Weekend in Rome - family time

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Since I was unable to meet my sister in Stockholm in April due to work, we decided a long school weekend in May would make up for it. So, we decided to meet in Rome, which my sister and the kids had not been to before. My BIL had and I had been 10 years ago, and I thought it would be interesting to see how it stacked up now that I was a more experienced traveler. I love the history of Rome and how they basically just built within and around the ruins in place for thousands of years. However, I did not enjoy the scams, pickpockets, dirtiness and general chaos; I absolutely love the smaller areas of Italy - friendly people, delicious food, interesting villages.... but Rome was not high on my list. I remember my friend asking me when in Paris "Paris or Rome?" and it was Paris no hesitation. So, let's see if my assessment stands.

I flew in after work and arrived late in the evening, the kids tried so hard to stay awake to see me come. Already, I was in love - I miss them so much! My sister had a terrible arrival as they apparently did not book their one suitcase on the direct flight over - just did not do it, no apologies. So, I said I would pick it up on my way since my flight arrived about 5 hours later especially since they could not even guarantee to deliver it until some random time the next day). On the one hand, it was super easy to walk from my arrival terminal to theirs. On the other hand, it was a lot, lot, lot of red tape to go through to pick up. T was on the phone for a couple of hours and the security guard patiently waited for the go ahead before she let me into the terminal baggage claim area. Once I got to the lost and found luggage it was a breeze. I will say, the airport employees were all generally very nice and helpful!

I took the train to the main station and my sister met me to walk to our airbnb, which was about a 15-minute walk and down a random side street. It was a small unit, but it worked for all of us just fine. It was also centrally located, so we walked a lot this trip. They had arrived earlier in the day and already did a pizza making class and saw the Piazza Navona and Spanish Steps.

Coliseum and Roman Forum

First stop the next day was to go to the Coliseum where we met a guide they had booked, Laura. She was great! It rained off and on, but it was otherwise a nice day. She led us into the Coliseum and discussed some of the history. I remembered a lot from my first tour here, and it was interesting to hear more and different information from someone else - it did not conflict, but was different things to focus on. The coliseum was under heavy construction when I arrived, so looked a little different, plus it just seemed so crowded, but maybe that was many people seeking the little shelter from the rain where they could. We walked around on the upper level looking down at the stage area while Laura explained how the shows worked, including that it used to be able to be flooded and they could do ship battles (I did not know that! and it sounds so cool!).

We continued around the upper level and then soon left and made our way to the Roman Forum. I remember loving the Roman Forum more than the coliseum and I think my sister did too. There is just so much history here and it is more spread out so you feel like you can explore a little more. This time, we walked into some different areas than I remember, so again, same same but different.

We left Laura and walked down the nearby corridor in the opposite direction from where we came, see interesting facades of the Capitola Museums and then down a side street to find a place to eat. We wound up at a restaurant with outdoor seating. Ugh, tourist area. Expensive meal, ok staff, ok food, interesting views, but I think we were all a bit let down on our first main meal. We walked by the Curio de Pompeo, where Caesar was assassinated (now it is open, but was not at the time). There was also a cat colony here, which little O just loved.

Pantheon and Trevi Fountain and Pizza

Next we walked to the Pantheon, which I did not get to see on my previous trip. It was a long line but free, and the line moved very fast. You just walk in and circle around the amazing interior. It was so impressive! The Pantheon is a former Roman Temple come church with the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome. I think just about everyone gasps as they walk through the doors.

Then we walked to get some gelato - you have to have your daily gelato in Rome! I sat with the kids on the curb on a side street while we enjoyed our treats. Then we all walked to the Trevi Fountain, of course just completely crowded, but we were able to take a few pictures including a group selfie. This was just a couple of days before the environmental protesters turned the water black mind you (ugh). I took the kids back to the apartment for some down time while K and T visited some other areas of Rome together.

