We had a mixed experience in Rome. The city has an almost ridiculous number of ancient and important places and things. On top of the things we knew about, like the Colosseum and Vatican City, we found other less well known places that were nearly as or even more impressive. Stumbling around in the midday heat has never been more rewarding. Unfortunately many other parts of the tourist experience in Rome are noticeably worse then in other cities, especially compared to the smaller places in Central and Eastern Europe. I wouldn’t say anything came as a surprise but they still had an effect on our stay.
Our hostel in Rome was nice, I especially liked the rooftop bar, although we only managed to spend one evening on it. Due to a minor error, we ended up with bookings for one person, instead of two. The hostel staff managed to fit us in anyway. The quick fix ended up putting us in a private room for two nights which was nice, although it did cost a little extra. We actually switched rooms three times while we were here, forcing us to get up in time to checkout and explore the city!
Although we did figure it out after a little while, we had some trouble finding decent food in Rome. We knew things would be more expensive, but did not think the food quality would decline as well. We ate a couple plates of very mediocre food before learning our way around. We did have some good meals though, including a pork shoulder (I think) which I barely needed a knife to eat, it basically fell apart with the fork.
Our first full day was spent wondering around the city. We walked about thirty minutes into the city center, seeing a variety of landmarks along the way. Inside the city we continued seeing miscellaneous landmarks, mostly looking at Google Maps for interesting spots.
The next day started with the Colosseum, an incredible structure. We were smart enough to buy our tickets online and avoid the hour and a half line up. Most of these big attractions cost money to get into, usually around 12 EUR or 18 CAD and booking online costs extra. We waited in the security line up for less than 15 minutes then were into the Colosseum. Once we were past the crowds the Colosseum itself wasn’t too crowded and easy to get around in. The inside of the Colosseum is a legend come to life. On the one side you can see the full original four stories. On the ground you can see the utility areas where all the equipment and animals needed for the events were kept. The actual arena floor was made of wood and has long since rotted away. They have reconstructed a section of floor so you can see what it might have looked like. After the Colosseum we checked out the Roman Forum and the grounds of the Circus Maximus but were really feeling the heat and did not stay long.
In the afternoon we were originally going to visit a set of museums I had heard about the night before but unfortunately I hadn’t checked the schedule: closed on Mondays. Oops. Looking around online for attractions we found Castel Sant’Angelo. It was originally built as a mausoleum in imperial Rome. Throughout the ages it was re-purposed into a fortress, papal apartments, a barracks, and now a museum. This makes it unusual among ancient buildings in Rome as it was never left to fall into disrepair. There were very few people around, we had a great time learning about the building’s centuries of history. I got to meet a friendly seagull. At the top we got an amazing view of the city.
The next day we had originally planned on going to Vatican City but unfortunately I made another scheduling error. I had bought our tickets for the following day, the day we were leaving. Not wanting to flush all that money down the drain we had to rework our plans and take a late bus allowing us to visit the Vatican. Instead of the Vatican we started the day seeing the Spanish Steps which were great, very stair-like.
Afterwards we visited Villa Borghese. We walked around looking at the beautiful manicured gardens and lounged in the grass. Unfortunately there were many people in the park selling roses. Men would come up to us and offer the roses and we would need to shake our heads and tell them no multiple times before they walked away. They especially targeted couples sitting down. While at the park we rented a little motor assisted pedal cart which I had a ton of fun driving around and scaring Morgan with.
The men selling roses were part of a consistent problem all across Rome, the street vendors. Anywhere remotely touristy is filled with people selling one of maybe four things: selfie sticks, hats, parasols, or water. Places with long line ups like the Colosseum or Vatican City also have people offering ways to skip the line. These people are especially aggressive, One man started following me telling me long I would have to wait in line and the deal he could give me until I basically shooed him away. I found these people to be extremely aggravating and others shared my feelings.
That afternoon we went to the museum we hadn’t managed to visit the day before. Although there were a set of museums I mostly wanted to go to one built into the ruins of the Baths of Diocetien, an ancient Roman bathhouse. Inside we looked through a museum mostly concerning artifacts related to burial in the area. The highlights of the area were a large manicure courtyard and most importantly the actual ruins.
In some ways these ruins were more impressive then the Colosseum. I think this might of been due to a lack of people and the fact that I hadn’t really heard of them or seen pictures before. Where the Colosseum was a legend come to life, this was like discovering something secret and new. I think this picture best communicates my feelings as we walked through the ruins.
If you are ever visiting Rome I definitely recommend the baths. The ticket was cheap, it gets you into three other museums, and lasts multiple days.
Our last day was spent in Vatican City which was incredible. St. Peter’s Square is a massive, glorious, not actually square space capped with St. Peter’s Basilica. The Basilica itself is so huge you cannot really appreciate it. The lettering going around the tops of the walls is seven feet tall although you could never tell from the ground. It is full of beautiful statues, paintings, and other art. After that we wondered around the area a little while, burning time until our reservation at the Vatican Museums. I got a ridiculous iced coffee at a coffee shop nearby. The Vatican Museums are built into two former papal palaces and are packed full of statues, paintings, and tapestries. In addition to the individual works of art the walls and ceilings are covered in art. The Vatican Museums end with the Sistine Chapel and all of the famous pieces on its walls and ceiling. These places are all incredible, I can see why the wealth on display might have led Martin Luther away from the religion. The pictures I took do little more then show I was there, you need to go yourself and see.
After Vatican City we barely made it onto a bus to Florence. I am finishing off this blog from our room in Florence where we are taking the morning off after an exhausting few days in Rome.
Declan Easton 