Rome
Day one:
We arrived in Rome later than we usually do on our trips (not having to get get the 5am flight for once); we landed at Fiumicino airport in the early evening/ late afternoon, and I couldn’t have been more excited. We walked down towards the buses, coaches and taxi’s, finding a coach to the city centre for the price of twenty euros for a return (each). Getting on the coach, it took around 40 – 50 mins to get to the central bus station. Walking through to the underground station we purchased two 3-day travel passes for thirty-eight euros, this included underground, train and bus so probably a needed investment.
We got off the train at the Colosseum station and continued towards the hotel. Then strolled through these little streets that were situated just behind the Roman Forum and we finally found our hotel. The hotel (Imperial Relais) was difficult to find due to it not being signposted well, but it was in a great location and well worth the money, I would recommend. One thing that we didn't realise until we arrived is that we had to pay tax on arrival which wasn't included in the price quoted, it was ten euro's a night and had to be paid cash. After dropping our stuff off, we decided to have a look around and grab some food as we were hungry by this time. We found this little restaurant in a small square where people were sitting outside warming themselves on outdoor heaters with a glass of wine. The restaurant was clearly popular with the locals, so we sat and ordered our first meal in Rome. Bruschetta to start, Carbonara for the main and even treated ourselves to some desserts. It wasn’t the best food in all honesty, but Alex seemed to love it. Carrying on up the road which the square was just off we soon stumbled upon the Trevi fountain. It was lit up and wasn’t as busy as we know it to be in the day time but probably more beautiful if that is possible. We threw in some of our English coins as we hadn’t yet received change for our Euro notes (hoping that this doesn’t stop its powers!).
We then wandered back to our hotel as we were feeling the tiredness more than ever. We ended up walking around the back way coming across the Roman Forum all lit up as well. The craziest thing was the fact that these ancient ruins were just next to you as you walked down the road, every turn seemed to be a mystery as to what you would discover. For this night though, we decided that was enough exploring and needed to sleep.
We arrived in Rome later than we usually do on our trips (not having to get get the 5am flight for once); we landed at Fiumicino airport in the early evening/ late afternoon, and I couldn’t have been more excited. We walked down towards the buses, coaches and taxi’s, finding a coach to the city centre for the price of twenty euros for a return (each). Getting on the coach, it took around 40 – 50 mins to get to the central bus station. Walking through to the underground station we purchased two 3-day travel passes for thirty-eight euros, this included underground, train and bus so probably a needed investment.
We got off the train at the Colosseum station and continued towards the hotel. Then strolled through these little streets that were situated just behind the Roman Forum and we finally found our hotel. The hotel (Imperial Relais) was difficult to find due to it not being signposted well, but it was in a great location and well worth the money, I would recommend. One thing that we didn't realise until we arrived is that we had to pay tax on arrival which wasn't included in the price quoted, it was ten euro's a night and had to be paid cash. After dropping our stuff off, we decided to have a look around and grab some food as we were hungry by this time. We found this little restaurant in a small square where people were sitting outside warming themselves on outdoor heaters with a glass of wine. The restaurant was clearly popular with the locals, so we sat and ordered our first meal in Rome. Bruschetta to start, Carbonara for the main and even treated ourselves to some desserts. It wasn’t the best food in all honesty, but Alex seemed to love it. Carrying on up the road which the square was just off we soon stumbled upon the Trevi fountain. It was lit up and wasn’t as busy as we know it to be in the day time but probably more beautiful if that is possible. We threw in some of our English coins as we hadn’t yet received change for our Euro notes (hoping that this doesn’t stop its powers!).
We then wandered back to our hotel as we were feeling the tiredness more than ever. We ended up walking around the back way coming across the Roman Forum all lit up as well. The craziest thing was the fact that these ancient ruins were just next to you as you walked down the road, every turn seemed to be a mystery as to what you would discover. For this night though, we decided that was enough exploring and needed to sleep.
