When in Rome...

Elena in the Colosseum
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Next stop was Rome, where we spent 5 (very busy) days. We stayed at a hostel called Casa Olmata, which had really good little touches like free bottles of water on arrival and a free 'snack pack' when we left. They made our beds everyday too, something you rarely find in hostels! Plus, when we got there, one of the staff members carried both my bag AND Richard's bag (weighing probably more than 20kgs in total) to our apartment which was a 10 minute walk away... I don't know how he did it! I felt sorry for him though... I think he was overworked, as I saw him everyday we were there at hours ranging from 9am to 11:30pm.

Elena and Richard at the Trevi Fountain
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Anyway, on the day of our arrival it was absolutely stinking hot and humid. We ended up visiting the Spanish Steps on our first evening. To tell you the truth, I was a bit disappointed. They were covered in scaffolding, and there were hawkers everywhere. They didn't quite look like the flower-covered steps I had seen in the postcards.

Tales of an ancient history lover!

On our second day, we visited the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. We couldn't have chosen a worse day to do it, as the temperature reached 40 degrees that day! Nevertheless, the Colosseum was amazing and we took a guided tour of it. We explored the Forum on our own, and had to make it a quick visit as the heat and lack of shade made it very uncomfortable. It was good to finally be there though, as I am a Roman history lover going back 12 years!

The Pantheon
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The next day, we started off at the Trevi Fountain, where we both threw coins over our shoulders to guarantee our return to Rome. I was definitely impressed with this monument. Then we walked to the Pantheon, which was incredible too, and saw the artist Raphael's tomb inside as well as those of the Italian royal family. Next, we continued our walk to the Vatican, where we went on a tour of the Vatican Museums, ending up at the Sistine Chapel. Michaelangelo's artwork was amazing, something I could especially appreciate as I was reading a book on how he created the frescoes. Not a bad effort from a sculptor who hadn't frescoed for 20 years! We then went into St Peters Basilica, climbed to the top of the dome, and visited the Papal crypts where we saw the tomb of Pope John Paul II. Then we visited Sant Angelo Castle which is very close to the Vatican. Walking back towards the hostel that evening, we encountered a crazy alternative street parade with stilt walkers and drummers - we still don't know what it was for, but it was entertaining! It was a very long day and we didn't end up getting back to the hostel until 9pm or so.

St Peters Basilica
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The next day, we decided to brave the heat and make our way back to ancient Rome, where we visited the Imperial Forums and Palatine. We also saw the Circus Maximum from Palatine Hill, but didn't bother going down to view it closer as it just looks like an empty field! We also visited the church of San Pietro in Vincoli, where St Peters supposed chains are on display.

For our final full day in Rome, we ventured slightly out of town to the San Sebastiano catacombs. These were incredible. We walked through the underground tunnels and saw where the Christians buried their dead. The number of small tombs from babies and children was very sad. We also saw a once-forgotten-but-now-discovered-again church dating back about 2000 years, and an old crypt where St Sebastian was buried. His relics are now in a newer church above ground, which we also visited. We finished off by walking down the Appian Way, an old Roman road with many ruins on either side.

Richard at the top of St Peters
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Rome was probably the city I was most looking forward to visiting on this trip, and we both had a fantastic (although very tiring) time!