Caitrin, Katie, Lindsey, and I departed from Barcelona at 5:55AM and were through Roma Termini Airport and into the city by 8AM. Navigating our way to our hostel, Hostel Eden, we prepared ourselves for a potential problem with our accomodation. Online reviews for the hostel had been less than stellar, but it was the only option that was financially reasonable for us. When we arrived at the hostel, I could do nothing but laugh when the receptionist told us that a toilet had burst on the floor above the hostel, soaking our room and leaving us with no place to stay in. But she reassured us that because we were her guests she would arrange alternate accomodations for us. Yeah right. What she did was send us on a wild goose chase up and down the block looking for another hostel that she insisted would take us, but after three tries at finding this alleged hostel, we had had it. We were tired, hungry, and in no mood for this woman to be sending us to a place that didn't even exist. So we went back to Hostel Eden and essentially cornered her in the tiny reception office where she suddenly was able to call another hostel and make arrangements. She actually told us she had called her mother who works at a nearby hotel and had promised to give us a room for the same price that we would have paid at the hostel. Skeptical but without any other option, we trecked the 20 minutes or so to Hotel Leila. Of course, when we arrived there the woman looked at us as if we were crazy; Hostel Eden who? Enough was enough. A man working at the Hotel Leila reception area took over and set us up with two double rooms at the same price as we would have paid at Hostel Eden and assured us that we would have a much better experience staying at his hotel. God bless that man for taking pity on us and giving us a place to stay. It was only about 9AM and the day had been long. He showed us to our rooms and while they were nothing special, they were more than enough considering we paid less than a quarter of what guests normally get charged for the same accomodation. The building was charming, with tall, heavy front doors and marble staircases; a typical old Italian piece of architecture. We settled in and washed up before heading out to take on Rome, as we only had two days to see a city that has so much to offer.
Our first stop was the Roma Termini train station where we picked up a quick breakfast and purchased Roma Passes, which gave us 72 hours worth of public transportation and entry to the first museum or archaeological site of our choice for only 25Euro. It may seem steep at first, but the pass pays for itself within the first hours of using it. We decided to make the Colosseum our first stop as the ticket for the site is a 3-in-1 entry to the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill, making it the most expensive archaeological site to visit in the city. We took the train from Roma Termini to the Colosseum and I was surprised that as soon as we walked out of the metro stop, there it was. Although I've seen it in movies, pictures, history books, etc., it's still really something else to see it just standing there before you. The entire area was buzzing with tourists and tour guides and vendors and other people trying to scam money from you in anyway possible. We took pictures outside before heading in to do a tour of the area. Another plus about the Roma Pass: you get to skip lines! So the girls and I by-passed the hour plus wait and headed into a special entrance that let us right in. We walked out to the balconies to get a view of inside the Colosseum and it was really amazing. I couldn't believe I was standing in history after years of learning, reading, and watching things about it. The inside seems to be crumbling away, but you can still see the seats, the different levels, and the ground floor where gladiators would battle. We spent a good hour inside taking pictures, reading exhibitions, and just taking it in. It's really something else when you take a step back and realize where you are and the history you are getting to experience.
From the Colosseum we made the short walk to the Roman Forum where we first took a quick break. It was well into the 80's and the sun was brutal so walking around from place to place was a sweaty and exhausting task. We pressed on to the center of the Forum where we saw the remnants of ancient Roman government buildings, the Roman temple, and the Palatine Hill standing high between the Forum and the Circus Maximus. I found it hard to imagine that the now eroding area was once a flourishing center of Roman life, but an excellent job has been done with preserving what is left of the area.
Leaving the Roman Forum, we continued our tour of archaeological sites and went in search of the Pantheon. Our quest brought us through charming streets, busy rotaries, and quaint plazas. We grabbed lunch from a local grocery store and ate sitting outside on a stoop, watching businessmen walk by in their fancy suits, nuns going to or from church, mothers pushing young children in carriages...just people who live everyday in such an incredible city.
