My Perfect Roman Holiday Part 2 - Day Trips from Rome (Florence, Amalfi Coast & Naples) & Last Full Day in Rome Itinerary - Spending a Week in Rome
- dishadhawanwork
- 5 days ago
- 19 min read
Thank you for reading Part 1 of my Roman Holiday Itinerary, where I discussed in detail what I did for my first three days in Rome. Now coming to days four to seven, I kept days four, five and six for taking day trips or day visits from Rome, and I kept day seven empty for whatever I had missed out seeing in days one to three while exploring Rome. There was one main reason for this. Which was that day four, five and six fell on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, and as Italian fast trains can be quite pricey, on these particular days of the week you can get the Frecciadays fare where there are significant savings for travel. Yes, the tickets cannot be changed or cancelled and must be booked in advance, but for me personally, it was worth the risk. I hence planned my day trips from Rome on these days. I visited Florence on day four, the Amalfi Coast on day five and Naples on day six. I was very confused between Naples and Capri, but I realised I made the right choice choosing Naples over Capri. I will tell you further below. I will also tell you about how I spent my last full day in Rome. Just for your reference, I booked trains at around 9 or 9:30 AM every day as all the destinations I visited were around one to one and a half hours away by fast train. Also, as I was staying close to Roma Termini, I left twenty to thirty minutes before the train to comfortably complete a five-minute walk to the station, pick up some refreshments and check the gate numbers ten to fifteen minutes before the train. And for the return journey, I booked at around 5 - 5:30 PM every day so that we could reach Rome at a safe and comfortable hour and have dinner in Rome at a decent time. Also, these fast trains, Frecciarosa and Frecciaregento, came with preassigned seats. I could let the algorithm of the website assign them for me, or I could pay two euros extra per person per train to let me choose my preffered seats. I chose the former, and on most of the trains we got a four seater with a table all to ourselves, even with the automated assignment. I guess this was because the trains were not that full on those days and timings. On one leg only, which was on the way back from Naples to Rome, I did not like my seats due to there being garbage sticking out of our table, plus two people were sitting in front of us; however, I sincerely requested the ticket conductor to reassign our seats owing to the garbage on our table. He agreed and reassigned our seats to another table of four where one person was sitting opposite us; however, at least the table was clean. But on all the other trains, the seats were clean, and we got some privacy. Also, there were no such train delays, and the trains arrived on time.
Day 4: Day Trip to Florence
We arrived at Florence or Firenze at the Santa Maria Novella station. As Florence does not have a traditional underground metro system, and I always get confused with the bus system, either taxi or walking seemed to be the best way. The best joke of it all was that when I was checking Google Maps, a taxi to the place I wanted to get to vs the walking time was almost the same due to the traffic and the roads designed there. Also, as it turned out, most of the main sights were walkable from the central station.
I arrived at around 11 AM, and my first aim was to get to the original branch of Antico Vinaio for their famous schiacciata sandwiches. This is where it all originated. I was choosing an early lunch in order to avoid the long lines.
I reached there by around 11:30 AM, even after I stopped for a few minutes to take some photos along the way of the famous Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore. Thankfully, as they had around three counters/shops next to each other, I was able to get my sandwich with just a short wait and not much line. I then also went close by to another schiacciata sandwich shop, which was more local but highly rated, called Panetteria e Stuzzicheria De Neri, where I had the eggplant parmigiana sandwich. By the time I got my freshly made sandwich it was aorund 12:15 PM and instead of eating it right there, I walked close by to the third spot I had to visit which was infamous for its long lines which was Vivoli for its gelato affogato. However, when I reached there, the separate affogato counter was shut, and there was just one long line in their main store. We stood in line, but it was moving quite slowly as there was just one counter. I had made a 12:45 PM entry reservation at Galleria dell’Accademia di Firenze, famous for Michelangelo's David, so we left the line and rushed there as it was around a fifteen-minute walk from Vivoli. We had finished the second sandwich while waiting in line for Vivoli. In hindsight, I realised I could have planned better and booked maybe a 1:30 or 2 PM slot at the Galleria. We did eventually come back for Vivoli, and I will tell you a secret for sort of skipping the line at Vivoli as you read further. Anyway, we reached the Galleria and joined the line for 12:45 PM entry. A short wait and bag check later, we were inside.
The main things to see were the prisoners by Michelangelo on the way to David and to admire the detailing of this mighty statue.
