It doesn’t get better than this. The sites, the history, the people and of course, the food! Rome was all that I expected and so much more.
On this trip, the flight was smooth and uneventful. This time I was travelling with my husband, my friend and her adult granddaughter. To simplify things and to make it easier on them, I had arranged for a rental car at the airport. I’ve heard innumerable comments about travelling light. We don’t. While I don’t disagree with the concept, I’m never able to put it into practice. I’ve found my biggest problem is the security measures regarding liquids. Things like lotions, perfumes, hair products, liquid medications, some deodorants and dental hygiene products require you to pack them in checked luggage which increases the weight and consequently, leaves less room for clothing. Most international flights allow 1 checked bag of 50 lbs each for economy class and the usual “personal item”. There were four of us and a total of 12 bags, 4 carry ons and the rest large bags. I will say, my husband and I were responsible for only one-quarter of it. I had serious reservations about fitting all this in the car. We had the good luck to find an Italian porter who insisted he could fit it in our Peugeot station wagon and he did, although not so securely. The ride to the hotel was a scene out of a Saturday Night Live skit. GPS announcing names of Italian streets with an Aussie accent and bags flying all over the place at every turn. We had chosen to stay near the airport rather than the city center because we were beginning a cruise after our 5 days in Rome and had to return the rental car and meet a bus at the airport that was taking us to the dock.
We had booked a hotel near the airport on one of the discount travel sites with the thought that as long as the room and bathroom are clean, it would be fine. After all, we weren’t planning to spend much time in the room and at $63.00 per night (in 2012), we really had no complaints. The biggest surprise of all was our arrival at the hotel. Since we had rather low expectations, we were totally unprepared for what we saw.
We were directly across from the Mediterranean! In a really nice hotel!
I’ve had really good luck on the discount and online travel sites. Most are legitimate and post reviews with Trip Advisor. Even if you don’t book through them, you’ll get enough good information to make an informed decision.
Having secured more than adequate accommodations, we were ready to begin our first day in Rome. On the schedule was a tour of the Vatican in the morning and the Colosseum in the afternoon.
A tour of the Vatican can represent different things to different people but ultimately, you can’t help but be overwhelmed by the magnificence of the art. The Sistine Chapel was almost other worldly. The paintings, mosaic tile work and sculptures are breathtaking. The Pieta has to be seen to understand how it is possible to breathe life into a slab of marble. I must say, having seen these treasures, my favorite was the hall of maps or I should say the ceiling of the hall of maps.
This is one of my favorite photos. There were so many other treasures to see. No matter your beliefs, this is one not to be missed.
Next on the agenda and part of the same tour is a visit to St. Peter’s Cathedral. I was especially looking forward to this since my father had visited St. Peter’s as a GI during WWII and I remembered a conversation I had with him as a small child. He told me that St. Peter’s was the largest church in the world, that he had been there (which amazed me since at the age of 5 I had no knowledge of WWII) and that there were no church pews. Finally getting to see the interior, I was stunned by its sheer size and grandeur. The dome is truly impressive. I was actually very emotional standing there. I felt like I was seeing it through my dad’s eyes.
On to the Colosseum. Can you picture the gladiators, the emperor, the crowds? The Colosseum itself? Prepare to be amazed. We were able to tour all the levels including the notorious lower level. All the gladiator movies you’ve ever seen don’t prepare you for actually being there, the view from the top, or this architectural and engineering marvel of the ancient world.
This was just our first day. More to follow.
LOVE IT!!!!!