We spent 3 days in Rome and 3 days in Venice pre- and post-cruise. Here is the breakdown of cities, transportation, apartment rentals, food, sites/museums, etc.
Trains and Transportation
FCO airport to Rome: We used RomeCabs for a private transfer to our apartment. Great service and highly recommend. €55 total + tip
Getting around Rome: We bought a RomaPass, which allows free rides on public transportation during the period of activation. We didn't swipe our cards at all, though, and the drivers didn't enforce it. We paid for the cards but others may have been riding free.
Train Travel: We pre-booked travel via Trenitilia. Be sure to book as soon as the dates become and be ready to buy the tickets at that moment. Do not back out to the previous page, open in another browser, or think too long. The price would literally go up a couple times within a few minutes because I was bumbling around the website. So my advice is get on before your dates are available and play with the site so you are comfortable using it when you ARE ready to purchase.
We chose 2nd class on the short regional rides between Civi and Termini. For the longer trip from Rome to Venice, we booked 1st class for more leg room. The 2nd class options for the shorter rides were fine, but 1st class was nice to have on the long trip - nothing fancy, just more room to move.
Vaporettos: In Venice, we bought a 3-day vaporetto pass so that we could ride the public water buses around at a vaporetto stop right in front of the train station. It was €40 each and totally worth it. We used the vaporetto to get from S. Lucia train station to the stop for our apartment. Although somewhat of a pain, we were able to easily transport our luggage. You do need to validate for each ride, and they were doing random spot checks. Highly recommend buying a vaporetto pass for the length of time you will be in Venice.
Apartment to VCE airport: Our wonderful apartment owner set up the taxi service for us and gave use step-by-step directions on where to meet the driver and also included a map. It was about a 20 minute ride and cost 46 euro. It is the quickest way to get to Marco Polo airport.
Rome
We bought the Roma Pass, which includes use of public transportation and free entrance into your first two museums. Look over the list to decide where you want to use it as some of the sites require reservations (like the Borghese Galleria). We chose Castel San Angelo and the Colosseum/Palatine Hill.
Apartment
Pantheon Apartment (Via Acro della Ciambella, 9 00186 Rome) - Booked this apartment for 3 nights via www.RentalinRome.com. It is a few blocks south of the Pantheon. There is a wonderful deli right around the corner that we visited every day for cheese, salami, and fantastic cheap wine. Our favorite happened to be €3,90. Unreal! We think the name is Panini. The store owner speaks almost no English but we did fine with hand gesturing. There is also a bakery and gelato place within steps. Very easy to walk to Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and pick up public buses from this location.
The apartment was perfect for two couples and is very secure - three locking doors to get into the building. Very nice courtyard and washing machine. There are two full bathrooms but the the shower on the first day was ice cold. We all showered in the downstairs bathroom but was just fine.
A/C worked perfectly when used, and we were also able to get good breezes through the open windows. We stayed in October, but I'd imagine that it would still be comfortable in the summer months. Wifi was also very fast and reliable.
Would definitely recommend for the price.
Museums/Historical Sites
The Necropolis de Via Triumphalis tour that we booked ahead of time at the Vatican was awesome! Simply amazing to visit this active archaeological site under a parking garage. The tickets also included the Vatican museums. We saw the Sistine Chapel, which was not as awe-inspiring as I thought it would be. St. Peter's Basilica, on the other hand, was absolutely beautiful.
Castel Sant' Angelo surprised the heck out of us. We thought it was just a fort, but the building was immense with unexpected art and frescoes at many a turn. Very cool place to visit.
The Colosseum was everything I was hoping and more. There is still a lot of restoration work in progress, but ignore the scaffolding and just appreciate the immensity of the building that has withstood a VERY long amount of time. Palantine Hill (included in admission) was also worth the trek on tired feet.
