Here We Come! | Italy | August 26, 2025 | Cruise and Land
Activities (🎟️Booked 🎟️)
- Day 1- 08/26/26 Depart Newark for Naples, Italy
- Day 2- 08/27/25 Arrive Naples, Italy
- Day 2- Ferry from Naples to Amalfi or Private Transportation
- Day 2- Hotel La Bussola Amalfi
- Day 3 and 4- Amalfi Coast- Things to Do
- Day 5- Early Train from Naples or Salerno to Rome
- Day 5- Rome Hotel- early arrival, store luggage
- Day 5- Booked Baglioni Hotel Regina
- Option: BW Hotel Canada ⭐
- Option: Hotel Artimide
- Option: Hotel Scalinata Rome
- Day 6- Rome
- Option: Rome Foodie Activities
- 🌅 Rome Weather Forecast 🌇
- Day 7- Train from Rome to Civitavecchia Cruise Port
- Days 7-17 Cruise through BJ Travel – Cruise Only Trip Insurance
- Day 17- Train from Civitavecchia to Florence
- Days 17 to 21- Hotel Loggiato de Serviti Brunelleschi Suite
- 🌅 Florence Weather Forecast 🌇
- Day 21- Train from Florence to Venice
- Days 21 to 23- Hotel Cavaletto e Doge Orseolo
- 🌅 Venice Weather Forecast 🌇
- Day 23- United Airlines Venice to Newark
Other Information
- Transportation to Rome Hotels from Train Station
- Using the Rome Metro (subway) | Tap & Go Payments
- Wine Windows of Florence
- Claiming your VAT refund prior to departure
Day 1 | Depart Newark (EWR) Airport | Tue 8/26/25
Depart at 8:35 pm
United 966 for Naples, Italy.
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Day 2 | Arrive in Naples, Italy | Wed. 08/27/25
NAPLES AIRPORT
CAPODOCHINO, ITALY (NAP)
United Airlines Flight 966
Arrive 11:30 am
NLG Ferry
Naples (Beverello) 
Amalfi
AmalfiThe ferry schedule is currently available through March 2025. The 2024 departure times are below:
8:35 am, 10:00 am, 2:40 pm, 3:35 pm
Ferry Schedule Opens
Private Driver
A private driver or taxi can be arranged for travel from NAP to your Amalfi Hotel. This is a good option as it is possible for ferries to be cancelled due to weather conditions.
It can take 1h to 1h 30m depending on traffic.
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Day 2-4 | Amalfi Coast | Wed. – Fri. 08/27 to 8/30/25
Hotel La Bussola
Situated on Lungomare dei Cavalieri, 16 on the sea front. Saint Andrew’s Cathedral, the bus station and the port, from which you can take a boat or the hydrofoil, are walking distance from the hotel. (MAP)
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Things to Do on the Amalfi Coast
| Salerno | Vietri Sul Mare (ceramics) |
| Amalfi | Click here for maps of my Things to Do |
| Amalfi | Visting the Cathedral of St. Andrew the Apostle |
| Amalfi | Lunch at the Bar Gran Cafe |
| Amalfi | Dinner at Lo Smeraldino |
| Amalfi | Shop at VLDA Leather Shop (directions) |
| Amalfi | Shop at Il Ninfeo Ceramic Shop |
| Amalfi | Visit S. Croce Beach – free boat from Amalfi Pier |
| Minori | Visit Sal de Riso, Italy’s premier pastry shop for lunch or dinner. |
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Wind: 6mph SE
Humidity: 76%
Pressure: 29.88"Hg
UV index: 2
73°F
73°F
75°F / 55°F
75°F / 57°F
Weather in December
December, the first month of the winter in Rome, is still a cold month, with an average temperature ranging between min 25.7°F and 36°F.
Precipitation
In December, the rain falls for 5.7 days. Throughout December, 0.75″ of precipitation is accumulated. Snow falls for 6.3 days, with typically accumulated 0.94″.
OPTION- Contact me to Book
Amalfi Heaven Gardens
Cooking Class
Learn the secrets of Italian cooking from local chefs in the terraced gardens of the stunning Amalfi Coast. Enjoy the intimate and friendly atmosphere of a small-group cooking class, taste typical local products and savor the dishes you’ve prepared.