We finally made it to the Pantheon in the early afternoon and spent some time inside. The chapel is a vast empty space with beautiful artwork covering the walls and ceiling. It is open to the public to come in and out as they please, with curators there to ensure that the site is still respected as a sacred place and silence is maintained.
Next up was a visit to the Trevi Fountain, where I had my 3 pennies ready to throw in with my right hand over my left should to ensure 3 things: 1. good luck, 2. I will return to Rome, 3. I will fall in love. All that for the cost of 3 pennies? I'll take it! There were hundreds of people at the fountain, all throwing in their coins, taking pictures, and enjoying the day.
The girls and I felt it was too crowded at the Trevi Fountain to really enjoy it, so we kept walking to find a quieter place. We made our way to Palazzo del Quirinale, where all of the Italian government buildings are. Since it was late afternoon, the place was nearly deserted and we made our way to a bench, tired from such a long day. After a half hour or so, we decided to make our way back to the hotel to nap before finding somewhere to have dinner. Along the way, we accidentally stumbled upon the Spanish Steps and we able to cross that off of our to-do list for the next day.
The hotel receptionist recommended a restaurant only a couple of blocks away that was both cheap and had good food. It was called Risso's and when we got there we were able to sit outside because it was such a nice evening. We ordered spaghetti and meatballs then cannolis for dessert in celebration of our first night in Italy. It was delicious and the waitstaff took a real liking to us American girls. Our waiter Giuseppe kept making eyes at me while another waiter named Antonio really seemed to like Lindsey. They constantly were coming to our table to chat us up and try to get us to stay longer. But it was getting late and we were exhausted so we decided to leave, promising our Italian admirers that we would come back before we left Rome for good.
The next morning we woke up and made our way to Vatican City. We took the train there and when we came out of the station, the area was buzzing with activity. Lots of tour company representatives came up to us, offering specials and deals to try to get us to spend the day with them. An Australian girl from a company called Rome Around Tours was really nice and explained to us the benefits of having a guided tour rather than going into the Vatican on our own. Basically, the line to get in is very long and once you finally make it inside, there are no signs explaining what is what or anything like that. The audio tour that is available if you go on your own is an additional fee and lasts 7 hours, so the girls and I certainly were not interested in that. We decided that going with Rome Around was our best option because we wouldn't have to wait in line and we would be guided through the museum so that we would see what's most important rather than wandering aimlessly. Our tour guide was an American named Jill who currently studies at the Vatican and does tours as a side gig while living in Rome. Nice life, right? She took us to the Vatican Museum first where we saw rooms and rooms of sculpture, tapestry, paintings, and fixtures that date back to ancient Roman times. There were several pieces created by Michelangelo, dramatically leading up to the end of the museum tour in the Sistine Chapel. The chapel was beautiful; I appreciated the art a lot more once the symbolism was explained to me and I realized how much thought and effort was behind each frame that makes up the famous ceiling.
From the chapel, we made our way to Saint Peter's Square, passing the Pope's residency and visiting the Basilica along the way. The inside of the Basilica is massive, with thousands of paintings, sculptures, and other types of art. There were various popes entombed by the sides of the basilica, including the recently exhumed Pope John Paul II who is currently going through the beatification process. Throughout the whole city of Rome, not just in the Vatican, there are signs publicizing his beatification, bearing his image and paying homage to his influence on not only the Catholic community, but the city as well. A lot of people were crowded around his altar, but I did manage to get to the front for a few seconds.
Leaving the Basilica, we walked through the square, which had a large picture of Pope John Paul II and the words "Spalancate Le Porte A Cristo" which I found out means "open wide the doors to Christ."
After we had seen the Vatican Museum and Saint Peter's Basilica, we were out of things to do in Vatican City so we made our way back into Rome to grab some lunch and do some souvenir shopping. We wandered through narrow, winding streets and admired the quaintness of the area. There were small cafes and restaurants every few steps so we stopped and had pizza at one place then gelato at another before continuing on to do some shopping. The day flew by and before we knew it, it was nearly dusk. We headed back to our hotel to rest before dinner and then grabbed a quick bite at a nearby restaurant. We did pop in to Risso's to greet our Italian waiters, who were happy to see us and insisted we sit down for dessert, wine, conversation as the Italians do. It was a nice way to end a fleeting, but amazing stay in Rome.