We listened to Rick Steve's audio guide and just basked in the glory of and the intricacy of the David, despite its size it was an extremely detailed representation of the human anatomy including veins on the arms etc. And in around half an hour we were done with our visit, as that was what we mainly came to see. I did have the chance to book the Uffizi gallery as well in advance; however, none of the art over there really spoke to me, so I decided to give it a skip.
We then shopped a bit in the surrounding streets and walked back towards Vivoli, along the way, we also saw the famous Palazzo Vecchio and the square with all its art. We reached Vivoli at around 2:35 PM, and now, finally, the affogato separate counter was opened, so all the lines had shifted there from the main store. So basically, during the off-peak hours, they had not opened this counter, so all the lines were going into their main store, and it was taking a lot of time. Yes, now as well the lines were very long at the affogato bar counter, but here is where my secret tip finally paid off, which is that as the rush shifted to the affogato bar, not many in that long line realised that if you go to the main store where they serve the gelato, they serve two versions of their affogato there as well, the original and pistachio. So instead of standing in the long affogato bar line, I quietly walked into the less crowded main store and ordered myself an original affogato with almost no line!
Within ten minutes, affogato in hand, I could step out and take some Instagram shots and enjoy the same. And oh my god, is this place worth the hype! The crema ice cream with the Italian espresso shot is a combination made in heaven. You do not need to mix the two; you just take a bit of gelato from the side and dip it into the coffee and enjoy the glorious bite. I was so happy I was able to use my skip-the-line tip finally! So this is how I avoided the lines at three famous eateries in Florence! Now that my tummy was happy, I proceeded further for some more sightseeing to the stunning Ponte Vecchio.
No, I did not walk on the bridge as it was swarming neck to neck with people. I just walked along the riverbank and got a few shots from a distance. The same way I didn't attempt to enter the Cathedral I mentioned above, as I just do not want to waste my time standing in the long lines, and I am ok if I just get to see it from the outside. I'd already seen many beautiful churches in Rome.
By around 3:30 PM, we commenced our walk towards the station, along the way, we tried our luck and went to Caffe Gilli, the oldest cafe in Florence to try some Italian coffee and treats. Luckily, we got seats there facing the beautiful Piazza della Repubblica and enjoyed some lovely drinks and dessert.
It was a truly memorable experience just sitting in this glass enclosure with some delicious beverages, observing the crowds passing by in this famous square, a carousel with happy children and a lovely Florentine evening.
We reached the station around twenty minutes before our train, picked up a few local snacks to try for our train ride back, and before we knew it, we were on our way back to Rome. Some other things that can be suggested in Florence are to go to the Piazzale Michelangelo for some sweeping views of the city and the cathedral. We chose not to, as it would be too hectic for a day visit, as it's away from the main city centre. There is also the La Strega Nocciola Gelateria Artigianale, which is very famous for its gelato. And of course the Uffizi Gallery, which is very famous. Other things to do are the Giunti Odeon - Libreria e Cinema Giunti Odeon - Cinema, which is a library with a cinema inside it, the Palazzo Gucci, a museum dedicated to the iconic Italian fashion house and the Medici Riccardi Palace.
Anyway, after we returned to Rome, tired from the day we walked close by to Rifugio Romano, a vegan Roman restaurant and tried vegan versions of famous Roman dishes. The amount of flavour that they added to the dishes without any butter or cream was impressive. They deserve the high rating they have on Google.
Day 5: Day Trip to the Amalfi Coast - Positano & Amalfi
Can you visit the Amalfi Coast as a day trip from Rome? Absolutely yes! When you do plan to visit, what you need to be mindful of is to check the ferry schedules to see if they are running for the day, depending upon how choppy the seas are. Luckily, even though we were travelling in a non-seasonal month and there was rain expected, the ferries were running that day. Popular starting points to explore the Amalfi Coast are Sorrento and Salerno. We chose Salerno as there was a direct train from Rome at timings that suited us. There were some tours going from Naples as well, but as we suffer from mild motion sickness, we wanted to minimise the time spent on the ferry, and Salerno was hence ideal for us.
Please note that if the ferries don't run, you can either choose a very expensive private transfer, you can drive yourself, but that's highly tricky due to the narrow winding roads, or you can take the SITA buses that run along the coast. However, the most ideal would be ferries only, so hope for the best.
