When in Rome… Explore!

Apologies for the blogging hiatus – starting my new job, having NZ friends to visit and moving into my new flat hasn’t left a lot of time over!  If you’d like to, you can always check out my Instagram account to see what I’m up to on a more-regular basis.

 

I bid goodbye to Dad and Zoe in Naples, as they were off to Sicily, and caught a fast train to Rome.  I had visited briefly before, at the end of my Contiki tour in 2008, and was so excited to go back to explore the city properly.  On my first afternoon, I made straight for the Colosseum… via a gelato store, of course!

It really does blow my mind that the Colosseum was built in 70-80 AD and has survived so much to still be standing, relatively intact, to this day.

Once again I wandered for the afternoon with no real plan in mind, other than that I could aim for the Trevi Fountain and then the Spanish steps.  It was over 32C, so a slow stroll was definitely preferable to a mad sight-seeing dash!  I was so relaxed, I didn’t even take any photos (virtually unheard of)… just soaked up the atmosphere and enjoyed the bustle around me.

Back at my backpackers, I met my new roommates: Jeremy from Canada, Lili from France, and Grietje from the Netherlands.  They were all travelling solo like me and keen to be social – ideal!  We didn’t stray far, but had an awesome night out… I had to keep pinching myself to remember that I was partying in Rome!

The next day Lili took command as our tour guide – she had a full itinerary planned and didn’t want to waste a minute!  Luckily for the rest of us, she also speaks fluent Italian, which made life super easy.

First up was the manic atmosphere of the Trevi Fountain, where we all tossed euros backwards to ensure that we would visit Rome again.  I wasn’t taking any chances with this so every time I visited the fountain this week, I popped another in – just in case!

Next on the list was the Pantheon, which is another mind-blowing experience (more to come from inside in a later blog).  I love that it has stayed as a space of worship, even if the god(s) have changed!

By this point we needed to escape the heat, so headed for the river.  While it’s not the most attractive colour, it was much cooler sitting down in the shade, watching the mutant fish jump – they were huge!  I enjoyed the view of Castel Sant’Angelo, which is so attractively medieval, just like a true castle should look.

The next stop on Lili’s list was Il Vittoriano, which was in fine patriotic form with huge Italian flags out front. I can see why it’s nicknamed the wedding cake or the typewriter… it’s certainly a ‘distinctive’ style.

Our last stop was a quick peek at the Roman Forum – again, more on this in a later blog!

The next day the heat was predicted to top 36C, so we did as the Ancient Romans would have, and headed for the beach.  The lido at Ostia is easily accessible on the metro from Rome, only 20 minutes away.  Once there, we wandered past the exclusive but seductive-looking loungers and umbrellas to a free beach… a distinction I’m not used to in New Zealand!

We spent a perfect day swimming, sunning – and of course constantly applying sunblock!  It really was too hot to do much else and it was so lovely to just relax and enjoy the amazing weather.

The next day Jeremy had headed to Milan, while Lili and Grietje explored the Vatican City.  My good friends Kate and Gin from New Zealand were due to arrive from London in the afternoon, so I filled in some more time wandering around the city – as you do.

I love the wide expanse of the Piazza del Popolo with its matching churches and huge obelisk, brought to Rome in 10BC.  It’s strange to think that the Ancient Romans would have viewed the Ancient Egyptians as being just as antiquated as we now view them!

As if I hadn’t done enough relaxing the day before, I then lazed in the shade with my book near the Villa Borghese until it was time for Kate and Gin to arrive – bliss!