Rome

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Day 1

We arrived in Rome at the ridiculously early time of 7am. Oli visited Rome about ten years ago but as he has the memory of a fish it was like doing it all over again for him. We got a Terravision bus to Termini station which cost 4 Euro then caught the metro to our hotel. We stayed at Caesar’s Rooms which is right next to Ottaviano stop and two streets north of Vatican City. The tube was packed, we found out later the pope was out and about in St Peter’s Square so everyone was going to see that. We left our luggage at the hotel and walked to St Peter’s Square. The Square was completely packed out and the crowds extended down the long street which leads up to St Peter’s. We saw the pope on the big screens they had stationed around the sides of the square but we couldn’t catch a glimpse. We headed down the street towards the Castel Sant'Angelo, which was once the tallest building in Rome and sits next to the River Tiber. We paid the 10.5 Euro entrance fee and had a wander around. We tried to get some food at the restaurant but the service was so slow we walked out. We went up to the top which provided a nice photo opportunity of the basilica. We headed back to the hotel and got some pizza on the way. There are lots of little pizza shops around with square pizzas on the counter where you say how much pizza you want and they cut you off a square and heat it up for you. That evening we walked around the streets near our hotel and sampled lots of different pizzas at various pizza shops, all of which were very tasty. We checked into our hotel, it is in a great location and the room was huge. Good private bathroom, comfy bed, nice decor, TV and a mini fridge.

The equivalent in Rome to the little blue spinning tops we saw in Barcelona are these squidgy little coloured balls with faces on that your throw on the ground and they go splat then reform into the ball again. There are people trying to sell them on every corner and they throw it down on the ground then look at you like you’re going to be really impressed, and you’re really not. Makes me laugh every time. There is also an abundance of people selling sunglasses, bags, little tripods and jewellery laid out on sheets in the street. The seller walks around with all his goods trussed up in a sheet then just lays it down wherever he fancies.

Day 2

Today is Vatican City day. We had a 9:30 Vatican City Garden’s tour booked. The gardens have been closed off for a while to the public and they only just reopened on the 6^th May. You are only able to visit the gardens with a guided tour. Once the tour is over you are then able to access the museums, the Sistine Chapel etc. Unfortunately it was raining when we left our hotel, the salespeople were out in full force, they had replaced their sunglasses and wooden baskets with umbrellas and rain coats. They were relentless, even tried selling me an umbrella while I was under one. There was a massive queue around the block to get in the Vatican Museums, but we trotted to the front of the queue with our reservation and in we went. We met our tour group and headed out around the gardens. The rain stopped and started so we had some time where the sun came out for some nice pictures. Our tour guide pointed out where the pope is currently living and we got to see some lovely gardens and fountains. We also got some great views of the basilica. The ticket to get in the Vatican museums without a tour is 16 Euro and to have the Vatican City Gardens tour was only an extra 16 Euro so we felt it was worth it. After the tour we had a little sit down and snuck in a couple of games on Candy Crush Saga before we started on the museums. It had been at least 12 hours since our last pizza so we got some pizza in the pizzeria. Very reasonable prices considering the location. Then we started on the museums. Now I am not really a museum person and I kind of felt like once I had seen one fancy painting I had seen them all so I was quite keen to speed through. However the crowd had other ideas and we had to shuffle along at a snail’s pace. I heard the crowd described as a human river which I felt was very appropriate due to the constant pushing and jostling. It was also stiflingly hot. They really do cram a lot of people into a small amount of space and there are so many tour groups of 50 odd people stood stationary in the middle of a small corridor while a tour guide explains the significance of a statue head that it is impossible to move. After an hour of shuffling, we reached the Sistine Chapel which was completely packed. The guards are constantly shushing loudly at people and telling you to keep moving which kind of ruins the experience. I know this is where the Pope is elected and the ceiling is very beautiful but by that point I just wanted my personal space back so we made a swift exit.

When you leave the Sistine Chapel you have two options, the signs say the Exit is to the left and most people head this way. Our tour guide told us to head to the right as this takes you straight into St. Peter’s Basilica and you can avoid what can only be described as the biggest queue I have ever seen in my life. However, the right side is not always open. Thankfully it was open when we went. We headed through there and joined a much shorter queue for tickets to climb up the dome in the basilica. It cost 7 Euro to take the lift then the steps or 5 Euro to take the stairs all the way up. We chose the lift option but you still need to climb 320 stairs after the lift. A few people were ill equipped to deal with the stairs and had to stop half way up, some embarrassing, cramped overtaking ensued.

Eventually we reached the top and were greeted with more crowds. Due to some expert manoeuvring we were able to get some good front row spots for a few pictures. Then we headed back down the steps, which was actually worse than going up as there was a few thin spiral steps which made me a bit dizzy to look down at (not as bad as Sagrada Familia steps though!). Once at the bottom we came straight out into the basilica and was able to walk around there so it is definitely worth going right if you can once you leave the Sistine Chapel!

Then we headed back to our hotel. We got another slice of pizza and weird sandwich but not a sandwich thing with broccoli, courgettes, peppers, aubergine and spinach in it which was spicy and actually very nice. I also got a Nutella and nuts crepe from a crepe shop on the way for 3.5 Euro.

