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Piazza Navona Entertains

Nearly all Mediterranean cruises start and finish in these ports: Barcelona, Rome (Civitavecchia), Venice, or Istanbul. So cruise travelers will generally have a little extra time in these great cities.  We just finished one cruise (West Mediterranean) and have a day free in Rome before catching our second cruise (covering the East). Beware: There’s a lot of experience among cruise travelers, and it is shared generously. One lady I met on the ship was a veteran of a dozen or so Mediterranean cruises. She said, “The key in Rome is to leave the crowds and eat with the locals, so I dine on Navona Square.” To me Piazza Navona is about as touristy as Rome gets. But as a night spot, it has a centuries-old magic.

If you can’t see the video below, watch it on YouTube.

Comments

7 Replies to “Piazza Navona Entertains”

  1. Rick,

    I was in Piazza Navona about a week prior to your visit, and also quite enjoyed the atmosphere. I definitely agree that it’s about “as touristy as Rome gets”, but that’s also true of many locations in Rome.

    On one of the nights I was in Piazza Navona, there was a very talented Violin player performing in front of the large fountain. If you’d like to see a short clip, go to blog.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/eagle10/2/1299980086/tpod.html#_
    (scroll down to “Violin Player” at the bottom). It’s not broadcast quality video but not too bad considering it was taken with a small P&S Camera.

    Enjoy your next cruise!

  3. We visited Piazza Navone but agree with you too touristy. Spent out time a little further out by S. Agnese fuori delle Mura easy trip on the number 80 bus (they were putting a metro stop in but it was not complete) You just have to make sure you don’t get off at Via Veneto as you go by.

    Really nice area to spend a little time and very much locals area.

  4. Touristy, or not, Piazza Navona is magnificent, and thanks for bringing back good memories by shooting this midnight clip, Rick (btw, were you a little tipsy? LOL).

    I had a fantastic experience of staying in Rome during Christmas week, 2006. Navona and the Pantheon Piazzas were my usual hang-outs later in the evening (my hotel was on the backside of the Pantheon, and the side-streets between the two piazzas were filled with a lot of great shops, restaurants, etc. Loved every minute of my stay.

  5. Ryan, that’s so funny. I was wondering too if Rick had enjoyed some nice Italian red wine before shooting his video. I was chuckling the entire time – he sounded nice and relaxed!! :) Good for him!

  6. The best part of this video? Seeing a guy who’s probably been in Rome 30+ times still acting so enthusiastically about it. Seems like so many people are angry, jaded, etc. nowadays…nice to see someone purely and simply enjoying life!

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