Travel Blog

Anytime you plan to travel somewhere, it requires planning of some sort. When your traveling is going to be on a cruise, you often need even more planning because you won’t be in control of the transportation.

Although planning your cruise is not the most difficult thing you’ve even done, it can be difficult if you aren’t sure of what you’re doing. Talk to someone you know that has been on a cruise and can give you tips. Friends who’ve gone through what you are planning can often give you the best honest advice. They can tell you what a good price is, what kind of accommodation you can expect for that price as well as give you information about what the cruises consist of as far as activities. They can also give you tops about certain travel agencies and what kind of business they are.

Of course, every cruise company is different as well as their individual company policies. Before you book on any vacation, always shop around. You may thing two cruises by two different companies are both the same. There may be some major differences, however. Each cruise company owns several different cruise liners or ships. You can often choose an older one and save some money.

The internet is also a wealth of knowledge on many aspects of cruises including cruise companies, ships, prices and general traveling advice. Many people even choose to make their reservations online, finding this very time saving over driving to an agency. They will show you instant availability as well as tables that can show your price based on different dates and times.

If you know what time of year you are taking your vacation, you have an advantage. If you have to take it at a specific time, this may limit some of your options. However, if you have plenty of advance notice, you can still find many great cruise offers. Once you’ve narrowed your choices down to the exact place you want to go and compared the prices, you are ready to start booking your cruise. The more flexible you can be with your departure date and time as well as return date and time, the better deal you stand to get.

It’s a tough decision knowing exactly when to book and when to wait. Some times if you book far in advance you think you got a great deal and later see the price go down. However, if you wait, you may miss the vacation of a lifetime. As a rule, you should book your cruise at least six months in advance. If you are going during the peak summer months and your location is a popular destination, you may need longer. Either way, your agent or a friend with travel experience can help you as well.

Intro - Trastevere Area is famous for its restaurants, pubs, movie theaters, and nightlife. In the evening, all of the cafes and restaurants tables spill out over to the pavement, especially in the area of Santa Maria Square in Trastevere. The morning here has instead a unique and antique charm mainly due to Trastevere’s narrow cobbled alleyways.

The Area - Trastevere is the district that lays on the right bank of the Tiber. It was called “Trans Tiberem” (across the Tiber) and it was considered a precarious region.

It belonged to the Etruscans until Rome conquered it again and get back in control of both banks of the river. “Pons Sublicius” bridge (from Latin: “bridge built on piles”) was the only one way from Trastevere to the city (Rome). With the Emperor Augustus this area soon began to be considered part of the city.

During the Republic era in 509, the number of sailors and fishermen making a living from the river had increased, and many had taken up residence in Trastevere.

Then, during the Imperial Age, on the top of Trastevere hill rich romans built some luxury villas and gardens. For example Clodia (which was said to be Catullus lover) lived here, and Julius Caesar with his garden villa called ‘the Horti Caesaris’ lived here. The flat land below was used to be home for poor people and small.

Trastevere grew in a network of small, curly streets in the Middle Age because of structures on the front of buildings that left no space for carriages to pass.This is why a strong contrast between large houses for rich people and small houses for poor people are still creating such a contrast.

Up until 1400 Trastevere streets had no pavement, later bricks were used and then replaced by sampietrini (cobble stones).

The oldest church in the area is Santa Maria in Trastevere (probably among the firsts to host an open ceremony). Santa Maria is indeed the queen of all churches of the area and immediately became the focus point for devotion to the Virgin by its people. It is said that this church Mother of God was worshiped in Rome. In the Square there is an Octagonal fountain that today is a meeting point. The neighbourhood still has its own medieval character and the many changes occurred in the recent years haven’t changed it a lot.

Today this area still has its own style due to the narrow cobbled streets built in the medieval era. At night, both italians and tourists gather together around its many restaurants and pubs. Trastevere is attracting tourists, locals, artists, foreign expats, and many famous people and it is incredibly charming.

The area is home to John Cabot University, a private American University. Also to the American Academy in Rome, and the Rome campus of the Thomas More College of Liberal Arts. The Canadian University of Waterloo School of Architecture (between the months of September and December), and the American Pratt Institute School of Architecture therefore serving as a temporary home to an International student body.

In the 60s and 70s, the American musicians Frederic Rzewski and Richard Teitelbaum (Musica Elettronica Viva group), lived here in Via della Luce. The director of Spaghetti Westerns Sergio Leone, grew up in Viale Glorioso (you will see a marble plaque to his memory on the wall of the apartment building), and went to a Catholic private school in Trastevere.

Trastevere is definitely the place to stay when in Rome!