When in Rome do as the Romans do. Seek out and conquer. And this we did. We managed to get a lot done in the 40 or so hours spent in this amazing city last weekend. During our stay we covered as many travel bases as possible - we sampled the local cuisine, visited the main tourist traps, felt the city vibe the day the Prime Minister resigned (lots of police around and even more international journalists), took in our dose of culture and history by visiting the Vatican City (and mentally comparing it the Dan Brown inspired movies) and saw some amazing artwork by the great Renaissance masters.
Easyjet to Rome
Chronologically, our trip kicked off very early (4:30am) with a taxi ride to Gatwick to take a 2 hour Easyjet flight. On arrival into Rome, our primary school learnt knowledge of Italian kicked in and amongst the 'grazie' and 'prego' phrases, we worked our way from the airport to the city centre using a personalised shuttle service straight to the bed and breakfast place that had been booked for our single night's accommodation.
Our lodgings were part of a family run business that had received great reviews on the TripAdvisor forums. The location was within the 'Old Town' (although everything in Rome can be considered old) near Piazza Navona - a large open square with an obelisk dating back to the first century AD and used in the film version of
Angels and Demons.
 |
| Obelisk at Piazza Navona |
 |
| Fountain at Piazza Navona, built in the Renaissance |
Around Piazza Navona
And to put history into perspective, we had the owner apologize to us for the lack of view in the first room we had been allocated to because it was under renovation. Built in the 13th century, it was due for a face-lift. The room we were then offered, was slightly more modern (dating to the Renaissance period - c.15th century) and had a view of the cafe that had been used in shooting Woody Allen's next film. The owner was also a very good host, spending time to explain the tourist spots and recommending us to the local cafe for traditional Italian cuisine - antipasto, creamy pasta and the best pizza eaten to date.
 |
| The cafe and laneway used in Woody Allen's next film |
Vatican City
Taking a short walk from our hotel, we crossed the Tiber river and walking alongside the Castel Sant'Angelo (built on the site of Emperor Hadrian's ashes), we soon arrived at the world's smallest country - Vatican City.
 |
| Castel Sant'Angelo and Bridge of Angels - daytime |
 |
| Castel Sant'Angelo at night |
Sistine Chapel
When we arrived at the Vatican City, the front entrance was bordered by the seven chains of 'Hop On Hop Off' tourist buses that offer their services in Rome. Taking the advice of other travellers, we had pre-booked our tickets for the Vatican Museum and arrived there at 3pm to see the famous Sistine Chapel. Olie did take some great shots of other artwork including the Raphael Rooms and other items of religious significance.
 |
| St Peter's Square, black and white effects |
 |
| Mei and the spiral staircase inside the Vatican museum |
 |
| Outside St Peter's Basilica, all the chairs lined up for Sunday mass |
 |
| Swiss Guard in traditional uniform and weapon, defending the Vatican |
 |
| Decorated dome inside the Vatican Museum |
 |
| Raphael Rooms |
 |
| Took Raphael 8 years to complete these masterpieces |
 |
| Almost every space in the room is covered with paintings |
 |
| Religious inspired artwork made of porcelain |
 |
| Sistine Chapel and the famous center point |
St Peter's Basilica
Navigating ourselves around the dozens of tour groups and guides, we then headed for St Peter's Square and the 'church that beats all other churches' - St Peter's Basilica/ We were in awe of both the inside and outside, as the sunlight faded and street lights started to light up the site.
 |
| Inside St Peter's Basilica- most impressive church we have visited so far |
 |
| St Peter's Basilica and the lit up statues in the evening |
 |
| St Peter's Square |
Obika Mozzarella Bar
Dinner that night was spent with our friend Farrah who was also in Rome the same weekend, and we spent the night eating mozzarella cheese and parma ham, sipping cocktails and people watching at the Obika Mozzarella Bar - a franchise that is also available in Canary Wharf, London.
 |
| Getting ready to 'people watch' from cafe Obika |
 |
| Mozzarella cheese tasting plate and parma ham |
Trastevere
After dinner we headed across the river to the trendy area of Trastevere where we spotted the washing hanging from lines outside apartments (the signature sight of this neighbourhood), drank a mint favorite cocktail out of an edible chocolate cup and went into a dozen restaurants before we found somewhere away from the main tourist areas where pizzas started cheaply at 6 euros.
