Our last morning in Rome we woke up very early to get ready for our flight home. Our flight was scheduled for boarding at 9:30am out of Rome to Chicago. When I woke up I had updates on my phone from United saying the flight was delayed until 10:30am, then another that said 12:00pm departure time. So already our trip home was starting with more airline drama.
Not wanting a repeat of the first few days of our vacation I immediately started looking up alternative flights. Once I found a flight plan that sounded good I called united bookings. The guy on the phone was actually quite helpful. He was able to get us on the new flight that departed at 9:30am from Rome to Washington DC. I was also able to request a two seat row section also so it was just me and Deanna in that row. Our flight from DC to SF was booked with a 5 hour layover in DC which meant we didn't have to run to our connecting flight. Our plan was set.
I used the FreeNow app and called us a taxi to the airport. We made it to the Rome airport in about 30 minutes. We went to the United gate to check our bags which was all the way to the left in Terminal 3. While we were standing there checking our bags the conveyor belts stopped working and we had to wait around for the luggage to process. It kept feeling like at every step we take with United something happens. After a few minutes our luggage was on its way.
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| Smoking Booth in Rome |
We went through security which was very fast and efficient and we started walking towards our gate. The Rome airport is very large and they usher you through a giant mall of duty free junk and shops as you approach hallways and escalators for whatever gate you need. When we saw our gate number we went down a side hallway that lead to an escalator. We went up to the gate level and had some breakfast at the Illy Cafe they had nearby. When we got on the plane we were seated in what was labeled as United Premium Plus seats. They were super lush. Read about them here. It was one of the best plane rides ever. I'll definitely look for these in the future.
We landed in DC and had to go through customs. They are using a new format and didn't require us to fill out any forms. We only had to present our Passport for scanning and talk to the person at the booth. We had to go through a special rescan of our carry on bags but didn't have to remove anything from our bags or our shoes when going through the x-ray again. It was all much smoother than we had in the past.
After that we went to the United lounge and had some drinks and free snacks for a few hours before we needed to board the flight to SF.
The flight to SF was terrible and in a very old plane with terrible seats and video monitors. The monitors only offered directv channels and when the plane took off they didn't even work. The seats were crammed together with no space and the arm rests had all the controls on them and I kept hitting them with my elbow and turning up the volumes and brightness. It was annoying.
We landed and had to go collect our baggage from a special holding area because it arrived earlier than us since we had a hour layover in DC. Then we headed to the SkyPark shuttle pickup area and waited for our ride back to the SkyPark lot where I parked my truck. I paid to have my truck washed while I parked it in this lot for 2 weeks. It was nice to come back to a clean vehicle.
FINAL THOUGHTS ON ITALY OVERALL
Mack's Thoughts:
I loved Italy as a whole. Nearly every person we interacted with in Italy was hospitable and helpful to us. There were a few interactions that didn't go perfectly and one or two attitudes, but most were good. We always tried to establish communication using the little Italian we knew. Usually just asking if they spoke English. If they did then things went super smooth. A couple times when someone didn't speak English I would use hand gestures and some broken Italian from Google Translate.
Most places we went took credit cards, so we used our credit card 90% of the time. We took out cash from the ATMs in Italy to have for things that called for it. It was best for buying souvenirs and for quick drink purchases.
Amalfi Coast was my favorite place and I'm dreaming of ways to live there. Avoid staying in Positano, stay in somewhere smaller like Praiano like we did. It was much better. Do your research it really helps to avoid overly crowded areas. Definitely book a boat tour. If you can afford a private one do it.
We both agreed that we want to try to find more places that have no kids, especially in the pool areas.
I think if I was planning this trip again I would flip our itinerary and begin in Rome and end in Venice. Rome was the most stressful and touristy of our entire trip. We struggled to find places we felt great about eating at. The service and food choices went down hill in Rome also. Rome was the first time we saw aggressive panhandling and pushy people. You get worn out pretty fast from the crowds and the standard tourist things going on in Rome. I think starting off with that first, then going on to the great fun of Praiano and Amalfi coast then working our way North to end in Venice would be perfect.
Venice was much better than anticipated. It was tourist filled but full of small nooks and alleyways where you felt like you were apart from the overall tourist crowd. I would definitely go back and spend time just wandering around looking for hidden gems. We were supposed to have two nights but only had one due to the flight drama in day 1 and 2.
Modena was really cute and had a small town village feel, but was a pretty big place. It felt like a place where Italians went on holiday. The Balsamic farms and Parmesan factories alone make it worth a visit. Also if you're into cars you can drive a Ferrari there, but we didn't do this.
