Have been several times to Rome and Italy. Stay with small customized tours. We booked food and history outings ( coliseum etc ) through Viator in many European cities and from doing research. Get a private guide for any of the big places And spaces. Don’t go to the Vatican in a large group or anywhere else. Go two on one, three on one, etc. get my drift?
When are you going? Now? Does your hotel ( presumably ) have a pool? Pool season in Italy is in Full swing and there is nothing like having drinks poolside in the afternoon after touring in the morning. Did I say touring in the Morning? Yes I did. Pay attention.
Lunches and dinners, find any alley that leads into a square in the middle of a block, if you hear music and see lights, just walk in. Enjoy the invitation and savor the evening vibe. At night there will be lots of activity and almost all of these quadrants are ringed inside with restaurants and bars. Sit, relax, people watch, order what the locals are eating. Do not go to dinner at 5 pm, or 6 pm, or even 7 Or 8. Hold off. Nap, read, watch soccer on TV to kill time While relaxing.
If at lunch, under an umbrella on the sidewalk, the waiter tells you they have fresh strawberries today, linger, wink at Mrs.Potter and order another glass of wine.
If the Gelato stand is selling colorful gelato go somewhere else. It’s not gelato. Ask your concierge, as a matter of fact, use that Mr. Potter charm to befriend the concierge, it can make a world of difference.
If, when you are dining late and a rain storm covers Rome, accept the complimentary Limoncello’s until it clears. Buy another bottle of wine and invite your server or Maitre D to join you for a glass. Mrs Potter deserves the charming debonair Mr. Potter she fell in love with years ago, not the bashed in face plant Mr. Potter she nursed at Isla Mujeres.
We discovered long ago what our pace is. Tours in the AM, relaxation in the PM, go out when the locals go out in the evening.
If you take small food tours, ( Viator ) you will be introduced to numerous restaurants and shops that will dazzle you. That $ 100.00 bottle of White Balsamic vinegar thick as syrup that you sampled is worth the $ 100.00 on strawberries, ice cream, or your partner.
You are going to Rome, not just to see things or sample some food, but to also enjoy that king size bed with the windows open, the breeze blowing, the sounds of the city down below. You are going to Rome to live life at its fullest and at a pace that boasts of sanity. This is your trip to fall in love all over again and discover things about the world you wished were universal, anchovies for instance or true “ Al Dente “ pasta.
I have never been to Monaco, my wife has and she enjoyed it but that’s all I can share On that.
Always remember this as well when going somewhere like the two great destinations you have chosen. You can’t do it all and if you try you will be miserable. Rome is like an acid trip without the acid but all of the magic.