Finally, we visited the Galleria Borghese. It was a beautiful art museum, but my favorite pieces were the Bernini sculptures, especially the Rape of Persephone. It would have been better if we hadn't been so exhausted and feeling half dead on our feet. 13 euro entrance fee, and this visit MUST be booked ahead of time as they only let in so many visitors in 2-hour time blocks throughout the day.
Other sites you will see just by walking around the city if you stay close to where we did are Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and the Spanish Steps (not worth a trip out of your way).
Restaurants
Gran Caffe Cavour close to Palantine Hill was a random stop for us. It was the best meal we had and was perfect for lunch. Fantastic food and great service.
4 Fiumi at Piazza Navona - my fettuccine con tartufo (truffle) was good but overpriced. The food didn't meet my expectations. So just "eh."
Venice
Apartment
Ca'Venexiana - Booked this apartment for 3 nights, and it sits right on a canal in the Dorsoduro neighborhood. Jackie, the owner, lives in Massachusetts and was SO responsive to any questions I had. Her documents that she provides will help you with navigation in the city as well as personal recommendations for places to go. I would say that she responded within 12 hours to any of my emails. She emailed me a welcome the day we checked into our apartment and arranged a taxi for us on the day we left. Her customer service is Ritz-level!
Kitchen is VERY well appointed; washer is small but mighty; water runs nice and hot; stocked with lots of DVDs and books; very cute courtyard that opens right onto a canal; fabulous location. There are so many cafes, bars, restaurants, and dessert places within a 5 minute walk. There are two vaporetto stops close by. Words cannot describe how wonderful this apartment is! Highly recommend!
Our favorite part of the apartment are the empty liter bottles that you can carry to a local wine shop and have filled with their house wines on tap for just a few euros each. You can't find this anywhere at home.
Restaurants
Pane Vino e San Daniele was just down the alley from our apartment. We ate dinner here on our last night in Venice. The hubs and I each had a glass of house wine, a buffalo mozzarella appetizer, and two entrees for about 50 euro. Great price, but the food was fabulous! I had the best mushroom risotto ever, and that buffalo mozz was to die for!
Museums/Historical Sites
I'm not going to lie. Because Venice was the last destination following two weeks of travel, we were done with ruins and museums. Venice was a great place to unwind and roam aimlessly. There are many little wine and cicchetti bars where you select whatever you want from the counter in front of you, order your wine, and stand somewhere close to have a quick bite. Super cheap and requires no planning. Just elbow up to the counter and point to what you want. You can go to several during your meanderings.
We did take the vaporetto to Murano to buy some items from the famous glass artisans. There are a lot of little shops and factories selling the glasswares. Definitely worth a visit. Plan to spend a couple hours there and take whatever vaporetto you want as long as Murano is on the list of stops. neat little island to visit, especially if you are in the market for unique glass pieces.
Piazza San Marco is worth the visit. Unfortunately, the line to get into San Marco church was really long the day the hubs and I were walking around, but our friends had gone in the day before and said it was beautiful inside. Next time... The outside is really fantastic to look at, and the piazza is a great place to people watch.
General Tips
Wear your money belts and don't take anything from anyone (like a rose). The hubs wore the belt that goes around the waist, and I had this one that tucked into my pants. Both worked out very well and kept our credit cards and cash secure.
For the ladies, the eBags Piazza purse worked beautifully for me. Plenty of room to carry what I needed for the day, and I was able to keep my hand on the zippers if I was in a crowded area. It was great to tie my scarf around the strap or sling my jacket over the top if I wasn't using them.
I did a lot of research on "capsule wardrobes" before packing on this trip. All of my bottoms were black except for my one pair of jeans. I could mix and match tops and layer them over one another for extra warmth. If travelling in the cooler months, take two scarves - you will find more in Italy:) We had washing machines at the apartments, and I took Dr. Bronner's soap to handwash clothes in our cruise cabin's sink.
Don't be afraid to step into a local place and gesture for what you want. You will find that not everyone speaks English but are capable of elaborate hand-gesturing.
