Our Easter Trip to Rome

Click here to see photos of our Rome trip.

 

As part of Clarica’s Presidents Conference, the three of us accompanied Sarah’s mom to Rome, Italy.  Travelling with Aidan was a challenge.  Our luggage was heavier going to Rome compared to when we left for Mexico because we needed to pack all of his formula cans.

 

Rome’s city center was crowded for the Easter holiday with thousands of visitors. Apparently the population of Rome has now doubled with the death of the Pope (3 million visitors!). 

 

Our Hotel

We stayed at Hilton’s Rome Cavalieri in their Alcove Suite.  The suite is 861 sq. ft of luxury living space that includes a 42" plasma TV, a bathroom of marble floor and walls and equipped with a mist free flat panel TV, and a King-size "floating featherbed" with Irish linen.

 

Is this hotel worth the money?  No.  Clarica covered the cost of the suite but we had to pay our own way for food.  The Hilton’s breakfast brunch is ordinary but costs $38 Euro ($61 CDN) per person.  The hotel is not in Rome’s city centre.  You need a taxi to get there.  We paid $10 Euro to get to the Vatican and $15 Euro to get to the city center.  And I wish I brought my travel iron.  The hotel does not equip their rooms with an iron – you have to use their laundry service at $10 Euro to get a shirt pressed.  The hotel has an outdoor and indoor pools (I think it is the only hotel in Rome that offers this).  But both of the pools were being renovated during our stay. 

 

Stroller or Baby Carrier / Backpack?

While planning for our trip, we read that a baby carrier or backpack was recommended by parents who visited Rome with a baby.  They said that the cobble stones of Rome’s streets were too much for a stroller.  So we purchased a Evenflo Trailblazer baby backpack. 

 

 

 

 

Evenflo Trailblazer Baby Backpack We liked the Trailblazer backpack. It was very conformable on my back for the 2 to 3 hours we used it per day. Its hard-plastic frame made it lighter than Evenflo’s newer backpack models, such as their Cross Terrain Carrier. One small issue of the Trailblazer is that the pouch is located at the rear of the backpack, where as the newer Evenflo’s models have pouches underneath the child’s seat. The newer location of the pouches better distributes the weight more on the hips of the adult. It is unfortunate that Evenflo discontinued the manufacturing of the Trailblazer model. Sarah and I are not hikers.  We feel the Trailblazer is perfect for a stroll in crowded city areas, such as Ottawa’s Byward Market. OPINION – REVIEW

 

Did we need the baby backpack?  Yes and No.  You can use a stroller in Rome’s city centre.  We saw families bring umbrella strollers without problems.  The cobble stones did make the ride a little bumpy, but Aidan did not have a problem sleeping in his stroller.  One note:  Our Graco stroller appeared to be a big SUV compared to the smaller umbrella strollers being used.  When we walked on Rome’s narrow side walks, people notice the bigger Graco stroller and quickly move away.

 

If you plan to visit the Vatican museum with a baby, use a baby carrier or backpack.  The museum’s ramps and elevators are located in sparse areas.  We brought our stroller to the museum.  At times we had to pack the stroller and take it up or down the stairs. 

 

Can You Bring a Baby to Rome?
We quickly learned that we were to visit Rome on Aidan’s schedule and attitude.  At times the large crowds were too much for him and we had to either find a quiet area or go back to our hotel so that he can take a proper nap.  We saw only a few historical sites because of this.  And since Aidan wants to sleep for the night around 7:00pm, going out for dinner in the city center was not an option.  We ate at the hotel for most of our stay (and paid the huge costs with it).

 

Depending on your child you can bring a baby to Rome.  It would help if your hotel was in city center.  For us, we won’t be back to Rome until our children reach their early teenage years.

 

Visiting Rome
Words can not express the great history that Rome offers.  Here is a tip:  If you can afford it, purchase a group tour ticket to the ancient ruins of Rome.  Our group tour started at the Colossus and we bypassed the long single customer lines. Great time saver!  Unfortunately the same can not be said about the Vatican museum.  Groups and individuals line up together.  Waste of money.

 

The people of Rome loves babies, especially baby boys.  Aidan had more admirers than we can count.  When we stopped at a cafe to get a bottle warmed up, the servers actually asked up front if we needed hot water. 

 

As for the gypsies and pick pockets, we walked through Rome with a money belt and did not loose any money.  We did meet a couple that lost $200 Euro at the train station.  Apparently it was a mother and daughter team that took the money from their pockets.

 

Avoid the Philadelphia Airport – And Any U.S. Airports If You Can
AVOID the the Philadelphia airport if you can when planning your trip to Rome.  This airport is one of the busiest in the U.S.  You could stay in the air circling the airport for up to an hour.  We found that out when we flew in from Ottawa and coming back from Rome.  And coming back from Rome was no picnic.  Because there is no U.S. Customs pre-clearance in the Rome airport, we were directed to get scanned again.  Our problem was the stroller.  The U.S. TSA guards at the Philly airport wanted to feed our stroller into their scanning machine.  In Ottawa and in Rome, a manual search was conducted.  But in Philly, we asked for a manual search and was refused.

 

Once back to Ottawa I spoke to some who travelled to Europe and flew back to Canada from an European city.  They told us that the security checkpoints are easier for travellers and are very accommodating to young families.

 

Airplane Bulkhead Seats   If you are taking a baby or toddler on a trip, make sure you reserve a bulkhead seat.  We did and were very happy.  Bulkhead seats offer more leg room.   But not all bulkhead seats are created equal.  For the US Airways flight to and from Rome, the Economy class area has two bulkhead rows.  The first row is just before Business class.  The second row is in the middle of Economy class.  We found that this second row had more leg room than the first row.  We had the first row going to Rome and the second row coming back home.   OPINION – REVIEW

 

Parting Words
Rome can not be seen in 2 or 3 days.  You need 7 days to see all of the significant sites of Rome.  Be prepared for large crowds and budget for the high cost of the Euro.  Rome is worth a visit.

 

Recommneded Links
» Rome 7 Day Guide
» Pick Pocketing in Rome
» Family Trip Report
» Tips for Travelling with a Baby