Travelling to Italy ? {Part II}

Italy has so many beautiful places, but in our maiden trip, we decided to go with the most popular ones – Rome, Florence and Venice! This part II takes you through our first pit stop of this amazing holiday – Rome!

Rome is a museum .. no no .. seriously .. and that too on the roads.. the moment we landed on the ‘Roman Soil’ I had a very happy feeling. Every place I turned to was like a post card .. ready to be clicked and framed !

The first things first – we were handed with our very own ‘Map of Rome’ , so if you don’t have one, ask your host! Trust me , this is the Holy Grail while you are at Rome. Coz you can ACTUALLY cover whole of the city (well whatever is worth a visit) on foot ! So go grab the map, and be your own guide.. get lost.. get into a random church and be in awe of it.. look at the tiny street lamp.. read all the ‘VIA’s and make your own routes… this really is the best part about the whole city !

Trip Highlights

·      GELATO ! Have.As.Much.As.Possible !

·      And Berries , when you are at it ;)

·      Trevi Trevi Trevi ! You can’t get enough of it :) Please go see it in the day and the night. Yes, it looks different and its worth it ! Best thing - reach there by 5ish.. spend some leisure time, sit down , take a stroll, have a gelato..  and then come back again at 8 ! If you cant figure what else to do , go to Spanish steps and take in the happy air !

·      Rome by Night – if you are up for it , spend a night strolling around the main sights. Capitoline Hill , Roman Forum , Trevi , Pantheon all look wonderful in the night.. Highly recommend it !

·      Alio Olio – the times you don’t know what to eat, just go for this option :) 

·      Castle Gondolfo – what a find ! It was my husband’s birthday and we chose this place for lunch.. less than an hour train ride from Termini station will land you to this beautiful sleepy place (which is also Pope’s summer residence btw!) and a quaint little station ! One of the best meals with the most spectacular views I have had in the Italian trip was here :)

We spent four nights at Rome.. well actually you can cover it all in 3 nights as well !

Suggested Itinerary:

• Day 0.5 – If you land late in the day, just take in the city. If you have time, say hello to Trevi!

• Day 1 – Ancient Rome and the Central Rome (includes Colosseum, Piazza Novana, Trevi, Campa Di Fiori, Piazza Venezia and Pantheon) can very much be covered in one day ! If its too hot , then start with central, end with Ancient, wait for Coloseum to be lit up in the night, and then take the metro ! Save yourselves from the Gladiators (they will get a pic clicked and then ask for money!) While you are there and are craving for some Indian food, try Sitar. We had good lunches twice and I recommend Paneer gravies !A lot of my friends asked for guided tours at Coloseum. Well, it certainly helps, but can get overwhelming at times. Hence you can opt for audio guide (one is enough between two people) or take in a group tour.

• Day 2  - Vatican . This deserves atleast half a day. If you really want to make the most of the time here , I would recommend taking a guided tour as it just enables you to appreciate the art a little better. I went with What a Life Tours after a lot of research and it was a great decision ! If you are sure of the day at Vatican , I would recommend making the bookings in advance ! Post Vatican, you may want to roam around Rome in the night !!

• Day 3 – You can spend this day visiting Villa Borghese and the Trastevere region.  There are a couple of cool places in Trastevere to have some great Pizzas and yummy Gelatos !

**tips**

• Buy the Roma Pass. It covers all your local transport (metro + buses) , gets free entry to the first two sites and also helps you cut the lines ! Any more entries are at discounted rates. No, it doesn’t include entry to the Vatican.
• Thinking which two to choose? I recommend Colosseum (one ticket for Colloseum + Palantine Hill + Roman Forum) and Gallery Borghese (You would need an appointment there in advance to make an entry)
• Use Tripadvisor extensively to plan out new places to see!
• Still looking for a place to stay, try Casa Di Serena - we loved this lovely little B&B :)
• Take a place close to a metro station. Really helps in all the travel !
• If not the Roma Pass, you can buy your tickets from the meto stations or any tabacchi shop (it’s the local tobacco shop). The same ticket is valid both on metro and on bus with a validity of 100 mins. Yes, you can take multiple rides in that time. (Make full vasooli of 1.5 euros)
• Take bus rides, it’s a great way to explore the city !
• Water is potable at almost all places. Carry an empty bottle with you all times and fill it up on your travel.
• There is coperto or cover charge at most eating places. You can actually have a takeaway whenever possible and save precious money ! 

A person can just get overwhelmed with the city at times.. There is so much it has to offer..
You wonder how it was to live in that era..
and why is everything so huge !!
Did Michelangelo really paint that ceiling at Sistine chapel under the light of a lamp ??
Could they really carve all these beautiful things out of single marble pieces..

I am no expert in architecture .. neither a history lover.. But when in Rome , just take it in..
Sit at Piazza Venezia after the walk at Roman Forum.. hear the guitar play in the background holding someone special’s hand.. I am sure you will have a smile on your face..

As a dear friend said .. Rome main aake aapka rome rome pulkit ho jayega :)