With excitement buzzing and family en route, we gave Kora her pre-guest glow-up – teak oiled, gleaming stainless steel, and decks scrubbed until they sparkled. Civitavecchia gave us a warm welcome too, with a stroll down the seafront promenade and a peek at Forte Michelangelo, named after Michelangelo, who designed the upper part of the central tower.
The next morning: operation meet-the-family in Rome. After a wild ride of confusing bus stops, a last-minute Uber save, and several flights of stair sprints at the train station (remember Karen’s broken hip recovery?!), we made it, just barely!
In Rome, after a quick stop to a local market for breakfast, we made our way to the Trevi Fountain for the traditional coin toss. One small problem: it was closed on Mondays for cleaning until 2pm. Of course! Classic us! We have a knack for turning up at sites on their closed days. But spirits were high with thoughts of what the day still had in store for us! At the Pantheon, we marveled at how the Romans engineered a perfect concrete dome over 2,000 years ago – still the largest unreinforced one in the world.
Next … the iconic Colosseum, where we reunited with Steve, Catherine, Oscar, and Chelsea – cue the hugs and gladiator tales spun for our new crewmates. As we walked through this ancient landmark, the kids were full of questions:
“Did gladiators always fight to the death?”
“Did the animals ever win?”
“Wait… they filled this whole thing with water for staged naval battles (called naumachiae!)?”
History felt alive, and Chelsea wasn’t sure how she’d fare in the ring – but she was game to pose like a champ.
Despite the 37°C (98°F!) heat, we pressed on through the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. Once the heart of political and social life in ancient Rome, for a mesmerizing walk through crumbling temples, triumphal arches, and layered centuries of civilization.
Wilting in the Roman heat and drenched in sweat after a whirlwind day of ruins and revelry, we made our way back to Piazza Navona to collect Steve’s family’s bags – grateful for the excuse to pause in one of Rome’s most beautiful squares for cooling spritzers – then began the epic journey back to the marina: it was a two-Uber, one-train, foot-powered return journey. But Chelsea’s wide-eyed wonder on seeing Kora for the first time made every step worth it. She’d purposely avoided photos, wanting the big reveal in person, and it didn’t disappoint!
Our day ended dockside at the Riva di Traiana Marina in Civitavecchia where we felt very fortunate to find one restaurant open on a Monday night. The restaurant owners – a sweet local couple – served us each a perfect plate of spaghetti allo scoglio (seafood pasta), followed by tiramisu and gelato for dessert, as the sun set over the water.
The adventure has officially begun – and we have no doubt Chelsea will be serving Vogue-level boat poses all week long. Stay tuned. This crew’s just getting started!
