Finally! The Italy post you’ve been waiting for…well part of the post you’ve been waiting for. Since there’s so much to share we’ll be splitting this into three parts: Planning for Italy, Italy on a moderate budget, and our Italian Bloopers/Mishaps. First, let’s focus on Planning for Italy. While planning we focused on four different areas: Dates of Travel, Accommodations, Flights, and Itinerary. These areas really build the four walls of any successful trip. Hopefully, sharing our experience in each area will help your next trip be a memorable success.
1. Choose your Dates
The first thing we considered in planning our trip was the travel dates. My MBA program was completed in May and my sister’s medical board examinations at the end of June. We also knew she would be starting a new position mid-August. This greatly restricted the periods we could travel without waiting an additional year or more to take the trip. If you have similar restrictions, the first two weeks of July weren’t as terrible as I thought they would be. Yes, it was hot, as are most summers, but the heat was bearable. If you are flexible in time, check out the weather, festival and event calendars. You may get lucky (like us!) and find an awesome event to attend (keep reading).
2. Reserve local digs
Everyone has a different comfort level with accommodations. This is where you’ll rest and unwind every night, so find a place you are 100% comfortable with. Some are cool with a hostel, sharing an apartment, renting an entire apartment, or hotel life. It’s important that you understand what all traveling parties are expecting in this department. As we found, accommodations can make or break a trip. For our trip, we wanted to stay in an apartment for ample space and to save some money on food. Many websites available for booking apartments, but the one we chose is AirBnB.com. We’ve used AirBnB for previous trips and liked that there are reviews and even AirBnB plus homes that are verified for their style, charm, and comfort. The interface is super easy to use and allows for filtering for a variety of accessibility, amenities, and other features.
Depending on when you’re traveling, you’ll want to book early for the best availability and prices. We were a little late to the game, but booked our first apartment at the beginning of March, 4 months before our trip. Prior to booking, I did a great deal of research on best places to stay in Rome, key features of various neighborhoods, and proximity to sites we’d be visiting. Knowing what key activities or areas you want to visit prior to looking up accommodations can be super helpful in picking the perfect place to stay.
3. Book Your Tickets
I only put reserving your nightly accommodations before booking the flight because this is what we did. However, I’d say I’m more comfortable with this order because it’s easier to cancel or modify a hotel/AirBnB reservation than it is to move a flight. BUT I would have booked both earlier next time. That said, if you’re traveling ANYWHERE during peak season (summer, holidays) booking earlier generally will cost less. Our flights to Italy were about $1,100 each. It’s definitely more than I wanted to pay, but we booked about 2.5 months prior to the trip. Oh well.
Our flight for the trip flew from Cleveland, Ohio > JFK New York, NY > Paris CDG > Rome FCO. I would have preferred one less layover, but I mentioned that decision in the Italy in Less Than One Week! post. Coming in the later mishap post…MIND YOUR LAYOVERS! We realized after booking the flight that our Paris layover was only 70 minutes during which we’d have to do European Union entry. Of course, the JFK flight left late and we wound up missing the next flight. Next time, we’re going with my flight choice and doing the 8 hour layover in Paris.
In my opinion, flight paths, airlines, times are your personal preference. For our family, we knew a 6 AM flight would NOT work, so we opted for a 1 PM departure. My sister and I have been building alliances with Delta SkyTeam, so it was the best choice for a long-haul, high-cost flight. Plan ahead and remember your preferences, and you should be good in the flight department.
4. Plan Your Days
We definitely spent the bulk of our time planning a daily itinerary for Rome. We had travel books, were on trip advisor non-stop, bookmarking any and every travel blog post that promoted an authentic Italian experience.
Day 1: Explore the surrounding areas. Our flight to Rome arrived midday. After a long traveling journey we decided it would be best to relax and walk down our street Via dei Coronari. It was here we found out how difficult using a wheelchair on cobblestones was, but also found some delicious eateries, gelato, and farmacia close by. Not to mention Castel San Angelo and the Vatican were literally across the street from our flat.
Day 2: Local Market/Free Walking Tour/ Taverna Ripetta. Early in the morning, my sister and I ventured to Campo de Fiori. This farmers market is central to Rome. Here we picked up some fruits and veggies, eggs for breakfast, and salad for quick lunches. The sellers were super friendly and I never felt like we were being ripped off. After the two of us joined a morning free walking tour to get an overview of some of the sights and general directional reference (which I’m convinced isn’t possible in Rome). We found out we were a skip away from the Pantheon, learned some history of obelisks, art, and culture in Rome. The highlight was definitely the Pantheon, but the value of information gained was worth it.