Trains and Transportation
FCO airport to Rome: We used RomeCabs for a private transfer to our apartment. Great service and highly recommend. €55 total + tip
Getting around Rome: We bought a RomaPass, which allows free rides on public transportation during the period of activation. We didn't swipe our cards at all, though, and the drivers didn't enforce it. We paid for the cards but others may have been riding free.
Train Travel: We pre-booked travel via Trenitilia. Be sure to book as soon as the dates become and be ready to buy the tickets at that moment. Do not back out to the previous page, open in another browser, or think too long. The price would literally go up a couple times within a few minutes because I was bumbling around the website. So my advice is get on before your dates are available and play with the site so you are comfortable using it when you ARE ready to purchase.
We chose 2nd class on the short regional rides between Civi and Termini. For the longer trip from Rome to Venice, we booked 1st class for more leg room. The 2nd class options for the shorter rides were fine, but 1st class was nice to have on the long trip - nothing fancy, just more room to move.
Vaporettos: In Venice, we bought a 3-day vaporetto pass so that we could ride the public water buses around at a vaporetto stop right in front of the train station. It was €40 each and totally worth it. We used the vaporetto to get from S. Lucia train station to the stop for our apartment. Although somewhat of a pain, we were able to easily transport our luggage. You do need to validate for each ride, and they were doing random spot checks. Highly recommend buying a vaporetto pass for the length of time you will be in Venice.
Apartment to VCE airport: Our wonderful apartment owner set up the taxi service for us and gave use step-by-step directions on where to meet the driver and also included a map. It was about a 20 minute ride and cost 46 euro. It is the quickest way to get to Marco Polo airport.
Rome
We bought the Roma Pass, which includes use of public transportation and free entrance into your first two museums. Look over the list to decide where you want to use it as some of the sites require reservations (like the Borghese Galleria). We chose Castel San Angelo and the Colosseum/Palatine Hill.
Apartment
Pantheon Apartment (Via Acro della Ciambella, 9 00186 Rome) - Booked this apartment for 3 nights via www.RentalinRome.com. It is a few blocks south of the Pantheon. There is a wonderful deli right around the corner that we visited every day for cheese, salami, and fantastic cheap wine. Our favorite happened to be €3,90. Unreal! We think the name is Panini. The store owner speaks almost no English but we did fine with hand gesturing. There is also a bakery and gelato place within steps. Very easy to walk to Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and pick up public buses from this location.
The apartment was perfect for two couples and is very secure - three locking doors to get into the building. Very nice courtyard and washing machine. There are two full bathrooms but the the shower on the first day was ice cold. We all showered in the downstairs bathroom but was just fine.
A/C worked perfectly when used, and we were also able to get good breezes through the open windows. We stayed in October, but I'd imagine that it would still be comfortable in the summer months. Wifi was also very fast and reliable.
Would definitely recommend for the price.
Museums/Historical Sites
The Necropolis de Via Triumphalis tour that we booked ahead of time at the Vatican was awesome! Simply amazing to visit this active archaeological site under a parking garage. The tickets also included the Vatican museums. We saw the Sistine Chapel, which was not as awe-inspiring as I thought it would be. St. Peter's Basilica, on the other hand, was absolutely beautiful.
Castel Sant' Angelo surprised the heck out of us. We thought it was just a fort, but the building was immense with unexpected art and frescoes at many a turn. Very cool place to visit.
The Colosseum was everything I was hoping and more. There is still a lot of restoration work in progress, but ignore the scaffolding and just appreciate the immensity of the building that has withstood a VERY long amount of time. Palantine Hill (included in admission) was also worth the trek on tired feet.