Then we got ready for one of our most anticipated events of the holiday, watching the Italian Tennis Open! It was only a 3k walk to the stadium from our hotel so we made our way there and picked up our tickets at the ticket office outside. Then we milled about outside the stadium before it started. We saw Serena Williams come out on her way home, the crowd went crazy, we managed to get really close and got some pictures. Then we took our seats at the stadium, we were at the top in the middle behind the players. We got to see Maria Sharapova and Roger Federer, who both easily beat their opponents. The games still lasted over an hour each and we really enjoyed watching them, especially Federer. Oli drank red wine, I ate chocolate and the mosquitoes tried to eat me.



Day 3

Another early start, this morning we had a 9:41 (why not just 9:40?) Underground Colosseum Tour. I woke up with a sore throat and Oli woke up with a runny nose. I blame the couple behind us on the bus to the airport who were snuffling and coughing all over us. We took the red line to Termini and then switched to the blue line, two stops to Colosseo. We collected our tickets from within the Colosseum and joined our tour group. A black cat followed us on our tour around the Colosseum, he looked friendly enough but he spat at anyone who tried to stroke him.

We enjoyed the tour, first we went out onto the reconstructed wooden floor part where the gladiators used to fight and then went underneath to see the tunnels the gladiators walked down before their fight. They also used to send a lot of prisoners here to fight with tigers, lions and elephants and as the prisoners were unarmed it was essentially used as capital punishment by the government. It used to be covered in marble and have large iron and bronze clamps in the walls but these were removed and reused once they stopped using it for entertainment purposes (I think this was around 500 AD). Then she took us up to the top floor in the Colosseum. We enjoyed this and the underground bit especially as she had to unlock doors to let us through and other tourists wanted to come too but there we told “No non ti è permesso senza una guida turistica” (No, you’re not allowed without a tour guide). We were the only ones up on the high level and it had a great view of Palatine (which I kept calling Palestine) Hill.

Then we used our ticket to see the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill which had a lot of old stuff in it. We had a mooch around and took some photos then went to the Pantheon and had another mooch.

We didn’t have time for breakfast as we were starving so we thought we may as well have some more pizza! We found another hole in the wall and ordered 3 slices of different pizzas and ate them outside sat on a step in the sun. Then we wandered around trying to find the Trevi Fountain. On the way I bought some more ice cream, more strawberry and coconut but I got chocolate this time. Only 3 Euro and he put a load of squirty cream on top for free. However, as we left the counter there was an incident. Witness reports vary, but the general consensus is that Oliver Hughes stepped back and rubbed shoulders with the ice cream. He picked the worst possible ice cream to connect with, (the chocolate one) thus covering his yellow top in a nice splodge of brown.

Onto the Trevi fountain, nice, big, busy. Photos taken, onto the Spanish steps. Also nice, big and busy. Took some photos, sat in the sun and started the walk back to our hotel over the river.

We went for a meal at a Thai restaurant nearby called Miyabi for dinner, which was amazing. We had Thai green chicken curry, prawns in a thai chilli sauce and Oli had 6 pieces of sashimi, 3 pieces of tuna and 3 salmon. Sp tomorrow we fly home! We have enjoyed our trip; got engaged, seen many an old building and ate far too much pizza and ice cream.

Below are some tips and tricks I have picked up if you ever plan on parking (although in a lot of cases it isn’t really parking, more dumping) your car in Rome.

Lisa’s guide to parking in Rome

1. Don’t bother looking for a space in a car park, they are often several minutes walk from your destination. It is much more convenient to use the other parking solutions below. If you do come across a space in a car park, don’t worry about parking within the lines, ideally you should be at a 45 degree angle to the lines of the parking bay.

2. Many streets in Rome have a lane for cars to parallel park. It is rare you will find a space large enough for your car to fit, so just drive head first into it and mount the pavement. Now the pavement will be at least 6 inches high so you will need to drive at it with some speed. Don’t worry about pedestrians they will move for you. Alternatively, just point the nose of the car into the space and leave the back end in the middle of the road. Even if you do find a space big enough for your car, don’t feel the need to park it correctly. A distance of 4 feet from the pavement is totally acceptable.

3. Another favoured trick is to start another row next to an already full row of parallel parked cars. Ideally you should be on a major road, thus preventing the use of that lane and also blocking the car in beside you so when they return to their vehicle they can’t get out.

4. If none of these parking solutions take your fancy, you could also try parking over pedestrian crossings or head for the nearest large junction, drive halfway across then just pull over and park up.

It is rare to find a car in Rome which does not have damage to the front, back or both bumpers and/ or wheel arches. This is inevitably caused by trying to negotiate the car either in or out of a parking conundrum. Do not bother repairing the damage, it will only happen again tomorrow when you leave your car parked in the middle of a busy intersection.

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Comments

[Phyllis Farrand]

Best wishes yo you both!!!
What a nice surprise to find your e-mail. Rome is the only one that I have. Your really had a good time and it sounded as if you did everything you were supposed to do while in Rome. Janie had told me of your engagement, Marie phoned her last Sunday. I am so pleased for you both and let us hear all of the plans. Love Phyllis