Rome Sept. 23 - 27, 2017

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We caught a Saturday, September 23^rd train from Venice direct to Roma Termini , the main train station in downtown Rome. Our B&B hostess Rosa Maria, had told us which bus to catch on our arrival to reach our accommodation at Al Colonnato di San Pietro. It was easy enough to find the bus as they are all parked just outside the train station. You can buy tickets in advance from a machine, or at any Tabac shop. You can buy a single trip, or for a variety of different time periods so we chose a 72 hour pass to cover most of our tourist activities around Rome.

Our bus, Number 64, was apparently known as the “Pickpocket Express”. So we held our bags close, closed and in front of us. The bus tends to pack people in like sardines and they are constantly sliding past you as people work their way in and out for their stop. Although there was an interactive sign in the bus to alert you to which stop was next, it wasn’t working. This turned out to be the norm on most buses. In addition to that, it was impossible to see signs at the bus stops through the mass of people packed in around us. But Rosa Maria had given us good directions, so we managed to get off at the correct stop, with all of our belongings still safe and sound.

Our B&B was right across the street from the Vatican and Rosa Maria was waiting outside to welcome us, give us some keys and help us get into the building. The rooms are situated on the 3^rd floor of a secured, walk-up building with a variety of other homes and businesses in it. There actually is a very tiny elevator that can accommodate one person with two bags. Our floor had another locked door which takes you into her business, a lobby, three bedrooms and a kitchen. For breakfast, you can order some items in advance and Rosa and her helper prepare it all in the kitchen and wheel it into your room on a cart for you at your requested time. Rosa speaks very good English and was a wealth of information and advice about where to go and how to get there. Besides being reasonably priced, situated in a great location, clean rooms and comfortable beds, Rosa Maria really made it a wonderful place to stay.

Our last time in Rome was on our first trip to Europe in 2002. Being new travellers and not completely comfortable in a foreign country, we had booked several day tours to see the various sites. Although all of those tours were great, I was happy to be back here on our own this time so that we could see everything at our own pace and not miss any photo ops.

As soon as we got settled into our room, we headed out walking towards St. Peter’s Square and roamed the nearby streets, arriving at Castel Sant'Angelo . The Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as Castel Sant'Angelo, is a towering cylindrical castle in Parco Adriano. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family. Built around 123 A.D and used over the years as a fortress, prison and papal residence. The National Museum of Castel Sant'Angelo, holds an impressive collection of fine art, antique furniture, military memorabilia and medieval weapons.

Nearing the end of this travel day and with all the walking through the afternoon and early evening, we had no energy left to find a restaurant. So we bought some cold cuts, cheese, bread and wine at a store near our B&B and stayed in for the evening.

The next morning Rosa Maria knocked at our door right on time and wheeled in our breakfast. Although the menu was very limited, the amount of food was incredible! And as they stay nearby in the kitchen, a second cappuccino was readily available! Rosa is anxious to talk each morning about our plans for the day and happy to help with whatever advice we need as far as directions, tickets, recommendations, etc. She asked us if we were going to see Pope Francis today as he was speaking in St. Peter’s Square at noon. We had no idea that was on today, so seeing as we were right across the street, we decided to head over there after breakfast. After all, “When in Rome ….”.

Security was tight as we approached St. Peter's Square; in addition to the famous Swiss Guards being present, the Italian military was blocking off all vehicle entry to the area, and a row of metal detectors and bag searches were set up to enter past the fencing. We were there early so got into a good position in St. Peter's Square with a fence to lean on for the one-hour wait. The Holy Father Pope Francis finally appeared at his window right at noon and gave his Angelus prayer. You can read it by clicking the link.

We took off fast, as soon as he was finished, to try and get ahead of the HUGE crowds to catch the Pickpocket Express bus again to head back downtown to begin our day of sightseeing. Once again we had difficulty determining exactly where the bus was, so we finally got off near the Largo de Torre Argentina , a square with the remains of four roman Republican temples and the remains of Pompey's Theatre. The ruins are also home to a large cat sanctuary . We walked a couple of blocks from here to the Piazza Venecia which is located in the geometric centre of Rome where four major roads meet and is well known for chaotic traffic. The Piazza is in front of the Altare della Patria .

Designed in 1885, it was intended as a tribute to King Victor Emmanuel II of Italy, who became the unified country’s first monarch in 1870. Its flat, boxy appearance has led to a number of sometimes derogatory nicknames. Residents of Rome often refer to it as The Typewriter, and foreign visitors often call it The Wedding Cake.