Almost every hotel has a breakfast inclusion option. Doing that was really great because we almost ate only 2 meals a day with that plan. We mostly ate breakfast and then a snack and then a big dinner. AirBNB obviously doesn't have the breakfast included but getting some groceries immediately and doing our own Italian style breakfasts worked out great.
I wound up not using a lot of clothes I brought. While in Italy I found myself wearing my button up shirts the most along with a pair of shorts. I wore those shirts and shorts multiple times because they held up well. I had about 6 t-shirts I never wore, 3 undershirts and jeans I also never wore. That space would have been great to have back.
Avoid booking too many excursions and shuttles that require you to prepay before you get in country. This could backfire if your schedule gets messed up due to flight delays or other trip interruptions. Compare multiple tour companies online before you commit. Use the FreeNow taxi app when in Rome.
We could have gotten around just about everywhere by train and taxi. Driving from Venice to Tuscany was a luxury and just something we wanted to try, but looking back isn't something we had to do. While in Modena it did allow us to explore a bit more and go to the Balsamic and Parmesan farms. Italo train is a great train, get the club seats.
Favorite meals: A tie between the Butternut Squash Tortellini with Sage Butter in Modena and the Truffle Pasta from the Salvadonica hotel in Tuscany. Both were amazing.
Favorite Place: Praiano. Life along the sea in a small town such as this was just heavenly.
Deanna's Thoughts:
All and all, I loved Italy. I'm so happy that we were able to spend 2 lovely weeks there. I would definitely return again and would recommend it to anyone thinking of going.
Praiano was my favorite place. The ocean was so beautiful there. I loved swimming in the warm, salty water. Our boat trip was a highlight for me. The coast line is breathtaking and I would definitely come back here again. The stairs were pretty rough lol, but the destination and views were always worth it... and of course walking all those stairs was a great way to work off the mozzarella and pasta.
My second favorite place was Tuscany. The skyline of rolling hills full of vineyards was so beautiful. At sunset, it almost didn't seem real. I loved being out in the country in nature. It was so nice eating dinner out on the patio in the evening, listening to all the little birds and taking in the gorgeous landscape. It would only have been better if the hotel we stayed at had less people and crying kids lol. The food was the best out there and the mood was super laid back.
Venice was so cool. I wish that we could have spent more time here. It is a fun place to walk around and get lost, just admiring how old and twisty the streets are. It was definitely the most expensive city we visited, but I would still recommend going and would go back again myself.
Modena was a surprisingly fun place to visit. We had a great dinner there, and I enjoyed the short time we spent in this city. I loved driving out to the Parmesan and balsamic farm. The tour of the balsamic farm was really interesting and I left with a better appreciation for good vinegar. It was also really fun walking around the city at night, getting gelato, and seeing all of the locals cruising around.
Rome was also a really cool city, but definitely has the big city feel. I loved walking around and seeing all of the super old buildings and structures. It was so cool spending time in a city that has been there for 2 thousand years. It was super hot there though, and the tourists were thick everywhere we went. The food wasn't as good as Tuscany, but overall it wasn't bad. I had the best gnocchi and salad there. Overall I enjoyed the experience, even if it wasn't my favorite place in Italy.
We didn't spend much time in Napoli/Naples, but I can't really recommend visiting this city except to get pizza. It was very dirty and crowded and did not feel safe. The pizza that Mack got for us there was the best though. It was definitely worth the hype.
If you're planning to visit Italy, I have a few suggestions. First, I would recommend packing light and not bringing a gigantic suitcase. You will regret it. The streets are uneven and there are lots of stairs.
I would also recommend bringing a good pair of walking sandals. Modena and Rome have particularly dirty streets and they are uneven and can be challenging to walk on without paying attention to where you are going.
It's pretty casual everywhere. I found I was the most comfortable wearing light dresses and sandals. I packed jeans but only wore them a couple of times. I packed a sweater, but never needed it. I would suggest bringing a pair of leggings to wear at night in the air conditioning. I forgot to pack these and was a little chilly some nights in our hotel.
A nice big hat was also great to have. The sun got super hot at times and I was thankful for the shade on my face. I wish I would have brought bug spray because the mosquitoes were thick and I got lots of bites when we were in Tuscany. I would recommend bringing a sarong and/or pack-able picnic blanket for the beach or pool. Definitely bring water sandals for the beach in Praiano...it's all rocks.
It is pretty easy to be a vegetarian there. There are usually good food options for everyone.
My favorite new drink is aperol spritz. It's really the best thing to drink on a hot afternoon.
Plan to walk a lot... my average was about 15,000 steps per day. In Praiano, my fitbit registered over 54 flights of stairs one day. Bring comfy shoes.
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That is the end of Day 16 and our final blog post. Thank you for reading!
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