On the day of our travel, we got clear views of Mount Vesuvius from our train from Rome to Salerno, which was an added bonus. We had an option of leaving earlier, but we left at a leisurely 08:58 AM to reach Salerno at 10:28 AM. We did not want to cover all the points on the Amalfi Coast, we were just interested in seeing Positano and Amalfi, considering time constraints. I had seen the ferry timetables and kept to target which ferries I can take when. However, when I reached there, some of the companies I saw in the ferry timetables online did not have their booths. Also, if you are buying your tickets at the ports, for example, at the Salerno port, I wanted to purchase all my ferry tickets for the day, in case they run out, but their rule is that only once you reach the particular port can you purchase a ticket onwards from there :(
Which means I was in a little bit of stress for the entire day, because I had a train I had to catch at 5:42 PM from Salerno back to Rome, but I did not have confirmed return ferry tickets yet! I would only get to purchase that at my last port, which was Amalfi. Anyhow, I purchased my first set of ferry tickets from Salerno to Positano as that's where I had decided to have lunch.
Got on the 11:10 AM ferry and reached Positano in about one hour and fifteen minutes. The sea, according to me, was really choppy and the sky was overshadowed, but for the ferry operators, it seemed business as usual. We went and sat on the top deck in an area which had a bit of cover in case it started raining.
Oh my god were the views stunning along the coast, the deep blue sea, the quaint coastal towns we passed by, the weather was cool and breezy, the overcast skies added a dreamy, mellow feel to the entire atmosphere, which was somehow calming. It was the right decision to start with Positano as Amalfi was closer to Salerno, so in case as the day progressed, if by chance the ferries stopped running, it would be cheaper to get transport or a taxi from Amalfi to Salerno. Also, as you approach Positano, it is the picture-perfect town, compared to Amalfi, it has a more beautiful and idyllic "Amalfi Coast" view that you see on postcards and photos depicting the Amalfi Coast. I had planned to eat as Stanley Tucci made it famous, the "Spaghetti Alla Nerano" at a good-rated restaurant in Positano, but with one very important factor, a table overlooking the sea. I had always dreamt of eating at a table with a view of the Amalfi Coast, and I was finally able to fulfil that dream.
Time was limited, and thankfully, at only a five-minute walk was Lo Guarracino, which had tables overlooking the sea and Alla Nerano in their menu. We ordered two plates of the same along with a couple of Diet Cokes and were given some bread to go along with it. The pasta honestly was not that great, but the views were spectacular. This same thing, maybe in the summer months, I would never get a table without a reservation, let alone a table with an unobstructed sea view. We were done with lunch in about half an hour due to the quick and efficient service, and went ahead to explore the main street of Positano.
Here we were greeted by the famous wooden thatched roofs with bougainvillaea plants. Also, there were a lot of lemon-themed items all around, as this area is famous for its lemons. We were surprisingly able to do lunch as well as a walk through the main street, all in an hour and a half. Plenty of time to get to our next port, which was Amalfi. We reached from Positano to Amalfi in around twenty minutes.
As I said above, Amalfi did not have the idealistic coastline, but this port was more popular. Also, once we reached Amalfi, we made sure to head first to buy our ferry tickets back to Salerno; thankfully, the 4:15 PM ferry was available, and we got tickets. Also, the ferries for after 5 PM were cancelled considering the weather, so yes, there is some risk with ferries.
Anyway, we went to the main street with the Duomo, which was packed with day trippers like us. I had two items on my agenda in Amalfi, the first was to purchase good Limoncello, Crema di Limone and other lemon treats for my family.
I had researched, and Antichi Sapori d'Amalfi, just off the main square, was highly rated and provided me with all things Lemon! The next item on my list was to eat the famous lemon sorbet in a giant lemon. And despite the rush, I was seated at Royal Gelato within minutes. The only caveat is that each person at the table must order one item individually.
My husband went for an affogato, and I went for the lemon sorbet. Both the items were delicious, but most of all what remained with me is just sitting al fresco watching people pass by as I enjoyed my sorbet, whilst the energetic staff of this establishment sang along to the songs that they were playing on their stereo. The mood this set was just fantastic, it was calm in the chaos somehow, I facetimed my family to show them the vibe, as I felt it was so special that I had to share it with my family. Yes, this entire experience was touristy, but I just loved it; the vibe was fabulous. We then went to a store run by three generations of women to buy cute lemon dresses for my husband's nieces, once again, very touristy, and no matter which port you shop at, the prices for these dresses were also the same at each shop. But having waited so many years to come here, I was just enjoying every bit of it, no matter how touristy it was. After having our fill of this place, we headed towards the ferries, and even in this off-season the line to head back was huge.
