We took two
bus tours in and around Rome and I have no problem in recommending the tour
company: Viator. We found the guides
to be professional, knowledgeable and overall a pleasure with whom to share our
journey.
“Giorgio” brought the 250 years of Imperial Rome (50BCE – 200CE) to life for us, providing the human side of statistical measures of dates and dimensions of ancient Rome. During the tour we found that Giorgio was a Professor Emeritus of Archeology at one of the Universities in Rome, and still went on active digs despite being 73 years young (he looked no older than 60). His in-depth knowledge of ancient Rome, combined with his “50 years of teaching” made the tour perfect.
“Massimo” took us to Vatican City for a tour of the Museum and St.
Peter’s Cathedral which needs to be experienced to be clearly understood. The
only place we could not take pictures or talk, was in the Sistine Chapel, which
is understandable as the sheer power of the room is enough to take your breath
away. Overall I recommend that if you intend to visit the Vatican museum,
PLEASE take a tour, if for no other reason you can save a two hour wait in line
just to get in.
We spent a lot of time touring Rome on foot as most things were close
enough to our hotel to walk, and most of the sights are free to the public –
starting with the 50 major fountains that all have clean drinking water
available to all citizens and visitors. A visit to the Trevi Fountain is a
must, if nothing else to throw a coin over your shoulder to ensure (as legend
would have it) that you return to Rome.
Detracting from the thousands of years of architecture, status and
fountains, was the ever-present garbage in the streets. It seemed that no
matter which day or what part of the city, full garbage bags lined the narrow
streets, making them that much more narrow.
The Best
Western Hotel Mondial on via Torino was picked from the internet based on
published ratings, that it was close to the train station and that it was a
Best Western property. Close to the train station is subjective, as it is about
800m – not bad if you are just walking, but pulling two rolling suitcases and
carrying back packs, walking over cobblestone roads, it took us 25 min to get
to the hotel.
The outside is nondescript, looking much like the rest of the street side buildings, but once inside we were in for a treat. The lobby is tastefully decorated and the front desk staff very friendly. During the course of our stay, we heard them speaking no less than six different languages to guests and on the phone. The elevator says it can hold four people, but those four need to be very friendly to ride rather than walk. If you have bags, two people with luggage could fit, but not much more.
The guest rooms are small by North American standards, but average size for European standards, with 4m ceilings and enough room for a king sized bed – just. The room was very clean and the bathroom was huge. We found the pillows to be very thin on filling, but doable if you double them over.
Their ‘Continental Breakfast’ consisted of a buffet of scrambled and boiled eggs, cold cuts, a variety of breads, cereals, cheeses, jams, jellies, plain and fruit-flavoured yoghurts, coffee, tea, three kinds of fruit juices, and milk.
The lounge area was filled with very comfortable and relaxing couches and chairs, and it was suggested that we might enjoy eating dinner in these surroundings. The food was mediocre at best, with the exception of the tiramisu, which was no less than superb. Overall, if we were to go back to Rome, we would stay here again. It was comfortable, convenient, clean, and the staff were absolutely fantastic.
The outside is nondescript, looking much like the rest of the street side buildings, but once inside we were in for a treat. The lobby is tastefully decorated and the front desk staff very friendly. During the course of our stay, we heard them speaking no less than six different languages to guests and on the phone. The elevator says it can hold four people, but those four need to be very friendly to ride rather than walk. If you have bags, two people with luggage could fit, but not much more.
The guest rooms are small by North American standards, but average size for European standards, with 4m ceilings and enough room for a king sized bed – just. The room was very clean and the bathroom was huge. We found the pillows to be very thin on filling, but doable if you double them over.
Their ‘Continental Breakfast’ consisted of a buffet of scrambled and boiled eggs, cold cuts, a variety of breads, cereals, cheeses, jams, jellies, plain and fruit-flavoured yoghurts, coffee, tea, three kinds of fruit juices, and milk.
The lounge area was filled with very comfortable and relaxing couches and chairs, and it was suggested that we might enjoy eating dinner in these surroundings. The food was mediocre at best, with the exception of the tiramisu, which was no less than superb. Overall, if we were to go back to Rome, we would stay here again. It was comfortable, convenient, clean, and the staff were absolutely fantastic.
Setting
on a small street around the corner from the Revolution Plazza, we found Cotto
Ristorante. This hidden treasure of Rome needs to be experienced. The sea bass
was done to perfection and the cockerel meat fell off the bones it was so well
done. Servers speak a variety of languages besides Italian (French, German,
English, Spanish, etc.) and were very accommodating and not rushing the
process. We sat outdoor on the patio and enjoyed every moment of our meal. Cold
drinks were icy and the hot drinks seasoned to perfection. Recommended
restaurant if you are in the area.
Our
next stop was Paris.
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