5 October – Arrival

We arrived late and unfortunately had failed to properly map a walking path to our apartment. Uphill all the way, dragging suitcases, being rained on, we were pretty stuffed by the time we got there. It took a couple of drinks before we headed out to a nearby supermarket to stock up for our visit.

6 October

It’s probably been nearly 50 years since John was last in Rome and he remembers very little of it. So we were both really taken aback by the sheer size and spread of ancient ruins, and the fact that many of the most gobsmacking were built BC and first century.

The grandiosity and scale of architecture also brought to mind the economics of building and decorating these structures. I guess when you steal every cent and every asset for a thousand kilometres around you, you too could build massive monuments for your own aggrandisement. But they sure could build.

Of particular impact today were the Pallantine Hill and Roman Forum, and the Coliseum. All were incredible and the Coliseum is a colossus, far more massive than imagined.

We also learned another trick for finding a bus back to our apartment, using our offline maps. If we know what bus will work, just start walking along main roads in the direction of our destination and we are bound to come across a bus stop for the bus we want. These little tricks remove a lot of stress.

7 October

Way too much. We set off near lunch time and did the Capitalano Museum which took us through to about 2 pm, and then a massive walk to see the Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, and Spanish Steps. Very interesting and very exhausting.

8 October

John saw a couple of churches in the Travestere area and wandered through the restaurant district, noting that meals that cost 12 or more Euros (nearly $20 AUD) in the tourist districts, were half that in non-tourist areas.

In the afternoon we went together to the Vatican Museum and Sistene Chapel. The Basicilica of St Peter was shut by the time we made it there.

All very interesting, good to say we’ve seen it with our own eyes, but never again. The tour groups are an absolute pestilence and the crush of tourists is even worse than Venice. Cannot wait to get out of Rome.

9 October

Off to the coast to visit a less touristy version of Pompei. Ostia Antica is named so because it was situated on the mouth of the Tiber river. While Pompeii was destroyed by a volcanic eruption, Ostia died slowly as the river changed its course and it could no longer serve as a port of Rome.

Ostia Antica was really amazing. Can’t imagine the work it must have taken to dig it out from eons of silt and overgrowth to reveal the magnificent ruins of a really big and beautiful city, from some 2,000 years ago.

In the afternoon we made it back in time to visit the Basilica of St Peter, said to be the largest church in the world. We admired the artwork and architecture. Our last memory is of Michelangelo’s statue “Pieta”. It brought some tears, not because of any grand wonder, but because it’s yet another representation of a mother’s loss of a child. And we just lost Paul – so it’s very hard to see.

One good thing we discovered in Rome is that there is Guardia Medico Touristica, free doctor service for tourists.