Since we arrived in the evening on Rome we accepted the B&B operator ‘s offer to send a driver to meet us at the airport for 35 euros. I’m glad we did!

In Rome, the public transportation was so easy to use.  We bought (and I highly recommend) the Roma Pass.  With it we were able to hop aboard any bus, or Metro, and it included entrance fees to your choice of two sites – and a shorter line at the Colosseum!  You will use the Metro or a bus for short trips just to save your feet and not have to pay each time.  In Rome we used the buses running up and down the Via Nazionale between our B&B and Ancient Rome.  The signs at the bus stopswere easy to understand.  One could see the name of the stop and where the bus was going, if it was headed toward Termini or the opposite direction toward Largo Argentina.  We also used buses to get to and from Priscilla Catacombs where we ventured away from the tourist area and saw real Roman neighborhoods from the window of the bus.

The Campania Artecard for 27 euros was of great value also.  We purchased it at the Naples Train station and used it for the Metro ride in Naples, the entrance fee to the Naples Archeological Museum, the train to Sorrento, a bus ride in Sorrento, the bus to Positano, the train back to Pompeii, the Pompeii Scavai entrance fee, the train to Paestum, maybe even the entrance fees at Paestum, and the train back to Naples!

Venice is a great for walking.  In Venice I debated over buying a 3 day pass for riding the Vaporetto on the Grand Canal and since I wanted to walk through each and every sestierri we  decided against it bought one 13 euro ticket each instead.  We rode up the Grand Canal at night and got the best seats in the front of the boat.  A traghetto cost  .50 euro to cross over the Grand Canal.

Another question was whether buying the Trenitalia pass would save money or not.   I did a worksheet on Rick Steves’ web page and it looked like maybe it would pencil out for us and since I found it on sale, bought a first class 3 day pass.  The negative is that one has to make a reservation and pay a reservation fee.  I’m not sure if it saved me money or cost me money.  But DO follow the rules very meticulously filling out the forms because the conductor can charge you a fine if you do not and it looks like you’re trying to scam.  I had overlooked ONE space to fill in and the conductor pointed this out to me and the fact that he “could’ve fined me…”  I do know that traveling by train in Italy is very easy and comfortable, but there are so many different trains and corresponding prices.  We had to buy a round trip train ticket for the 25 minute ride from Venice to Padua (Padova) from the automated machine at the train station.  There were so many choices and prices, and on our return we hopped on the next train to Venice, but I’m pretty certain it wasn’t the train we paid for and I was a nervous wreck that a we would get busted.  Thankfully, it was late and all the conductors had gone home to bed!

Rick Steves’ said that having a guide can be beneficial and yet they receive the greatest amount of negative feedback and complaints regarding tour guides.  I spent a lot of time researching the different tour companies and private guides for Rome, Florence, and Venice.  I am a strong believer that a good tour guide can make a city come alive and one learns so much more.  The negative was the cost and the scheduling – having to be in a certain place at a certain time.  I kind of like to keep flexible.  In the end, we really didn’t have any extra money and used Rick Steves’ guidebooks and downloaded his audio tours.  From home, I did reserve and pay for the Scavi tour at the Vatican, and a timed entry to the Vatican Museums (again, no line!), a timed reservation for the Accademia in Florence, a reservation for Florence’s Uffizi, a timed entrance to the Brancacci Chapel in Florence, the Secret Itinerary Tour at the Doges’ Palace in Venice, and a timed entry to the Scrovegni Chapel in Padova.

For Ephesus, I searched for a guide on the internet and made a reservation for an all day private guide and driver to meet us and another couple which I met on Cruise Critic at the Port.  The small group was better for seeing the sights and getting around faster and cheaper than the large motorcoach tours that the cruise line sells.

The trip was all planned, the money saved, the wardrobe chosen and already practiced-packed, a house/cat sitter arranged – and I could hardly believe that my hope…my dream… was now – a reality!

Was it going to live up to all I hoped?