A Roman Holiday (Day 1 and 2)

Rome is a mere two and a half hours away from Bristol, our nearest connection point, that it was just simply impossible not to go. From there we took an Easyjet (cheap as chips) to Fiumicino Airport but arrived late in the day and so it was dark out by the time we got out of the terminal. A quick pop in the Leonardo Express into town and before we knew it, we were in the famous (notorious?) Termini station - the city's central station.

From Fiumicino to Termini - via the Leonardo Express

Termini is busy with travelers going every which way, near and far, encircling the insides and outsides of the building and seamlessly avoiding collision at every turn. The subterranean levels however, leave a much more unsavoury impression as trash is strewn everywhere and every surface is spray painted some illegible random graffiti. But the trains are on time, which is a relief as you are therefore less likely to spend more than 5 minutes on their platforms waiting for trains and trying to avoid eye contact with the unofficial gypsy "ticket operators".

Around ten minutes later, we emerged from the cave-like Spagna Metro station and a whole different world unfolds before us. The station is right next to the historical Spanish Steps, named after a nearby Spanish embassy that's been there for centuries. The steps were the primary people mover in the 18th century when Rome was experiencing regular influxes of Christian pilgrims, posing a logistical nightmare to local authorities trying to alleviate the human crush.

Spanish Steps - day time view

Our hotel was just two streets over but I was in heaven more because of the fact that we were right smack in the middle of the luxury shopping district. Purely by chance of course! The famed Via Condotti where the likes of Bulgari, Louis Vuitton, Missoni, Prada, Chanel, Ferragamo and Tod's call home were as accessible as crossing the street. Which is lovely particularly because of the time of year - Christmas decorations were in full swing at each of these shops and gave me an extra reason to linger just a tad longer at their windows.

From where we stayed, the major attractions were pretty accessible either on foot or by train. Rome is a pretty contained city and with a good conversation going, you'll find walks to be shorter than initially thought. The easier attractions to get to from our hotel were the Trevi Fountain (yay!), Pantheon, Piazza Navona, and the Villa Borghese. Further afield, we saw the Colosseum, the Baths of Caracalla, and Vatican City (St Peter's Basilica, Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel). It certainly seemed that our 5-day trip was insufficient to explore all of Rome!

Trevi by night

That night, not wanting to waste the precious few hours before bedtime, we took a stroll around the area and ended up at the Trevi Fountain. Pleased to find that it is just as magical at night as it would have been by day, we settled at a nearby restaurant for dinner and coffee, while we regrouped and planned our day-by-day exploration.

The Flavian Amphitheater, better known as the Colosseum (exterior view)

As a traveler must-see topping every destination list ever written about Rome, we made the Colosseum our very first tour stop. The day was bright and sunny but the temperature dipped above and below the zero degrees line so wandering through the cold stone halls of the Colosseum felt like running around in an icebox! But it was certainly a sight to behold. Built by two emperors, it was the centre of Roman social life for many years before falling into disuse and eventually, plunder. The interiors - the walls, floors and ceilings - were once covered in white marble and decorated with life size (or bigger) statues in each window of the premises, yet today all that is gone not by nature but by man's own force. What began life as a centre for bloody human and animal sport gradually morphed into a fortified home for a rich family, then later a controversial religious monument, and finally, a quarry for building materials, until all that is left is the stone skeleton of its former self. When we were there, we were shown the original type of marble that once laminated every surface and were then invited to keep our eyes peeled throughout the rest of our stay in Rome and observe where we might spot a former ex-Colosseum material lying beneath our feet somewhere else in the city.

Colosseum interior

From the Colosseum it was a short walk to the Palatine Hill and the Forum Magnum (Roman Forum) - a large area where Imperial Palaces and an administrative centre stood. My earlier blog post had talked about this site. My first encounter didn't register the importance of the place until properly briefed by my better half about the the importance of the Roman Forum back in its heyday. Apparently the likes of Augustus Ceaser, Nero and Hadrian called this area home, in a sort of Beverly or Kenny Hills of their time. A large tract of the  city's main aqueduct passed through the area rather unattractively at the time but has now sadly largely disappeared save for a small misshapen lump of rocks that you could hardly make out. Other than this the remains of Ceasar's villa can be observed as well as other very interesting buildings like House of Livia (the wife of someone important) and Huts of Romulus (grouping of homes of the founder of ancient Rome).

Remains of the aqueduct

Remains of the Stadium, part of the Imperial Palace, Palatine Hill

Our first two days in Rome ended on a more serene note than predicted as we walked mainly in awe and deep thought - trying to imagine how it must have been like back then. The places we visited were simply unbelievable and gave proper perspective on the magnitude of the importance and grandeur of Roman history. Still three more days lay ahead of us and a lot of more of the city needed exploring. But I'm saving that til the next post!