Suggestions for trip to Rome.. what’s Italian for “tree nut allergy”?

[gatorsmom]

Our ds1 said he’s already getting offers for internship interviews for the summer so we think 2023 will be his last summer at home. We have wanted to take him and our other kids on a trip to Rome. We speak no Italian and have severe tree nut allergies which is why we have put this off so long. Now our youngest are in high school, we think they will be able to help us keep them safe.

If you have any suggestions on what to see, how to get around (good train system? Reliable taxi cab system?) where to eat, hotel or VRBO recommendations, or even a fantastic, knowledgeable travel agent, I’d love to hear them. We plan to go June 2023. TIA!

[SnuggleBuggles]

Google translate is your friend. I had to type out a message while at the Naples airport and show my screen to a non-English speaking employee. Worked fine. Duolingo is great too! You have plenty of time to get some learning in.
My Airbnb will be too small for your family (2 bedroom, 3 beds). I did like the location near the Spanish Steps though.
We walked everywhere except from the airport where we just waited in the taxi line from the train station and when we were leaving (we walked to the closest taxi stand- easy). We almost booked a car service but I wasn't organized enough with my planning and taxis seemed fine. Just make sure it has a meter and they turn it on (though it might be a flatrate for airport and train runs- the Rome Trip Advisor forum is helpful).
I don't use travel agents- easy enough to find most info these days and we aren't interested in group planned activities. Then again, I could have done Rome better but that was mostly because my enthusiasm for it wasn't super high. Do know that Colosseum tickets are a pain to book and their release dates and times change a lot. I only wanted to book direct with the official vendor as opposed to some 3rd party agency as they don't always work out. Do a guided tour at the Forum though! That's my regret!

[gymnbomb]

When my friend traveled with her husband who has severe nut allergies they made sure to have a written copy of the allergy information to show in restaurants. They had a friend who spoke the language write it for them to be sure it was phrased in a way that would be very clear.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[nfceagles]

I would order a professionally translated chef card, especially with tree nuts. They can be difficult to translate because Google translate will likely give you a literal translation of ‘tree’ and ‘nuts’ whereas many countries don’t use that terminology. You may need to list them out individually. Here is one company that I’ve heard good things about. They send you a plastic business card. You could use what you get from them to design your own paper business cards from a place like Vista print. I prefer that because you don’t have to worry about getting the one card back if you have 100 of them.

https://www.selectwisely.com/catalog/Food_allergies-1


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[gatorsmom]

Google translate is your friend. I had to type out a message while at the Naples airport and show my screen to a non-English speaking employee. Worked fine. Duolingo is great too! You have plenty of time to get some learning in.
My Airbnb will be too small for your family (2 bedroom, 3 beds). I did like the location near the Spanish Steps though.
We walked everywhere except from the airport where we just waited in the taxi line from the train station and when we were leaving (we walked to the closest taxi stand- easy). We almost booked a car service but I wasn't organized enough with my planning and taxis seemed fine. Just make sure it has a meter and they turn it on (though it might be a flatrate for airport and train runs- the Rome Trip Advisor forum is helpful).
I don't use travel agents- easy enough to find most info these days and we aren't interested in group planned activities. Then again, I could have done Rome better but that was mostly because my enthusiasm for it wasn't super high. Do know that Colosseum tickets are a pain to book and their release dates and times change a lot. I only wanted to book direct with the official vendor as opposed to some 3rd party agency as they don't always work out. Do a guided tour at the Forum though! That's my regret!

This is really helpful, thank you!!

[gatorsmom]

I would order a professionally translated chef card, especially with tree nuts. They can be difficult to translate because Google translate will likely give you a literal translation of ‘tree’ and ‘nuts’ whereas many countries don’t use that terminology. You may need to list them out individually. Here is one company that I’ve heard good things about. They send you a plastic business card. You could use what you get from them to design your own paper business cards from a place like Vista print. I prefer that because you don’t have to worry about getting the one card back if you have 100 of them.

https://www.selectwisely.com/catalog/Food_allergies-1


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you for linking to this. This will make things much easier. And I like your idea about having several business cards printout out. Then you don’t worry about getting the cards back to use at the the next restaurant.

