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Published: April 30th 2013
Pantheon
Ancient Roman temple dedicated to all the gods. Now a Catholic Church and hence one of the world's longest continuous houses of worship, Rome.Way back in October and November I spent a meager 11 days in Italy after the incredible 4 weeks of peak bagging in the Balkans. I was very fortunate to fly directly to Rome from Split, Croatia on a 12,500 mile frequent flier ticket which saved a lot of
lira and time as the extremely limited, borderline monopolized, quick flights between Croatia and Rome are very expensive. The more economical route is neither cheap nor expedient involving an overnight ferry ride across the Adriatic Sea from Split to Ancona, Italy followed by a morning train ride to Rome.
I'm taking advantage of a decent WiFi connection combined with serious down time during my last few days in Thailand to finally wrap up this entry. It's been necessary to whittle down hundreds of pictures from Rome to a more manageable number but there are still way too many.
Rome
Three full days in Rome was barely enough time for the highlights but I did as much as humanly possible in my brief visit. The 2 walking tours definitely helped me get the most out of my time as I thankfully had someone else paring down from all
the possible places to visit.
Accommodation and food Rome was by far the most expensive city I visited on the entire trip, maybe on any trip anywhere ever. Hostels are certainly not the bargain found in other parts of Europe and the city of Rome is kind enough to charge each tourist €2/night for the privilege of visiting. I did manage to find a great deal for 4 nights at Residenza Giustiniani conveniently located very close to Termini, the main train station, and hence the drop off point for the airport bus. The cost was €22.50/night (+ €2/night city tax) in a 5 person dorm with its own bathroom. As part of a low season special the hostel served free pizza and wine every night although judging by the tourist hordes there doesn't appear to be a low season in Rome. There was also free WiFi at the hostel and usually coffee but not early enough in the morning for me. I actually went to McDonald's for breakfast every day since it was cheap (~€2 for a cappuccino and pastry), quick, and surprisingly not awful. I usually took lunch near the hostel because it was easiest to find an
Pantheon Dome
Oculus in the center of the dome. World's largest unreinforced concrete dome. Comforting... inexpensive special in that neighborhood. Figure €10-12 for a couple of courses, maybe a glass of wine and dessert. Not bad. In all the tourist areas are small shops selling quick bites like eggplant sandwiches for a few euros to keep you going during feverishly paced sightseeing.
Transport First order of business was getting to the center of Rome from Fiumicino Airport (FCO) located 30 kms from Termini. I booked the Terravision bus online for the discounted price of €4 but had to specify on which bus I would leave the airport. Delayed passengers are allowed to take the next bus (departing at ~20 minute intervals) after their prepaid scheduled departure so there is limited flexibility if your flight is late or immigration and/or baggage collection are slow (none were fortunately the case for me). Rome's traffic is abominable and the trip took a little more than an hour. I'm sure flying to Rome on a Friday evening did not help matters. For local transport I may have taken one city bus to the Vatican to get in line early Sunday morning for the museum. Walking everywhere was usually the norm as there is so much to see on
Fontana del Pantheon
Fountain of the Pantheon, Rome. foot but the public transportation system is very good. Leaving Rome was easy, fast, and cheap. I booked on Trenitalia a couple of months in advance to take advantage of a great deal on a ticket to Naples. Like much of Western Europe, train travel in Italy is quite pricey unless booked far ahead of time. The €9 express train left Termini at 7:35 a.m. and arrived in Naples at 8:45 a.m. From there I had to switch to the Circumvesuviana after a short wait finally arriving in Pompeii just after 10:00 a.m. for an additional €2.80. There are a couple of local trains running from Naples to Pompeii but with different destination stations.
Free Walking Tour Hostel employees' opinions were mixed on the free walking tours. I had good luck with great free walking tours in Krakow, Munich, and Sarajevo so I figured I'd give Rome's a shot. There are a few free walking tours in Rome but I went on 2 free tours with
these guys and thought they were both excellent. Tip of €3-5/tourist to the guide seemed the norm and was well worth it. Be prepared for lots of walking on both tours, maybe 2 hrs
each with stops.
St. Peter's Basilica The free walking tour in the morning finishes at St. Peter's. Don't be discouraged by the insanely long line which moved very quickly... even quicker after I ran into some complete strangers from Washington so was able to bypass much of the line via a
chat and cut. No entry fee for the Basilica.
Vatican Museum As luck would have it, I was in Rome for the last Sunday of the month when entry is free (normally €15) and the line is long. The line was not nearly as long as St. Peter's but there was no chance of a chat and cut here. The downside of the free entry was that the museum was positively mobbed. I can't imagine what these sights are like in summer.
