We arrived at Fiumicino Airport in Rome at about 6:20pm. It was also called Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport (Aeroporto Leonardo Da Vinci in Italian). We took the public bus from the airport to Termini Station in downtown Rome. Note that in Rome, there were no lifts or escalators in all Metro stations except the main interchange stations. Good Luck!! Because our hotel accommoadation was located near the Termini Station, we walked there pulling our luggages along. It was late at night, and the streets didn't feel safe. There were lots of loafers and troublemakers along the streets as you walked. We quickly increased our pace and tried not to glance at them. I stayed at Casa Nostra Guesthouse with my mom. My 2 brothers and dad stayed at another guesthouse located 10 minutes away, under the same management. It was summer season and most of the lodging accommodations were full. It was a time where tourists from all over the world flocked to Europe.
The guesthouse was pretty nice and decent, and breakfast was provided. We had Croissants every morning, Italian delicacies. I don't really eat Croissants back home because it was expensive. Now after this trip, I am sicked of it. I guessed I would not touch Croissants for the next couple of months.
We even managed to "steal" a few of it, packed it into our bags and brought it out. It was delicious and fresh. Nice!!
We set off to the Colossum the next day. It was Day 1 of our self-made itinery. The Colosseum was located near the guesthouse and we took a slow morning walk there. The weather was hot, and because it was summer, night was short and day was long. It was still not as hot as Singapore. After crossing a couple of streets, we could see the Colosseum from afar, it was a spectacular sight.
We were so excited when we saw the Colosseum. It was our very first time and lots of curiosities were in us. We were like urging one another to quicken our pace. The view got better as we approached the magnificent structure. Of course we snapped tons of pictures of this structure. It would be a once-in-a-lifetime trip. Been there and done that!
Queues into the Colosseum were very long! Luckily we were early and we spent about 30~45 minutes of waiting before we got our hands on the tickets.
Finally, we were setting foot on this one of the wonders of the world. It felt so WOW!! We were squeezing our way into the structure, it was so great that we stood dazing at the first viewing point, spending some time looking at the marvellous architecture of the building.
Then we started to walk, snapping lots of pictures as we walked along. There were some parts of the Colosseum that were undergoing restorative works that had deteriorated over thousand years. It was basically a very large amphitheatre lying in the heart of the Roman city. This structure was built and completed in year 80 (imagine it was year 2014 now), and was used to host gladiatorial shows and events during the Roman ruling. We spent about 3 hours in the building before making our way our to the next attraction.
There was an arch located outside the Colosseum. It was the Arch of Constantine. The arch was built to celebrate the victory among the Roman societies back then.
We went next to the Roman Forum. It was the ruins of the ancient Roman government buildings dated back in the Roman era. We bought tickets for both attractions at the Colosseum counter because they were located nearby. The Roman Forum was indeed a very huge place. We spent a day visiting these two majestic places.
We had been walking for the whole day and it really worn us out. We had a short break at a nearby eating place, Bar Circo Massimo, to grab some food and drinks. Italian pizzas were delicious. The crusts were thin and crispy. Alcohols were cheap too especially beer. My two brothers were drinking beers like water. Since weather was hot, beers were refreshing.
After getting enough rest, we started to proceed back to our hotels. We took a slow walk round the other side of the attractions. We walked past the Roman Forum, the Trajan Forum and finally the Colosseum.
After a night of rest, our Day 2 intinery brought us to the Baths of Caracalla in the morning. It was the largest Roman public bath ever built, consiting of cold baths,tepid baths, hot baths, steam baths and open-air baths. What was left behind today were the ruins of the bath complex. You would be amazed with the kind of architecture the ancient Romans had.
It was built between Year 211 and 224, with concrete and stones, similar to the structure of the Colosseum. The interior was very large and we spent the whole morning there. The crowd at the Baths of Caracalla was not as packed as compared to the Colosseum or the Roman Forum. This place had very little tourists, maybe because it was out of the way and inconvenient. It was a place worth visiting. The kind of experience one got to feel at a foreign historical place, understanding the history and how on earth these ancient people constructed these huge structures, could not be bought anywhere.
After that, we took the metro to Barberini Station to visit the Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. Our lawyer brother did not follow us in our morning excursion so we met up with him at the station. We had lunch at a local Italian restaurant. Finally we had a taste of local Italian food. We had been eating flour for breakfast and lunch yesterday. It felt like it was bread all the way. We would termed it: "Why diam diam jia loti??" Lunch was good at last. Italian cuisines were not their cup of tea for my parents. They had funny looks on their face when the food arrived at their table. But for the kids, we loved it!
We spent the afternoon touring around this area. It was the shopping district where luxury brands were located, as well as small local shops. We took lots of pictures in this area, walked and zig-zagging around until I did not know what was I. Just walked and be lost!! My dad always needed to know where he was on the map. And we always got to stop and wait for him to catch up. Without realizing after walking past several streets, we saw a majestic building in front of us, it was the Pantheon. We had reached the Pantheon.
