

Naples and Pompeii - An Easy Day Trip from Rome

Our favorite tour company

Thursday, December 29, 2016 - Naples is over two hours south of Rome so we had to get up very early to make our 7:30am bus departure. That was fine. We had slept late the previous morning due to jet lag and gotten to bed pretty early the prior evening after touring the Colosseum that afternoon. We were ready.

Vatican City, St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel

St. Peter's Square

Friday, December 30, 2016 - We toured Vatican City the next day. Vatican City is not very far at all from our hotel and the Colosseum area. It is just across the River Tiber. We took a taxi there from the Hotel Opera Roma and met our Grayline Tour outside the Vatican (Under the watchful eye of the Pope, I'm sure).

Trevi Fountain and Rome's Many Piazzas

Friday, December 30, 2016 - After touring Vatican City, we came back to the other side of the Tiber River and walked the many, many streets and piazzas of Rome. We started at Trevi Fountain with its replica of Las Vegas' Trevi Fountain - just kidding. Las Vegas has the replica. Rome has the original.

Palatine Hill, Roman Forum and New Years Eve in Rome

Saturday, December 31, 2016 - Our last full day in Rome was spent close to the hotel. We took our Grayline tour of Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum like we had originally tried to take on Wednesday, but jet lag had made us oversleep. The weather was great so we had a good tour for weather. It was pretty easy to get on a tour as well despite missing the one on Wednesday and the tickets clearly saying there were no exchange dates.

Flying Home from Rome Sick

FCO > ATL > MGM

Sunday, January 1, 2017 - We got up early Sunday morning for our return flight to the U.S. Troy and I both felt very poorly and we knew this was going to make the 11+ hour flight home a lot worse. As soon as we got in our tiny taxi and shut the doors, our body heat from our combined fevers fogged up every window in the car. We had about an hour drive to the FCO airport. I can't imagine the taxi driver did not get sick from riding with us.

Helpful Travel Items for Rome and Italy

Are you heading to Rome or just Italy in general anytime soon? Here are a few items that you might find useful before you go.

   

   

   

   

 

Rome with Noah, Troy and Momma (Annette)

Our First European Vacation to Italy
Our Second Trip to Rome

Are you ready to go to Rome?