Firstly – How did we get to Rome?
We flew into Naples on Easyjet and then took the train from Naples to Rome. Details on how to get from the airport to the train station in Naples can be found here. For further information on how to book train tickets check out our bitesize guide.
Where did we stay in Rome?
Our hotel in Rome was extremely central and only a few hops skips and jumps from the Trevi Fountain. A perfect location for first time visitors to Rome.
Hotel Boccaccio is an Ecoworld hotel and like a lot of hotels its an old townhouse that’s been converted into rooms and let by the owner. It was perfect and had beautiful high ceilings and big expansive windows and was perfect for our first stay.
We didn’t have an en suite in the room but the bathroom was just down the hall and adequate and the price we paid reflected that. Really reasonable at approx £70 per night. The bed was incredibly comfortable and the hostess was lovely.
When in Rome…..what did we get up to?
Everyone knows the famous sites in Rome but let us give you our take on them.
The Colosseum
absolutely magical site that you have to go to and have to go in however don’t be duped by joining a tour. you don’t need to be part of a tour as that will cost you an arm and a leg. Its much better just to have a wander round and there are plenty of signage in several languages so you’ll know what you’re looking at. If you’ve got a guide book then that will be a good point of reference too. As with most sights – get there as early as possible before the crowds and tour buses.
The entrance ticket is €12 for an adult.
The Parthenon
This is Chris’s favorite building and it is incredible. Built around 113 AD its the oldest building in Rome and when you get up close you can see history in the cracks, the colouration and the bullet holes. It has the biggest brick dome in the history of architecture. When inside, look up as its a fabulous view. Oh and its free to enter.
The Spanish Steps
The Spanish Steps are a set of 135, yes we counted them, of steps. Named the Spanish Steps as the Piazza di Spagna is at the foot of the steps and the Spanish Embassy is there. Cool Fact Alert!
We liked to see the Spanish Steps in the evening, all lit up, with the fountain at the bottom. Yep the evening was really special.
The Trevi Fountain
The Trevi Fountain is a fountain in the Trevi district in Rome, Italy, designed by Italian architect Nicola Salvi and completed by Giuseppe Pannini and several others. Standing 26.3 metres high and 49.15 metres wide, it is the largest Baroque fountain in the city and one of the most famous fountains in the world. When we visited we noticed a door open at the side and snuck in and saw some of the inner workings behind the fountain, shhhhhhh!
The Forum
A forum was a public square in a Roman municipal area reserved primarily for the vending of goods;. Its a marketplace, along with the buildings which were used for shops and the streets would have had open stalls. An entrance ticket would be around €12.
Piazza Navarone (My Favorite Piazza, Ever!)
Rome is filled with Piazzas but this one has a special place in my heart mainly because its built on the site of the Stadium of Domitian built in the 1st Century AD.a public open space in Rome, Italy.
It is built on the site of the Stadium of Domitian, built in the 1st century AD. At the top end of the square you’ll find the Stadium of Domitian museum and for €8.50 you get an audio guide to:-
- visit the underground levels of Piazza Navona, first opened to the public in 2014
- descend 5 metres beneath street level into the excavations, at the time of the Roman Empire;
- admire the ancient ruins of the first and only masonry stadium in Roman history;
- learn more about the history of the Stadium/Piazza Navona/ancient Roman sports.
Heading to the Vatican? Here’s 5 cool and interesting facts
1. Vatican City Is The World’s Smallest Country
It sits in just over 100 acres and is the smallest country in the world. Its status as a sovereign city-state is recognised under international law. Approximately 800 individuals live within Vatican City, including the Pope, and around 450 people hold citizenship.
2. It Is Home To The Largest Religious Building In The World
St Peter’s Basilica (Basilica di San Pietro) in Vatican City is the largest religious building in the world, covering an area of 227,065 square feet.
The magnificent dome of St Peter’s Basilica was designed by Michelangelo and based on Brunelleschi’s Duomo in Florence.
3. The Ceiling In The Sistine Chapel Took 4 Years To Paint
Perhaps the most famous work of art by Michelangelo, the ceiling in the Sistine Chapel is one of the main draws to Vatican City. Painting began in 1508, but the Renaissance master had to take a year-long break in 1510 due to the toll of such a monumental project.
Michelangelo eventually completed the 12,000-square-feet frescoed ceiling in 1512. To this day, his work of genius inspires the millions of visitors, pilgrims, and artists who visit Vatican City each year.
4. The Vatican’s Popularity Is A Threat To Its Artwork
Vatican City attracts more than 20,000 visitors per day during the summer, which is an inordinate amount for such a small place! To protect its most precious work of art—Michelangelo’s ceiling in the Sistine Chapel—the Vatican has had to limit the number of people permitted to enter the chapel to 6 million per year. This is because dust, carbon dioxide, and body sweat all pose a significant threat to this historic and delicate masterpiece. Climate control systems were also introduced to filter the air inside the chapel.
5. It Has Its Own Post Office And Bank
Vatican City has its own passports, postal service and stamps, bank and euro, telephone system, radio station, pharmacy, and national football team! The postal service is actually one of the most efficient in the world, so much so that many Romans go there specifically to post their mail. In 2000, the Vatican adopted the euro as its official currency. It is also permitted to mint its own euro coins, which are legal tender throughout the eurozone. The Vatican Bank ATMs instruct users in Latin, so when the display reads “inserito scidulam quaeso ut faciundam cognoscas rationem”, you are being prompted to insert your card!
Food is a massive part of our travel. Let us show you where we ate?
Any trip to Italy has to involve food and our first trip to Rome we immersed ourselves into the most fabulous food. We did however make a mistake on our first night there and ended up in a tourist trap restaurant where the food was not that great but it taught us a valuable lesson. We didn’t finish our meal, paid and left to find something more authentic. Its a good idea to do a little research on where you’d like eat, what type of food you’d like to eat and ask at the hotel for something authentically Italian.
Here’s a couple of places where we absolutely loved:
The first restaurant was over the river in Trastevere. Il Ciak. It was a steak restaurant but had all the Italian specialities you’d expect to find in a traditional trattoria. The service was impeccable and the waiter helped us order explaining what each dish was and how it was prepared. We opted for our usual meats and cheeses to start with and then we had pasta followed by desserts. It all was delicious.
You can’t visit Rome without having a Gelato and the best place we found was Gelateria Valentino. Great Gelato, Great Flavours, Great Service and best of all it was round the corner from our hotel. Result !