We once again went on the roof level of the ferry and sat facing backwards at the front of the ferry, which not only gave us some cover in case it rained, but oh my god, it gave us an almost 360 degree view of the beautiful sea and the coastline along the entire way back. The ferry ride was also so memorable. Other notable towns to see would be Ravello, Maiori and Minori.
We reached Salerno, freshened up at the station and bought a few local snacks for our train ride back, trying local snacks is one of my favorite things to do. That night we went to Alla Antico Vinaio again, but the one at the Roma Termini with almost no lines.
We also checked out Il Mercato Centrale Roma, a famous food court. Here we tried "Trapizzino" (a triangular pizza dough with fillings) and "Suppli"(fried rice balls with fillings), two famous Roman treats. I also tried my favourite Grom gelato on the way to my room, and the chocolate sauce and nuts lining it had, made the gelato extra special. Overall, another day well spent!
Day 6: Day Trip to Naples
I almost skipped going to Naples and had decided to do a Capri day trip with Naples as the boarding port instead. I am so glad I chose Naples. At the end of the day, Capri, yes, is a beautiful island, but the offerings are very much similar to the Amalfi Coast - expensive restaurants,sea views,lemon themed goodies,a shopping street etc. The only thing I was interested in seeing there was the iconic limestone arch. I was not interested in the Blue Grotto, as the entire tediousness of getting into the grotto with its long wait times, plus bending your head and body fully into an unsanitary boat used by countless tourists before you to get into the grotto in the first place, was not appealing to me. Naples, on the other hand, had the Eat Pray Love pizza!
So yes, I took the around one-hour train to Naples, and the moment we reached, we did a swift fifteen-minute walk from the Napoli Centrale Station to reach L'Antica Pizzeria Da Michele. We reached there just before 12 PM, and thankfully, arriving a little early paid off as we did not have to wait in line and were immediately seated.
I cannot express the joy I felt when I had the first bite of this Margherita Pizza, there was Julia Roberts' photo enjoying the pizza on the wall and here I was enjoying the very same pizza! Each bite was flavourful and just sensational. The service was quick, and within minutes, we gobbled down this sensational pizza. We had only one to share because there was another iconic pizzeria I wanted to visit that day. When we left from there at 12:40 PM, the lines had started to form, so the tip is to get there early, before 12 PM and on a weekday for the best chance of skipping the lines. We then just enjoyed walking through this beautiful city.
We walked through the iconic Spaccanapoli, with its festoons and Maradona references and graffiti. We saw Centero Storico with its Duomo, walked along the famous Via dei Tribunali and Via San Biagio Dei Librai.
We tried the famous pizza fritta at Sorbillo.
And the "taralli" (Italian biscuits) at Taralleria Napoletana. How bright and vibrant this city was, and such beautiful streets and houses. We then reached and walked along the famous Via Toledo.
We checked out the famous Galleria Umberto I which I found very similar to the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan.
And then walked to our second pizza spot, Pizzeria Brandi. Antica Pizzeria Brandi is the birthplace of the Margherita pizza and hence we had to try it.
The pizza here was really amazing too and the service was quick. Thankfully, due to their quick service, I was able to visit another place I wanted to try. But first I walked to see the famous Piazza del Plebiscito and also walked ahead to see the coastline and to catch a glimpse of Mount Vesuvius again.
However, as it was cloudy that day I couldn't see it. Thankfully, I had seen it the day before on my way to Salerno. We then walked close by to the Gran Caffe Gambrinus, perhaps the most famous cafe in Naples.
Here we enjoyed the sfogliatella ricca (there are two types, the other is the frolla), we had the tiramisu and a maritozzo as well.
We also ordered the Cafe Gambrinus their signature coffee. Once again, the vibe of this place was fantastic, the treats were tasty, and it was the perfect Italian afternoon. We had such a great time at all the cafes we visited in Italy, it is a must-do whichever city you visit in Italy..
On our way back to Napoli Centrale, we took the metro from the Municipio station to reach the train station on time. We freshened up at the station and then took our train ride to Rome. Some other things I would suggest in Naples incase you want some aerial views of Naples head to Castel Sant'Elmo. The famous hotel Eurostars Hotel Excelsior as I saw on one Youtube video has a bar of the seventh floor where you can have a coffee and enjoy the sea views. Other Pizzerias that I had shortlisted were Pizzeria Attilio's, Pizzeria e Cucina Tipica Napoletana 'Ntretella and Passione di Sofi for its folded pizzas. Naples is also famous for its Ragu which can be tried at Tandem Ragu. Lastly I had also marked this highly rated very lively Neapolitan restaurant called Trattoria da Nennella.
