Rome, Italy

As our little granddaughter, Selena, would say “my did it”!!!  In the matter of 9 hours (two of those hours being on a train), we toured completely around Rome and saw more of Rome than we anticipated!  Having said that, we did not go into anything (other than the Pantheon), so no time was spent going in any buildings which in that case would probably take 2-3 days if you wanted to tour in all the places we saw.  I was quite nervous  about our trip to Rome as it was “self-guided” on a plan I made from a lot of research  before we left,  right down to taking the train from our port of Civitavecchia to Rome which is an hour train ride.  Brian was extremely nervous when we got up this morning, doing his “sighing” from the minute he got up until we arrived in Rome.  He was so afraid that we would not get back to the ship and we would get lost but nevertheless we carried on with my plan and it worked like a charm!  Although we had until 8:30 in the evening to get back to the ship, we saw everything we wanted and were back to the ship by 4:30 p.m., having got off the boat at 7:00 a.m. to head to the train station.  I wish that Brian had worn his Garmin today to see how far we walked but I would easily say we walked at least 20 kilometers, if not more – so I’m saying half a marathon!!!

We bought a BIRG ticket at the train station which was good for all trains, metro, trams and buses although we only used the Metro (subway) once which was to get us back to the main train station (Termini) to get back to Civitavecchia; we walked the entire city of Rome and following the “self-guided walking tour instructions” I found on line and they worked like a charm.  There were some places we had to really look for the street names but we were able to figure it out. 

The first place we went to was the Vatican which was a 5 minute walk from the S. Pietro  train station we first got off.  It was absolutely breathtaking.  It is huge and even at 9:00 a.m. in the morning it was packed with people.

This is our first view of St. Peter’s Basilica as we walked toward the Vatican after getting off the train.  Please note the blue sky – once again we had an absolutely beautiful day! 

This was entering the open area in the front of the Vatican

The front part of the Vatican

This was a better view as we walked away and then looked back. 

We even got to hear Pope Francis on the screens surrounding the Vatican Square.  Keep in mind that this was a Sunday.

These are the columns around the Vatican Square.

After leaving the Vatican, we walked toward the Castel Sant’ Angelo. A fortress built by Emperor Hadrian as his mausoleum in 139 A.D.

Our walk along the Tiber (Tevere) River and one of the many bridges that cross it.  We walked across one of these bridges, making our way to the Spanish Steps.

The Spanish Steps – no real significance to the Spanish Steps other than people like to congregate there and sit on the steps. During the 18th Century, the Spanish Steps became a meeting place for both artists and poets. At the bottom of the steps is a Fountain called Fontana della Barcaccia but unfortunately it was under restoration and covered with scaffolding. 

I had read that there was a fabulous (but expensive) Tea Room called Babington Tea Rooms to the left of the Spanish Steps and we just had to stop for tea and scones. This place was opened in 1893 by Miss Anna Maria Babington and they still use her original recipes.  Celebrities and thousands of visitors have stopped here to rest and be inspired by England’s Victorian Age.  It was a favorite of English Lords and also the place where Humphrey Bogart and Lauran Bacall often met when filming one of their movies in Rome. 

Waiting to have our tea and scones, jam and real cream.  Brian took the picture and then headed out to walk the Spanish Steps (he is not into tea and scones).  Richard stayed with us for tea and scones as well (although he is not in the picture) and we walked out of there having spent 60 euro!!!  VERY EXPENSIVE but well worth the experience!

Brian took a picture after he climbed the steps! 138 steps!

From the Spanish Steps we walked by Piazza Mignanelli dominated by the Column of the Immaculate. 

The one thing I really wanted to see in Rome was the Trevi Fountain which is located in the heart of the city centre but it was completely under restoration and there was no water in the fountain obviously and it was very hard to see with glass partitions completely surrounding it.  This is where you can throw a coin over your shoulder into the water with your back to the fountain of which the legend says you will be back to Rome again.  Approximately 2000 euros is thrown into the Trevi Fountain each week and the coins are collected at night and used to subsidize a supermarket for Rome’s poor population.  I’m sure they are not getting that much money while they are restoring the fountain at the present time!

From the Trevi Mountain, we headed to the world famous Pantheon.

The Pantheon was the largest concrete structure in the world.  Michelangelo studied its great dome before starting work on the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica. Dating from 125 AD, this is the most complete ancient building in Rome and one of the city’s most spectacular sights.   It is also the burial place of several important Italians including the artist Raphael and it remains an active church.   At 142 feet wide and 142 feet high, it is a perfect sphere resting in a cylinder. 

Inside the Pantheon.  It was so crowded with people, I was hanging on to the back of Brian’s pants while he took some pictures so that we didn’t get separated!

Looking up at the dome up at the oculus which is a round opening in the centre of the dome.  It is 27 feet in diameter and open to the sky. 

The floor is gently sloped to allow the runoff of rainwater.

Some more pictures inside the Pantheon.

These are some places we saw as we headed towards Piazza Navona.

We reached Piazza Navona Square and this is one of three statutes in this square.  La Fontana dei Fiumi erected in 1651 for The Pope and is the most photographed item in the square.  The centerpiece is a tall Roman obelisk.  There are a lot of restaurants/cafes in the square and a lot of people stop here to have a rest and just take in the beauty of this square. 

We then moved on to the area of the Colosseo and the Imperial Roman Forum.  The above picture is a part of the Roman Forum.  No wonder they call it Ancient Rome.  The ancient history of this city is seen everywhere you go. 

We finally arrived at the Colosseo. This is the landmark that Brian really wanted to see in Rome. 

As with a lot of landmarks we saw today, even the Colosseo was under restoration.  We inquired about going inside the Colosseo but it was quite expensive and they were selling tickets for the Colosseo, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill and that would be just more walking and we had already walked miles and being mid afternoon, it was really hot out and we were tired.  We felt we had seen most of the greatest landmarks in Rome and decided to catch the Metro (subway) across the street from the Colosseum and head back to the Termini train station to get back to the ship.

We were packed like sardines in the Metro but thankfully we only had to go through two stations but then when we finally arrived at the main train station (in Termini), it was so large we had no idea where to go.  Poor Brian was getting all anxious again and asking anyone he saw how to get the train back to Civitavecchia and he couldn’t pronounce the name very well and some Italians just shrugged their shoulders at him!  Only my children can envision what Brian was like and usually what makes us laugh at him which just makes him madder and more animated.  It really is quite comical.  Anyway, we finally found we had to head for platform 25-29 and after a lot of walking through the station, we got on the right train which was also pretty crowded and Brian was asking everyone he passed if this was the right train and if they were heading to Civitavecchia too!  We finally made it back to the ship safe and sound after a great day in Rome! 

We are now heading to Naples where we plan to eat some pizza as Naples is where Pizza was first invented!