Arriving from Amalfi
- On foot: Take a nice walk of about 20 minutes in the direction of Positano and up the stairs from the road. Gardens entrance is on the right, in front of G.A.S. Bar.
- By bus: Take a bus in the direction of Sorrento, Agerola or Pogerola and ask the driver to be dropped off at G.A.S. Bar. The journey takes just 3 minutes. We are just up the stairs in front of G.A.S. Bar. Tickets CANNOT be bought on board; you need to buy them before to get on the bus. Bus schedules can be checked on sitasudtrasporti.it/orari (select Campania).
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Option – Contact Me to Book
Amalfi Lemon Experience
Who does Vince know who does tours of the lemon groves? Georgia does tours! Interested? Jane Pauley and the CBS Sunday Morning show have the story “Growing lemons on the Amalfi Coast” here.
- Walk among the lemon groves.
- Visit the farm and a enjoy a refreshing break with typical products such as lemonade and lemon pie.
- Visit the Museum of rural culture, arts and crafts.
- TripAdvisor Reviews
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Day 5 | Depart Amalfi Coast for Rome | Sat. 8/30/25
Train from Salerno or Naples
Depart TBD – Arrive TBD
You will be travelling in Business class on Train xxx. Coach x. Be at the platform area by xx:xx. Don’t forget to watch the Partenze board for your Binario (track number of your departing train).
Day 5-7 | Rome | Sat. – Mon. 08/30 – 9/1/25
OPTION: Best Western Premier Collection Hotel Canada
Baglioni Regina Hotel
Superior Room with Breakfast
Booked Special Sale $737
Direct Booking Currently $918
What’s nearby
- Spanish Steps – 10 min walk
- Piazza di Spagna – 10 min walk
- Trevi Fountain – 13 min walk
When you stay at Baglioni Hotel Regina – The Leading Hotels of the World, you’ll be in a great location, within just a 10-minute walk of Via Veneto and Spanish Steps. Guests can grab a bite to eat at the coffee shop/cafe and visit the spa to be pampered with deep-tissue massages, aromatherapy, or Ayurvedic treatments. This luxurious hotel also features a bar/lounge, a 24-hour fitness center, and a fitness center.
Public transportation is just a short walk: Barberini Station is 6 minutes and Repubblica – Opera House Station is 9 minutes.
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Option: Hotel Artemide (map)
A Deluxe Room ($1085) or Comfort Double ($947) awaits on Via Nazionale, a bustling thoroughfare in the heart of Rome’s historic center.
Via Nazionale, 22 +39 06 489911
info@hotelartemide.it Facebook
From Termini Train Station, Hotel Artemide is just 900 meters (3000 feet) away, easily accessible by a 10-minute walk or a quick taxi ride. The Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Trevi Fountain are just a short walk away, and the subway is located just 100 meters (328 feet) from the hotel.
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Hotel Scalinata di Spagna
A charming 3-star Hotel in downtown Rome, located inside an age-old building built in 1888, on a pre-existing late seventeenth-century building. The Hotel’s façade is protected by the Belle Arti. The Hotel boasts a fabulous location.
Standard Double ($618) or Superior Double with Balcony ($767), both with breakfast included.
It is located on top of the Spanish Steps, Piazza Trinita dei Monti, one of the most beautiful places of the capital. From the veranda and the adjacent terrace of the Hotel you can enjoy a view over the roofs and domes of Rome.
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Transportation to Hotel
There is a taxi stand just outside the Roma Termini station. Make sure to go to the stand at the end of the station and enter the queue for an official taxi. Make sure that they use the meter and confirm before getting in that they will accept a credit card. If someone approaches you and asks if you need a taxi, it is likely a scam! Wait at the actual stands.
Taxi Stands in Rome
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VIATOR ACTIVITIES FOR ROME
Leonardo Interactive Museum
Step inside the creative mind of Leonardo Da Vinci with skip-the-line entrance to the Leonardo Da Vinci Museum in Rome. Your admission ticket offers unlimited access, so you can spend as long you like exploring the exhibitions and admiring Leonardo’s Machines, created from the famous Da Vinci Codes. (Directions)
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Rome Foodie Activities
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Day 7 | Depart Rome for Port of Civitavecchia | Mon. 9/1/25
Train or bus. Part of Cruise Transfers?
