Rome deal: Five nights + airfare for $999 from Alitalia

If you need a reason to go to Rome, here’s one: to see the newly restored underground chambers of the Colosseum, which opened to the public last month. Alitalia is offering a thrifty five-night vacation package to get you there.

The deal: Alitalia’s Rome package includes round-trip airfare from Los Angeles to Rome, five nights at a hotel, daily breakfast and some fees. Prices start at $999 per person, plus tax, based on double occupancy.

When: Good for stays through Dec. 11 and Jan. 9 through Feb. 28. You must book by Nov. 30.

Tested: Based on its winter flight schedule, Alitalia recommends leaving Los Angeles on Sunday and returning on Saturday. When you go to the Alitalia webpage that features the package, you may select any of four partner travel agencies to make a reservation.

I chose Go-today.com because it was the only one that offered online reservations (all of the agencies allow you to book by phone). I opted to leave Jan. 16 and found the $999-per-person rate available for that departure.

As a comparison, I went online and checked round-trip flights from Los Angeles to Rome for the same dates; the lowest fare was about $1,100 per person plus tax. So with the package, you’re basically getting your hotel and breakfast for free.

Contact: Alitalia