Rome, plus wedding in Ravello, what to do? And anyone have extra United miles?

My son is getting married in Ravello in mid September and I will be spending two days in Rome before heading down to Amalfi and Ravello for the wedding.  What are your recommendations for Rome, I have never been.  Must see's and do's and eats?  And in Amalfi?  Should I go to Pompei?

And anyone have any miles to donate?


There’s so much in Rome. What are your interests?  We very much enjoyed the Vatican. We took a tour of their gardens, saw the museum, the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s, and climbed to the top of the dome. 

Loved the museums, the catacombs, the Forum, and the Coliseum. The pantheon was wonderful. 


With that limited time, in Rome my priorities would be:

1) St Peter's Square, and basilica if you have time. I would probably pass on Vatican museum, although by September, crowds may not be as bad as high season. Sistine chapel is all the way to the back. 

2) Dinner in Trastevere, lots of choices (can be combined with #1 above, a short walk down the river)

3) Colosseum and Forum (go with a guide to avoid lines and learn more)

I have not been to Pompeii but have heard it is worthwhile.

In terms of miles/tickets, since you are not going until September, could you open a credit card for bonus miles with United? Also, there are more and more low cost airlines flying transatlantic (Norwegian, for ex) and maybe you could get a decent fare since it's not peak season.





2 days in Rome is a pretty easy decision- 1 day Vatican City, other day Ancient Rome. Evenings exploring areas like travestere, Spanish Steps, Trevi fountain, Pantheon. I wouldn’t try to squeeze in Pompeii. Airfare should be cheap- no need to ask for miles (the transfer fees would likely add up to more than the cost of a ticket)


Wow- quickly just checked and you can get $400 round trip on Tap Air Portugal or American or British Airways if you don’t mind a stop! Holy cow that’s cheap!!!


Highly recommend spending an evening (incl dinner) in and around Piazza Campo de Fiori


There is an evening walking tour of the Colosseum that we did and it was so much more. The tour guide was a PhD in anthropology from Rome. He showed us evidence of the city's "historical lasagna" - layers from different periods - and he helped us identify them during the walk. Ancient Rome is mixed with architecture from Mussolini's time, and damage and repairs from WW II.

It being evening, it's much cooler/less hot during hot months. We got into the Colosseum with no lines, and were the only group in there. Seeing it empty and lit for the evening really gave a sense of its grandeur and slight creepiness when wandering under the stage where the animals and gladiators waited for their entrance.

It goes late. I think we walked back to our Air BNB after and got back around midnight. But, it was so worth it!


Rome is my favorite city -- something from every period of history, from antiquity to the present. What do YOU like best? You'll probably wind up at the Forum and the Vatican and the Capitoline, etc. and it will all be WONDERFUL. My favorite neighborhoods are around the Piazza Navona/Pantheon and the Campo de' Fiori; also Trastevere around St. Cecilia's. Two days isn't much for this glorious pageant so be sure to stay in the Centro Storico, from which you can just wander, soaking up every square inch. (NYT recently ran a story about trash piling up in the city -- hope you don't find that's true!)


also my fav city.  consider context travel for a small group tour ( 6 people max) of colosseum, forum and palatine hill-we took this tour twice.  two days not enough for rome

if you are into ancient sites then pompeii  is a must see as well


flights-did you look into norwegian?-I usually fly united but we flew norwegian in may for 1/2 the cost out of ewr ( direct)


Are you staying in Amalfi or Ravello ?  Ravello is a bit off the beaten path and takes about 30 minutes to get from Ravello to Amalfi via bus.  For fine dining($$$$) in Ravello I highly recommend Da Salvatore.  The food is amazing and the views are breath taking.

In Amalfi it's quite easy to catch a ferry to Capri or Positano for day trips.  If the hustle and bustle in Amalfi gets over whelming, take the tunnel through to Atrani(we stayed there) and eat in the small square at Mistrals($$).  We ate several times at Mistral and each meal was excellent.  For a bit more upscale dining, try A'Paranza($$$) in Atrani.

We spent seven days in Rome and still could go back and see more.  St Peter's square and basilica / Sistine Chapel are great but very crowed.  The Vatican museum is 1000 of your closest friend jammed into 8 by 12 rooms.  The skip the line tours are bit expense but worth the time saved.  We did the Colosseum at night and enjoyed it.  The one that we enjoyed more than we thought we would was the catacomb tour. It was very interesting. We used the Roman Guy tour group.

Trastevere is fun to walk around and has great restaurants.  We did a wine pairing dinner there. I can't remember the restaurant but Marco was awesome(https://www.facebook.com/marcolorioffthevine/) going over Italian culture, food preparation, wines, etc . 


Regards,

RCH




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