Four days in Rome

---

This is my third trip to Rome and of all the places Stuart and I had planned to go to on this trip probably the one I was the least fussed about. I know a lot of people love the place but I just recall feeling underwhelmed by it on the previous visits. I planned to keep an open mind though and experience though a newcomers eyes!

Rome was a LOT busier than I remembered. I don't know whether it was due to being a different time of year, staying in a different area or not being as used to crowds seeing as it was the first stop of the trip but, while I had found Rome itself a underwhelming previously I now found the crowds a little overwhelming.

We arrived in at about 8am on Sunday, an hour late after sitting on the tarmac in Dubai for an extra hour or so (but felt like an eternity at 1:30am local time and about 4:30am Canberra time). By the time we cleared customs and immigration, jumped a train to Termini and then the Metro to our stop it was closer to 10:30am.

Unfortunately though, check in wasn't available so we dropped our bags and headed for a wander with a map in hand, but sans camera.

Long coffee and pastries kicked off the morning. Over the course of the next couple of hours we picked up a few of the main sights - Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and more than a couple of Piazzas. The Pantheon in particular was insane, what felt like a couple of thousand people shuffling through with selfie sticks stopping in random places and taking endless photos. The Trevi fountain was much the same as I remembered. Except this time around there were segways navigating through the crowds and the postcard touts I recall vividly from every Italy memory have been replaced by selfie stick touts.

Grabbed some pizza for lunch before managing to check into the hotel around 2pm. Showered and grabbed a couple of hours of sleep before heading down to the Colosseum area. Dinner at an Italian place where we had pizza (again, this would become a trend over the next couple of days) and then spent some time taking lots of night photos at the Colosseum with the new tripod before it was time to call it a night.

After a very disjointed sleep we were both pretty awake at 5am, combination of temperature control, having the window open and really noise streets and jet lag. With the constant rain outside though that gave us a couple of hours to rethink our plans for the day. All that though was to end up being pointless when, by the time we had finished breakfast, the rain had cleared and the skies were blue.

So instead we headed to the Colosseum hoping to beat the majority of the queues. Grabbed some tickets and a video guide and, after clearing security and the lines, attempted to follow it while navigating through and around the crowds. Video guide turned out to be beneficial though - although the inclusion of shots from the movie 'Spartacus' were very odd.

Spent a good couple of hours learning about the Colosseum before grabbing some pasta for lunch and taking a quick research break back at the hotel. From there it was on to Olympico Stadio to see the Roma v Napoli football match. Seeing a European game had always been on my 'to do' list and was one of the only things I didn't get to do while backpacking around Europe last time. So - tick.

Security was nuts. Ticket and passport check (if the ticket isn't in your name you aren't getting in, that's one way to stop those people who you don't want it from getting in!) then two lines of security almost immediately after each other. Like a long solid line of rugby players you need to fight through - complete with bag checks and frisks. Stuart got checked twice but the lady who checked my bag waved me on without a frisk despite my six layers of clothing and resembling the Incredible Hulk.

Despite our tickets stating we were to go in via gate 48, our efforts were thwarted by security who told us to go through gate 45. We were then told, despite the tickets stating otherwise, to sit anywhere. The area we were seated in wasn't far from where we were supposed to be, essentially the end for all people who didn't live in Rome! Again, one of the many security measures in place. Watching a football game in Italian is confusing though - not sure if the song at the start was the national anthem or the song for the Roma team. Lots of chants about the teams but no context. Lots of people yelling too but no idea about what! Only thing that there was no confusion about what the crowd was thinking was when Roma (the home team) finally managed to score a goal with about 10 minutes to go. Crowd was upstanding, yelling and screaming. Really excitable. That was the only goal scored all game too.

Back home after an eventful tram and train ride for dinner (pizza and pasta) and an early night.

The next day it was off to the Roman Forum and Palantine Hill. Palantine Hill is the center most of the seven hills of Rome and one of the most ancient parts of the city, bordered by the Roman Forum and Circus Maximus. We got the audio guides and spent the next nearly four hours getting lost in the ruins that once were important structures, houses, public buildings, bathing areas and celebration areas. Some were pretty intact and impressive, others were less impressive and more rubble than anything. How exactly they ever worked out what the rubble was is beyond me, but guess that's why I am not an archeologist. And to be honest, ancient history isn't really my thing either. Despite that, just how they managed to create something on that size scale is beyond me.