To wrap the night up we found a restaurant on Trip Advisor within walking distance, Taverna Ripetta. This was a very small, family owned and operated restaurant. The family owns a Weiner dog that barks at everyone walking by, the menu is not in English, but the chef came out and suggested some dishes in English…it was great. Ripetta makes traditional Italian dishes with a Mediterranean twist. I had the Curry Pasta and added an appetizer of hummus for the family. We highly recommend this spot for a nice, quiet meal.
Day 3: Spa Night. We slept in a lot. Like almost every day. So on the third day, we didn’t do much. We walked over to the Vatican to preview taking a wheelchair over but found the area to be almost empty and great for a night time photo. After returning home, the girls had their planned spa night. I researched spa options and pricing in Italy and it just didn’t fit in the budget. Being the savvy budgeter I am, I stopped by TJMaxx and picked up refreshing face masks, foot masks, hand masks, lip masks, and eye masks. I also brought a Mary Kay lip scrub and charcoal mask I already had. Spa Night saved money and allowed us to unwind after the first couple of long, hot days.
Day 4: Kayaking excursion and Vatican at Night. Kayaking at Lake Albano was a great break from busy Rome for my sister and I. We went alone giving our parents some needed rest. We found the kayaking adventure on AirBnB experiences and I’m glad we decided to book it. We got to see the countryside by the Papal summer vacation home and meet other travelers. The excursion was supposed to be 4 hours, but all in all with travel, it was about 8 hours.
Afterward, we rushed home for our Vatican Museum at Night reservation. If you’re traveling to Rome in the summer, the Friday night opening is a great option. Because reservations are required it’s less crowded and not as stifling as the museum has no A/C. Since we had a wheelchair knowing the crowds would be more manageable was one of the biggest selling points for us. That said, much of the Vatican museum is not handicap accessible. The key parts are like the Sistine Chapel, but some of the lesser known are not. The Sistine Chapel is another Vatican must see you hear about, but when you see it, WOW. Just remember to not take any pictures.
Day 5: St. Peter’s Basilica and unexpected moving / Goose. We went to the Vatican about five times on our trip. I’m expecting many blessings. Anywho, we weren’t planning to go to St. Peter’s this day, but because kayaking ran so late on Day 4, we missed the last entry time. St. Peter’s is built on Peter’s tomb. It’s an opulent building and as I learned (or was reminded of 6th-grade history), part of the reason Martin Luther left the Catholic church. The artwork and sculptures in the Basilica are mind-boggling. To think Michelangelo could create such beautiful work from a young age all around Rome until his death is humbling!
Unexpected moving…yeah we moved apartments at 11:30 PM. More on that in the bloopers/mishaps post.
Another restaurant we recommend is Goose. A great place to visit after the Vatican. Goose has a pub-like feel with televisions showcasing the World Cup matches while we there, but make no mistake, the food is delicious! They serve up a number of traditional Italian dishes. If nothing else, try the Tiramisu. It was the creamiest of the whole trip.
Day 6: Colosseum/Roman Forum. Day 1 of Big Bus Tours. On the Run Tour II concert at night. After moving apartments and to a different part of town, we decided to look up Bus Tours that offered accessibility options, get us to the top sites of Rome or would allow us to just cruise around the city if we wanted. We settled on the Big Bus Tours 48-hour option and headed out to the Colosseum. The new apartment was walking distance to the Colosseum, but as we learned the first day a 10 minute Google walk was really about 30 minutes of sweat and tears when dealing with a wheelchair.
Know how you see pictures of the Colosseum looking grandiose with city streets right beside it? That’s really what it’s like. Well, that’s what most of Rome is like. You’re walking down an alley and all of a sudden a 800 year old building pops up. Back to the Colosseum. AMAZING! This was one of the coolest places we visited. There’s honestly not too much to do there, but the history is incredible. The Romans could fill or empty the building in 15 minutes, exotic animals were bought from abroad to showcase the Empire’s many conquests. Just wow. If I ever go back, I would like to do the underground tunnel tour. This was not handicap accessible, so we opted out for this trip.
The Colosseum being walking distance, was a stop on the Big Bus tour for us. After walking the halls, we hopped on a bus and took a two-hour tour of the city. We listened as we drove past the Spanish Steps, Villa Borghese, Castel San Angelo, the Vatican, and Circo Massimo. It was a pleasant experience and my parents were able to see some of the things that are harder to access.
