One of the good things about Rome and the sites is that most of the good stuff is within about a two mile circle. The problem with this is that all the food within that two mile plus radius is…geared towards non-returning tourists. In other words, the food is overpriced and not all that spectacular. Generally, when in such an area, I get recommendations and go outside the tourist area, but that wasn’t possible with our limited mobility (Parents only had so much walking in them per day).

The following gallery starts at the Vatican (which is next to St. Peter’s) and goes down to the Coliseum area. Not necessarily in the order in which we traveled, but it covers the distance! I’ll have individual posts on the Vatican, the ruins, the Coliseum and the Pantheon with more pictures later. Click on the pictures for a larger image.

As you can see, we saved our walking for the various tourist sites that we wanted to visit rather than walking to restaurants. In general, when we tried food along this tourist route, it was average and overpriced. Desserts were quite good and worth sampling, although expensive. I recommend eating outside the general tourist area if you can find someone with recommendations. Take a bus or metro as close as you can get and then enjoy any gems you might find!

The one time we tried to go to a recommended restaurant, we tried to take a cab. We went to a taxi stand, as advised, asked about the price and got in. Only…the driver did not turn on the meter. I asked him to turn on the meter. He said, “Flat 20 euro price.” Uh-oh. I knew we were being “taken for a ride.” I made the best of it. I asked him to take us from the Coliseum area to the recommended restaurant rather than the hotel (the restaurant was further away). We ended up in a dead-end alley where he dropped us off and pointed. He claimed the building to the north was the Vatican. Uhm…

Not much to be done but get out and look around. Luckily we had been in Rome long enough for me to quickly get my bearings, (I heartily recommend the MapEasy’s Guidemap to Rome). Unfortunately we ended up having to walk back to the hotel (which wasn’t that far, but the parents were already quite tired.) In retrospect, I probably should have gotten out and NOT paid the guy. What could he have done? He never turned the meter on. But I wasn’t thinking that fast on my feet, and I guess at that point, I just wanted away. Not that he was really a suspicious or mean character. He kept up a running conversation of friendly chatter the whole time that he took us to our “not destination” and left us high and dry.

In case you taxi drivers out there are wondering, yes, it made a difference. We did not take another cab in Rome. There were at least two opportunities when we might have, including to the restaurant that night. One guy made his 20 euros, but in the long run, it cost others business. Although it was not dangerous or even scary, it left us with very bad feelings concerning Rome and taxis in general. We did use a taxi in Spain and had one good experience and one questionable one. I’m sure from reading other blogs that mine is not the only cautionary tale.

How to get around such situations? I highly recommend hiring a private driver. For our airport and cruise port transportation, we hired Tony Mancini, a professional driver in Rome (tel: 3394584206 email: mancini.tony@alice.it). I contacted Tony (who came recommended by Santo Susanna church) before we left. He was reliable, expert and professional. He answered numerous questions for me before the trip. He also managed to find another driver for some fellow travelers who, at the last minute, found themselves without a ride from Rome to the cruise ship port.

Obviously I’m adding my name to those that “highly recommend” Tony and his driving services. Rates? Better or comparable to a taxi–but with far better service, reliability and peace of mind. Tony also helps put together wedding services; from photos, flowers, cakes to catering. Simply put, the man makes it happen.

We learned from our experience. We ended up hiring a driver while in Spain when we wanted to get outside the Malaga area and explore. If you know of places you’d like to go before your trip, and public transportation is too complicated–or you just want peace of mind and the security of being looked after very well–look for private drivers. Some may be too expensive, but Tony was very reasonable–and cheaper than the transfer rate the cruise was charging for transportation from the Rome airport to the cruise port. I fretted about the expense at first, because a private driver is more expensive than a train, but Tony did door-to-door service, answered questions, offered additional help and was trustworthy and reliable. Hard to put a price on that, especially when his services were very reasonable. Tony made sure our last transfer was smooth, efficient and friendly. He is the kind of person you hope to meet when you’re traveling. Thanks, Tony.