This was our second time staying at Hotel Modigliani in Rome, we stayed 16 years ago and I didn’t even look at anything else when planning this trip. Modigliani is in a great location, a quiet street just off Piazza Barberini and just a few minutes walk to the top of the Spanish Steps and the Borghese Gardens with incredible views of the eternal city.
City buses and the Metro are nearby, but the whole city is walkable. We walked back from the Vatican after our tour stopping for lunch, walking through Piazza Navona and a few other spots along the way.
The Modigliani is a small boutique hotel with just over 20 rooms. Each a little different. The hotel is owned by artists and you will see the artwork displayed throughout the hotel.
We had booked a small room in the hotel and a garden apartment, literally called the apartment, for my parents and the kids. The apartment was basically 2 rooms next to each other across a small courtyard. One room with a double sized bed and the other had a double and a single.
Courtyard with the Garden Apartment
They offer a lovely breakfast buffet each morning which can be included in your stay if you choose. The breakfast room is pictured below, set up for breakfast and how it looks for the rest of the day.
The staff was phenomenal. Always with a smile at all hours. They were able to arrange cabs for us to get to our tour meeting points each day and recommend restaurants in the area. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this lovely little hotel and will certainly stay here again if I find myself in Rome again.
This is the first of a series of posts about our recent family trip to Italy.
This trip was a long time in the planning. My parents were born and raised in Italy and have been wanting to take their grandkids there for years. We wanted to wait until they were old enough to appreciate what they would be seeing. We were all set to travel last summer and 2 weeks before the trip we had to cancel everything because my father was ill and needed surgery. He came through nicely and the trip was rescheduled to this summer.
We flew out Sunday August 5th from Montreal on a direct flight with Air Canada. Landing in Rome we were met by a driver for our transfer to our hotel.
We stayed in the same boutique hotel we stayed in 16 years ago and it was still as lovely as ever. Hotel Modigliani is just off Piazza Barberini next to Via Veneto and not far from Trinita Dei Monti, the top of the Spanish Steps. It’s a great, quiet location, walkable to everywhere really, but beware there is a bit of a hill since it’s halfway up the hill to the Spanish Steps climb up to the Borghese Gardens.
Hotel Modigliani is small, just 23 rooms. We had a small room with a small balcony and even smaller bathroom. My parents and the boys had a great setup off the garden in what the hotel calls The Apartment. A double bedded room and a separate room with a double bed and a twin bed for the boys. There is a breakfast room downstairs, which is included if you choose that option. The lobby lounge offers English newspapers and the staff all spoke English very well. The hotel arranged the airport pickup and would call taxis for us if needed. Since we were six, getting 2 taxis was easier when we all traveled together.
We spent three nights in Rome. I had scheduled us to take a tour of the Vatican Museums and St. Peter’s Basilica on Tuesday morning and then the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill on Wednesday morning. These tours were great. The guides were fabulous, Agnese at the Colosseum and Angela at the Vatican. Both were art historians so had a lot of details about everything we were seeing. With both tours, finding the meeting point was simple and everything was organized. The ground operator for the tours was City Wonders. It was brutally hot both days, but especially walking around the ruins of the Roman Forum and climbing Palatine Hill.
Set up for Wednesday morning’s Papal Audience
In between those scheduled tours, we wandered the city and saw the Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navona, Trajan’s Column, the Spanish Steps, Trinita Dei Monti, the Borghese Gardens, the Pantheon, enjoyed our new favorite restaurant/bar La Bottte on Via Sistina, first gelato and real Italian pizzas for the boys, and countless walks along the streets of Rome.
Around the corner from our hotel on Via Sistina which leads straight up to the top of the Spanish Steps was a little gem of a place my husband and I stumbled into looking for a drink and a break from walking in the heat. We returned for dinner with everyone and really enjoyed the atmosphere and friendly and amusing staff at this small establishment.
Fun Fact: In Italy it is the law that food must be served when alcoholic drinks are ordered. So tasty snacks always accompany any drinks in a bar.
Calamri fried to perfection
gnocchi
Tris of classic Roman pastas
Making a classic Roman dish, A l’amtriciana
View from the Palatine Hill down to the Colosseum and Arch of Constantine
In summer 2019, Disney Cruise Line will sail on new itineraries to seven new ports in Europe, including a first-ever round-trip cruise from Rome and first-time visits to destinations in Sweden, France, Spain, Denmark and Northern Ireland. Disney Cruise Line will take Guests on a grand tour of Europe with visits to the Mediterranean in early summer and northern Europe in late summer. Plus, adventures continue with sailings to Alaska, the Caribbean and the Bahamas, including new cruise lengths aboard the Disney Fantasy.
Also in the summer of 2019, Disney Cruise Line Guests can enrich their experience by combining a cruise with a package from Adventures by Disney®.
New in 2019, Adventures by Disney will offer a pre-cruise guided experience in Rome. These 3-night Short Escapes, also offered in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Barcelona, allow families to experience memorable icons in ways that few can, such as a private, after-hours visit to the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel in Rome. Plus, activities like ziplining, flamenco dancing and preparing local cuisine immerse families in the culture of the region.
And, you can also enhance select European sailings with an Adventures by Disney package during the cruise. Adventure Guides lead travelers to experience the best of each port, helping them unlock the wonders of the destination through immersive excursions and off-the-beaten-path adventures. In addition, you will enjoy exclusive receptions onboard and have access to concierge service from these dedicated guides throughout the voyage.
These Adventures by Disney offerings are open for booking. A Vancouver Short Escape will open for booking later this year.
Magical Travels with Barb 