The next morning, I was sad to leave Rome because I had taken such an instant liking to it. For being such a major city, Rome is surprisingly calm and quiet. It lacks the hustle and bustle that plagues other European hubs such as Paris and Berlin with the exception of the obvious commotion in really touristy areas. But I found that much of the city was laid-back, with little cafes on every corner and residents just going about their business. There was a million vespas everywhere you looked and gardens growing off of the small terraces that lined the exteriors of apartment buildings. It really looked just like a movie or something. I also was pleasantly surprised at how kind the people were. Every person we met, Italian or not, was so welcoming and willing to help us with whatever we needed, food choices, accomodation, directions, anything really. Rome turned out to be as beautiful as I had hoped, but way more relaxed and inviting than I had expected. I will definitely be visiting again; as they say "All roads lead to Rome."
Love and Roma,
Haley
The hotel receptionist recommended a restaurant only a couple of blocks away that was both cheap and had good food. It was called Risso's and when we got there we were able to sit outside because it was such a nice evening. We ordered spaghetti and meatballs then cannolis for dessert in celebration of our first night in Italy. It was delicious and the waitstaff took a real liking to us American girls. Our waiter Giuseppe kept making eyes at me while another waiter named Antonio really seemed to like Lindsey. They constantly were coming to our table to chat us up and try to get us to stay longer. But it was getting late and we were exhausted so we decided to leave, promising our Italian admirers that we would come back before we left Rome for good.
The next morning we woke up and made our way to Vatican City. We took the train there and when we came out of the station, the area was buzzing with activity. Lots of tour company representatives came up to us, offering specials and deals to try to get us to spend the day with them. An Australian girl from a company called Rome Around Tours was really nice and explained to us the benefits of having a guided tour rather than going into the Vatican on our own. Basically, the line to get in is very long and once you finally make it inside, there are no signs explaining what is what or anything like that. The audio tour that is available if you go on your own is an additional fee and lasts 7 hours, so the girls and I certainly were not interested in that. We decided that going with Rome Around was our best option because we wouldn't have to wait in line and we would be guided through the museum so that we would see what's most important rather than wandering aimlessly. Our tour guide was an American named Jill who currently studies at the Vatican and does tours as a side gig while living in Rome. Nice life, right? She took us to the Vatican Museum first where we saw rooms and rooms of sculpture, tapestry, paintings, and fixtures that date back to ancient Roman times. There were several pieces created by Michelangelo, dramatically leading up to the end of the museum tour in the Sistine Chapel. The chapel was beautiful; I appreciated the art a lot more once the symbolism was explained to me and I realized how much thought and effort was behind each frame that makes up the famous ceiling.
From the chapel, we made our way to Saint Peter's Square, passing the Pope's residency and visiting the Basilica along the way. The inside of the Basilica is massive, with thousands of paintings, sculptures, and other types of art. There were various popes entombed by the sides of the basilica, including the recently exhumed Pope John Paul II who is currently going through the beatification process. Throughout the whole city of Rome, not just in the Vatican, there are signs publicizing his beatification, bearing his image and paying homage to his influence on not only the Catholic community, but the city as well. A lot of people were crowded around his altar, but I did manage to get to the front for a few seconds.
After we had seen the Vatican Museum and Saint Peter's Basilica, we were out of things to do in Vatican City so we made our way back into Rome to grab some lunch and do some souvenir shopping. We wandered through narrow, winding streets and admired the quaintness of the area. There were small cafes and restaurants every few steps so we stopped and had pizza at one place then gelato at another before continuing on to do some shopping. The day flew by and before we knew it, it was nearly dusk. We headed back to our hotel to rest before dinner and then grabbed a quick bite at a nearby restaurant. We did pop in to Risso's to greet our Italian waiters, who were happy to see us and insisted we sit down for dessert, wine, conversation as the Italians do. It was a nice way to end a fleeting, but amazing stay in Rome.
Love and Roma,
Haley
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