All of this part of Rome is really a huge ancient museum, with various ruins fenced off left and right. We gradually made our way towards the Roman Forum . As we wandered around the Forum area we discovered that it is almost entirely visible from surrounding sidewalks without paying to go in. From here we walked to the nearby Colosseum. Security has really increased in this area with only city buses allowed down the street, and even they must zig zag back and forth between cement barricades in order to slow them down. As we had tickets pre-purchased online to go into the Colosseum the next day, we did not spend much time here.

We found a sidewalk café, a pizza/pasta restaurant (okay, that’s pretty much every restaurant in Rome) for lunch then walked to the nearby Basilica di San Clemente . The church has a beautiful interior, but the real reason for coming here is its three historical layers. The 12th-century basilica is built on top of a well-preserved 4th-century church (with many frescoes), which was built next to a 3rd-century Mithraic Temple. For an admission fee, you can explore the excavations of the lower two levels, which is a fascinating journey into the history of Rome.

We wandered around the streets for a couple of hours, gradually making our way to Alfredo e Ada restaurant for supper. This tiny restaurant with only 5 tables does not take reservations so you have to get there early. As we had nothing to do until dinner, we stopped outside their door an hour early. But within 10 minutes, another couple stood in line behind us! Although there are only 5 tables, you share with whomever they seat you with. The daily menu was posted in the window so we had lots of time to decide on our meal.

The doors finally opened and we all filed in. As we were first in line, we got to pick our table and another young couple was soon seated with us. It’s a very limited menu which can change daily depending on what they find in the markets or choose to cook that day, and the food is excellent. The restaurant was full immediately after opening the doors, with more people still lined up outside. They were busy, but with two servers and only five tables, not really too difficult to serve us. Even so, they accidentally served our meals to a couple at another table, and they started eating Christine’s, but the man with my dish knew his was wrong so the server picked it up and gave it to me and Chris had to wait for a new dish to be made for her. She only had to wait about 10 minutes though so she probably got somebody else’s! Even so, the food was great, the atmosphere romantic, and we would definitely go back again.

It was dark when we left the restaurant and slowly walked home, over a bridge towards Castel Sant'Angelo, and down a few streets into St. Peter’s Square and past the Vatican. The buildings and streets were all well-lit, there were lots of tourists about and we felt very safe walking around at night.

The next day after our breakfast and chat with Rosa Maria, we caught Number 64 bus again and this time got off closer to the Colosseum. We stopped in at a nearby ticket booth to pick up the colosseum entry tickets that we had purchased online, then we spent an hour or so wandering around the perimeter of the Roman Forum, finding sidewalks and higher vantage points to see much more of the forum than the day before.

As our colosseum entry time neared, we made our way into the crowds of individuals, tour groups and ticket hawkers filling the area around it. We were immediately approached by someone wanting to sell us a guided tour. I explained that we already had an entry ticket but the tour included entry to additional levels and also a tour through the forum, so we agreed. They were able to resell our basic entry tickets to someone else and charged us the difference for the new tours. These ticket hawkers seemed to account for the majority of sales to everyone not already in a group tour. It was very crowded and all pretty chaotic, but we eventually received earpieces to hear what our English-speaking guide was saying and followed her around, inside, and all through the various levels of the colosseum.

The Roman Coliseum is huge, an ellipse 188m long and 156 wide. The structure was commissioned in AD 72 by Emperor Vespasian and completed by his son, Titus, in AD 80. Located just east of the Roman Forum it was built to a practical design, with its 80 arched entrances allowing easy access to 55,000 spectators. Each gate is numbered above the entrance (with Roman numerals of course) and seats were numbered as well. A much better system than our modern-day arenas with very limited access.

It is definitely worth the cost of entering the colosseum to see everything closeup and get a feel for what it would have been like being there back in AD 80. It is a very impressive and well-planned structure. And from the top level you can get some great views around the city, over the Forum and fantastic photo ops of the Arch of Constantine . Erected in 315 AD and constructed from pieces of previous buildings, the Arch of Constantine is the most modern of the triumphal arches that were built in ancient Rome.

Rome is a very compact city, as far as most of the ancient tourist sites are concerned, and easily walkable. Our 72-hour bus pass became a waste of money as we never took a bus again, preferring to walk everywhere. After our colosseum tour, we decided to pass on the Roman Forum tour as we felt we had seen most of it from the perimeter, and on hillsides overlooking it. We wanted to drop by the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps across town, so we started walking in that general direction, finding another good little restaurant along the way.

