About Rome
The City of Rome is an amazing city to visit, not just for the historian but for anyone who loves the lifestyle of a cosmopolitan city. Once the centre of the western world, it is now one of the main capitals of the European Union and with the Vatican City, the spiritual and physical capital of the Catholic church. Ancient buildings seem to appear around every corner and the vitality of the city is evident everywhere.
Getting to Rome
The flight from Athens arrived at Ciampino airport and the transfer into Rome was by shuttle bus to Termini station (4€ - 6€).
Useful links for your trip:
The Hotel Morgana was only a 6-minute walk away in the Via Filippo Turati, very convenient for exploring the centre of Rome. (The Colosseum is two metro stops away). After taking my life in my hands, I managed to cross Via Giovanni Giolitti and find the hotel which was clean and extremely comfortable. A good buffet or cooked breakfast was provided to set you up for the day’s sightseeing.
First stop on the walk to the Colosseum was the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore which was a short distance from the hotel, which took about six minutes. An impressive building with a gilded ceiling and mosaics.
Onward to the metro at Cavour (about 600m) and one stop to the Colosseo, a further 5-minute walk and you are at the Colosseum.
Visiting Colosseum
The Colosseum usually has a wide variety of people trying to sell you something and if it starts to rain, it is quite amazing to see how many people are suddenly selling umbrellas in the street (even through the metal bars to tourists inside the Colosseum).
One stop further on the metro and you are at Circus Maximus (Metro Circo Massimo). Just to the north (Via San Teodoro 74) is a farmer’s market selling fresh produce from farms located in Lazio. Open at the weekend, there are stalls and a terrace to relax and enjoy your food.
Pop down to Farmer’s market
Next a walk up the Capitoline Hill and towards the Via Nazionale. Looking for somewhere to eat, maybe a typical Italian restaurant. Naturally found myself at the Trinity College Pub, an Irish bar! (Via del Collegio Romano,6). It looked surprisingly authentic, had Grimbergen on draught and a reasonably priced menu. (Chicken Supreme with salad 9€, Tennessee Bar B Q ribs 11.90€) as well as a selection of burgers and salads.
As I was in the area, it was only a 15-minute walk to the Trevi fountain. Unfortunately, it was drained, and scaffolding surrounded the statues. Another 500 metres and the Spanish steps led up to the Piazza di Spagna. As a major tourist attraction, it is always a busy location (even in early evening) with some overpriced bars.
I was going to wander back to the hotel and look for a local bar (one that did not charge you 10€ extra to be served outside).
I ended up at Pepy’s café bar (Piazza Barberini 53) for a couple of drinks and sat watching the world go by before heading back to the hotel.
I had most of the next day free so headed for the Vatican City in the morning. I caught the subway from Vittorio Emanuele to Ottaviano, a 15-minute ride.
The Vatican city
As to be expected there were queues for the Sistine chapel and so it was a walk round the square and down the Via della Conciliazione. Unfortunately, the Leonardo da Vinci experience was also remarkably busy.
Crossing over the Tiber (Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II) and taking a 40-minute walk to the Jewish quarter and the Isola Tiberina.
A small detour to Open Baladin Roma (Via degli Specchi 6) for a refreshing drink. I usually try and find unusual bars when travelling and this was no exception. I did not realise that it had its own brewery and over 15 other establishments throughout Italy (including the airport, how did I miss that?).
There are 40 draught and over 100 Italian bottled beers on sale. There are beer cocktails and an extensive food menu. A great place to stop for a refreshment and a snack.
The next stop was the synagogue (Tempio Maggiore di Roma). Although it was not open when I was there, it looked an impressive building.
A short walk over the Ponte Fabricio and onto Isola Tiberina. It was good to take a break in the comparative calm of the island before heading back to the hotel to pick up my case.
I took the airport bus from the rail station as I was flying out from Fiumicino to Edinburgh.
I really enjoyed my brief stay in Rome and look forward to returning to take some more time to explore the less well known parts of the city.