Finally, we visited the Galleria Borghese. It was a beautiful art museum, but my favorite pieces were the Bernini sculptures, especially the Rape of Persephone. It would have been better if we hadn't been so exhausted and feeling half dead on our feet. 13 euro entrance fee, and this visit MUST be booked ahead of time as they only let in so many visitors in 2-hour time blocks throughout the day.
 |
| "Rape of Persephone" by Bernini - Galleria Borghese |
Restaurants
Gran Caffe Cavour close to Palantine Hill was a random stop for us. It was the best meal we had and was perfect for lunch. Fantastic food and great service.
4 Fiumi at Piazza Navona - my fettuccine con tartufo (truffle) was good but overpriced. The food didn't meet my expectations. So just "eh."
 |
| Gelato and candy shop near the Pantheon. This picture says it all. |
Apartment
Ca'Venexiana - Booked this apartment for 3 nights, and it sits right on a canal in the Dorsoduro neighborhood. Jackie, the owner, lives in Massachusetts and was SO responsive to any questions I had. Her documents that she provides will help you with navigation in the city as well as personal recommendations for places to go. I would say that she responded within 12 hours to any of my emails. She emailed me a welcome the day we checked into our apartment and arranged a taxi for us on the day we left. Her customer service is Ritz-level!
Kitchen is VERY well appointed; washer is small but mighty; water runs nice and hot; stocked with lots of DVDs and books; very cute courtyard that opens right onto a canal; fabulous location. There are so many cafes, bars, restaurants, and dessert places within a 5 minute walk. There are two vaporetto stops close by. Words cannot describe how wonderful this apartment is! Highly recommend!
Our favorite part of the apartment are the empty liter bottles that you can carry to a local wine shop and have filled with their house wines on tap for just a few euros each. You can't find this anywhere at home.
Restaurants
Pane Vino e San Daniele was just down the alley from our apartment. We ate dinner here on our last night in Venice. The hubs and I each had a glass of house wine, a buffalo mozzarella appetizer, and two entrees for about 50 euro. Great price, but the food was fabulous! I had the best mushroom risotto ever, and that buffalo mozz was to die for!
Museums/Historical Sites
I'm not going to lie. Because Venice was the last destination following two weeks of travel, we were done with ruins and museums. Venice was a great place to unwind and roam aimlessly. There are many little wine and cicchetti bars where you select whatever you want from the counter in front of you, order your wine, and stand somewhere close to have a quick bite. Super cheap and requires no planning. Just elbow up to the counter and point to what you want. You can go to several during your meanderings.
We did take the vaporetto to Murano to buy some items from the famous glass artisans. There are a lot of little shops and factories selling the glasswares. Definitely worth a visit. Plan to spend a couple hours there and take whatever vaporetto you want as long as Murano is on the list of stops. neat little island to visit, especially if you are in the market for unique glass pieces.
Piazza San Marco is worth the visit. Unfortunately, the line to get into San Marco church was really long the day the hubs and I were walking around, but our friends had gone in the day before and said it was beautiful inside. Next time... The outside is really fantastic to look at, and the piazza is a great place to people watch.
 |
| View from a vaporetto approaching Piazza San Marco. |
Wear your money belts and don't take anything from anyone (like a rose). The hubs wore the belt that goes around the waist, and I had this one that tucked into my pants. Both worked out very well and kept our credit cards and cash secure.
For the ladies, the eBags Piazza purse worked beautifully for me. Plenty of room to carry what I needed for the day, and I was able to keep my hand on the zippers if I was in a crowded area. It was great to tie my scarf around the strap or sling my jacket over the top if I wasn't using them.
I did a lot of research on "capsule wardrobes" before packing on this trip. All of my bottoms were black except for my one pair of jeans. I could mix and match tops and layer them over one another for extra warmth. If travelling in the cooler months, take two scarves - you will find more in Italy:) We had washing machines at the apartments, and I took Dr. Bronner's soap to handwash clothes in our cruise cabin's sink.
Don't be afraid to step into a local place and gesture for what you want. You will find that not everyone speaks English but are capable of elaborate hand-gesturing.
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