Rome In Two Days - Day 1

The Eternal Roma - Day 1

'No lifetime is complete without a visit to Italy', experienced travelers say. So, when we got our EU visa, we planned a trip to Italy. We had five days for our trip. We split two days for Rome and the rest for the Amalfi Coast. The flight fares from Copenhagen were surprisingly affordable.

We started on a sunday evening. It was 9 pm when we reached Rome. We negotiated 50 euros with a taxi from Fiumicino airport to our hotel in the street Via Nazionale near Termini station. The fare is supposed to be only 40 euros. It is better to take metered taxis as they are more reasonable.

There are thousands of hotels in Rome and for a month we researched the web and read every review on TripAdvisor. The best we could find was Hotel Gea Di Vulcano. It was perfect for our budget and had decent reviews. The hotel turned out to be perfect for our stay and most of the attractions were walkable from its central location.

Piazza Della Repubblica

Piazza Della Repubblica was just round the corner from our hotel, we visited there when going for dinner. It was beautifully lit up and we could hear the fountains from the streets. This was our first public fountain experience. Back in India, we have only seen small fountains in the parks. We enjoyed and clicked photos until 10:30 pm. Though it was close to the infamous Termini station, we did not have any problem. We had dinner at Il Barocco restaurant. It was already closing time for them, but they made quick pizza for us.

Day 1

We started early after a filling breakfast from the hotel. Hotel Gea provided us a beautiful map of Rome. We walked through the narrow streets and small fountains of Rome. The first stop was Trevi Fountain.

Trevi Fountain

We reached there eagerly, only to find it being cleaned! It was not crowded and we spent some time enjoying the scene; the pleasant morning rays and the silence made the experience unique. We were amazed at the number of coins that were found in the fountain. From here, the taxi cost to Colosseum was four euros.

Colosseum

The iconic Colosseum looked majestic with the morning sun shining through it. We had booked our tickets online for Colosseum, Palatine Hill and the Forum here. It was very handy as we did not have to wait in the queue. We did not take any guided tour or the audio tours as we had only limited time and were not really into history and architecture. Even without the guide, it took us about two hrs to see the entire colosseum.

There were some broken statues and renovation works at the ground level. On the next level, there were displays of more statues, a museum and an audio visual display about Nero. From here, the view of the arena and the surrounding structure was astonishing. As the day proceeded, there was a rush of tourists. There were guided groups with their guides waving colored flags or umbrellas as identification — a sight itself to watch.

It was early October but the heat was too much. It is essential to keep oneself hydrated; take a water bottle and an umbrella. We learnt a lot of horror stories on pickpockets, tourist traps and scams in Rome through various travel sites. We found Rome to be quite safe; common sense will help in most cases.

The Palatine Hill and The Roman Forum

It was an overwhelming experience for both mind and body here. There is too much to see and for the uninitiated, it may become an unpleasant experience. You have to walk, walk and walk. So, ditch your fancy high-heeled shoes and wear a comfortable one. Forget your bulky SLR cameras (unless you're very into history and photography) and take a compact point-and-shoot camera. When you're sweaty, thirsty, tired and dehydrated, the last thing you want is a heavy SLR hanging around your neck.

The Palatine Hill was magnificent with ruins and greenery. There are many shady places if you need a rest. The view from the hill was panoramic. There is a museum and a small garden with flowers. You can also view the entire forum from here. The forum has many ancient buildings and museums. It took 3 hrs to see the forum completely.

Once outside, we had gelatos; the shopkeeper was friendly for a chat. We walked up the road to Piazza Venezia.

Trajan's Column and Altare della Patria

The Altare della Patria building was beautiful with its while walls and black statues. It was a military building and there were some restrictions. It is not allowed to sit on the steps.

The Trajan's column was uncrowded and had some interesting carvings. It was pleasant to take a seat and watch the traffic. We then took a taxi to Piazza Navona for six euros.

Piazza Navona

The three lavish fountains were breathtakingly beautiful with the different statues and clear waters. More than the piazza, the scene was impressive — tourists, painters, souvenir sellers and the cafes made the scene complete.

We had lunch at one of the restaurants nearby. It was not an inexpensive affair but the pizza was good. It was a short walk to the Pantheon from here.

Pantheon

Tourists flocked around the Piazza della Rotonda when we reached. There was a small fountain where people were enjoying snaps and simply cooling off. As soon as we entered, the generous dome with a hole in the centre appeared. It cast a bright shadow on the walls. It was suggested to visit Pantheon when it was raining. There was no rain when we were there but we got the idea why it was suggested.

It seems to be a favorite location for  pick-pocketing; the announcements warned us every now and then. There were paintings, statues and a church. We spent some time wandering in the piazza. We then took a long walk to Piazza Del Popolo

Piazza Del Popolo

Before the times of modern transportation, this is believed to be the entrance to Rome. The two churches with the centre column might have given the ancient travelers a prelude to what to expect in Rome. It was fairly uncrowded and we relaxed our achy legs for a while. Some adventurous travelers were even climbing on the statues to pose for photographs. We skipped the Pincian Hill in view of climbing it. We walked to the famous Spanish Steps through a narrow shopping street.

The Spanish Steps

The boat shaped fountain was gorgeous. The steps were crowded and the souvenir sellers flocked the tourists for selling their items. We had a wonderful time listening to the fountains among the chaos of the tourists. We were feeling smug after the day's accomplishments.

Trevi Again!

We stopped at Trevi again to see it in its full glory. The sound of the water gushing could be heard from far across. The morning experience was unique, however, the working Trevi fountain experience is matchless. The sheer size and the glowing effect brought by the lights made it magical. Of all the places, this was the most crowded. We waited for at least half an hour before we could find a spot to sit. Since it was near to our hotel, we lingered for sometime before deciding to get back to the hotel.

We had a quick shower and went for dinner. We had dinner at a restaurant named La Cucina Nazionale. The dinner was relaxed and we had sumptuous ravioli. The dessert was the unbeatable tiramisu — a great way to end our long day!

For more detailed reviews on the hotel and restaurants, visit my TripAdvisor page here.