Rome And Florence Trip Log Day 7: Last Day In Rome - Almost Visiting St. Peter’s Basilica
Starting the day with breakfast of course
This is the final full day of my unexpected trip to Italy, and it stayed true to the theme of unexpectancy. We planned to visit St. Peter’s Basilica and, with a guided tour, go inside to see one of my bucket-list pieces of art, Michelangelo's Pietà. But only one of those things happened.
For this trip, a majority of our tickets were purchased as a part of the Tiqets Rome Tourist Card, and I write about my experience with the card here: Is Tiqets Worth It? - My Experience With The Rome Tourist Card. We found it to be a great value and made the ticketing process simpler, since we planned this entire trip in six days. It was nice to know that a single tourist card covered multiple sites and museums. But apparently, we did not book it correctly for the guided tour of St. Peter’s Basilica.
When we arrived at St. Peter’s Square, we had some time before our tour time slot, so we took photos and videos and immersed ourselves in this holy place. It was a Thursday, and the Pope had his audience the day before, and the chairs were still out from that, and we thought that was pretty cool. We received unclear instructions about where to meet our tour guide, but once we finally met them and checked in, we were told we would not be in the same tour group because we had purchased our tickets separately.
When we purchased the Rome Tourist Card, my friend and I booked our tickets separately, as most people would, to keep our finances separate. But with Tiqets, one of us should have purchased two Rome Tourist Cards in a single transaction to be placed in the same group for the tour.
They were unable to allow us to be in the same tour group, so we ultimately decided not go on the tour. If we had known this would happen, we would have booked with a different company. I recommend booking through Viator. Yes, I am an affiliate with them, but I genuinely recommend them as they are the only third-party tourism company I personally book through.
If you are considering a visit and want to support me, please use my Viator affiliate link below to purchase tickets!
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Afterwards, we wandered around and stumbled upon Jollibee, and neither of us had ever been there, so we ate there for lunch.
It was fine, very salty, and I accidentally got a soda with caffeine in it, so I felt weird for the next couple of hours. But they were playing Newjeans, so I’m not too mad.
We didn’t do much after that, but wandered, reminisced about the trip, and enjoyed our last hours in Rome before we had to make our way back to the hotel to pack and then fly back to the US the next day. We were very tired and wanted to have a great last meal in Rome, and unfortunately, we once again committed a travel sin, and honestly, this one was worse than the day before.
The menu at this restaurant was entirely in English. One of the employees waved us down, and we decided to just pick this place to eat at because we needed to eat and get back to the hotel. The service and the food were the worst of the trip. I wish I could remember the name of the resturant but I never took photos of the menu.
This bolognese tasted like jarred sauce, and then we were asked to tip! We had not tipped the entire trip, as tipping is not customary in Italy. Our server literally asked us how much tip to add on to the bill, and we were so confused, and he was so pushy, so we gave him only a $5 tip. The food was also very expensive for Rome. Unfortunately, this was a very disappointing last meal in Italy.
When we arrived at our hotel, we asked the front desk for the easiest way to get to FCO airport, as we did not want to lug our luggage through the metro again. They arranged a taxi to take us to the airport. We were concerned about the cost since we were 30 minutes away, but they charged us a total of $58 USD, and we were shocked! That was a great price. We paid at the hotel, and they arranged for the driver to pick us up at 8:30 am the next morning.
Flying Back to NYC
Final breakfast in Rome
After one last breakfast, we were picked up promptly at 8:30am by our driver, and after an insane ride to the airport (the way they drive in Italy scares me), we arrived at FCO. This was my first time ever flying back to the US, and I was concerned about how security would be in a different country, but it was largely the same as in the US. After about an hour or two wait, we boarded the plane for the longest flight of my life. 10 hours back to NYC.
Airport Pizza at FCO
Delta in flight meal
Final thoughts - would i go back?
This trip to Rome was something I had wanted to do since I was a child. I always wanted to see the Colosseum, the Sistine Chapel, the Trevi Fountain, and Michelangelo’s David. I have always wanted to eat authentic pizza and pasta and eat gelato on the streets of Italy and ride the high-speed train from Rome to Florence. I also always wanted to fly on a wide-body aircraft and get my passport stamped. And I was able to do all of that.
I do not take this opportunity for granted, and I am blessed to have been able to go to Italy. Even though there were moments when I counted down the days until I was back home, I would still go back to see some of the historic sites again.
And also to go inside St. Peter’s Basilica and visit the Tower of Pisa.
TRIP LOG INDEX
Day 1: Traveling Abroad For The First Time
Day 2: Exploring Rome via Big Bus Tour and Visiting The Colosseum
Day 3: Florence Day Trip Part One - Visiting the Uffizi Gallery
Day 4: Visiting The Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel
Day 5: Exploring Rome via Gray Bus Tour - Visiting the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps
Day 6: Florence Day Trip Part Two - Visiting the Accademia Gallery
Day 7: Last Day In Rome - Almost Visiting St. Peter’s Basilica
Hi! I’m Andrea, the creator of Cinematic Excursions.
I am a video editor, photographer, travel and events vlogger, and blogger who likes to write movie analyses and yap about fandom. I also have a useless film degree.
I have been creating videos since 2018. In 2023, I started Cinematic Excursions to share my unfiltered experiences traveling, cruising, going on excursions, and using city cards that are supposed to save money.
I also use my platform to document my experience attending events like New York Comic-Con, MCM Comic-Con London, and the Food Network New York City Wine and Food Festival, advising others and covering news from these events.