It continued to drizzle on and off which made it difficult and we spent the better part of half an hour in the line for the toilets in the Palantine Museum. Truth be told, we wanted shelter from the rain when it picked up and if we are going to stand in a building I might as well queue for the ladies room.

We grabbed a burger for lunch to break up the pizza and pasta diet and spent the better part of the afternoon back at the hotel given the drizzly weather. Stuart also wanted a nap to prep himself for tonight's football game too, unsure he would make it to 11pm otherwise!

Went for a walk round the back streets to find a Chinese restaurant that had some ok reviews, although nothing special. When we found it though we were less than impressed with the menu so decided to skip the Chinese influenced Italian restaurant.

Instead, headed back to one of the places near the hotel and this time split a pizza and had dessert too.

Watched the Man City versus Madrid game (well, I watched parts while using the Internet and writing some blog entries while Stuart watched).

Next morning it was up early to head to the Vatican Museums and St Peters. Except that en route we discovered that being a Wednesday there is some special address and St Peters was closed. But we had already pre-booked the museum ticket and we were down there anyway so figured we'd come back for St Peters the next morning.

Vatican Museums are huge and very confusing. The audio guide didn't help much, with odd numbering which was also hard to find. In some rooms you walked into there was an overarching message on the guide but then nothing in the room would have a number. And some rooms didn't even have a number to find audio for. Very, you guessed it, underwhelming. But the Sistine Chapel was very good for the audio guide and we spent quite a lot of time there admiring the artwork and actually being able to understand what some of the paintings were about.

We then walked back last Castel Sant Angelo and to Torre Argentina Roman Cat Sanctuary, an archaeological site close to where Julius Caesar was killed, and home to more than 250 cats. Watched the cats for a while - some strolling through the ruins, others climbing walls and many just baking in the sun.

We then proceeded to walk home back through the back streets of Rome past the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain and a few more piazzas. Later in the afternoon we headed to the Capuchin Crypt, which was (conveniently) directly opposite our hotel.

The crypt is made up of a few small chapels located under the church of Santa Maria Della Concezione del Cappuccini. The chapels contain the skeletal remains of more than 3700 bodies, believed to be Capuchin Friars. The museum prior to the crypt was quite interesting and the visit to the crypt was something different to do to, and quite off the beaten tourist track which was even better.

Then it was time for dinner (pasta again!) and a stroll to Piazza Navona, the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain for some night photos. Disappointed at the lack of lighting at all except for Trevi, which was super crowded at 9pm. Tripod got some more use though! Also finally managed to get some gelato too - yum yum. Mine was a Himalayan salted caramel, basically tasted like fudge. Pure sugar.

Next morning it was off to St Peters. Wandered through the Basicila before climbing the Dome. Opted to take the lift which skipped the first 200 steps, leaving another 300 or so steps to go, most of which were winder, cramped, and steep. Horrible. I had forgotten that part of my last trip climbing the dome.

At the level where the elevator stopped was basically the inside part of the dome, so you could look down on St Peters and were pretty close to the dome for a good view.

At the top of the stair climb you basically ended up on the side of the dome with fantastic views over St Peters Square and the surrounding area. Great view, and it was a relatively clear day for good views too.

Back down the 300 stairs, almost worse as I kept feeling like I would slip but got down safely and used the lift still for the final 200. Paid for it so why not?

Quick coffee break on the way back to the metro, to the hotel for pack and check out before making our way to the airport for a 2:30pm flight. Lounge wasn't airside so didn't stay in there too long, just enough time to grab some snacks and drinks and check out the opulent bathrooms (complete with a bonsai next to the toilets) and watch someone fly the 737 flight simulator before heading airside for lunch and to wait for the flight, which boarded a good hour or more late and then left us sitting on the tarmac for longer waiting for a slot.

Next stop is Berlin! For those of you wondering, for this trip I intend to publish a city entry rather than every couple of days. We're in Berlin for four nights so you'll see the next entry sometime after that. Enjoy!















---