My travel to Rome, places to visit and tips

I was quite excited as the aeroplane landed at Rome’s Fiumicino airport, inspite of sleep deprivation due to travelling at odd time. Rome is the capital of Italy that is well known for its history and monuments. I was supposed to get a dose of historical monuments, visit Vatican and enjoy the city in general. I expected the immigration to be quick and simple but it was not. It took almost 1 hour to get past the immigration hurdle thanks to large number of airlines that land in the morning. The only positive part was that the luggage was waiting for me at the belt!!

 

The next task was to get into the city. There are regular trains (called Leonardo Express) to Roma termini (Centre of Rome) that takes about 32 minutes. Getting tickets from a machine was quick and easy. I had booked my hotel room near Roma Termini as there were few advantages of staying near the city centre. The restaurants, bus and train stations were all nearby and there was no need for additional commute. Most tourist attractions are within walking distance (expect Vatican) which made it very convenient. The hotel allowed me to check in early, which meant that I could freshen up and start my visit to Rome!!

 

I recently had an opportunity to visit Rome for three days during which I visited places in Rome, Vatican City, Florence and Pisa. As usual, I felt that it would have been better if I had more days but nevertheless it was a very satisfying visit. In this post, I will explain the various places I visited in Rome. For Vatican City, which is an independent country inside Rome, refer to my post here.

Roman forum

The best place to start the visit of Rome. It was the heart of Roman Empire and citadel of the civilisation. The ruins here dates to 8th century BC. Yes, that is some 2800 years old!! Considering the time and the fact that Rome went through several changes throughout the history there are only few standing structures. As I walked in the ruins, my mind went to Jerash in Jordan, another Roman city. 

Palatine hill

The hill is situated next to the Roman ruins. It is a short climb that gives a very nice view of the hill. 

Colosseum

The exit from Roman forum brought me to the Colosseum, the famous and most visited place in Rome. It is also ranked in New7wonders of the world. The oval amphitheater built in 72 AD was used for gladiatorial battles, reenactment of battles, animal hunting, executions and dramas making its  earlier history more violent than peaceful.

 

I still had time to enter Colosseum and hence I decided to walk around it trying to take some snaps. Late afternoon sun did not help me in getting nice pictures but I got to see different views of the amphitheater. I had seen few Roman Amphitheater in Jordan but Colosseum was clearly the biggest. It was surprising to see the structure intact even after 2 millennium.

 

I entered the queue 30 minutes before my slot of 5PM and I had to wait for 15-20 minutes. The main bottlenecks are the metal detectors and the restriction of 3,000 people at any point of time inside Colosseum.

 

General visitors are allowed to visit the ground floor and first floor. Visit to underground and upper floors requires separate ticket. As I walked around the Colosseum, my mind went back to the days of Roman Empire!! The movie “Gladiator” helped me to envisage the scenes of those days. 

Pantheon

Pantheon is a huge Roman Temple (now a church) built during 1st century AD. The two most prominent features are the large columns and the dome. Patheon is the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome even today!! Entrance into Pantheon is free. The oculus of the dome is opened allowing light to enter. It also means that the water enters during rain.

 

Capitoline hill

One of the hills in Rome. I climbed it while walking from Pantheon to Trevi fountain. There is also a museum but it also provides a nice view of Roman Forum.

Piazza Venezia

One of the imposing structures in old Rome.

Trevi fountain

A very big and famous fountain in Rome. Situated in a small square surrounded by narrow streets, the place is always busy. During my visit in the afternoon, this place was brimming with people!! 

Tips

• As I said before, staying near Roma Termini will help you to reduce commute time and cost. All the places mentioned in this post are walkable from Roma Termini.
• Rome is hot. Temperatures above 35℃ is common in summer months. It gets very hot in the afternoon. Plan accordingly and drink plenty of water and try to walk in the shade. The tap water in Rome in drinkable and there is no need to buy plastic bottles. Water can be refilled in many public water fountains and taps.
• Vegetarians have no issue in Italy. Every other restaurant services pizza and pasta. Finding a vegetarian variant is easy. Don’t forget to have gelato!! It gave me a cooling experience in the hot weather.
• The language in Italy is Italian but it is possible to manage with English in most tourist locations. I found that there was lot of similarities between Spanish and Italian words.
• You need to buy tickets for Roman Forum, Palatine hill and Colosseum. A single ticket will serve all three sites but it is required to get a time slot for Colosseum. I suggest to buy in advance at the official site (Like here) to avoid standing in line or being disappointed. Colosseum usually has long queues and it is normally short in early morning and evening.