It's Just a Bunch of Old Buildings - Rome

29.5.09 Bibbona, Italy (Friday)

Next morning Bob says, “where would you like to go next” and I say, ”Rome sounds nice”, so Rome it is. Rome is a fair drive away so we will head down the coast and stop half way somewhere.

First of all we travel to Pisa to see the Leaning Tower on the way. We plug into Kenny, the GPS, the co-ordinates to the Leaning Tower and off we go. The guidebooks warn that the city of Pisa is fairly non descript, to say the least – and they are right! We drive, cautiously up and down little roadways looking for the Leaning Tower. I saw the Tower about 30 years ago so I should know it when I see it! Bugger, we cant find it anywhere! We are tired of the little streets in the city and say “lets get out of here” and head up yet another narrow one way street to try to head out of the city. As we approach, we see it is one way and has cars on either side - Bob says “we wont fit”! And this time I agree. But we have no choice, there are now cars behind us and we cant reverse – oh no! Bob says I will have to get out of the van and direct him up the street. So out I get and walk backwards in front of the van, up the street, looking either side of the van to ensure Bob is not going to hit any cars. By this time, the line of cars queued behind us is growing. Bob inches along ever so slowly – and I swear the clearance on some cars is only about an inch! The street seems twice as long when you inch along and it seems to take forever. This is extremely nerve wracking for both of us but we make it without a scratch on Frankie or on any other car – hooray! The line of cars behind us scoot past us beeping and carrying on – oh well, we say!

We quickly head to the outskirts of town, park on the side of the road and walk back into town – and there it is, the Leaning Tower – just off the little narrow street we were almost stuck in! How could we miss it! It is a pretty amazing structure, defying gravity on an impossible angle. I insist that Bob takes a kitchy shot of me trying to hold up the tower – everyone else is taking similar shots. Bob is reluctant but relents in the end and takes the shot!

After the Pisa diversion, we head to Bibbona (about half way to Rome) and stay in a lovely campsite on the woods. It is a nice break from the ocean and it is a very clean, well kept, modern campsite. It has a lovely little restaurant so Bob and I decide to “eat out” that night. We had what is called “spitfuls” of fish and seafood which is really skewers or kebabs. We shared skewers of grilled tuna, mahi mahi and swordfish and skewers of grilled prawns, calamari and cuttlefish all with mediterranean grilled vegies, washed down with of course, local red wine! Just delicious – a lovely night.

30.5.09 Roma (Saturday)

We head off to Rome which is a fairly long drive – but relatively easy when you drive on the motorways. The tolls are horrendous but we feel it is worth it with Frankie. We learn that today is a public holiday and most of the petrol stations are closed although they do have card or coin operated facilities. We have a particularly tough fight with one of these facilities in that it gobbled up our €50 note – with no petrol in return!. We pressed every button in sight without success – but we werent giving up – there was no way we were leaving without our €50. After about half an hour fighting with the machine, a young girl who could speak some English came to our rescue. She went out of her way to find us some assistance (because the station was shut). Eventually she worked out that the petrol station attendant would return in about ½ an hour and sort it out for us – which he did! The Italian girl earned two koala key rings for her trouble – she was a great help!

So finally wea arriva ina Roma! The campsite is on the very outskirts of Rome but has a free shuttle service to the train station – great! The first day we catch the shuttle bus to the station and then the train into Roma. After the excellent standard of public transport in Spain, we are very disappointed with the trains in Italy – they are old and laiden with graffiti – on the trains, at the stations everywhere. We felt like we were in a ghetto in the Bronx (not that we have every been to the Bronx!). Our plan was to see all the main sights of Roma in one day – the Colosseum, Pantheon, the Vatican, Trevi Fountain and the Spanish steps.

Sunday:

Our first stop in Roma is the Colosseum and the Forum around the Colosseum. What is also being held around the Colosseum on the same day is the Giro D'Italia (the Italian equivalent of the Tour de France) – so there are lots of people, cameras, barriers, action, noise – you name it. We got to see Lance Armstrong take off on his leg of the race.

