White Knight 1

My wife and I are booked for the Rome/Miami cruise on the Riviera on November 14th, 2017. We are considering arriving 3 days early and touring Rome. We hope to be able to avoid staying in the hotel Oceania has planned. We have looked at tour companies that could replace the transfers from airport to hotel and then hotel to Cititavecchia. Does anybody have any information on a good company or a good hotel close to the main tourist attractions in Rome?

Will be cruising to Barcelona and spending two nights there at the end of the cruise. We sail on April 1, 2015 arriving Barcelona April 16. Looking for a good hotel near the Las Ramblas district. Does anybody have any suggestions?