🌎 Travel Discussion

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I am around that area all the time and it doesn’t ring a bell.

Side note: I’ve got a buddy that’s an inshore charter in Topsail. He’s amazing to fish with, and always has it dialed in. Hit up Captain Ethan if it suits ya.

Stellar Angler Guide services

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Sorta not travel related but that big geomagnetic solar storm is currently hitting earth and down under they are already getting a beautiful light show.

Think it will be visible in Virginia as well tonight, but its so damn cloudy.

https://twitter.com/AndrewDickson13/status/1789000088762871978

https://twitter.com/boyfrombruce/status/1789010875053142504

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Heading to Amelia Island for the first time- anyone have info on dining, etc? Staying at the Ritz. My company is making me go :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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It’s been a long time since I was last there but at that time the Ritz was an outlier with most of the hotels being more modest and the restaurants falling in line with that. That said I remember having some great seafood but couldn’t tell you the names of places (and they may not even be there still given the amount of time that’s passed). It is a very nice setting and I am sure that you will enjoy your trip even though you are being made to go by your firm (and slum at the Ritz :rofl:)

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Its a tough job but someone has to do it. My boss signed up late and is staying at the Residence Inn :smiley:

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Hooters, of course

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Amelia Island is a beautiful spot! For dining, you can’t go wrong with the seafood—Salt at The Ritz is a must-try. Reminds me of my recent Paris trip; had an incredible time and snapped a photo at The Stravinsky Fountain. Huge thanks to my guide from Paris Private Tour Guides | GoWithGuide for making it unforgettable!

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Yeah It’s worth going there. I recently have my favorite milkshake there.

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Anyone have any Rome recommendations? Going to be there next week.

Also @jazznutUVA what’s the secret to watching March Madness abroad?

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ExpressVPN and the CBS March Madness app. It used to be the ESPN Europe service, but they shut that down.

If you do get ExpressVPN (or any other VPN service)… you need to use the more obscure connections.

You could also get a IPTV service like Kemu.

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TV go app should work as well. It’s pretty reliable.

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I have lots of recommendations, but first:

Have you been there before?
How long are you going to be there?
Who are you with (family, wife, significant other)?
What interests you?

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Awesome!

It’s a Saturday evening arrival to Friday morning departure trip with my wife and son (5 y.o.). My wife has been before but my son and I have not.

We’ve got a few days pre-planned in advance - Coliseum/Forum Tour, Vatican tour (#longlivethepope), and day trip to Pompeii.

So pretty much two “down” days where we are trying to find some things that are less “plan ahead” and can be nimble pending the 5 year old.I was thinking of exercising one of those to do something outside of the city (Wednesday) and spending our first full day (Sunday) more leisurely in city with some activity or museum that might interest me and the 5 y.o. (Museo e Cripto) - my son and I are not huge museum fans so saving up some of that goodwill for the Vatican (Thursday). Think we’re going to skip the Borghese.

To add:

Basically looking for low key activities, pasta/pizza recommendations, and maybe an outdoor/out-of-the-city day trip that can be somewhat game time decision (realistically expecting a crash out by Wednesday where I let my wife do her intellectual stuff solo while I watch Despicable Me in the hotel on repeat)

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Perfect. Give me a little bit to put together some stuff for you.

5-year old in tow is key information!

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Oh, also meant to ask, where are you staying?

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Le Meridien Visconti - it’s over in the Vatican side of the Tiber

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My recs are all 10 years old, and likely stale, but Rick Steves had a great tip about leaving the Sistine Chapel through the tour group exit to go right to St Peter’s. Worked for me a decade ago. No idea if it’s still a thing.

Other than that, Captain has you covered. Roscioli was awesome but everyone knows that now, and now they even have a place in NYC, too.

Elizabeth Minchilli used to, and maybe still does, have great local info catering to Americans, but she’s more focused on her travel company where you can pay thousands for her to take you to grocery stores and learn about the history of the pig, or whatever.

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Also, if you and your family are into Murder Tourism, you can now see where Julius Ceaser was offed by a bunch of Senators and henchmen.

Curio de Pompey. It’s open to the public and close to Campo de Fiori and more towny parts of town, not Forum-y parts of town.

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Ok, so here we go.

I’ve never traveled to Rome with a five-year old, but I have traveled in Europe with a three-year old and a 3-month old, so having some time to decompress/nap/and to just run around and be a kid is key.

Near where you are staying are two nice parks/piazze, one of which has a playground—the Parco della Mole Adriana, which is at the Castel Sant’Angelo. The other, which is closer, Piazza Cavour, is just a nice place to run around and chase pigeons.

Piazza Navona is not far from you, is also a great place for kids to run around, and not far from the Pantheon. The Pantheon piazza is smaller and much more crowded.

Couple of things on your already planned itinerary:

Colosseum: Be sure to do the underground tour. That lets you see all of the elevators and devices used to make lions, gladiators, etc. magically appear.

Vatican: DO NOT do this without a guide. DO get the skip the line pass. Also, there is a room with tapestries by Rafael that is amazing and remarkably uncrowded. Ask your guide to take you there if possible.