Colosseum Also totally mobbed but never free, €12 entry fee for the Colosseum and the adjacent Palatine. For quicker entry, visit the Palatine first where the ticket line is much shorter than at the Colosseum. As a small bonus, the ticket is good for 2 consecutive days so if you hit the Colosseum and Palatine early in the morning/afternoon (easily done), you can sell the second
Bernini's House
Designed much of Rome. day's admission to someone you meet on the 4:00 pm walking tour like I did. So for all the sights I paid something like €13 including tips to the 2 walking tour guides. Cha-ching!
Pompeii
Had great intentions before I arrived in Pompeii but I ended up just relaxing as the torrid pace of Rome and the Balkans must have caught up with me here and I was super tired. Due to an unfortunate bout of low motivation, I missed the two major sites in Pompeii - the well preserved ruins of the ancient city and Mt. Vesuvius. One day absolutely poured and for some reason I decided to take the local train to Sorrento instead of going to the archaeological museum in Naples with someone I met at the hostel.
Accommodation and food I stayed 2 nights at Easy Bed Pompeii Hostel in a 4 person dorm booked on hostelbookers for €22/night including a great breakfast. Dinners were available for €10-12 but I should have passed on the €10 bottle of homemade grape juice attempting to pass as wine. The place has a good vibe, very homey, and there is WiFi. It is a
Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi
Fountain of the Four Rivers, Church of Sant'Agnese, and an Egyptian Obelisk, Piazza Navona, Rome. few minutes walk from the Circumvesuviana stop and a 20 minute walk from the center of Pompeii town which isn't that nice and didn't have any decent budget places to eat either.
Transport I had to go back to Naples to catch the overnight train to Catania, Sicily so I took the Circumvesuviana at 10:05 p.m. for €2.80 and had to wait an hour in Naples until the sleeper train departed at 11:40 p.m. The train was scheduled to arrive at 8:22 a.m. but I think it was an hour or so late. The cost for a berth in a 4 person compartment was €26 (again, booked months in advance) but there was only one other passenger making for a quiet night.
Catania
Beautiful Sicilian town with great food.
Abbondanza! Accommodation and food C.C.Ly Hostel had dorm beds for €17/night (low season price) including breakfast with espresso, WiFi, and a cheap laundry service. It is a few minutes' walk from the train and bus stations. I ate all dinners at Trattoria del Cavaliere who served amazing
antipasti plates for €6-8 sloshed down with €5 bottles of wine. Great deal. Overall, Sicily was much cheaper
than Rome.
Transport Bus travel around the island is really expensive with confusing schedules but is usually easier than taking trains between many principal cities. Siracuse, one hour away from Catania, was €6 one way while Palermo was €14.90 for the 2:40 ride but affording incredible views of Mt. Etna much of the way. Should have skipped Siracuse and spent my last night in Palermo which was the port for the ferry to Tunisia. There are a few different ferries leaving Sicily for Tunisia from either Palermo or Trapani. I opted for the overnight Grimaldi ferry (once/week, otherwise all day) theoretically departing at 11:30 p.m. but actually leaving 2 hours late and arriving in Tunis at 12:30 p.m. the following day. The fare for a single berth in a 4 person inner cabin (no sea view but nothing to see at night anyway) with private bathroom and shower was €85. It was actually very nice and quiet if a bit cramped. Deck class was €60 and a continental breakfast of coffee, juice, yogurt, and croissant was available for €5 paid at the time of the online booking.
Mt. Etna I thought it would be possible to take the
public bus from Catania to Mt. Etna, climb to the crater rim, and return to Catania in the same day. It most definitely was not. I went with someone from the hostel whom I also met in Pompeii. We left on the bus at 8:10 a.m., annoyingly stopped at Nicolosi for 20 minutes, and reached Refugio Sapienza high on Etna's slopes at 10:00 a.m. which was very late for a summit attempt as we were planning to catch the bus back later in the afternoon. The return bus leaves at 4:30 p.m., arriving in Catania at 5:45 p.m. and the fare is €3.85 each way. There is a cable car a small part of the way up the volcano but it would not have been much of a time saver. There is accommodation at the refugio but it was exorbitantly priced. Without spending the night at the refugio, the only possible way to summit Etna using public transport would be to take the morning bus, stash an overnight bivy pack with the refugio, go for the summit, return to the refugio after the bus has left, pick up the pack and find someplace out of sight to spend the night
before catching the bus to Catania the following morning or afternoon.
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