Departing the Silver Spirit on Thursday morning, May 16 was as seamless as our arrival some ten days earlier. Having packed our bags the previous evening and left the tagged luggage outside the suite, we awoke to a final room service coffee and juice, bade farewell to our butler Louie and proceeded to La Dolce Vita Lounge to await the announcement that signaled our group had been cleared for departure. Upon disembarkation, we identified our luggage in the arrivals hall at the Port of Civitavecchia. The entire process took much less time than expected and so we had to wait for about 25 minutes before our drivers arrived to take us into Rome where we’d decided to spend a final night before returning to the US. It’s a 45-mile journey from the port into the city and with morning traffic, it took about one hour and 20 minutes before we pulled up outside Le Meridien Visconti Rome, our hotel on Via Federico at 10:30 that morning.
Our rooms were not ready for check-in at that hour, so we stored our luggage and waited in the Longitude 12 Bistro & Garden. At lunch time, we followed the front desk clerk’s recommendation and walked a few blocks to Pizzeria San Marco, where we dined at an outside table under a canopy. After ordering, those of us on the American Airlines flight to Charlotte on Friday received a text message advising us that our flight would be delayed from 12:10 PM to 1:35 in the afternoon. We couldn’t figure our why as the flight was not due to leave the US until 6:15 PM local, which would have been after midnight in Italy. We soon understood the reason why when we returned to the hotel and met the Charlotte flight crew in the lobby. It turned out that severe storms had delayed their departure the previous night and the crew “timed out,” as they are required to have a 10-hour rest period within each 24-hour cycle. Now it all made sense. Our group was able to check in soon enough and we received an upgrade to an Urban Suite, which offered a separate, but compact sitting area (with pull out couch), a small bathroom and a king-bedded room.
While we’ve been to Rome on several occasions and visited St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museums as well as the Colosseum and other attractions, we always want to include the Trevi Fountain on any itinerary to the Eternal City. Luckily, it was only about a mile away from the hotel and so we walked the 25-minutes, over the Ponte Cavour, which is wide enough for both traffic and pedestrians to cross the Tiber River. We next headed south along the Via Del Corso. This historic main street is marked by some of the best shopping in the city, historic buildings, restaurants and nearby access to other attractions In fact, we were able to clearly see the Spanish Steps just several blocks away down the Via Conditti to the northeast. The Trevi Fountain is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Rome and was extremely crowded on that afternoon. Nevertheless, with patience on our side, we managed to find a spot directly in front and dutifully observed the coin custom. The tradition of throwing coins into the fountain, derived from ancient rituals of offering gifts to gods, has been immortalized in films and literature. The act of making a wish while tossing a coin with one's right hand over the left shoulder is said to ensure a return to Rome someday.
That evening the group gathered for cocktails at Paparazzo, the hotel’s rooftop patio bar reminiscent of 1960s Rome. The design of the space is typical of that colorful era. The bright terracotta tables contrast with the wall graphic decorations in blue and pink powder inspired by the hand-painted patterns of Italian fashion designer Livio De Simone. In short, the venue tends to throw you back in time, in a cosy, relaxing yet elegant environment. Their cocktail menu was extensive and, although we didn’t partake of anything special, it was obvious that those cocktails took center stage at the bar, which also served tapas and snacks. Paparazzo also offers special events each week, sometimes featuring musicians or a popular, local DJ.
We got our steps in while searching for a “farewell dinner” venue, disregarding the hotel’s suggestions after peering in several restaurants and reading their menus. After much back and forth, we settled on the Trattoria Della Barchetta and took up two outside tables with ladies at one and gentlemen at the other. Complimentary sweet, sparkling wine was served as an aperitif along with Garlic Knots. I ordered the Pasta Carbonara with Goat Cheese and Caramelized Walnuts as an entrée and it was mouth watering. Small Chocolates with Fruit Filling were presented for dessert with a glass of Limoncello, the Italian lemon liqueur. We walked back to the hotel and soon settled in before our return journey home the following day.
On arrival at the Rome Fiumicino Airport’s Terminal 3 in the morning, we came upon hundreds of would-be passengers queuing up with multiple airlines at the same time. After a rather lengthy wait at the American Flagship Business counter, we eventually completed the necessary check-in formalities and headed towards the USA departure area to pass through the priority security lanes. We had plenty of time to wander through the Duty Free area and caught up with our traveling companions at the spacious Plaza Premium Lounge. This expansive lounge offered us a selection of freshly prepared food and a range of beverages which we enjoyed while relaxing in their comfortable lounge chairs.
Our flight departed on time from Gate E 43. Since seats in Row 2 were taken when we made our reservations several months earlier, we were seated in the second mini-cabin behind the galley of the Boeing 777-200 in window seats 8L and 9L on the starboard side of the aircraft. Over pre-departure beverages, we learned our friendly and efficient flight attendant Michael was practically our neighbor back home in Raleigh. Once airborne, Micheal took our cocktail orders and served them along ramekins of Mixed Nuts. The starter course was Chicken Tikka, small pieces of marinated baked boneless chicken served on skewers, which was followed by a Crispy Salad Mix with Grilled Artichokes and Feta Cheese. My entrée was the Texas BBQ of Beef Brisket, Smoked Sausage, Mashed Potatoes with Sweet Corn, Green Beans and Pickled Onions accompanied by the California Mon Frère Cabernet Sauvignon. As usual, the best part of the lunch was the traditional Vanilla Ice Cream Sundae with choice of toppings. After several movies and a very brief nap, the flight landed in Charlotte some nine hours and 45 minutes after takeoff.
We breezed through Customs and Immigration procedures thanks to the ease of Global Entry. In fact, we spent considerably longer waiting for our luggage to arrive and re-check it for our onward connection to Raleigh. Although that flight was delayed, we managed to touch down at RDU about 8:00 PM that night. While waiting at the baggage carousel, I received a text message from American informing me that one of our two checked bags would not be on the flight. We waited until all the luggage had been off loaded to collect the other bag, but soon discovered that neither one of our bags made the flight. My wife’s luggage arrived at 9:30 the following morning and my bag was delivered at 1:00 PM the next afternoon. While this journey certainly had its share of luggage difficulties, it really was a wonderful trip providing us with many great memories shared with good friends.
Until next time…safe travels.
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