We saw Jay-Z and Beyoncé in Rome, y’all!!! What, what! While being nosy looking up USA tour cities and ticket prices, I noticed the On the Run Tour II would be in Rome during the window we designated for the trip. The tickets were actually cheaper than in the U.S. so why not. I would probably never pay to see them in concert otherwise so I made the most of the experience; singing off key and rapping the tidbits of Jay-Z songs I actually know.
Day 7: Trevi Fountain and Italy McDonalds. The most famous fountain in Rome, Trevi fountain is beautifully crafted and hidden in one of Rome’s alleys. It’s super crowded but worth it. We did the whole coin toss thing because we’re tourists. A must see for your trip.
Afterward, we were walking, tired and hungry, and low and behold God blessed us with a McDonald’s. Funny thing is we kept seeing signs for McDonald’s all around Rome but hadn’t seen one until this moment. Now, we rarely eat at McDonald’s, but I like to visit when traveling because the menus are adapted for the region or country preference and it’s generally inexpensive. The McCafe is more of an experience in Rome; selling pastries, espresso, cappuccino, macarons, and more. There was also some variation in the food. What we bought tasted fresher, less greasy, and seemed to have lower salt (I’m talking about you salty AF McDonald’s fries). We weren’t sure if this was because it was local food or because of the E.U. food standards are so much higher than in the U.S.
Day 8: Pizza, Pasta, and Tiramisu cooking experience. By far our favorite experience! Another AirBnB experience, we were all very pleased and enjoyed the cooking class. Our chef/instructor was Giuseppe (who is also featured on To Rome for Love, episode 9, which he says is a reality show at its best.). He is personable, funny, and knows what he’s doing! Prior to heading out to the class, I notified Giuseppe of the accommodation issues and he did literally everything in his power, including picking my dad up, to make sure he could participate in the class too.
Day 9: Dinner out at Taverna Fori dei Imperiali. We literally did nothing this day. It was my birthday. Whoop, whoop! But I was tired of planning and just tired in general. We enjoyed a late breakfast at the apartment, my dad and I took a nap while mommy and sister explored the neighborhood. After finally waking up, we decided to go out for a birthday dinner, that is after a taxi mishap.
Taverna Fori dei Imperiali typically requires reservations, but with a short wait of 15 minutes, they were able to seat us. It seemed to be one of the Roman restaurants that only has two seatings for the night. The food was delectable and service great. Everyone’s meals were delicious and not as expensive as we expected them to be. Another great restaurant recommendation for your trip to Rome.
Day 10: St. Peter’s Dome and Pantheon. I told you we went to the Vatican about five times. This time we went to climb to the top of the St. Peter’s Basilica dome. From top to bottom it’s over 500 steps. For handicap individuals, there is an elevator to a lower deck to see the city of Rome. You can also catch this for 10 euros if you do not have a handicap. We all rode to this level, then my sister and I took the other 300 steps up to the top. The view is amaaazing! All around us were different parts of Rome that we visited on foot or by bus/taxi and got an idea of how big the “city within the walls of Rome” really is.
After climbing the Dome, we made a last ditch effort to visit the Pantheon. My parents did not do the free walking tour and hadn’t been. Seeing that it was closing in about 1 hour, we miraculously completed a 17 minute Google Maps walk in 20 minutes. I’m telling you..all those Vatican visits, man, and don’t forget Trevi Fountain. I’m glad we were able to make it before closing. A bonus was that a concert was scheduled and we had a more time to explore. We topped off the visit to the Pantheon with reader recommend, Venchi. Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate! We were a little gelato-ed out (is that possible?) by the last day, but we made custom bags of chocolate to go. Remember the prices are by 100 milligrams, so if you’re piling on the chocolate it can get pricey. My favorites were the pistachio creme candies and the hazelnut nougat to celebrate 40 years of Venchi. Thanks for the recommendation, Gayle!
Most important of all: have fun! We laughed, we cried, we were amazed, we were pooped, but through it all we had fun. I’m glad my sister and I decided to take this trip and even happier we decided to bring our parents. I’m not sure they would have made it to Italy without us guiding them. Now they’re talking about going on another international adventure!
-Me
What trip planning tips do you have? Been to Rome, what are your must-sees?
Adventures of Mommy and Me 
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