[vludmilla]

We loved Rome! You will have a great time. Consider if you want to take a side trip to Pompeii while in Rome.
You may want to do scheduled tours of the Vatican museum (to avoid the hellish crowds). We didn't do a tour, we just went the opposite direction of the crowds
The Roman Forum is great. Colosseum is a definite--consider tour options there. You can now go below ground there on a tour to see where the used to keep animals used in the various shows.
Lots of great neighborhoods to explore...Spanish steps, Jewish quarter....
Food is fantastic. Cacio pepe there is so much better than here in the US. It's all in the preparation with that dish apparently.
Gelato is some of the best anywhere. Do a little research on the best places as there are some gelato spots that are more touristy and not as good.
Best coffee in Rome is near the Pantheon (also a good spot to visit) Tazza D'Oro (my spelling may be off but it's well known for amazing coffee and a cool vibe/aesthetic).
There is a Peroni restaurant in Rome--it was pretty basic, not fancy but might have had the best cacio pepe and it was just a friendly place that didn't feel like a tourist trap.

[StantonHyde]

Here is my trip report for Rome-it has Venice and Florence in there as well. This was in 2018.

https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...eport-1660951/

[gatorsmom]

You ladies are awesome. Thank you for the links and recommendations!!

[marinkitty]

I took DS1 to Rome for his 8th grade graduation (4 days) and we had a fabulous time.
Stay: Hotel Ponte Sisto (we just had two of us so this was perfect - great location; roofdeck; amazing views from the room; good breakfast included).

Activities: We booked a biking trip along the Appian Way via airbnbexperiences - took an Uber to the meeting spot and rode for 3 hours (with break for coffee and snacks) down the old Roman road, past aquaducts, farmland etc. Very small group and very fun and informative plus got us out into the countryside and it was stunning. We did the sunrise early entrance to the Vatican and it was money well spent. Wonderful to see the galleries and Sistine Chapel without crowds (actually be able to see the magnitude of the spaces and the floors). We went to the Roman baths one afternoon and that was very cool and a bit off the beaten track vs the other major features. We got up super early one morning and did a private ebike tour around Rome - it was AMAZING - there is NO ONE awake and we had all of Rome to ourselves with with the ebikes we covered so much ground - Trevi fountain with no one, Spanish steps with no one, Pantheon with no one, cruised by all the major squares and past all the major monuments, ended up going up several of the hills for unbelievable views. So worth getting up early (even 14 year old DS agreed on this one) and stopped for coffee and a pastry at one of the best spots in Rome (across from Pantheon). We also used it as a way to figure out where DS wanted to go back for a deeper dive - he wasn't into museums or shopping, he was all about the ancient stuff so we focused on ruins and culture, primarily. We also did the deep dive underground Coloseum tour that included the Forum. DS is a huge history buff and so this was his jam and very informative. I think we ended up spending five hours inside all in - could stay in the Forum after tour guide left us. We also did a cooking class arranged through the hotel one afternoon - didn't turn out to be DS's favorite activity but I thought it was fun and well done. DD and my other DS would have enjoyed it more (just personality) vs DS1 who just felt like it was time we could have been exploring more.

Food - we totally winged it - used recs from our hotel for dinners in Trastavere (sp?) and just had them book stuff for us the day of, stopped for pizza/gelato/snacks as needed. DS basically wanted pizza or pasta the entire trip so he was very happy with what we ended up with and I felt like our options were great even without planning ahead. We wandered a lot of the street food markets and picked up tasty treats that way. Often had a sunset drink on the roof of our hotel before wandering off to find dinner.

Transportation - We walked a ton but used Uber whenever we needed to get further afield. Was readily available and pretty cheap. For airport transport we used the service the hotel had, which was worth the splurge for us because it made it brainless and comfortable to have a private hire car.

I hadn't been to Rome in about 20 years and enjoyed it SO MUCH more this go round letting DS focus the trip around his interests and not trying to make sure we ticked all the boxes. We saw a ton, but also if I'd gone with DD I'm sure it would have been a totally different trip with very little overlap. I'd say give each of your kiddos a day to make their own and you'll be pleasantly surprised with how nice it is. This was a huge turning point for me in letting kids take the lead on family trips and it has transformed out vacations since then.