A long weekend in Rome
- Fred & Em
- Nov 30, 2024
- 6 min read
Whilst my health recovered, (read blog post Sudden illness, it can change everything!) We decided to visit Rome for a long weekend, however due to vehicle restrictions in and around the city and not wanting to get any fines, we decided to catch the train in the nearby town of Paestum which was about 20 minutes drive from the villa. This is a great way to see the scenery without the stresses of having to drive and the whole process of getting tickets was very easy. We arrived in Rome and took a cab to the Airbnb that we had booked for the next few days.
Our accommodation was lovely, nice and roomy and conveniently located with shops and restuarants nearby, we were particularly impressed with the freshly baked bread and home made fresh produce in the local grocery store, and the Italian owner even spoke English too! But the main attraction for this accommodation was its close proximity to most of the main historic sites of the city. Although tired we took a quick night stroll to see Parco archeologico del Colosseo, impressively lit up at night and we hurried back to our accomodation to sleep - for tomorrow was going to be a busy day!
Day 1 on our mini city break tour and we have ticked off another bucket list item. We spent the whole day walking around the Roman Forum and the Colosseum and to be honest even being amongst it all it is mind blowing. The sheer size and extent of it, the grandeur of the architecture, the history. Several times I found myself just stopping and staring in wonder, awe and sheer disbelieve that I was finally here seeing this. We spent over six hours non stop walking around, yet we have still so much more to see, this place has so much to look at, to study, and enjoy. I would suggest anyone visiting to spend a good day at Roman Forum and leave the Colosseum for another day, and not to try and cram them both in to one day.
Tonight we found a boutique cinema that played English language movies, so we just had to watch the new 'Gladiator II' movie that had just come out.... well we just had to.... 'when in Rome', to see it in Rome itself, of all places!! What a memory - the movie wasn't bad either.
Then we finally had our first proper Italian pizza at the local bistro that is opposite our accomodation, the food was very good and Fred is one happy, somewhat "stuffed" man now.
Now to rest, we've another busy day in store tomorrow.
Click on the Facebook link to view the range of pictures for that day
Day 2 and today was all about The Vatican City. We arrived in Saint Peter’s Basilica, not knowing what to expect, it was busy and suddenly we were looking at Pope Francis, live!!!! He was amazing to watch, the way he interacted with everyone, seemingly in no hurry, it truly was a special moment for us, and completely unexpected. We unfortunately didn't have time to visit inside the Basilica, not realising it was best to book in advance for entry and the queue was long and we had timed tickets to visit the Vatican Museum where the famous Michael Angelo painting is located in the Sistine Chapel.
The Vatican Museum, well.... what can I say, other than sensory overload!! You truly cannot take in all the imagery & artifacts in one visit and there was much we didn't cover - partly due to time & Em was starting to not feeling too great, and we still had quite a journey to get back to our accommodation. What we did see was impressive and very varied and BIG!! Until you see it in the flesh you really cannot comprehend the sheer size of some of the exhibits, we could go on & on about it, it was that good, but we'll not bore you! But suffice to say, it's definately worth a visit but pre-book tickets to save time in the queues. Oh and wear comfy shoes, you'll be on your feet A LOT!!
Click on the Facebook link to view the range of pictures for that day
Day 3 and our last before we head back to our villa tomorrow. Truthfully we've needed a slightly slower day, after the last two hectic days, cramming so much in, have been somewhat too much for Em who's still recovering, so we decided a more gentle day was needed. So we took a stroll to see the Pantheon. This building holds fond memories for Em as she had had to help her son make a replica for a school project many years ago.
Our walking tour then took us to the Piazza Navona a pretty square with much history, unfortunatley the beautiful fountains were being renovated and being out of season it was much quiter than I expect it gets in the summer months.
During our stroll we visited several churches, and to be honest these far surpassed many of the "paid" attractions we've been to on this trip! The artwork, the grandeur, the beautiful decor, the peace and tranquility far outshone the more known venues, what's more they were free! They didn't have hoards of people and you were able to soak up the peace and beauty of them, for as long as you wanted.
Our last walking destination was to see the famous Spanish Steps and walk around Piazza di Spagna - this is a very popular place for visitors with most of the brand name stores. To be honest we were both getting a bit weary, so we did the hop-on-hop-off bus tour to give us one last look at the sights before heading back to our accommodation ready for our train journey home tomorrow.
Click on the Facebook link to view the range of pictures for that day
If you are planning to visit Rome, may we make a few suggestions - walk around, go off the touristy routes and visit lesser known places as they truly are stunning and most definitely worth discovering, often being free to visit or much less expensive!!
Rome is an easy city to travel around. The City Pass gives you certain travel perks and we found it invaluable for this trip https://www.turbopass.com/rome-city-pass. Also pre-booking certain attractions is a must!! - it helps avoid queues and sometimes you can get discounts.
Beware of pick-pockets and people dressed in costume or people offering you flowers or such like, they will allow you to take a photo or take whatever is offered and naively you think they are just being kind, but then they demand money and can get quite aggressive if you try and walk away. I was grabbed and held by such a person, who insisted Fred take a photo and then demanded money and wouldn't let me go, luckily I had no purse or pockets and I started to shout and he let us go - without being paid! But this could be quite an unpleasant experience if you are not prepared. Police presence is quite high in the main tourest areas, but be very vigilant on your belongings and the people around you - especially in the high tourist areas!!
Rome is an amazing city to be in, every street corner, every road has some piece of history - you almost get nonchalant / blind to it all after awhile. The city has the most amazing vibe and it is really easy to navigate round on foot or by the hop-on-hop-off buses. If you do drive in beware of the many road restrictions. As for eateries, we unfortunately only ate out in the one resturant which we enjoyed. Many of the cafes that we stopped in were nice, but food prices as well as momentoes were expensive as they cater for the tourists, get off the beaten track and you will find nicer eateries.
Thanks for reading & letting us ramble on here, share photos of our memories & we really hope it's inspires you to visit and make your own. If you have any questions or want any advice then please get in touch.
Happy travels
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