-Europe.Italy.Rome-
It is said that All Roads Lead to Rome , uncannily so as I found myself on my third visit. Very likely also from that coin toss in the Trevi Fountain from my first visit. It is always wondrous in Rome – it feels like wandering around a grand museum which happens to be a city.
Walking in any direction in the center of Rome, you are sure to stumble upon sculptured Art in the form of Fountains and grand Architectures by the Masters. Intertwined with the cobbled stone paths is a very real city.
One with plenty of restaurant and leading fashion boutiques at almost every corner.
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Table of Contents
Getting to Rome
Rome is served by 2 airports Fiumicino (International Airport – also known as Leonardo Davinci Airport serving major airlines flying in from all over the world) and
Ciampino (airport serving intercontinental budget airlines like EasyJet and Ryanair). We arrived via this airport and therefore I will talk about ways of getting into the center of Rome from here. Just follow the signs to whichever transport mode you need at the airport. You can go with the train, the taxi (with a fixed rate of about 30 Euros per way)
There are a few bus shuttle services servicing the Ciampino-Termini route and it is not necessary to pre-book tickets. There are offers available from time to time from the different companies. We took the Sitbus (click the link to the website) which goes almost hourly. We paid 11 Euros / person for a return trip which I found to be a reasonable price for a 40-minute journey per direction.
The drop-off/pick-up point is just at the next street to the main Railway Station Roma-Termini. A short 5-minute walk away. Arrival by train is of course at the station itself. Right outside the train station are the buses and metro that brings you onward to wherever your accommodation is in the city.
How to get around in Rome
Walking
The thing about Rome is, you don’t just visit it, you feel and immerse yourself in it. There is no way to do so aboard a hop-on, hop-off bus. The best way is to walk and marvel along the way. Walking to your destination will have you stumbling upon 2 other places that are not on your list but worth stopping to check out all the same. When you get tired stop for a shot of Italian coffee- sip slowly enjoying the aroma and stop to people watch.
Driving
I do not recommend driving in Rome. It is really difficult to find parking spots. Below I captured one of the nightmarish parking areas –
Public Transport
There are 2 main metro lines servicing Rome – conveniently named Metro A (Orange Line) and Metro B (Blue Line) , both intersects at the Roma Termini. Metro A goes East-West and Metro B in a North-South direction.
Then there are the buses that pretty much goes everywhere else.
*Tip: A ticket costs 1,50 Euros and is valid for 100 minutes. You can use it on as many bus and trams and even one run on the metro with the same ticket. So if you are into speed sight-seeing, way to save some cash.
Tickets are sold at metro stations, tobacco shops (tabak), newsstands, bigger bus stops but NOT on the buses.
*Tip: If you plan to make an early start of the day with the bus , you should plan ahead and buy more tickets- they are only valid when you validate it anyhow. Sometimes it is not so easy to find open tabaks or newsstands open early in the morning.
Information regarding public transport routes can be found here
Where to stay in Rome
The question that haunted me for weeks – where to stay. This time the flight back was in the afternoon and there was no need to get to the airport early in the morning and there was still a chance to do more visiting on the day of departure.
In the end I decided to stay in the heart of the action – at Centro Storico (the historical center). The really amazing part about Rome is, its such a walkable city and if you are based at the right locations, you could walk to most of the main sights. The Hotel was a stone’s throw from the Pantheon and ended up to be perfect.
What to see in Rome
A rough overview of the neighbourhoods in Rome that is of interest are mostly located at the east side of the Tiber River.
Around Termini-Republicca
This area is very likely the gateway welcoming you to Rome – since the Main Railway and Buses stop here. Its a rather busy area and it has a little seedier feeling here due to the vendors hawking their wares, more homeless seems to gather here , but the accomodations here seems less pricey and could be convenient if you have an early morning flight / train. I have stayed in this area once before, and though the public transport here is super as a central point – it is however quite far to walk to the other attractions – and you are then reliant on the buses, trams and metro and their waiting times.
There are some attractions around here, but I have not visited so far. The Museo Nazionale Romano which also houses the Baths of Diocletian and the Santa Maria Maggiore is on my to visit list. If you get there first, do tell me if its worth visiting!
Piazza della Republicca
The Piazza houses many retail shops and has what else but a controversial centerpiece The Fountain of the Naiads with 4 naked nymphs cavorting in the water were considered too provocative, but in all probability fitted this area which was considered seedy in the 90’s until it was cleaned up by moving the homeless and replacing seedy shops with the retail ones of today.
Piazza Barberini
This is not really a walk – area , rather a busy road where cars pass the piazza with the Fontana del Tritone in the middle. The piazza is a common meeting point for start of tours. You have to watch out for the cars, if you want to take a closer look at the fountain by Bernini: God of the sea, Triton held up by dolphins and shooting water from a conch shell.