Back to the Colosseum - what a sight it was- it is absolutely huge with a large number of its internal workings still somewhat in tact. We saw where the gladiators faught, where the lions, horses and other animals were caged and brought into the centre to be slaughtered and where the emperors, noblemen and peasants, in strict hierarchy sat or stood to watch – just amazing.

Next we moved onto what is known as the Forum which was the old Roman shopping mall and civic centre which is alongside the Colosseum. It is mostly ruins but still laid out as you would expect for a shopping mall about 900 years ago. For some reason, these ruins really take Bob's fancy and we walk around, and around, and around, for hours and hours, taking thousands of photos. By about 5pm and after giving Bob as many hints as I could that I was tired, (one can only be polite and follow one's husband around for so long!), after another few streets of ruins and a few more photographs, Bob got the hint. “But we still have time to visit the Pantheon” says Bob excitedly – its just down the road! So off we go see the Pantheon, which is Roma's oldest preserved building (about 2000 years old) and has the largest masonry vaulted ceiling ever built – pretty amazing!

By this stage we have well and truly given up the plan of five sights in one day! - and finally, we head home. On the way home in the train we chat to a British guy who has taken 12 months of work travelling Europe – he is here for the bike race. Bob and he exchanged horror stories about driving motor homes in Europe.

Monday:

Today we are going to see the other three sights on our list - first stop Vatican city and St Peters Basilica. I saw the Vatican on my Contiki tour 30 years ago but it looks so different from then – much bigger and more interesting – maybe it is just that my appreciation of all things cultural has changed since then! The Vatican City is only 1 square km but has its own post office, currency, newspaper and radio station and is guarded by an army of Swiss Guards – very impressive in their blue and yellow balloon trousers!. The Basilica (or Church) is just amazing – even Bob is impressed! And huge – everything is Rome seems huge. The Basilica is said to hold 60,000 people on a good day!! The Church has one large dome and four smaller domes aroung the large one. It is so opulently decorated with mosaics, frescos, brass and ironwork, monuments and statutues – the list goes on, it is truly a wonder!

On the way out of the Vatican Bob asks me if I know where the Sistine Chapel is – I said I saw it on my Contiki tour 30 years ago but wasnt sure what city I was in – I think it was Florence – we can see it when we go to Florence! So we head off for some lunch.

For lunch we drop into a cafe near the Vatican which has some nice looking filled rolls in the counter. We ask for a couple or rolls - they offer for us to sit down and they will bring them to us. We also ask for two bottled fruit juices. We sit next to a Bavarian family and the young girl speaks some English. We have an interesting conversation with the young girl interpreting as best she can. Everyone we speak to cant believe we have come from sooooo far away – Australie is a long way away!

After we finish we receive our bill – and almost collapse - €42 (ie $82!). “We have the wrong account!” Bob bleats. We have only had two rolls and two fruit juices – but the waiter says “is right – but dont blame me – first day on job – not know”! It cost us €15 (or $30) for each sandwich and €6 (or $12) for each juice. Bob and I complain but with absolutely no response – from anyone – no one is interested. Bob and I walk out and whinge and whine to each other for the next half an hour as to how we could be so stupid as to:

a) not ask the price before we ordered

b) sit down in a cafe (no one sits down – it costs more!)

Still mumbling and groaning, we head off in search of the Trevi Fountain and Spanish steps – both of which are located without too much pain. The Trevi Fountain is fantastic – well worth the trip if you are passing through Rome at any time! And the Spanish steps – well, they are a very nice, very old set of steps that lead from one area to another with a little fountain at the end, but a pleasant view from the top.

Not until we got home that night and check the Lonely Planet guide did we learn that the Sistine Chapel is in the Vatican Museum, which we chose not to see! Oops, how am I going to live this one down – Bob wont see the Sistine Chapel because of me!! Oh well – I blame it on Contiki!