It was very crowded. Indeed, it was impressive from the outside. We made our way in among the crowd, took a walk around the church and glanced at it with admiration. You would just sit and admire the whole monument inside. It was a church, a really very massive church. I had never seen such an enormous church in my life until now. I am not a very religious person towards any specific culture, so I just prayed a little wherever I was for health and safety.
We continued our walk on the streets before heading back to our hotel to end the day. We were all tired but we enjoyed the experience. Water was ample everywhere as there were spring taps along the streets and parks. Italy's water was safe to drink. There were street performances everywhere too. You would also realized that there were many talented people around us yet to be discovered. Most came from poor familes, earning a living through decent living, while some resorted to pickpocketing. There were also small eats and lots of souvenir shops along the way.
We were heading to the Catacombs of St Callixtus on Day 3 of our itinery. Had you ever been to a catacombs before? Well sad to say, I had never! We took the public bus there but we were not sure of where to alight. Not to worry because you were not the only one. There would be people always taking this bus to the Catacombs, mainly tourists. Just follow the crowd. The bus journey departing from Lateranol Terminal took about 20 minutes, costing 1.50 euros per trip. The metros and bus were of the same pricing based on per trip fixed at 1.50 euros. Luckily our hotel were near the bus terminal.
The Catacombs was a sacred place and proper dress code were necessary. No photography was allowed inside the catacombs and noise levels must be kept low. Respect the dead! No one was allowed to roam around on the inside on their own. All visits to the interior of the Catacombs were on guided tours. We followed an English tour of course.
There was a briefing introduction before entering the Catacombs. The Catacombs were almost 18 levels below ground level, therefore it was natural coolness inside. There were lots of burial grounds inside and based on the guide, most of them were stolen before the Catacombs was discovered. The picture below was taken inside the Catacombs, which was not allowed. I took them secretly when my brothers blocked me off from the view of the guide.
It was the crypt of Saint Cecilia, popular patron saint of music, with a slit on her throat. She had been there for at least five centuries. This was the only clearer photo captured in the dark. The rest of them were dark and blurry. The whole tour of the Catacombs were impressive on how these people managed to have such a place beneath the ground. Every level had high ceiling. Only level 1 and 2 were opened for the public. Level 3 and 4 were burial grounds for the Popes, therefore entry was forbidden. The guided tour lasted for about 45 minutes.
We took a walk around to see what was available around the compound. There were nothing much around so we decided to make our way back. We had lunch at a small eating place opposite the Catacombs. The bread was fantastic. I loved the bread! It was crispy with melted cheese in between it.
We took the bus back to the terminal stop. I was pickpocketed during this journey back. Damn freaking pissed! Those pickpocket idiots were really skillful. My mom was standing right beside me and my sling bag was between me and her. And it was zipped back too!! Damnit!! Of course it was a hassle after that, calling up banks and going to the police station to file the report. Bad encounter! Remember not to bring too much cash out, and be sure to keep them out of sight.
To enjoy the trip well, I got to recover from this incident fast if not it would spoil the rest of the holiday. After filing the police report, we headed back to the shopping streets. There were too many small alleys that we could not cover yesterday, so we continued the shopping today. We visited the Basilica of St Mary of Angels and Martyrs, walked past a few impressive buildings and ended the day well enough by preparing dinner for all, Pesto Pasta with Salad.
We were heading to the Vatican City the next day. It was the last day of our Rome trip. We bought our museum tickets online back home before proceeding there. The queues were exceptionally long during Summer. So we paid a little more with the online tickets to save time. Vatican City is the smallest recognized independent state in the world housed within the city of Rome. The large prominent plaza was known as St Peter's Square, where people gathered for mass convention with the Pope. The tall standing structure in the center of the plaza is the Egytian obelisk erected in 1586. Can you imagine ?
We made our way to the museum after snapping a few photos at the plaza ground. Note that the entrance into Vatican Museum is located outside of the city, right side of the compound. We cut the long queues and finally we were in. The Museum was huge, and there were many different areas emphasizing on different aspects of their Vatican culture. Be sure to grab a map at the entrance or else you would be repeating your walks around the building and missed out on the side doors leading to other areas.
The interior decorations of the Vatican Museum were simply remarkable. The most impressive part of the museum were the ceilings of the walkways. You will be amazed with the breath-taking carving designs on the ceilings. You would just keep your eyes stucked on the ceiling walls admiring it. There were also lots of sculpture carvings and drawings displayed from all over the world. The displays in the Vatican Museum were those that you would not see it in any other museums.
There were not many eating places in the Vatican Museum and it was always full. We spent almost the whole day there admiring the splendid art inside, thou we were not that culturistic or artistic. But because, the amount of time and effort spent on those works were truely unimaginable. To us, we would think that: "Wow, they were so free!" Visiting the Vatican Museum was truely an eye opener for us. A little city with an unexpectable culture and displays situated inside. Comparing to Rome city, the maintenance of Vatican was far better off. Rome city was a little more dilapidated.
Well, that's all for Rome, Italy. We were departing for Barcelona, Spain, the very next morning.
BARCELONA PARIS LONDON
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