Day Two:
We were woken up by someone knocking on our door to bring us a continental breakfast. This was lovely and set up our day for the miles we would inevitably walk today. Before we left the hotel, we decided it would probably be best to buy a ticket or entrance to one or more of the attractions. This turned out to be the best idea as the ques were giant and without the queue-jumping solution on the tickets, you would waste much of the day waiting around. We booked the ticket that included the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill for eighteen euros each on the app ‘Get your guide’. We have used this app for most of our city breaks as it allows you to see the genuine price of tickets.
First off, we headed to the Colosseum which was positioned just down the road from us. As we walked up there, we were bombarded with tour guides and scammers asking if we wanted to buy anything or if we needed a tour. This is quite a regular thing at tourist attractions, so we’re used to saying ‘no thank you’ … a lot! However, once Inside we were mesmerised. The place was ginormous and picturing how this venue would have been used back in the Roman era brought it all to life. It was beautiful to look at, and luckily for us, the weather was looking good. After spending a hour walking around the Colosseum we needed to move on to the next attraction. Across the road was Palatine Hill which had a queue of people with the same tickets, but this wasn’t too bad. We were soon in and looking around. We went straight to the top and were rewarded with views over the Colosseum and over the other ruins that took over the ground below. It was a truly beautiful view. As we made our way down, we walked through what would have been a village to which had been invaded back when it was fully populated, and a group of women were kidnapped from there. This also included the Roman Forum, which was the name of the bunch of villages. It’s amazing that thousands of years ago the Roman people would have been living there own lives in the places where we stood now.
We were woken up by someone knocking on our door to bring us a continental breakfast. This was lovely and set up our day for the miles we would inevitably walk today. Before we left the hotel, we decided it would probably be best to buy a ticket or entrance to one or more of the attractions. This turned out to be the best idea as the ques were giant and without the queue-jumping solution on the tickets, you would waste much of the day waiting around. We booked the ticket that included the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill for eighteen euros each on the app ‘Get your guide’. We have used this app for most of our city breaks as it allows you to see the genuine price of tickets.
First off, we headed to the Colosseum which was positioned just down the road from us. As we walked up there, we were bombarded with tour guides and scammers asking if we wanted to buy anything or if we needed a tour. This is quite a regular thing at tourist attractions, so we’re used to saying ‘no thank you’ … a lot! However, once Inside we were mesmerised. The place was ginormous and picturing how this venue would have been used back in the Roman era brought it all to life. It was beautiful to look at, and luckily for us, the weather was looking good. After spending a hour walking around the Colosseum we needed to move on to the next attraction. Across the road was Palatine Hill which had a queue of people with the same tickets, but this wasn’t too bad. We were soon in and looking around. We went straight to the top and were rewarded with views over the Colosseum and over the other ruins that took over the ground below. It was a truly beautiful view. As we made our way down, we walked through what would have been a village to which had been invaded back when it was fully populated, and a group of women were kidnapped from there. This also included the Roman Forum, which was the name of the bunch of villages. It’s amazing that thousands of years ago the Roman people would have been living there own lives in the places where we stood now.
On walking back through the streets, we became stuck in the middle of a protest. The protest was run by a group called USB, with their statement being ‘stand up for your rights’. This was about the immigrants to which Rome was not taking in. Even with it being our first interaction with the lives these people live daily, we became clear that the Italian people were very passionate about what they cared about. We then decided to go and visit Circo Massimo which was used for chariot racing. This was a tip we saw in a travel magazine on the plane however, maybe because it was December, we didn’t find it impressive at all. It was just a green space with a track like structure around it. Being underwhelmed by this, we decided to walk back home and get ready for the evening. We ended up walking past a small room to which we assumed to be a museum but this turned out to be an exhibition for an exclusive sculpture by Michelangelo. This sculpture hadn’t been in any other exhibition apart from when it was in Russia. This was a lovely little find, and we didn’t even have to pay for it. This was in a place called Fondazione Alda Fendi – Esperimenti, and it holds the L'Adolescente sculpture. This exhibition is running from the 15th December 2018 until the 10th March 2019, so if you’re an art-loving person head down there but maybe give the chariot racing green a miss.
