Globus – Italian Highlights Tour
Flight
British Airlines flight 1738 Depart 12:26 pm to O’Hare Arrive at 2:00 pm
British Airlines flight 1568 Depart 4:50 pm to Leonardo Da Vinci- Fiumicino Arrive at 8:50 am
We flew into Rome a day before the tour began to hopefully recover from our jet lag so that we can make the most of our tour.
The flight over the Atlantic was mostly at night, but we were only able to get a couple of hours of sleep.
Airport
When we arrive at the Rome airport we expected to be met by our transfer at the baggage claim area, but did not see them. I also took this opportunity to get 200 euros in cash at a Money Exchange. After about 15 worrisome minutes, we eventually found them outside near the street. The weather was in the 70s and the driver happily pointed out different highlights along the way in Italian over the next hour as we made our way to the hotel. We just nodded and looked out at the surreal mixture of ancient and new structures that we saw along the way. We were also amazed by the drive itself down crowded narrow roads, weaving traffic, and tiny cars.
Bettoja Hotel Mediterraneo
When we arrive at the Bettoja Hotel Mediterraneo around 10 am, they told us our room would not be ready until around 2 pm but would be glad to store our bags until then,
Self Walking Tour
Armed with a provided map, we took a walk toward the main concentration of Roman ruins. We spent the next several hours marveling at all the archaeological sites before going back to the hotel.
Hotel
When we got back to the hotel around 2 pm, we checked in, took some needed showers, and decided to take a nap before our food tour that evening.
Food Tour
We signed up to take a food tour that evening at 5 pm to combine a needed dinner break with an opportunity to learn about eating in Italy. The meeting place was about a 30-minute walk from the hotel at the Campo de’ Fiori, a piazza where a popular farmer’s market takes place daily. Unfortunately, it looked like the market was closed when we got there.
The food tour was fun and he did a good job showing us some Rome architectural highlights. Our stops included:
- Pizza at Antico Forno Roscioli – Pizza Bianca and
- Suppi – A deep-fried twinkie-shaped breaded ball of creamy rice mixed with a meat and tomato sauce with a gooey piece of mozzarella cheese in the center.
- Fried Mozzarella and Anchovy stuffed Zucchini Flowers – not a crowd favorite
- Some Antipasta (prosciutto, bruschetta, cheese), followed by some Pasta (Rigatoni Carbonara, Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe)
- Gelato
We were all stuffed by the end of the tour.
Self Walking Tour
Afterward, we walked through the Roman architectural sites to see them all lit up at night.
Hotel
The hotel is near the train station one of the seven primary hills of ancient Rome and we definitely felt it on the way home. When we hit the hotel room, we passed out and enjoyed some much-needed sleep.