The Port of Civitavecchia (video guide)
- There are several ways to travel from Rome Fiumicino Airport to Civitavecchia:
- Train: Take a train from Fiumicino Aeroporto to Civitavecchia via Roma Trastevere. The journey takes approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes. (Trenitalia video guide)
- Bus: Alternatively, you can take a bus or a combination of bus and train. The total travel time varies but is generally around 1 hour and 27 minutes.
- Taxi or Private Transfer: If you prefer a more direct option, consider taking a taxi or arranging a private transfer.
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Cruise Days 7-17
Viator Worry Free Shore Excursions
Day 9 | Santorini (Thira), Greece | 9/3/25 View Excursions
Day 10 | Piraeus (Athens), Greece | 9/4/25 View Excursions
Day 11 | Mykonos, Greece | 9/5/25 View Excursions
Day 12 | Corfu (Kerkyra), Greece | 9/6/25 View Excursions
Day 13 | Valletta, Malta | 9/7/24 View Excursions
Day 14 | Messina, Sicily, Italy | 9/8/24 View Excursions
Day 15 | Naples (Pompeii), Italy | 9/9/25 View Excursions
Day 16 | Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy | 9/10/25 View Excursions
Day 17 | Disembark at Civitavecchia | 9/11/25 View Excursions
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Day 17 | Train to Florence
Days 17-21 | Florence | Thur. – Mon. 9/11 to 9/15/25
Loggiato dei Serviti (booked)
This upscale hotel in a 16th-century structure facing a square is a 3-minute walk from the Accademia Gallery, a 7-minute walk from the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.
The elegant rooms offer period furniture, Wi-Fi, flat-screen TVs with satellite channels, and desks. They also come with minibars.
Breakfast is served in a casual dining room. Other amenities include a low-key bar, a TV room and a lobby lounge.
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Wind: 6mph S
Humidity: 64%
Pressure: 29.8"Hg
UV index: 3
75°F
75°F
72°F / 50°F
73°F / 54°F
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Florence Activities
Wine Windows of Florence
Click here for information on the wine windows and a self-guided stroll to visit some.
Eataly Firenze
Eataly is a nice place to stop for lunch and to browse their market.
Via De Martelli 22 R (map).
It is on the same street, and close to the Uffizi Gallery.
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Day 21 | Depart Florence🚅Venice | Mon. 9/15/25
Train TBD to Florence
Departing Santa Maria Novella train station to Venice Santa Lucia station. (map). Ask the hotel desk for arrangements to SMN by taxi.
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Day 21-23 | Venice | Mon. 9/16 to 9/17/25
Albergo Cavalletto e Doge Orseolo
Superior Double Room with breakfast.
Piazza San Marco 1107 (Directions from Station)
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Option
Meet at the entrance to the Royal Gardens, on the waterfront of St Mark’s Square.
Verona Food, Wine & legends with Lunch/sunset aperitif
Meeting point
P.za Brà, 28, 37121 Verona VR, ItalyOpen in Google Mapsnext to the INTERNATIONAL PHARMACY and the big clock.
OPTIONS
Murano & Burano Islands Guided Small-Group Tour by Private Boat
Murano & Burano Islands
This is a guided small-group tour by private boat, with City Wonders, booked through Viator (video).
Explore the intricacies of two famed Italian handicrafts on a fully guided day trip from Venice to the nearby islands of Murano and Burano with a group of up to 20 people. Watch centuries-old glassblowing techniques in Murano, and marvel at the detailed stitches of exquisite Burano lace.
Arrive at least 15 minutes prior to departure time at the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II, Riva degli Schiavoni.
- Your City Wonders guides will have a City Wonders sign with the name of the tour at the meeting point for easy recognition.
- Your tour will end at Hotel Gabrielli Riva degli Schiavoni, 4110, near San Marco.
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Venice Weather
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Preparing to Return – The VAT
Purchases of many articles in European Union countries are subject to a value added tax. In Italy you may see the tax on your receipt as “IVA”.
You may claim a refund of the tax on articles that will be taken home without being used in the E.U. Here is a guide for the process.
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Day 23 | Depart Venice Marco Polo Airport | Wed. 9/17/25
United Flight 169 at 11:05 am
Arrive at 2:50 pm – Newark (EWR)
Links for More Information
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