That evening, as it eventually happens with most Indians by the fifth or sixth day of their European trip, I went to an Indian restaurant near the train station called Saravana Bhavan and enjoyed traditional Indian treats like the Dosa and a thali. I was quite tired after my full day, but the prospect of good spicy food led me to muster up some energy to visit that place, and I'm glad I did as the food was amazing.
Day 7: Last Full Day in Rome
As I have suggested earlier, leave the last day of your vacation as open as possible so as to cover things you may have missed out on the other days. On this day, we were blessed to have visited the fourth and final Jubilee Church, the Papal Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls. Another beautiful church and not too much of a line to get in. It was easy to get here as well, as there was a metro station close by.
We then took the metro to Circus Maximus, the remains of a grand arena.
After that we walked close by to see the famous Mouth of Truth, as made famous by the film The Roman Holiday. We then walked across the bridge on the Tiber River to reach the area I had wanted to go since the first day of my vacation, but somehow it remained till the last day, which was Trastevere.
This neighbourhood was stunning to walk through. This time we planned it right and reached the original branch of the famous restaurant Tonnarello (with 98k reviews on Google, last I checked) by around 11:30 AM. They seated us with the note that restaurant orders will only start at 12 PM.
We got a good al fresco table and ordered the foccacia (which can be skipped, it was a little bland), the Nonna Nadia Tonnarello, and the Pesto Rigatoni, both of which were delicious. We also ordered the Trastevere salad, where we got to try fresh Italian mozzarella.
We also had their famous Tiramisu in a cup. Basically, we had a great brunch. I didn't have much stomach space after this, but there were some gelatarias I just couldn't skip.
I first went to Old Bridge Gelateria, which was just ok, after which I went to Fior Di Luna, where I had the pistachio and hazelnut flavours, which were the best gelato I had in my entire time at Rome, right up there with Dei Gracci Pistachio gelato that I had on the first day.
We then went to Campo de'Fiori on the other side of the river and walked through their daily markets.
After which we headed to Castel Sant'Angelo, which I missed out on the day I visited the Vatican Museums due to all the chaos at the museum. This area was beautiful. Just beside the Castle, there was a beautiful tree-lined lane where we sat down for a bit and took a break. It was another beautiful Italian afternoon.
After which we walked to Gelataria la Romana, another gelataria famous for its unique flavours. This gelataria was very popular and also had a lot of theatrics with its panna or cream and the wafer biscuit topping. The gelato was pretty decent.
From there we walked to Piazza del Popolo, as on the first day I did not get to climb the steps and see the views of the city from Terazza del Pincio. It was really quite beautiful, and then we walked along Via Del Corso for one final glimpse at the city, then took the metro back to Roma Termini from Spagna metro station. After having eaten the amount of gelato and food that we had eaten that day, we skipped dinner and proceeded to pack and sleep early, as we had to catch the flight early in the morning. The next morning at the station, we purchased our Leonardo Express tickets back to the airport. We validated our tickets, but no one else on the train seemed interested in doing so. Even the ticket inspector didn't bother. Maybe he was aware that most tourists are not aware of this rule.
And before I boarded that train, at 6:30 AM, I grabbed myself a cornetti with chocolate from the station, and I ate it! It was one of the things I had not yet tried from Rome, and well, I'm glad I got to do it! So even at 6:30 AM, yours truly thoroughly enjoyed a sweet treat! My commitment to good food is second to none lol! We reached the airport on time, this time they had a fast track pass for security check for business class passengers. However, that morning the rush was quite less, so it wasn't needed. We browsed the shops for a bit, went to the lounge, which was packed with credit card priority pass holders, and then boarded our flight back home.
Some places that I still wanted to visit and maybe you can check out would be the Pyramid of Caius Cestius, the Villa Borghese Gardens, the Aventine Keyhole for its iconic Vatican city views, the Testaccio market for its eats, the Fontana dell'Acqua Paola which apparently is even more beautiful than Trevi Fountains, Chiesa di Sant'Ignazio di Loyola for its Sistine Chapel type ceilings and the Galleria Sciarra to name a few. I would have also liked to try Giolitti, the famous gelato shop, Antico Caffe Greco, the oldest cafe in Rome and some more restaurants in the Trastevere area, as I loved that area. However, I was very happy with all I got to do and see, and mostly I was happy that I did not have to wait in long lines in one of the most famous cities in the world for tourism. I had a great vacation, and I can't wait to go back and explore more of Italy. Thank you for reading!
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