Turning 30 in Rome
For my 30th Birthday in March 2018, my wife surprised me with a trip to Rome. Here's the GoPro we shot over three days, with a written diary below. Highlights included visiting the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Vatican City, Trastevere, The Pantheon, Trevi Fountain and more.
Day 1 - 07.03.18
This story actually starts a few days before this date – With my 30th Birthday just around the corner I opened an early present from my wife Jen. A Rome guidebook that instantly told me my 30th may be a little bit of a crazy one. If you’ve read the dairy from our past Italy holiday, you’ll know what a fan I am of the place, so I was instantly excited.
It was true, I would be spending my birthday on a surprise visit to Rome. My wife…what a woman! The night before we stayed in a fairly non-descript hotel in the Heathrow area. A 4:30am alarm began our trip. After a surprisingly great breakfast in the terminal building and a few hour flight to Italy, we touched down in the capital. Disembarking out into a busy arrivals terminal, there was initial confusion about where to pick up our ride to the hotel, but eventually we were loaded up in a minibus and driven along the crazy Italian roads through the fairly ugly industrial outskirts. Our surroundings soon changed however, into picturesque, dirty-but-in-a-pretty-way, classical Italian architecture into the heart of the city. We would be spending the next few nights staying at the Hotel Barocco, a little boutique hotel tucked away down a quiet side alley just off a square that holds a stunning and foreboding statue of the God Neptune. Once checked in by the lovely and incredibly welcoming staff in our small yet adorable room, which boasted a small balcony that overlooked the square (albeit from the alley). Armed with a map provided by the hotel, which the staff had scribbled various routes on, we headed out to explore the city. One of the many fantastic things about Rome is that all the major sights in the centre are more or less walkable. Which, having driven in Italy before, is definitely a good thing for international tourists. Our first stop was the famous Trevi Fountain. You know – the one that also sits outside Caesars Palace in Vegas. Except this one is the real deal. A mind-blowing piece of masonry-work dating back to 1762, surprisingly tucked away down an almost back-alley style back street and absolutely teaming with tourists, street sellers and probably pickpockets. The tourists lined up with their back to the fountain, throwing a coin over their shoulder for good luck whilst taking selfies. |
Whilst the scale, complexity and finish of the rockwork was both beautiful and awe inspiring – especially to a theme park guy like myself- I found the surrounding street to be rather oppressive and quite frankly was ready to move on after a short while. Well worth seeing though. Having been in Italy for a few hours, we were of course desparate for Gelato and stopped at a small place just adjacent to the fountain named Gelateria Valentino, where both the array of flavours as well as wonderful customer service from the owners impressed us to no end. Bellies slightly full, and heads full of suger, we walked the back streets some more until we stumbled upon the awe-inspiring Pantheon. It had started to rain at this point, but we were prepared with umbrella in hand. Heading in through the Corinthian columns we were greeted by a behemoth of a building. Protected by a huge circular concrete dome roof 143 feet above our heads (with a hole in the middle, letting in the rain). We spent some time studying the altars, sculptures, frescoes as well as the tomb of Raphael (my favourite Ninja Turtle) and others that lay nearby.
The rain died out and we wandered back out into the bustling City. We spent some additional time wandering the streets of central Rome, taking in the sights, sounds, smells and atmosphere. We decided were both already in love with this City. We then strolled back to the hotel for a quick change of clothes, which somehow turned into a nap. Once awake and refreshed, we asked the helpful staff for a few restaurant recommendations. We eventually settled on a place called Life and the staff booked us a table.
The sun had set and the ornate and charmingly scruffy streets had began to light up. A short stroll from out hotel through the darkened streets led us to the restaurant. We started with a carpaccio as well as a starter of cheese & ham, before the main course, I had gnocchi and Jen had a mouth-watering looking beef dish. This was all of course complimented with a fantastic bottle of Italian red wine. We wearily and lazily strolled back to our hotel. With the balcony door open and the sounds of Rome (and a gentle breeze) gently rocking us to sleep, I decided that this was not only the perfect way to end my twenties, but also the best way to begin my thirties. In my favourite country, sharing another adventure with my incredible wife. Buona notte Roma. |
Day 2 - 08.03.18
We awoke to find that we’d left our balcony door open all night, leaving our room lovely and fresh and with the sounds of the newly awakened City pouring in. Once ready we headed down for a fantastic breakfast down stairs and eventually headed out into the City. We’d planned a busy day today; the Colosseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill all lay ahead of us to explore. After walking past the Trevi fountain (where crowds had not yet gathered), we reached a ticket office by the Roman Forum which didn’t look too busy. As well as being my 30th Birthday, it was also International Women’s Day – which meant women were being let into these attractions free of charge. How awesome! We headed straight towards the imposing and iconic Colosseum and were stunned by the queues that had already built up. Thankfully we had tickets in hand so went straight in.
