Our adventure began with a delay. We were all set to fly out of Springfield, Missouri which is about an hour drive from our home in Hermitage. It was suppose to be only an hour and half flight to Chicago where we would fly directly to Rome 3 hours later. After sitting on the plane still in the runway for about a half hour, we were told to unload back to the terminal as there were some weather issues in Chicago. No problem until it turned into over two hours because tornadoes were popping up all over the Chicago area and if we waited any longer, we likely would miss our flight to Rome. So we booked a flight for the next day to fly to Dallas, Texas and then take a flight directly to Rome. We drove back to Hermitage overnight and made some calls. We already paid for our room that first night in Rome but would not use it. We also lost reservations for two tours on that first day but were able to re-schedule at a later time. Instead of being bummed out, we counted this as a blessing as we heard that the plane that went before us to Chicago ended up circling for five hours and was in danger of running out of fuel because it could not land with the tornadoes in the area. So it was good that we didn't try to go to Chicago and slept safely in our own beds. All part of the adventure.
Got up before daybreak to drive back to Springfield. That flight had mechanical problems and was grounded. Another smaller plane replacement was found in about a half hour and we were on our way! Fortunately, we already had our tickets and assigned seats 24 hours ago so we weren't bumped but nine others got $500 to volunteer to rebook their flight. I see this as another blessing because they did find the mechanical problem in time BEFORE we took off. I am happy I put on my St. Michael medallion necklace before I left home this time!
It was about midnight in Hermitage and 7AM in the air as we made our descent to Rome by 7:30AM. Already had breakfast and freshened up on the plane to meet the new day in a new country! Total miles flown was 5,845.
Found a taxi right away and enjoyed the less than an hour drive to our accommodations at Arch Dome Suites, Via dell'Arco della, Ciambella 19, Pantheon, 00186, Rome, Italy.
Oleander (Nerium oleander) blooms with a heavy lemon-vanilla scent were wild all along the highway.
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Umbrella Pine Trees (Pinus pinea) are native in the area.
We checked in shortly after the office opened at 8:00AM. There was amazing pastry and caffe (coffee) as well as a huge variety of fresh fruits, vegetables, waffles, eggs cooked anyway, proteins, yogurt, fresh squeezed juice, and much more laid out for guests every morning until 10:00AM with a cook available. Just WOW!
Stone and marble floors are most common; never saw any carpet anywhere! This is the corridor through the one main door on the street and has many other units opening to it other than our hotel on the 4th floor.
The 4-person (or 2-person with luggage) elevator took us to our suite on the 4th floor. There was also an optional wide marble spiral stairway with good railings.
Another key was given to enter the multi-unit Arch Dome Suites Boutique Guest House which included an office opened from 8-6 in the daytime with personnel and a 2-room dining/kitchen common area. We had another key for our suite. It felt very secure here.
We had booked our accommodations in October of 2023 through Booking.com and charged in April 2024. The amount was $2,029.10 (EUR 1932.00) for 6 nights. Included in the price:
Breakfast, superior double room with balcony and terrace, private bathroom, landmark view, city view, free toiletries, shower, AC/heating, safe, bidet, toilet with TP, socket near bed, desk, flat screen TV, WiFi, no parking, refrigerator, ironing facilities with iron, clothes rack, hairdryer, queen-size bed. Towels new everyday, as needed, with bed linens changed every 3 days. No parties.
We were surprised on our anniversary with a bottle of wine and a nice Happy 50th Anniversary greeting in our room by Marika, the Manager on site. Both her and Omar the Administrator made themselves readily available and even gave us their personal phone numbers should we need anything. There was also a cook for breakfast and a housekeeper we saw regularly. Excellent hospitality!
View from our 4-story balcony included the dome of the Pantheon!
Much activity could be seen below our balcony into the narrow street.
Some parts of ancient buildings can be seen throughout the city used in the construction of newer buildings. There was a U-shaped ancient structure just across from our balcony!
This is our terrace and balcony with what looks like at least 4 other units adjacent. We all have partitions of jasmine covered trellises. The scent is beautifully intense night and day! Also the sounds below were not disturbing but actually quite pleasant and entertaining! Closing the balcony door eliminated any sounds but we liked it open most of the time for the lovely breezes, music, and scents. There were many open-door restaurants below us with amazing scents that were appetite enhancing!
Jasmine!
Sunrises and sunsets were enjoyed from the balcony everyday.
Always seemed to be romance in the air with roses everywhere especially around the dinner hour which is after dark and always requires a reservation as dinner is a 2-4 hours event!
Rome is a city with a population of almost 3 million which is comparable in size between Los Angeles, California and Chicago, Illinois in the USA. It can be very close-quartered especially on buses and on the Piazzas (Plazas) where pick-pockets can most definitely be found. There is also a very good presence of police. The Carabinieri is a military branch of the police that reports to the Ministry of Defense. The Polizia is a national police and then the Polizia Municipale is the city police. One or more can usually be seen at all times. It was like you could just holler and they would be there, if needed. There was also a large presence of emergency vehicles in crowded areas. It felt safer than most cities I've visited but having a specific travel purse and never getting very far from Keith at all times made me feel less vulnerable. It was nice that we held hands a lot! I would not want to travel here alone.
We did walk most places we were scheduled to tour or sites to see because the hotel we chose was very centrally located. When we did go over a mile or it was late at night, we used an app on our iPhone for a taxi. It worked just like an Uber as we just entered where we wanted to go as it located us wherever we were. We were given a fair price and estimated time of arrival of the taxi who was in the area and wanted the fair fare. We could track their route. No English or Italian was even needed but we conversed at times but it was unnecessary. Payment was done with Apple Pay or euros by choice. I think we may have used a taxi 3-4 times while in Rome. We tried a bus once but it was not as easy. It made an unexpected stop to transfer to another bus that didn't leave right away so we called a taxi so as to not be late for a tour.
I did find that the Italian people were exceptionally respectful and kind with a passion in everything they did and said. They were very approachable and friendly. They dressed very well intentionally in public. I especially loved that I was frequently and respectfully referred to as "Mama" and "Mother" which made me smile. 😍
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