Then we came across this palace-like structure to which turned out to be a museum. This was about the First World War, the creation of Italy and who founded it and the Crimean war. This was an interesting museum, and I would recommend for anyone travelling to Rome to give it a visit. Leaving this museum, we finally decided to head home as it was getting colder. Once in the warmth, we started to get ready for dinner. We found a restaurant on our street, meaning we didn’t have to walk far for amazing food. Alle Carrette Pizzeria was packed out on this evening, and we even had to wait for a table, but it was worth it. Alex had the carbonara pizza with me having a four cheese and asparagus/leek pizza, and both were incredible, it had reasonable prices as well. We took an after-dinner stroll towards the Colosseum round in a circle back to our hotel. We were now ready to see the Pope tomorrow!
Day Three:
A day of religion.
Today being a Sunday, we thought it best to investigate the religious aspects of Rome as many people know the city for. We were off to the Vatican City. Finding a bus stop not too far away from us we then boarded the bus which was going to the Vatican. If you’re ever in Rome and travelling on a Sunday anywhere, that isn’t the Vatican be warned that the buses stopping on that route become very overly packed. On arriving here, we were greeted by security monitors as though we were heading into an airport. This clearly being for the Pope’s and our protection. The people around us swarmed in and out of them, and we became aware that this was going to be a packed-out event.
We weaved our way through the crowds and arrived a spot that looked up at the window, from there we could also hear and see the Sunday groups doing their dance routines keeping the children entertained. Soon enough the Pope appeared at a high up window and gave his blessing. This was all in Italian so we couldn’t understand much, but it was an amazing experience that is a must if in Rome around any time he is speaking. We left just before he finished as we heard another English couple saying how the Church would be packed if they didn’t get in now, so we decided this would be the best option for us as well. We walked into the Church, and the altar was covered in gold with statues positioned all around the room and a high grand ceiling. Getting closer to the alter a man asked what our business was there, we said for the Service (having overheard this being the key to getting past). It was even grander up close, there was a throne situated in the middle of the altar surrounded by clouds and little babies, clearly symbolising the heavenly throne. This was mesmerising. We sat through the service again not understanding much but not caring due to the beautiful setting we were in. Truly a once in a lifetime opportunity that we were so pleased to be a part of. After the service, we continued looking around at the Pope tombs where you can see the skeletons of the past Pope’s. (very creepy)
Leaving the Vatican after this having seen it all, as the Sistien chapel wasn’t open today. Just outside we found rows and rows of people selling Pope merchandise which we found hilarious. We ended up buying rosary beads which came in a pot that had the Pope’s face plastered on it. We just couldn’t get enough of them. We ended up heading along to St Angelo Castle which we found out had a viewing point at the top overlooking the Vatican and this part of Rome. It was a long walk but worth the time. You could even see the Colosseum in the distance which was incredible, obviously offering as a photo opportunity.
We started our dissent from here and decided to walk back to the hotel to drop off the merch we had bought and to decide where to go next. We decided on the bone chapel (keeping along the religious route). The real name for it being the catacomb. As we walked through it showed the history of the tomb and the reason for its presence there and then at the end of the informative part stood a tomb full of skeletons. Even the roof held skeletons heads and body parts such as shoulders. This was incredibly creepy but kind of cool and interesting at the same time. This was also not the only one as we found out they have a few of them around Rome that people can visit, some of them being dedicated to saints.
We walked through the shopping district after this and soon stumbled upon a cute bar, and it was positioned across from a cinema, so we decided to end the night with a viewing of Bohemian Rhapsody which was put on in English with Italian subtitles.
We walked through the shopping district after this and soon stumbled upon a cute bar, and it was positioned across from a cinema, so we decided to end the night with a viewing of Bohemian Rhapsody which was put on in English with Italian subtitles.
Day Four:
We woke up with the intent to visit some museums today which we had previously walked past or missed. We soon realised this would be impossible as most of the museums remained closed on Mondays to our surprise. In our disappointment, we ended up coming across the Pantheon. It is the largest 'unsupported' dome in the world and built by Emperor Hadrian in 126 AD. The roof was amazing, and everything about it showed the wealth of the Church (Former Temple). We then thought we’d venture to the Spanish steps which we hadn’t heard great things about, but we’re open to seeing it. We walked to the top of them and looked out on the shopping people below. The steps were pretty with the white outer coat but as we had suspected weren’t that enticing. They looked as though they had been made for people to just lounge on or as we saw while there have very intimate moments.