I find there are two ways of drinking in these ancient historical sites, firstly you can take it at face value in it’s current state, appreciate the architecture that still exists, the ancient stonework and engineering, and generally be impressed with the place. But I find the second method much more rewarding, by trying to visualise what this place actually looked like in it's prime. The full structure of the colosseum (much like the Temple of Zeus we visited in Athens a few years ago) would have been an incredible behemoth of a building. The sounds, smells, sights and general energy would have been overwhelming. We were already drawn into this place’s history. We explored the Colosseum, stopping to read excerpts from the guide book we had brought – Rick Steve’s Rome (2018) is well worth a purchase. His descriptions really brought the place to life for us as we learned about the truly awful and barbaric history of this staple of Roman power. We spent a couple of hours on the Colosseum’s two levels, including getting an up close look at what remains of the ‘basement’, a labyrinth that would have sat beneath the amphitheatre floor and held the slaves, gladiators and exotic animals that were all part of the show, as well as an elaborate and complex lift system to bring them up to ‘crowd’ level. Again, the history, death and energy was tangible. We were floored by this place. The next destination was a short walk up the street to the Roman Forum. Another unbelievable walk through ancient history which humbled and inspired us both. I won’t go into the history of this place here, you can read about it in any good Roman history book or website. But again, using your imagination whilst exploring this maze of old Roman temples and buildings in varying states of survival really painted a vivid picture of how the apex of the Roman Empire would have been. Some buildings were still almost full structures (such as Caligula’s Palace), whereas others (such as the Column of Phocas) were merely a few columns with corinthian trim around the top, the detail still visible despite centuries of weathering. |
A particular highlight for us was the exact spot where Julius Caeser was cremated. Under a small metal struture in the middle of the Forum lay a mound of dirt with flowers atop. Jen and I knew we were walking amongst some of the World’s most important ancient history. I had goosebumps. Another chilling moment was reading about the House of Vestral Virgins. The virgins lived in this place for a 30 year term in chastity, however if any virgin broke this vow, they would be paraded through town (strapped to a funeral car), given a loaf of bread and lamp, and then be buried alive. Tough break for a cheeky shag! I always find it fascinating how even the most advanced civilizations on Earth can still be home to some rather barbaric acts.
After many hours exploring the Roman Forum and filling our water bottles up at the many water fountains situated around the site (Rome is full of safe to drink water fountains), we made our way up to Palatine Hill. Exploring this magnificent ruin and catching a great view of the Roman Forum below on one side, and the Chariot Racing track on the other side (of Ben-Hur fame).
We’d done some serious exploring and our feet were starting to shout at us, we ambled back to our hotel via Gelateria Valentino (by Trevi Fountain) the owner took incredible care and pride in the way he scooped our gelato, and then asked us to try it and ensure we were happy before paying. The passion was beaming from him and the gelato was well worthy of his pride. I’d seriously recommend this place.
We’d done some serious exploring and our feet were starting to shout at us, we ambled back to our hotel via Gelateria Valentino (by Trevi Fountain) the owner took incredible care and pride in the way he scooped our gelato, and then asked us to try it and ensure we were happy before paying. The passion was beaming from him and the gelato was well worthy of his pride. I’d seriously recommend this place.
Back at the hotel, we were pleasantly surprised to see flowers and a Birthday card on my bed, courtesy of the hotel staff. We dived on the bed and had a snooze. Once up and showered again, we went down to the relaxing hotel bar to have a glass of wine, and then booked a last-minute table at Hostaria Romana, a fantastic restaurant, not too far from our Hotel.
The restaurant was authentically Italian and as we sat down it became very evident that we were surrounded by locals. The meal that followed was incredible. I had Adriatic fish with spinach, Jen had steak and potatoes. All washed down with a jug (or two) of fantastic house wine. We were also given a nice appetiser that was a mix of beans and sausage. All followed up with an espresso. What a Birthday meal indeed! We walked back to hotel and were sure to thank the staff for recommending and booking such a delightful meal for us. Back in the room we had one more surprise, a lovely chilled bottle of Prosecco as another Birthday gesture, having already had house wine at the restaurant we were more than a little pissed by the time we finished it, but standing on our balcony listening to the sounds of Rome at night with a glass of prosecco was the perfect way to end one of the most unique, exciting and enjoyable Birthdays I’ve had in my 30 short years on this planet. Jennifer, the hotel staff and Italy itself had done their best to spoil me as best they could today. I’m happy to confirm that they have succeeded immensely. |
Day 3 - 09.03.18
We both slept amazingly well and awoke at 7:45am to head down to breakfast.
Today we were heading over to Vatican City to visit the Vatican Museums (which we had pre-booked online) We hired a taxi to take us over there. The driving was just as crazy as I remembered it from my last visit to Italy (“no red lights, just very dark green”). We arrived to see massive crowds already queuing around the walled city towards the entrance to the museums. We were very pleased that we had booked ahead and once our time slot approached, we headed inside and upstairs into the main Atrium, surrounded by renaissance architecture and featured a 2,000 year-old Pinecone statue (honouring Isis - the Egyptian Goddess of Fertility) and large bronze sphere.
