24 Hours in Rome – Part 1

24 Hours in Rome – Part 1

After returning from Cebu, it didn’t take long before I got the travel itch. While living abroad was a spectacular experience, I was anxious to get back to exploring different cities around the world. 

Thankfully, Delta started seasonal 767-300ER service from Minneapolis to Rome. A few weeks after returning home, availability looked good enough for a quick weekend trip to one of my favorite cities.

MSP-FCO

After arriving at the airport, I checked in and headed through security. With about 90 minutes to kill before boarding, I headed to the Sky Club. Delta has two SkyClubs in Minneapolis, one in the middle of the C Concourse and one at the entrance to the F/G concourses. Since Delta’s international flights typically leave from the low G gates, I headed to the F/G Sky Club to relax.

Delta Sky Club

I headed to the gate about an hour before departure, and was cleared into Business Class. Delta’s 767-300ER’s have lie flat seats with direct aisle access. Due to the narrow fuselage, the seats are arranged in a staggered 1-2-1 layout, as opposed to the more popular (and comfortable) reverse herringbone layout. I personally find the seats fairly comfortable, but I’m only 5’8”, and if you’re 6′ or more, the seats do become a bit cramped.

Delta One

The flight attendants came by with a pre-departure beverage and a menu. I took a look at the selection, and settled on the BBQ Seasoned Chicken.

Pre-departure beverage

On pushback I glanced out the window and noticed we were parked next to the Air France A340 that runs during the summer to Paris.

Air France A340

During our climb out we had a nice view of the lakes south of Minneapolis.

View after takeoff

Service began quickly as the flight attendants passed out hot towels, and then did a drink service. I had my customary Ginger Ale.

Ginger ale

One of my only real complaints with the food on Delta is their obsession with (cold) seafood dishes as appetizers. It’s rare to see something outside of shrimp or salmon, and this flight was no exception. The appetizer served was a shrimp dish with watermelon. As I’m not a fan of seafood, I just picked at it.

Shrimp appetizer

The starters were an arugula bread crumb salad, with a corn and green chili bisque. While not my favorite soup Delta offers, it was pretty good. The flight attendants also came by with bread, a choice of white, multigrain, or pretzel. I decided on the white bread.

Soup and salad

After finishing my entree, the purser brought out my main course. Chicken on planes can be dry, but mine was cooked perfectly, and the peach BBQ sauce kept it moist. There was also an edamame and wheatberry risotto, which wasn’t bad, and baby carrots.

Main course

The dessert cart came by soon after, with the typical ice cream and fruit and cheese options. There was also a cheesecake tart. That sounded good, but I settled on my typical ice cream sundae with caramel.

Dessert

After dinner I reclined my bed and quickly fell asleep, waking up only once to use the bathroom. I even slept straight through the breakfast service, waking up while we were on final approach.

Final approach into Rome

Fiumicino Airport had a pretty major fire a few years ago, and as a result most international arrivals have to park remote and take a bus to immigration and customs.

There are many options to get from the airport to the city, ranging from a very affordable bus (5 Euro) to an expensive taxi (about 60 Euro). I chose the middle ground, a train to Termini Station, which took about 30 minutes.

Train to Termini

I had booked the Radisson near the station on a Points and Cash rate. While it’s not central to the main tourist areas of Rome, it’s only about a 10 minute walk from Termini, and easy subway access to the heart of Rome.

I got an early check in and was upgraded to a business floor room, which came with free breakfast, as well as free items from the minibar. My room was on the top floor and offered a nice view.

Business Class room at the Radisson Roma

The hotel was older and definitely showing its age, and my supposedly free minibar was empty. But the bed was comfy enough, and that was good enough for me. I grabbed a shower to freshen up and then took a quick nap to recharge before heading out and exploring.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *