Roman Holiday

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Today was the single most exhausting day so far. We all fell into bed completely wasted, but convinced we had made the most of every minute. Because we knew we had loads we wanted to see and do today we left Montone early. It was weird to say goodbye to the place since we had been there so long. We went down to Aine and Fabio to say goodbye to them personally too. They had been fabulous hosts and we were glad we chose their place to stay.

The drive to Rome was very easy as it was on motorway nearly the whole way. We did get slowed down at a toll booth. Toby chose the shortest line, but unfortunately the driver in front of us had obviously never used an automatic toll booth before. He had no idea where to put his ticket or his money. Eventually Fiona got out and helped him, which involved lots of pointing due to her lack of Italian. He was an old guy and his wife was giving him lots of direction from the seat next to him. Shame it wasn't any use!

Between the sat nav and the directions Fiona had pre- printed, we managed to get to the hotel incredibly easily. We were very surprised and extremely happy that we hadn't got annoyed with each other. The hotel is not in a particularly attractive area of Rome, but Fiona and Toby had stayed before and knew that it was safe and a nice hotel. Turning into the hotel gates is like entering an oasis. And best of all, especially for Rome, it is incredibly cheap.

As expected we couldn't check in so early but we could leave the car and all our luggage. We had prepared for this and had the necessities for the day in a backpack. We walked up to the station and into the subway. Then things got a bit ugly. The line we wanted was closed and was replaced by a bus. However we didn't really understand the signs and were allowed into the subway only to have to wander around until we ended up at a bus stop outside. It was stinking hot in the subway, we didn't know where we were going, we were wasting time and we got grumpy. Eventually we did get on the bus and were slightly cheered up as we watched 2 friends try to get on a packed bus. One got on and the other didn't and had to wave goodbye as her friend departed. Not really funny but you could see it was going to happen and it was worse than our situation so made us feel better.

We were headed for a cafe near the pantheon, but got sidetracked when we realised we were passing the Trevi fountain. We all threw our obligatory coins into the fountain and then remembered there was a good gelateria around the corner. That meant it was gelato time of course. San Crisipino is a big gelateria. They keep their milk based gelato at a different temperature to their sorbets which is very pedantic, but a good idea. Fiona loved the Warner brothers spoons as much as the gelato.

We continued on our walk and finally got to the cafe, where we had cappuccino at the bar. It was very good and definitely what we needed. Harriet wasn't keen on a coffee so she grabbed a granita from across the road and then we went into the pantheon. We marvelled at the architecture of the huge dome, were amazed by the age of the building and discovered the holes in the floor to let the rain drain away when it comes through the roof. We were also shocked that the dress policy from every other church didn't seem to apply here.

We went slightly the wrong way to get to piazza Navona. It should have been very easy but we walked in the wrong direction. However that did give us the chance to see piazza Argentina where Caesar was murdered by Brutus. When we go to Navona we cooled down at the fountains and just took some time to enjoy the atmosphere.

The next stop was campo Di fiori. The market was on but it was only tourist stuff not food. We were hungry so we went to a little shop in the corner and bought pizza by the slice and a cake for dessert. Then we went to the next piazza where the French embassy is. The fountains here are made from old bath tubs. We sat on the front of the embassy, which was designed by Michaelangelo, to eat and rest. Harriet and Toby were too overcome with laughter to help when a bird pooed on Fiona's shoulder. Not of many people can say they have been pooed on whilst sitting on a Michaelangelo. Luckily it went on her skin not clothes and was easy to clean up and was a source of amusement for the others for the rest of the day.

Expecting huge queues, we had booked tickets for the Vatican museum, so that was where we headed next. It was a pleasant walk but the weather was so humid we were pretty uncomfortable by the time we got there. We changed into pants and shirts in the toilets and had no trouble getting in. There were no queues for those buying tickets either. Rome is definitely quiet at this time of year or due to the economy. We didn't look at much of the art in the museum but made our way towards the Sistene Chapel. There were a few pieces that stood out on the way and we stopped to admire them. The Sistene chapel was beautiful. It wasn't even too packed. We got plenty of time to enjoy the art and to think about the use of the chapel as the place where the pope is chosen. It would have been great to have lain down on the floor to really appreciate the ceiling but it wasn't really possible. So with sore necks we moved on.

As we walked back to St Peters Harriet bought some key rings from the street sellers. They were lined up the whole route from the museum to the church and were selling key rings, bags and belts - fake of course. Their stalls were ingeniously designed to be packed up in 2 seconds, which is what happened. The police came into view and within 2 seconds all the stalls were gone. Harriet was completely enthralled by the speed and ingenuity. One customer had their purchase pulled back off them in order for the vendor to get away. It was very funny. Within a couple of minutes they were all back and trading as if nothing has happened.

We had to queue for a very short time to get into St Peters, but only for the security check. When we got to the church to was interesting to see how many people were turned away for inappropriate dress. They were incredibly strict. Skirts had to be on the knee, shoulders covered and guys in shorts were turned away too. We were glad we had come prepared even if we were boiling to death. We saw the statue of Peter with his foot worn away from centuries of devotees kissing it and some un-decomposed saints which still seem to be obligatory in Italian churches. We couldn't go into the crypt as they were preparing for mass and moving people out.

Toby still wanted to get Fiona a Prada bag, so we walked towards the Spanish steps where all the designer shops are. On the way we tried to find a good gelato store but the one we wanted was closed down. Harriet was not very happy that it was a single gelato day. She was appeased by the thought that we would get the best tiramisu for dessert in the evening. Prada was right near the steps but they didn't have any of the handbags that Fiona wanted except in orange and who wants an orange handbag? So once more she went without.

We sat on the steps and thought about what to do next. We were all worn out and very hot. The nearby taxi rank looked incredibly inviting so we grabbed a cab back to the hotel. We checked in and were incredibly and pleasantly surprised by our room. We had a huge room for the three of us and a balcony that was almost as big. We still couldn't believe the price was so cheap. The receptionist also pointed us in the right direction to get buses and trams to where we needed to go. Harriet was very relieved as the walk to the station this morning had taken us past a few unsavoury people and she now knew she didn't have to walk that way again.

Toby and Fiona nipped into the supermarket next door and we had our own aperitivi on the balcony. We played some more cards and enjoyed the last of the sunshine for the day. Once we felt revived we caught the bus to Travestere, passing the Colosseum on the way. It was the first glimpse we had had and the one thing Harriet really wanted to see.

We were going to try pizza for dinner as Harriet loves it and Rome is supposed to be good at it. Of course if you are from Naples, you would argue that Naples does the best pizza. But we were in Rome and we had been recommended to go to Dar Poeta. We struggled to find the place at first. We passed a few places doing aperitivi buffets. These looked much more like the sort of thing we had been expecting in Milan. People were really making it it a meal rather than a pre meal snack. Travestere was really pretty and lively and we saw most of it looking for Dar Poeta. When we did find it there was a huge queue. We wandered around some more and ended up going back to put our name on a list. While we waited for our table we went to a bar and had second aperitivi. The pizza was worth waiting for. We hardly had to wait once we had ordered, it was on the table in a couple of minutes. Harriet loved it.

But by the time we had finished it was really late. We went back to the bus stop only to discover they were no longer running. We jumped on a tram and kept an eye out for taxi ranks. Taxis in Rome can't be hailed. You have to get them at a rank. We found one a couple of stops away and after stopping the driver from playing his trumpet we were off in search of tiramisu. This was not our day for desserts. The tiramisu shop was shut too and so the taxi took us straight back to the hotel. The only solution was to plan for more gelato tomorrow.

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Photos

Toby at the Trevi
he'll be back in Rome because he threw in his coin

Stairs in the Vatican
Wide enough to ride a horse up

A Swiss Guard
Special soldiers for the Vatican