That evening we went in search of pizza. The place T initially planned on was shut down, it looked like permanently. Thankfully, we lucked out on a nearby restaurant which looked amazing and it was! The staff were super friendly, lots of choices and all were good, and a great atmosphere. We shared about 4 pizzas between the six of us and it was perfect.

Capuchin Crypt, Tiber River, Castel Sant Angelo, and Vatican City

The next morning, T took the kids to the park zoo nearby while K and I walked to the nearby Crypt Museum, which had a very very very detailed mini-museum of the Capuchin order. If you were a religious person or on a personal pilgrimage, it would be interesting; we were bored. However, the actual crypts in the old stone church below were impressive - the organization of many bones into a decorative figures within the crypts was a bit macabre but interesting (no photos allowed).

Our next stop was the Tiber River on our way to visit the Vatican. I had never crossed the Tiber River on foot, so it was kind of exciting to see. We passed by the Castel Sant Angelo, which had a very long line outside - we were a bit sad we could not see it, but we got to walk around the impressive outer walls in a small park area. Very nice. Then we made our way to the Vatican; it was so busy in town so we did not have tickets to visit the interior - I think K was a bit sad about it and I had fond memories, but it would have taken at least 2 hours and we had a bit of a time crunch. However, we did get to enjoy the piazza outside the basilica which is just an impressive sight on its own. So, I think we both considered the day a success.

Gelato Making and Piazza Navona

We had a long walk to the meeting point where we all were scheduled for a gelato making class at the Gelateria del Teatro. The chef (originally from Peru) met us, gave us aprons, and walked us through the history of the store as well as the general gelato making process. It was quite fun as the kids were adding the ingredients and put into the machine to start the process. While we waited the necessary time, we had a gelato tasting - unlimited!! I tried three I think but the kids seemed to try each flavor, some twice. Then we finished up the gelato into the pan and got an actual serving of our preferred gelato. It was a fun experience.

On our way back we stopped at the Piazza Navona, which I had not visited before. It was a large rectangular square with incredible fountains. The fountains were really quite intricate and had nice stories behind them, such as the Fiumi Fountain which is an ode to four rivers.

We made our way back to the apartment and just had T and K pick us up some food from a local panini-like shop. It was meh but we were not that hungry for some strange reason....

Saying goodbye!

The next morning we had a driver scheduled to pick us up at 10am for the airport. I think we were mostly packed, but one of the kids lost something and it made us late. The driver was very displeased. Seriously, the friendliness in Rome leaves a lot to be desired. But we made our way to the first terminal where we were dropped off. My flight left 3 hours later so I waited for them to go through security and I was able to see them one last time before they went through duty free. It melted my heart to see the kiddos wave up at me before leaving. I miss them so much.

Then I slowly made my way to the other terminal, literally a 5 minute walk. I tried to hang out at a restaurant because I figured we were not boarding yet, but they were so irritable I decided to see if I could check in- and I could! I also upgraded using my miles since I had to use many by the end of June anyway (I had "plenty") - thankfully my check-in agent was super friendly. The Emirates lounge was actually quite nice and very quiet. It was very pleasant to just chill for a few hours and I even got to see them take off!

Final thoughts on Rome

Well, my initial impressions seem to be accurate. I think on my previous trips to other areas of Italy I was extremely happy - it was just Rome that left a bad taste. And that is still true. Though I still prefer it to Athens, if only because it is easier to get around. It's just disappointing because the history of this place is so amazing but it is lacking in so many other ways. So, really, two days in this city is more than enough time. Anywhere else in Italy is going to be amazing and memorable for the right reasons.

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Comments

[Home and Away]

I second your opinion of Rome...
and every other tourist destination in Europe!

[lexispence10]

Tourist cities
Yeah, it was mid-May and already just so crowded. I can't even imagine what is is looking like in summer.

[Ake Och Emma]

I too love the fountains in Rome
I completely understand what you mean when you say that you love the fountains in Rome. So do I. Last time I was there I wrote an entire blog entry about fountains. /Ake