Our Autumn European Odyssey
Part 3 – Rome/Roma
After our time on Santorini, we left to fly back to Athens and after a 2.5-hour layover, we flew on Aegean Airlines from Athens to Rome. The flights again were right on time, with comfortable seats in Economy, wine and a snack on each flight, and lots of legroom. The boarding area in Athens was crazy and crowded and it took forever to get a gate # so we did a fair bit of scurrying about.
We had booked for 4 nights in Rome at the Hotel Marcella Royal. They hired a car service to pick us up at the airport for 100 EU cash which was great, especially on a rainy Friday night. The hotel is weird but clean and safe and in a cute neighbourhood. We had an alleged Junior Suite but there was plenty of room, a comfy big bed and space to work. Our friends were in a much nicer room (for a lower price). The rooms locked with a key that you turn in at the front desk each time you leave the hotel. They also book your taxis for you when you go out, which was lovely and we always felt very safe. https://www.marcellaroyalhotel.com/
We had been to Rome twice before in 2014, so there wasn’t anything new we wanted to see; we were here for 4 nights so that our friends could see the sights, and we all could rest before the cruise. Our 1st dinner was at the rooftop restaurant of our hotel – salad and pizza and wine, and a fabulous Aperol Spritz. There was a really good music duo playing English songs. The next day we rested and went out for lunch and had our first serving of Cacio e Pepe at a restaurant around the corner from the hotel and ate outdoors. Our friends took a tour of the Colosseum that they had booked through Viator.
Our 2nd dinner was at Checco er Carettiere, a restaurant that I saw recommended on Stanley Tucci’s Searching for Italy show. It was super crowded but the food was excellent and it was very clear that locals dine there. https://www.checcoercarettiere.it/en/checco-er-carettiere/
The 3rd day I went to the morning service at the Church of St. Paul’s within the Walls, the Episcopal Church in Rome. It was beautiful and the service was half in English, half in Italian. Afterward, I joined Steve at a café across the street for brunch.
That night, the 4 of us took the Trastavere Food Tour that we booked through The Tour Guy/The Roman Guy. The tour was very good-it was led by a local named Marco –there was a group of 11 of us. The tour made 4 stops – first for prosciutto, salami, cheese and red wine in a shop that also sells wine. Then we went to a very crowded pizzeria for prosecco and fried fish, then to a restaurant for a sit-down dinner of red and white wine, cacio e pepe, and tubular pasta with tomato sauce. The final stop was for 2 scoops of authentic gelato. The group was very social, and everyone made time to remember where each person was from and there was lots of interesting conversation. The walk through the neighbourhood was really fun and we’d recommend this tour to anyone! https://theromanguy.com/tours/italy/rome/trastevere-food-tour
On our last day in Rome, we went to St. Peter’s and just looked around -it was really crowded and even the lineup of people who had tickets to the Basilica was huge. On the final night, we took a taxi to Piazza Navona and had a lovely outdoor dinner. Piazza Navona is pretty much my favourite place in the world, and it was wonderful to be back there.
The next day we left Rome for Civitavecchia, about an hour away -it’s the place where the cruise ship terminal is located. Next week, we’ll start to talk about our 9 day cruise on the Celebrity Equinox.
Where do you plan to go in 2026 and 2027? (I’m looking at 2028 cruises too!)
May I help you?
Happy Travels!
#aegeanair
#hotelmarcelloroyal
#viator