Our travel to Rome involved an early-morning ferry ride to Naples, a bus ride to the train station, a train ride to the VERY bustling Rome train station, a short trek to find the correct city bus stop, and (finally) a ride on a crowded city bus that took a significant detour to circumvent a large labor-related protest in the streets. Eventually, we arrived at the door to our Airbnb, where it took a bit to connect with the owner and get remote assistance for passing through the FOUR locked doors to our room. We were pretty worn out by then!
We had a very comfortable private bedroom and bath in a condo with a common kitchen area that was shared by 2-3 others. The condo was located in Trastavere, which was a cool neighborhood but was not near the metro and we walked a lot during our stay. Our host insisted on cash payment despite being unable to meet us, which was weird. At least he offered a cash discount.
The weather in Rome was unseasonably hot during our stay. That first evening, we explored the area, and once again found some really cool live music on a bridge – this time over the Tiber.
We had no tours scheduled for our first full day in Rome and we opted to check out a few sites, including the small island on the Tiber. We stumbled across a sort of music festival with local talent rotating through a stage area on the river. It was incredible! Most of the singers had stunning operatic voices, one of which brought me to tears even though I couldn’t understand the language.
We discovered a great little restaurant on Tiber island where we enjoyed some great food and ambience, including a new-to-us treat of fried anchovies. That evening, we went to a popular, large and bustling restaurant in the Travestere neighborhood. We lucked out to get a table (inside) considering that there was a block-long line for seating when we left. I gambled and tried the Oxtail stew, which was… different. Later during our stay in Rome we tried a new appetizer: Olives stuffed with veal, breaded and deep-fried, which was delicious.
One evening, we went to a park high up on Juniculum Hill for the views over the city and the sunset. The park had many busts of generals and war heroes, a puppet show for kids, and some street vendors.
Our second day in Rome we toured the Colosseum and the Forum. It was an incredible experience. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and more than a little sarcastic about Italian bureaucracy. He pointed out the construction area where they were building a new metro – which has been underway for 12 years now. He interjected a lot of similar editorial commentary throughout.
The Colosseum was amazing. We learned a great deal about its history and how it was used ‘in the day’ for brutal contests in the guise of entertainment. The history of the Colosseum is integral to the politics and history of the entire region, which was rife with brutality and corrupt, power-hungry leaders. (Some things never change). After the official tour, we meandered in the extensive forum area–awed by the sheer magnitude of it all.
Our final day in Rome (and the final day of our European adventure) we visited the Vatican. We had ‘waffled’ about whether or not to go as neither of us have an affiliation with the Catholic Church; but in the end we recognized that in addition to religious significance, it has great significance in history and in the art-world. I particularly wanted to see the Sistene Chapel. We were stunned by the sheer magnitude and beauty of the art that is housed in the Vatican museums. There was so much, that we became almost ‘numb’ after the first hour or so.
Eventually our group was admitted to the Sistene Chapel. It was a real highlight to gaze up at the incredible and famous DaVinci paintings IRL. After being ushered out the official tour ended, and we were able to go into St. Peter’s Basillica on our own, armed with a brief map and description of what to see from our Rick Steve’s book. It was both fascinating and a little creepy to see the body of Pope (and Saint) John Paul II, and the tombs of other former Popes and Saints. Apparently only Saints are interred in St. Peters. On our return trip from the Vatican, we detoured to Trevi Fountain.
I was pretty worn out by the time we got back to the AirBnB and wanted to simply chill (and pack) the rest of the evening. Dan was hungry and went out for a steak by himself—where he was treated badly as a solo diner.
The next morning we met our ride to the airport at 3:30 AM. We had a long day of travel, but all went as scheduled. We were happy to arrive home and pick up our mutt from my son’s house.
While it was good to get back to our normal lives, we relish the memories of our time in France and Italy. We have gained confidence as travelers and our ability to deal with adversities on the road.
Next year- Greece!!!!
Links below for entries for the other 5 cities we visited on our Tour:
That’s a great rendition of our trip. We have lots more photos and interesting stories (at least they are interesting to us). We would be glad to re-live them if anyone is receptive.
Thank you for posting the tales of your travels! Very interesting and fun reading. I admire your fortitude and energy – you saw and did so much! I would be interested in seeing more of your great photos.