Our cruise came to an end in Salerno, and after a train ride from Rome, we found ourselves back on land for four more days — two in Florence, two in Rome — before heading home. Here’s a quick recap of those four days, plus everything we’d tell a friend planning their own post-cruise stop in Tuscany and Rome.

Quick guide to this recap:

• Florence: Day One — the Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, and a food tour through Oltrarno and Santo Spirito
• Florence: Day Two — an off-road Chianti wine safari through three wineries
• Rome: Day One — Trastevere, Piazza Navona, and an evening food tour through Prati
• Rome: Day Two — a private pasta class, the Borghese Gallery, and a farewell dinner

Florence: Day One

After disembarking in Civitavecchia, a car service through RomeCabs got us to Rome Termini for a high-speed train to Florence, about 90 minutes. Once checked into Hotel Davanzati, we grabbed a panino and wine at I Girone de Ghiotti, a little hole-in-the-wall, before setting off to see the city’s icons: the Duomo, Palazzo Vecchio, the Fountain of Neptune, and the Ponte Vecchio.

In the evening we took a food tour through the Oltrarno and Santo Spirito neighborhoods with The Roman Food Tour — a small group filled with laughter, wine, and way too much food. Our first stop, right off the Ponte Vecchio, brought local meats and cheeses, two Tuscan bread soups (ribollita and pappa al pomodoro), salami and fig jam sandwiches, and a tasting of 30-year-old balsamic over cheese. From there it was on to the famous wine window for a glass, then a negroni and crostini at a local spot. Dinner followed with pasta and truffles and Florentine bistecca, and we finished with gelato on the walk home along the Arno.

Read our full post: a food tour in the Oltrarno and Santo Spirito.

Florence: Day Two

Our second day in Florence was a full day touring the Chianti region with visits to three wineries, traveling in a rather silly off-road vehicle to handle the rough ground along the way.

First up was Villa Le Corte, which included a tour of the winemaking process and a full explanation of the “ladder” of Chianti wines — Chianti DOCG, Classico, and Riserva — tasted alongside local meats. The off-roading really kicked in on the way to our second stop, Fattoria Rignana, a small, charming winery best known for its Rosato, where we sat down to lunch at their taverna: crostini with chopped liver, lard, tomato, white beans, and marinated porcini, followed by agnolotti with porcini mushrooms and pasta with ragù. Our third and final stop, Tenuta Poggio Torselli, was a stunning estate with a majestic manor house and gardens, pouring smaller-production, higher-end wines to round out the day.

Read our full post: three wineries and an off-road detour through Chianti.

Rome: Day One

We left Florence mid-morning, back on the train to Rome. Once checked into Hotel Smeraldo, perfectly located around the corner from Campo de’ Fiori, we spent a simple afternoon in our favorite Roman neighborhood, Trastevere — a stop at Tonnarello for fried artichokes, arancini, and calamari, followed by a detour to Piazza Navona.

In the evening we joined a food tour through a different neighborhood, Prati, with The Roman Guy. We started with a sampling of cheese, truffles, and pesto at a local café, then moved to Bonci‘s Pizzarium for pizza from Gabriele Bonci, whose seasonal, inventive toppings live up to the reputation. A wine tasting with local meats and cheese followed, then a pasta of our choosing — amatriciana, of course — and, as with most food tours in Italy, a closing round of gelato. It was a beautiful night to walk back through Rome, all lit up.

Read our full post: Trastevere, a Prati food tour, and a night walk through Rome.

Rome: Day Two

Our last day in Rome, and in the city, before heading home. We started early, walking some of the famous sights in the morning light before the crowds arrived — being early birds works out well while traveling, even if it sometimes means getting up before breakfast.

Late morning brought a private pasta making class with Chef Alessandro in his apartment overlooking Campo de’ Fiori, making pasta with a marinara sauce and ravioli, then sitting down together to eat it with wine — informative and instructive, filled with stories and laughter. The afternoon took us to the Borghese Gallery, on the list for a while, marvelous for the sheer number of magnificent sculptures in such a beautiful setting. We closed out the day, and this stretch of the trip, at one of our favorite restaurants in Rome, Trattoria Da Luigi, for crostini, octopus and swordfish carpaccios, and pizza.

Read our full post: a pasta class, the Borghese Gallery, and a farewell dinner.

Final Thoughts: Is a Post-Cruise Stop in Florence and Rome Worth It?

Absolutely. Four days gave us real time in two cities we already love, rather than a rushed transition straight from ship to flight home — a proper wine day in Chianti, two very different food tours, and a hands-on pasta class, all bookended by the sights we keep coming back for. If your cruise ends anywhere near Rome, building in a Tuscany-and-Rome stretch afterward is well worth the extra days.

FAQ

How long do you need in Florence and Rome after a Mediterranean cruise? We spent two days in each city and found it comfortable — enough time for a full wine day in Chianti and two different food tours without feeling rushed, though both cities could easily absorb more time depending on your interests.

Is Florence an easy add-on after a cruise ending near Rome? Yes. It’s about a 90-minute high-speed train from Rome Termini, which made it simple to build in as a stop before finishing the trip back in Rome.

Do you need to book a food tour in both Florence and Rome? You don’t need to, but if you love food tours as much as we do, both cities support it — the Oltrarno/Santo Spirito tour in Florence and the Prati tour in Rome each covered different ground and neither felt repetitive.