We woke up with the intent to visit some museums today which we had previously walked past or missed. We soon realised this would be impossible as most of the museums remained closed on Mondays to our surprise. In our disappointment, we ended up coming across the Pantheon. It is the largest 'unsupported' dome in the world and built by Emperor Hadrian in 126 AD. The roof was amazing, and everything about it showed the wealth of the Church (Former Temple). We then thought we’d venture to the Spanish steps which we hadn’t heard great things about, but we’re open to seeing it. We walked to the top of them and looked out on the shopping people below. The steps were pretty with the white outer coat but as we had suspected weren’t that enticing. They looked as though they had been made for people to just lounge on or as we saw while there have very intimate moments.
Due to it being December I really wanted to look at a Christmas market as a lot of Europe have beautiful ones. We found one in Pizzaz Navona which was pretty rubbish, to say the least. However, it did have some small rides that children may have liked, just not aimed at our age group and lacked the shopping element of a Christmas market. We walked through the shopping streets next to this next seeing the expensive bag and clothes shops which we most definitely couldn’t afford, but it was nice to dream. We ended in a restaurant that we found just off one of the streets we had been walking down which was delicious. I had a basil and pesto pasta which may have been the best thing I had ever eaten.
After lunch, we walked to Museo dei Fori Imperiali which had a viewing point at the top. This is again a tiring activity due to the stairs, but it was amazing to look out over the city and have some pictures in front of the backdrop. After all this exercise we decided we needed a break and went to chill at the hotel for a bit before the evening.
Tonight, we had a relaxed time we started in the Ice bar across from our hotel which was surprisingly cheaper than drinking in a pub or bar that wasn’t covered in Ice. Once we had spent around 40 minutes in here, we made the logical decision to get out and warm up and went on a hunt for dinner. We ended up in an Indian restaurant which was amazing. A free glass of prosecco on arrival and the food was lovely and not too badly priced. Then we stumbled along the cobbled streets to an Irish pub which is always a must.
After lunch, we walked to Museo dei Fori Imperiali which had a viewing point at the top. This is again a tiring activity due to the stairs, but it was amazing to look out over the city and have some pictures in front of the backdrop. After all this exercise we decided we needed a break and went to chill at the hotel for a bit before the evening.
Tonight, we had a relaxed time we started in the Ice bar across from our hotel which was surprisingly cheaper than drinking in a pub or bar that wasn’t covered in Ice. Once we had spent around 40 minutes in here, we made the logical decision to get out and warm up and went on a hunt for dinner. We ended up in an Indian restaurant which was amazing. A free glass of prosecco on arrival and the food was lovely and not too badly priced. Then we stumbled along the cobbled streets to an Irish pub which is always a must.
Day Five:
Today was the day. Hometime.
Today we made it into the Roman museum that hadn’t been open previously! This wasn’t amazing but the statues and the collection of different coins they had there were interesting to look at and read about. When we left here we saw another group of protestors outside. However, this was a much smaller group than the one we had seen a few days prior. But again, reinstalling the idea Rome’s people had passion.
Today was the day. Hometime.
Today we made it into the Roman museum that hadn’t been open previously! This wasn’t amazing but the statues and the collection of different coins they had there were interesting to look at and read about. When we left here we saw another group of protestors outside. However, this was a much smaller group than the one we had seen a few days prior. But again, reinstalling the idea Rome’s people had passion.
We then had to, unfortunately, walk back to the coach stop to get our return coach to the airport. If you plan on using this service on a trip to Rome, leave extra time before you must get your plane as we ended up waiting around 20 to 30 mins for a bus to come to take us to the correct airport. (as there are two airports)
This trip was amazing, and I would recommend Rome to anyone, whether you have religious interests or not. However, be warned to stay away from tourist traps when It comes to food as these will charge extra for half the quality of the food.
This trip was amazing, and I would recommend Rome to anyone, whether you have religious interests or not. However, be warned to stay away from tourist traps when It comes to food as these will charge extra for half the quality of the food.