Fontana di Trevi
Who has not heard of the Trevi Fountain ? Its probably the most famous fountain in the world, its immortalized in these wonderful classics – “La Dolce Vita“, “Three Coins in the Fountain” – And for really good reason , it is impressively beautifully sculptured. I have to admit I might have “Trevi-itis” – A condition of not being able to stop taking photos of it! The fountain collects a lot of coins daily – from the ritual coin toss from people who believe that it will bring them back to Rome (Right hand over the left shoulder with back to the fountain) or bring love into their lives, with a 2nd coin toss. It’s important to know that while you are welcome to throw money in – it’s illegal to take money out!
Tip: Its possible to see the fountain without millions of people around – try early in the morning 6:30 – 7ish.
Piazza Colonna
A six minute walk from Trevi – brings you to Piazza Colonna – although it is yet another impressive site , take a closer look at the column in the middle – it has this intricate details sculpted that tells the story of Marcus Aurelius for whom the column is named. The Piazza is located at the famous shopping street of Via del Corso and right opposite across the street is the posh shopping arcade Galleria Alberto Sordi.
Pantheon
It takes about 5 minutes to walk from Piazza Colonna to arrive here – and in my opinion, this is a must-see sight when in Rome , for two important reasons – it is one of the most well preserved architectural ancient monuments in Rome AND its entrance is FREE! Opening hours are every day – 8:30am – 7:30pm except Sundays 9am – 6pm. Its location is on yet another lovely piazza , Piazza Rotonda – The marvel is in the architecture – it is the biggest unsupported dome in the world. The distance from the bottom to the top of the dome is equal to its diameter. The famous oculus at the top is the only source of light – and at different times of the day , there is the slanted sunlight streaming in, when it rains , water comes through the hole only to seemingly disappear as it hits the floor – which is slightly slanted. The marble floors are in fact the real deal and remains the original flooring from ancient times. Outside the Pantheon is the Fountain of Pantheon originally designed by Giacomo Della Porta.
Piazza Navona
From the Pantheon, it is around 7 minutes to arrive here on foot. Possibly my favourite Piazza, this is a lively place surrounded by plenty of restaurants and terraces and is pedestrian-only zone. Great place to People watch! There are three fountains (what else) strategically placed here in this Baroque-style square. Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi (Fountain of the Four Rivers) the one in the middle is by Bernini. I like this fountain for what it represents – the Four rivers (Nile, Danube, Ganges and Rio de la Plata)- and an Egyptian obelisk topping it off. Sant’Agnese in Agone church faces into the Piazza behind the fountain. The church has an awesome interior to be checked out. The other two impressive fountains – Fontana del Moro at the south and Fountain of Neptune at the north were designed by Giacomo Della Porta.
Castel Sant´Angelo
10 minutes walk from Piazza Navona – brings you to the Tiber River to one of the many bridges that brings you across the River. The bridge reminds me of the Charles Bridge in Prague with its statues looking on as you walk across. While Charles Bridge has statues of Patron saints – these here are statues of angels designed again by Bernini (popular dude in his time) – apt for a Bridge named “Bridge of Angels” – but it did not get the name from the statues but rather from the archangel Michael whose statue adorns the top of the Castel. Originally it was built as a mausoleum for the Emperor at the time, it was then converted to a fortress and castle and presently is a museum.
From the Ponte Sant`Angelo, turn left of the Castel, its a 10-minute walk to St.Peter’s Basilica. The first view of the impressive Basilica is straight ahead. Check out my Vatican City post also in this blog.
ZWT Recommended Restaurant in Rome
There is no shortage of restaurants, cafes around Rome – the real challenge is to find a good one for non-tourist prices. Getting recommendations is definitely a must-here. I normally don’t do recommendations because of people’s different tastes, but I make an exception here because there are so many restaurants at every corner but I really like the Navona Notte – It is fairly priced , no coperto charges, which in itself is amazing seeing that it is close to Piazza Navona where all tourists gather. They have wood-oven pizza and I really liked my pasta (so there) and the calzone – which looked like a giant puff , was good too.
Cafes in Rome
Cafes or coffee bars – I am always happy to see them for 2 reasons , when I need to fill up on caffeine or if I need the restroom! And its no secret that Italy has one of the best coffees in the world. One of the best ???!!! Why not the Best ? – because those who know me, know that my best is a specific brand of 3-in-1 coffee I get from my hometown in Malaysia. So anyways, a reminder that there are different charges for drinking your coffee standing at the bar , or choosing to sit down and sip coffee. Of course a sit down has table charges attached, sometimes quite a lot – but how else are you going to people watch without getting a leg cramp ?
Is it safe to drink tap water in Rome ?
Oh how wonderful life would be if there was a simple yes or no answer. In general I prefer drinking bottled water because I could never get a firm yes you can from the hotels I ask. There is purportedly a website where you can enter your address to check if the water source is safe drinking water, but I couldn’t find it. Around the historical center there are water fountains made from cast irons for drinking called “Nasoni” or big noses. Below is one near to Piazza Navona in a quiet corner.
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-The End of Day One-
Continue to Day Two
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