The crowds on the sidewalks grew larger the closer we got to the Trevi Foundtain until they spilled over into the street. By the time we reached the Trevi Fountain there were THOUSANDS of people packed around it with security guards in front of the fountain trying to keep people moving along instead of hogging the front row to take selfies for too long. The Trevi Fountain is the largest Baroque fountain in the city, and as the Italians would say, the most beautiful in the world. The Trevi fountain is an imposing fountain that served as a display at the termination of an ancient roman acqueduct built in 19 BC, and still working today. There is a lot of very interesting history about the fountain if you click the link to it. When we came here 15 years ago we were on a night-time walking tour and I doubt there was more than a few dozen people around the fountain at the time. I snapped a quick photo and we continue on towards the Spanish Steps.

John Keats, died in a house overlooking the Spanish Steps and since then everyone from Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday to Ray Romano in Everybody Loves Raymond has made sure that taking in the view at the Spanish Steps is part of their Roman Sojourns. The 135-step staircase was built in the 17^th century to connect the newly-built Trinità dei Monti church, owned by the French, from the Piazza di Spagna, or “Spanish Plaza” as a symbolic gesture, a connection between France and Spain and their new-found peace with each other. The crowds were crazy huge here too, so again one quick photo and off we went to gradually walk home again.

When Rosa Maria delivered breakfast to us the next morning, she told us that she could keep our bags for the afternoon while we went to the Vatican and Sistine Chapel before leaving. We had arranged to stay at the Hilton Airport Hotel this night to more easily catch our early flight the next day. We had a tour of the Vatican 15 years ago but I always wanted to go back without a guide, to take our time for photography and reading information about the various art and artifacts.

We had walked all around the walled Vatican City yesterday, to find our tour office to pick up our tickets, and just to see everything from the outside. It’s a LONG walk! Vatican City actually is a country after all. So today we knew where to go and how long it would take. We had purchased online Group Entry tickets. We had to meet our guide who took us, and about 8 others, in through the Group Entrance past the thousands of people lined up, then left us on our own to wander around the Vatican Museums for the day. This was DEFINITELY a good way to get in!

The museums are absolutely MASSIVE with every wall and ceiling covered with art, and every inch of display space filled with antiquities. In 1506 the original nucleus of the Vatican Museums' classic works was set up in the Cortile delle Statue, today known as the Octagonal Court. The Vatican Museums themselves were originally founded as collections of works of classical archaeology. The Popes viewed themselves as the legitimate heirs of Roman history. The pagan capital had turned Christian; the monuments of the Roman civilisation therefore had to be preserved, safeguarded and revered for the honour and glory of the Church.

We did not waste any time, and yet it took us about three hours to walk through all of the rooms and corridors. Near the end, our path led us into the Sistine Chapel . The Sistine Chapel takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV della Rovere (pontiff from 1471 to 1484) who had the old Cappella Magna restored between 1477 and 1480. Michelangelo completed the last of his famous work in the chapel in 1541. The link above provides a lot of information and even a virtual tour.

The guided tour groups had a special exit after viewing the Sistine Chapel. But there were many more rooms and corridors left to see that we missed out on when we were here on our own tour 15 years ago. It was nice to have the tour for our first look, but I highly recommend doing it on your own if you return again.

After our afternoon in the Vatican, we stopped at a sidewalk café for lunch then retrieved our bags, said our goodbyes to Rosa Maria, and made our way to a nearby train station. The short trip, with one quick connection took us directly to the airport. The Hilton Airport Hotel is “connected” by a LONG covered walkway with moving sidewalks. It was comfortable, affordable and had a good bar/restaurant. The next morning as we hustled over to the airport at 5AM, we discovered that the walkways only start running around 6AM! But we had lots of time and had Business Class Turkish Airlines tickets from our Aeroplan points so we were looking forward to enjoying some time in the lounge, but unfortunately could not find it!

Our first stop was Istanbul where we had a few hours to wait. The Turkish Airlines Business Class Lounge here was HUGE with several very good food stations, coffee stations, alcohol stations, work stations, and a variety of tables and seating arrangements. Our flight from Istanbul to Toronto was a little over 10 hours with very comfortable seats that laid completely flat for a bed, and, two private chefs to serve us. We are LOVING this Business Class and Turkish Airlines has the best we have ever experienced so far!



This entry concludes our 8-week travels around Europe. I hope that you enjoyed the blogs!

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Photos

Basilica di San Clemente top level
No photos allowed in lower levels.