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Buona sera from one of the world's most spectacular cities: Rome, Italy! This is the final stop on my European escape before heading back to the United States. Ready to discover a few cultural gems and some helpful travel tips? Then join my buddy Mike and me as we tour this ancient city. If you don't have time to sit back, relax and read the story, don't worry! There's a two-minute Johnny Jet video at the end of this week's story. And, if Rome isn't quite your thing (what, are you on crack?!) you can read about places closer to home, brought to you by our two newest writers: Chuck Taylor explores the luxurious Cheeca Lodge and takes us fishing in the Florida Keys and Rebecca Bishop reveals all the things you can do in Vail, Colorado in the summertime.

NAPLES TRAIN STATION
This week, we're picking up our story in Naples. This is where my childhood friend Mike and I say, "Arrivederci!" to his parents. If you remember from last week, Mr. and Mrs. Manna joined us on our short trip to the beautiful island of Ischia.

From the Naples train station, the Mannas headed back to their summer home in Moio della Civitella and Mike and I headed in the opposite direction, traveling north to Rome. Naples is less than two hours away from both destinations and trains run frequently, almost every hour. Even though Mike and I each had a Eurail pass, purchased in advance from RailEurope.com, we didn't confirm our seats because we weren't sure which train we'd be taking. What can I say? We're guys. We don't like to commit.

NAPLES TO ROME
The line to purchase tickets was s l o o o w. It took 25 minutes just to reach the counter and make a reservation. The agent gave us a choice. We could either take the speedy Eurostar (1h 27m) with a supplementary fee of 20 euro ($27USD) or take the 20-minute longer InterCity local train and just pay 5 euro ($6.80USD) for the reservation. We ran into this same dilemma two years ago and that time, we opted for the Eurostar. BIG mistake! Although it was plush and traveled at 300km/h (186mph), the train was an hour late! So essentially, we paid extra to wait in the hot, dark, underground station and arrived at our destination 30 minutes later than the local train. We weren't going to get burned twice. TIP: Instead of eating train food, grab a couple slices of the too-salty pizza (1.80 euro) in the station next to the McDonald's. If pizza isn't your thing, next door you'll find a café with awesome pastries and sandwiches but the line is long and moves slowly.

ROME TAXIS
Once we arrived in Rome, we didn't have to wait to get a taxi. By the way, in Rome, taxis are relatively inexpensive. Before getting in, we asked the driver how much it would cost to drive to our hotel. It's always a good idea to inquire about fares in advance. He quoted us a fare of 7 euro ($9.60USD) and he was right on the money! When we got in the taxi, I noticed that Mike had his carry-on luggage on his lap. That when I realized that I had made a rookie mistake. Of course! I smacked Mike upside the head. "Why didn't you remind me, fool?!" I asked. You see, in Rome and many other European cities, for that matter, taxis charge extra for bags placed in the trunk. In Rome it's 1.04 euro or $1.42USD per bag. Stupid me, I put my little carry-on in the back, along with my other bag. But for some reason, our driver didn't charge us for any of the bags. To show our appreciation, we tipped well, which is not compulsory in Italy. Customarily, passengers just round the fare up – so if your total is 7.40 euro, you'd give eight. FYI: It's not always easy to flag a taxi down on the street like it is in New York. Most of the time, you'll need to call for one and remember: they turn the meter on when they get the call, not when they pick you up. Here are some Rome taxi names and phone numbers: Radio Taxi 3570, Radio Taxi 4157, Pronto Taxi 6645. Be sure to dial 06 in front of each number.

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