Italy Bellissimo Travelogue

Italy has been on my bucket list of European countries to visit. The region of Tuscany has beguiled me for so long. So when my oldest son decided to take a semester in London, I found a perfect excuse to meet him- not in London but in Rome. My husband had no interest in coming to this trip as our youngest son's school schedule conflicted with the travel dates and we weren't too keen on leaving a teen at home all by himself. My devout Catholic mother who turned down my invitation to go to Rome in the past was finally convinced that her chances of ever visiting this city is slimmed down by advancing age. So the time was this year when she turned 77. This was going to be a mother- daughter trip to visit the son and grandson. My husband who was looking after our interest and safety recommended we sign up for a tour instead of doing it on our own which I normally prefer. Due to his diligence, we signed up for the Italy Bellissimo Tour with the agency Trafalgar. I even managed to convince my friend and godmother of our youngest son to come along. The tour was for 11 days hitting 10 cities beginning and ending in Rome. I was a bit hesitant about my mother's endurance during this tour but kept optimistic with the idea that my son will be with us to assist her as well. We also booked our flights through Trafalgar which worked out well flying direct from Chicago O'Hare International to Rome Fiumicino Airport. I'll break down my stories from each day and city we visited.

Departure Day- Leaving Chicago O'Hare to Rome Fiumicino Airport. Husband drove us to the airport. We arranged for wheelchair assistance for my mom. We flew the 4:40 PM American Airlines flight. The coach cabin wasn't bad for an 8 hour flight. I only watched 1 movie after being determined to sleep majority of the flight. I enjoyed watching Mary Poppins Returns. Food was decent on board.

My mom reading Rick Steve's Italian Phrase Book.

My mom and my friend are travel companions.

Waiting for our flight to Rome.

Day 1- Arrival in Rome Fiumicino. Wheelchair assistance for my mom really helps her manage the walking distance in big airports. The wheelchair assistance personnel in Rome were very polite and refused to accept any gratuities. My son arrived at a later flight from London Heathrow. We could have checked in our hotel in Rome earlier but we opted to wait for him. A Trafalgar agent and shuttle bus picked us up from Rome Fiumicino which took about 44 minutes to Grand Hotel Tiberio, our home in Rome in for 2 days. The ease of airport pick-up and luggage handling is a big advantage of joining a tour.

The shuttle ride from Rome Fiumicino to our hotel. As much as I wanted to soak in the scenery during the ride, I had to catch some shut-eyes as the time difference is 7 hours.

And as much as I'd like to continue blogging, I have to catch some sleep now too. More stories tomorrow and the days ahead.

Tags: #Travelogue, #Travel, #Wanderlust, #Italy, #Rome, #ItalyBellissimo, #TrafalgarTours #SimplyTrafalgar