The Perfect Spring Trip: Rome and the Papal Election

Libertyville, IL, March 11, 2013—There’s no more exciting time to visit the Eternal City and its pleasures than during a papal election.  Even one of the cardinals told a local newspaper, “In this city I love the pasta, the people and the Pope.”  TourCrafters has made such a trip not only possible but affordable with their 5-night/6-day Rome & the Papal Election package that starts at $402 (land only) and offers daily departures from March 16 to April 30.

The package includes hotel accommodation (there’s a choice of 3- to 5-star hotels), five buffet breakfasts, a 48-hour Hop On Hop Off sightseeing bus ticket, a 50 euro coupon for a gourmet restaurant, a free gelato in an historic gelateria, a free aperitivo at Terrazza Caffarelli with the best view of ancient Rome, and a 5% discount on optional arrival and departure transfers

Though the Sistine Chapel will be closed, you can view up close (while the rest of the world watches TV) the beautiful paintings, sculptures, buildings and public spaces that Renaissance and Baroque artists created in the theater of power and glory that is the Vatican.  The Hop On Hop Off sightseeing bus stops at the Vatican, as well as other major sites such as the Coliseum, Piazza Navona, Ara Pacis, Via Veneto, Santa Maria Maggiore and even Piazza Venezia, the opening scene of Woody Allen’s “To Rome with Love.”

The hotels chosen for the package range from the comfortable 3-star Hotel Brasile ($402 in March, $589 in April) and the deluxe 4-star River Palace ($835 in March and April) to the luxurious Hotel St. George ($1,235 in March, $1,465 in April).  There’s a choice of restaurants, too: the casual Taverna Urbana offers typical Roman-Jewish cuisine with homemade pasta and the famous Carciofi alla Giudia (fried artichokes), while the romantic Il Drappo is known for Sardinian-style fish and lobster and the tastyporceddu (roast piglet).

All prices quoted are per person, double occupancy, are subject to availability and do not include city taxes, which must be paid directly to the hotel in euros. For more information about the Rome & Papal Election package, visitwww.tourcrafters.it/tour.lasso?ID=175.  For reservations, call 800-482-5995.

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