Pompeii: Assume you are taking the train to Naples and then the Circumvesuviana to Pompeii. This is a great way to get there with kids, as opposed to driving. The downside is, it will be hard to get there early ahead of the crowds, and limits your time there. Of course, your 5-year old already puts a time limit on that excursion anyway…

I’ve included a couple of links below to “Rome with kids" sites that include a lot of things that you can do with kids, including bookstores and children’s museums that might save you from having to watch Despicable Me one more time. However, I can recommend Villa Borghese Park as you can rent kid-friendly bikes, ride a train, or just run around and unwind. It’s also a place that actual Romans go to relax. Not too far from where you are staying.

Couple of things that may be good with your son or may not.

  • ¡ Domus aurea: This is very near the Colosseum and only opened a few years ago. It is the ruins of part of Nero’s Palace. It is an underground tour, that involves some light shows and an immersive virtual experience at the end with a headset like Apple Vision Pro. I did see kids on the tour when we took it, but don’t recall how young they were. But this is a very cool experience to realize how much of Colosseum/Palatine Hill area used to be one giant palace for Nero.
  • ¡ Basilica di San Clemente: This is a very little-known church, again, very close to the Colosseum. The church looks very unassuming from the outside, but is an 11th or 12th century church, renovated in the 17th or 18th century. But it sits on top of a 4th century church, which in turn sits on top of a 1st century Mythrian Temple and various other buildings. These may be apartment buildings, with roads in between, we don’t really know for sure. But you can walk down a set of steps to access the two levels below. It’s very cool, inexpensive, and doesn’t take a great deal of time.
  • ¡ Church of Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini: This one may be too much for your son—or may be way cool for your son. Up to you to decide. The Capuchin Monks made a bunch of art from the bones of their deceased brethren through the centuries. You can tour the museum and crypt, which is pretty incredible, but also more than a little creepy.
  • ¡ Biking or hiking the Parco degli Acquedotti: This is sort of a daytrip from your hotel, but still technically in town. There are a couple of smaller playgrounds along the route, but also one large one with a pond full of turtles. We rented bikes there, but unfortunately, I can’t recommend the bike shop we used, despite it being right across the street from the park. They don’t speak English, and I don’t recall them having any kids’ bikes. But the link below has several bike options. You can also probably google bike tours Rome and find an outfit that might rent you bikes and drive you there. It is very cool to stroll or ride along the ancient aqueducts, take a picnic, and relax at the playground with your son.
  • ¡ Oh, and Haney is right about where Ceasar was killed. It is walkable from your hotel—though with your son on your shoulders. It is part of the Largo di Torre Argentina. It opened shortly after we were last in Rome in 22.

Other daytrips:

Hadrian’s Villa and Tivoli Gardens: This one may be a little too much for your son, only because it is so vast and a fairly long drive. But it is very well worth a visit. Maybe on your next trip with just your wife. However, they do have an Alice Pizzeria in Tivoli that is far less crowded than the ones in the tourist sections of Rome (See food section below).

Ostia Antica and the beach at Ostia: This one is a very short daytrip from Rome—not far from the airport. The ruins are large, but you don’t have to spend a great deal of time there with your son, while still getting a pretty good feel for the port city. Just make sure to see where the various vendors would put up their shops along the port. The tile mosaics on the ground would advertise their wares and services. Your son can have fun identifying the fish, elephants, ships, and other pictures in the tiles. Afterwards, you can go into the town of Ostia and stroll around the beach, get a gelato, etc.

Food

Osteria da Fortunata: This is a chain, but their schtick is people making the fresh pasta in the window of the restaurant for passersby to see. The food is excellent, typically Roman, and reasonably priced. Their wine selection is surprisingly ample and is also affordable. There is one walkable from you, just around the corner from the SE corner of Piazza Navona.

Alice Pizza al Taglio: This is sorta the Dominos of Italy, but they serve excellent pizza by the slice in the Roman style. There is one directly across the street from the Largo di Torre Argentina, but they are literally everywhere in Rome. Cheap, quick, easy, kid-friendly with lots of choices of toppings. But best to stop in at odd times—10am, 2-3pm, as they can be very crowded for lunch in the tourist areas. Generally, best to grab a couple of slices and eat outside.

Some of the pasticcerie in Rome will also serve pizza al portofoglio (literally, “wallet pizza”) around 10am. These are thin slices of pizza, folded and wrapped in a paper sleeve. Typically, they will be topped with things like potato, olive oil, and rosemary. Many Italians eat a light breakfast and are feeling a little 11-o’clockish by 10am, so the bakeries cater to this need. We found a couple of these in the Jewish Ghetto. You might also want to do a food tour of the Jewish Ghetto and Trastevere. Will get you a very good sampling of typical Roman food.

La Taverna dei Quaranta: This one is a very small, unassuming place not far from the Colosseum, but off the beaten tourist path. We stumbled on it back in 2011, and went back again in 2022. Excellent food, good prices, great place for lunch away from the crowds when hitting the Colosseum/Forum/Palatine Hill area.

Pier Luigi: I added this one as it is a very nice date-night restaurant off the beaten path. It is not too far from your hotel. If you have the opportunity for a date night, I highly recommend it.

Have fun! I’d say I’m jealous, but I’d be lying, because we’re heading back to Italy in September for a 5-week birthday celebration for my wife. We’ll be up in the north, however, in Piedmont, Friuli, Veneto, plus a day trip to Ravenna

https://www.basilicasanclemente.com/eng/

https://www.alicepizza.it/en/

https://www.pierluigi.it

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This is fantastic! Thanks so much!

Jealous of your five-week trip. Guessing you’ll be doing a lot more drinking and imbibing than I will next week.

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