The Eternal City
This was written back in 2017 during our visit to Ital.
Rome is called The Eternal City for a good reason. As you move around the city you will find examples history from before the time of Christ, through the Middle Ages, into World War Two and of course today. The history is so vast over such a long period of time I found it difficult to get an impression of the city as a whole. I kept focusing on what I was seeing right in front of me.
We arrived in Rome by driving from Tuscany and the first task was to fill the car with gas and drop it off at the rental agency by the central train station. It was an adventure in of itself that I will talk about in a post on driving in Italy. It was then off to find our apartment for the week. When we originally chose the apartment and made the reservation it was because it was close to Vatican City, we just didn’t realize how close. Each morning started with a 5 block walk to St. Peter’s Square and the day ended by walking back past St. Peter’s Basilica lit up in all its glory.
Our week in Rome included several pre-arranged tours:
· A half day private tour of The Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapple and St. Peter’s Basilica
· A half day private tour of The Forum and Underground Tour of The Colosseum.
· A full day small group tour to Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast.
While we could have done each of these on our own the tour guides took care of logistics and provided more information then could have found on our own. They were worth the money and would highly recommend something similar if you are going to Rome.
When not on a tour we were walking all over town. We made it to The Pantheon, The Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain and more churches then I can name. Each location gave its own unique impression. One interesting fact we learned is that there is no fixed schedules for the busses in Rome. You know when they leave their starting point, but after that they arrive at a given stop when they arrive. The traffic in Rome and the number of people trying to use the bus makes it impossible to keep to a schedule.
Rome is a unique city and unlike any other large city I have been to.
Until next time…..
