Steal my Roman Holiday Itinerary!
Roman Holiday - 11 Days
I've spent countless hours planning trips for with my two children and I'd love you to be able to experience these itineraries -please steal!
Growing up Catholic, Rome and the Vatican were certainly mythical places. In fact, my first trip overseas ever was to Italy - and it forever changed my world view! As an icebreaker at dinners, I'll often ask "If you could only vacation to one country for the rest of your, what would it be?" And overwhelmingly, the majority of answers are "Italy" - so I've changed my question to, "Why is Italy the only place you'd want to vacation for the rest of your life?" I picked this particular itinerary because it had a mix of historical city sights (Rome) and relaxing on a beach (Amalfi Coast).
Days 1 & 2 – Begin the Journey
- Depart US on a flight of your choosing to Rome
- In Rome, we stayed in an AirBnB (which is no longer on the market) near Piazza Navona which is one of my favorite areas because it's walkable to all major sights and has fun restaurants/fountains nearby.
- If your plane lands in the morning, like ours did, you'll want to walk around outside and get some sunlight to help get over jetlag.
- After enjoying the Bernini fountain in Piazza Navona, enjoy a walk to see the Pantheon (ticket needed) and Trevi fountain (pictured). Grab a table at an outdoor cafe and get a pizza, some wine and a gelato.
Day 3 – Catacombs & the Colosseum
- Start with a truly unique (and usually uncrowded) sight: Basilica of St. Clements which has three levels of history: at the very bottom and begun in the first century BC (as an all-male cult), then layering on top a 4th century church and finally a 12th century church now stands at street level.
- Continue your underground exploration by going to the Domitilla Catacombs - the oldest of Rome's underground burial networks, and the only ones to still contain bones of 150,000 buried bodies.
- Finish the day with a night tour of the Colosseum, built in AD 80 and could hold as many as 80,000 spectators
Day 4 – Vatican City, Sistine Chapel & St. Peter's Basilica
- Home to the world's smallest independent nation-state, start your day with an early entrance ticket to the Vatican's Museum when it's less crowded.
- The Vatican Museum is impressive, but the the pièce de résistance is Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel (pictured).
- The tour ends as you enter St. Peter's Basilica, the largest church in the world (based on sq footage) and the most famous architectural specimen from the Renaissance.
- If not crowded, you can go all the way up to the cupola on top of the basilica and have a coffee while overlooking St. Peter's Square (we went in November and walked right up).
Day 5 – Begin a Week on the Amalfi Coast
- After four days in Rome, you'll be ready for a beach break - we hopped a train to Naples and then got a van/driver for the remainder of the drive to Positano.
- We rented a six bedroom villa overlooking Positano (see picture of the family on one of the many verandas) - and while expensive, we had 10 people for a week-what a blast!
- We rented Villa Ernestina "Grande" from "Summer in Italy" and I highly recommend it! It's essentially three units that are all connected on one property with a beautiful pool and view of Positano - about a 10 min walk away.
- The owner lives nearby and sells his own Limoncello!
Day 6 – Enjoy Positano
- Here's a secret - Positano is my absolute favorite seaside town on the Mediterranean! I've been to the Cinque Terre, Hvar, the Costa Brava, etc. and I'd take Positano any day.
- Yes, the town can get crowded during the day with tourists, but that's why you have a fabulous villa or beach day (there's a near private beach directly below this villa, aptly named for the hike down: "300 steps beach").
- A stroll down to the town for dinner is an absolute must - you pretty much can't go wrong with any restaurant and every one has a view of the sea.
Day 7 – Pompeii & Herculaneum
- Both Pompeii and Herculaneum can be seen on the same day - it's easiest to get a private tour to take your group from you accommodation for a day trip.
- Only "discovered" again in the 17th century and excavated, the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD was the catalyst for the buried cities.
- I will say that this can be a long, hot day depending on the time of year you go, but it a fascinating day.
- Be forewarned, however, there are tough details and remnants to be seen including bodies buried alive during the eruption which have been preserved by the ash.
Day 8 – Capri & the Blue Grotto
- Take a ferry from the dock by the beach in Positano to Capri - you can spend the day there shopping, eating and taking a gondola to the top of Anacapri.
- Once you arrive from your ferry journey, stop in the port and choose one of the many Blue Grotto tours. The seas were rough the day we went out, so we never go into the actual Grotto, but event the boat ride around the island was a delight.
Day 9 – Boat Day
- After many trips to the Mediterranean, I stand by my pick as to what everyone's favorite activity is: "Boat Day"
- With a bit of Googling, you'll find the right size boat for your group and it frankly doesn't matter where you go - the captain will find little covers to swim in, caves to drive into and a fantastic lunch along the way.
- Our boat picked us up on the dock in Positano and headed south past Atrani, Praiano and Amalfi.
- We pulled right up to La Tonnarella restaurant not far from the town of Amalfi and had a beach side lunch of fresh fish.
Days 10 & 11 – Ravello and/or the Path of the Gods
- Whenever you can find time, you must fit in Ravello (see picture) - you can take a taxi up the winding hills and have lunch in town. Afterwards stroll along the ledge by the sea for some of the most fantastic photo opportunities of your life.
- The Sentiero degli Dei (Path of the Gods) is a hiking trail that winds its way along the Amalfi Coast between Bomerano and Nocelle and likewise has spectacular viewpoints!
- The best way to do the path of the gods is to start from Bomerano and head to Nocelle, so East-West.
- Once you finish in Nocelle, you can take (many!) steps down to Positano.
Pyramids & Petra
Pyramids & Petra
Pyramids & Petra
If you’ve been dreaming of a trip to the either Petra or the Pyramids, this trip is for you! This 9-day adventure combines the history of both the Pyramids of Giza, Egypt and Petra in Jordan. The trip is full of wonder and discovery at both of these sights.
Roman Holiday
Pyramids & Petra
Pyramids & Petra
Italy is truly the country of dreams - I combined the history and awe inspiring sights of Rome and the Vatican with a beach holiday on the Amalfi Coast. This trip is great for kids as well - you can temper the museums and history with lots of fun activities and a beautiful beach to boot!
Turkish Delight
Pyramids & Petra
Turkish Delight
Turkey seems to still fly a bit under the radar with US tourists, but it's one of safest, most beautiful places we've been. We went to Istanbul for the history and mosques and then to Cappadocia for the underground cities and balloon rides and finished up in Fethiye at a beautiful beach resort.