Homeward Bound

One last espresso at the Airbnb or at a café near the apartment. Stand at the bar. The Italian way. This is one of the things you'll miss most when you get home.

Take a last walk through Trastevere if time allows — early morning in the neighborhood, before the city fully wakes, is its own kind of beautiful.

Check your flight time and work backward. FCO is about 45 minutes from Trastevere — allow more time than you think you need. Italian airports can be slow through security and at international check-in.

Recommended: Get to Roma Termini first (Tram 8 or cab from Trastevere), then take the Leonardo Express to FCO. The Leonardo Express is the most reliable option — runs every 30 minutes, takes 32 minutes, approximately €14 per person.

General rule: For an intercontinental flight, aim to be at FCO at least 3 hours before departure. Security at international terminals can back up, and the walk from security to gates is long.

This timeline is illustrative — adjust based on your actual departure time:

• T – 4.5 hrs Leave the Airbnb
• T – 4 hrs Board Leonardo Express at Roma Termini
• T – 3.5 hrs Arrive FCO, check bags
• T – 3 hrs Through security and passport control
• T – 1.5 hrs At the gate, last Italian airport espresso

You walked the Roman Forum and stood in front of the Colosseum. You saw Michelangelo's David and Botticelli's Birth of Venus. You had coffee and a cornetto every morning in Florence. You sat in Il Campo in Siena at golden hour. You ate cacio e pepe in Trastevere and drank Chianti in the Oltrarno. You climbed the Campanile and looked out over the rooftops of Florence. You stood under the oculus of the Pantheon.

Italy has a way of staying with you. The light, the food, the feeling of being surrounded by two thousand years of human creativity and ambition. It lands differently than most places.

Safe travels home. Come back.