 |
| An alcoholic shot in an edible chocolate shot glass |
 |
| The washing decorated laneways of Trastevere |
 |
| Seafood pasta wrapped in a foil parcel |
 |
| Gelati - yum |
Nutella Pancakes
We were feeling quite exhausted as a result of walking the entire day, so we ended the night fairly early just as the rest of Rome was venturing to the city centre for a big Saturday night out. It was likely that they were all celebrating the demise of Silvio Berlusconi. And even though our stomachs were at bursting point from the food, the smell of fresh crepes and Nutella was too tempting and we stopped off to pick up a couple. In hindsight, one would have been sufficient for both of us and the serving definitely tripled our calorie count for the day by way of having a good 1/4 of the jar of Nutella smothered all over the pancake.
Sightseeing in Rome
Waking up fairly early the next morning, we headed down a small laneway to the cafe that was serving the 'breakfast' part of our Bed and Breakfast package. We ate a decent continental style breakfast with a range of salami and breads before packing our bags and heading out for sightseeing at the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and Colosseum for a long day of photos and learning more about Roman history.
 |
| Pantheon |
 |
| Trevi Fountain |
 |
| Colosseum and the endless queues of tourists |
Colosseum
Although most of Rome's buildings were awe-inspiring; Olie's favourite photo subjects were the Colosseum and the marble ruins around the Roman Forum. Thinking back to every documentary or Roman inspired television series like Rome or Spartacus, it was interesting to envisage the Hollywood sets overlaid with the actual ruins where great Emperors like Nero and Julius Caesar had once walked.
 |
| Arch of Constantine, built in 315 AD |
 |
| Arch of Septimius Severus, a Roman Emperor c.200AD |
 |
| Temple of Saturn, c.497BC |
 |
| Other ruins at the Forum Romanum (Roman Forum) site |
The trip to the Colosseum took up most of the morning, with an audio guide explaining to us the many features of the building. From there, and after Olie had taken a photo with some friendly Centurions, we met up with Farrah for pizza and gelati before boarding an open-topped tourist bus for a 2 hour drive around town.
 |
| View of Colosseum from Palatine Hill |
 |
Remains of the Colosseum, including the rooms of the gladiators
and wild animals stored below the stadium floor |
 |
| Meeting some 'friendly' Centurions - watch that sword Olie! |
 |
| At the top level of the Colosseum |
 |
| The spread of the Empire just prior to the collapse |
Piazza della Repubblica
Using the 'Hop On Hop Off' bus was the easiest way to see the city without having to weary our feet again on cobblestones. We were also carrying our backpacks as the one downside of staying at a Bed and Breakfast was that it didn't offer a bag minding service.
The commentary on this particular bus tour was pretty sparse, but we did pass the main sites - including the Sacred Place (ancient ruins of temples), the Piazza della Repubblica and a number of bridges that spanned across the Tiber river. The cold wind was a downside of travelling by open bus and after 2 hours, the cold factor had all three of us tucked in under layers of puffy jacket and hoods over our heads.
 |
| Riding through the streets of Rome on the bus |
 |
| Remains of Circus Maximus - Roman chariot racing stadium |
 |
| Monument to the first King of the Italy |
 |
| Bell tower near the south-east side of the city |
 |
| Fountains along the 'most beautiful street' Via Giulia |
Overall, our weekend in Rome over such a short period of time offered so many different things to see and do. The city lacked the over-commercialized high street shops that exist in the UK and it is almost certainthat we will be back in Rome for a future holiday.
 |
| Bridge with St Peter's Basilica in the background |
 |
| View across the Tiber River at night |
 |
| Old style cobblestone lane ways everywhere |
Alps by air
Sometimes on these short flights across Europe it is a good idea to have a look once in a while out the window. We did and saw some breath-taking views of the Swiss Alps from the plane on route to Rome.
**Connect With Us**
If you liked this post, please share it with others using the social media buttons below.
To connect with us and see snippets of our Culture Stamp travel adventures:
No comments:
Post a Comment