Today we were heading over to Vatican City to visit the Vatican Museums (which we had pre-booked online) We hired a taxi to take us over there. The driving was just as crazy as I remembered it from my last visit to Italy (“no red lights, just very dark green”). We arrived to see massive crowds already queuing around the walled city towards the entrance to the museums. We were very pleased that we had booked ahead and once our time slot approached, we headed inside and upstairs into the main Atrium, surrounded by renaissance architecture and featured a 2,000 year-old Pinecone statue (honouring Isis - the Egyptian Goddess of Fertility) and large bronze sphere.
We then shuffled into the Egyptology gallery, featuring lots of ancient artefacts dug up from sites all over Egypt - the highlight to me being 3000 year old mummy in miraculous condition. The maze of galleries eventually gave way to a Greek section, with lots of statues of Gods and Titans. The Renaissance area of the museum featured huge frescoes, with art most notably by the famous Raphael including the fantastic ‘School of Athens’ which guest stars everyone’s favourite mathematicians Plato and Aristotle representing their somewhat opposing views on philosophy and thinking. After lots more paintings we were eventually led down a very long hallway into the famous Sisteen Chapel. The room was incredibly crowded but we managed to find a seat around the perimeter of the great room to soak in this infamous wonder of renaissance art. We sat and read up on Michelangelo’s work and the meaning behind each little area, which really gave some perspective and exposition to what we were seeing. The highlight of this room had to be the famous and very complex Last Judgement. Once our necks started to hurt a little from looking up, we ambled out of the room and took a break in a small café in the museum and ate calzones.
|
We’d been in the museum for several hours now and so walked round into Vatican City itself to see St Peter’s Cathedral, which looks over the massive square with a great feeling of importance and power. We were looking forward to seeing the interior of St Peter's, but due to an upcoming visit by the Pope later that day, it was sadly closed. Nonetheless we sat in the Palazzo for a while taking in the Sun and sights. We eventually left Vatican City and walked back into Rome itself, crossing the River Tiber into the heart of the city once more. We entered Campo de’ Fiori, an impressive little square housing a bustling marketplace, surrounded by cool little bars on each side. We chose a seat outside Taba Café and had a beer whilst watching the market sellers begin to pack up their stalls. We left after a while and walked to Piaza Navarona, a large busy square housing a few baroque fountains, an Egyptian obelisk and surrounded by palazzo’s and café’s. We walked through and sat on the North side with a Gelato, watching the various tourists, street musicians and (annoying) street sellers do their thing. Our next stop was the Pantheon where we sat at one of the restaurants surrounding the temple. These places are usually a little 'tourist-trappy', but it was nonetheless a pleasant place to sit with a glass of wine whilst the sun began to set over the impressive Roman structure.
We ambled back to the hotel once more, saying hello to the incredibly friendly staff as we passed reception who asked us about our day with what seemed like a very genuine interest. After relaxing in our room for a while we headed back out into the city for an evening stroll. Our walk took us back to the Colosseum, now much quieter than it had been during yesterday’s daytime visit. We passed a metro station and saw two Italians either arguing or just excitedly talking to one another, we couldn’t tell. After taking in the impressive Colosseum in the evening light and walking a lap of the structure, we strolled back to the Pantheon and sat on the fountain steps opposite for a little while. We decided we weren’t hungry enough for a full sit-down meal, so opted to get a snack from a bistro near our hotel before heading to bed. Another fantastic day served up by a phenomenal city. |
Day 4 - 10.03.18
Alas, it was our last day in Rome which - as with most places Jen and I have been lucky enough to visit – brought a sadness as we awoke at 8am and headed down to breakfast for pancakes and cappuccinos. We checked out of our magnificent hotel but asked to keep our luggage in reception as we still had some more exploring to do. We had decided to visit the small area known as Trastevere in the South West of the city. On our way to Trastevere we passed another ancient ruin, set around 12 feet below the surface of the surrounding streets and surrounded by a wall. We naturally stopped to have a look and learned that this was Torre Argentina, the City’s oldest Roman Ruin dating back to circa 400-300 BC. As we looked we noticed a number of cats strolling around the place. In fact the more we looked the more we saw, counting up to around twenty. It turns out that Torre Argentina is home to a very unique cat sanctuary and home to around 150 cats, all fed, sheltered and given medical care by local volunteers. We walked down a set of stairs to say hello to a few of the friendly cats who seemed to enjoy the fuss we were giving them. You can read more about this wonderful organisation here. |
Using the guidebook which highlighted a lovely walk we could do through the Trastevere, we spent a few hours taking in the sites of this quaint and almost weirdly quiet neighbourhood. Highlights included some beautiful narrow backstreets that just screamed ‘quintessential Italy’ as well as some beautiful Christian churches such as the Church of Santa Maria and the Church of Santa Cecilia. I'd definitely recommend this area for a stroll. We were there in the morning, but as we left the bars and restaurants were starting to open their doors, giving the sense that Trastevere would be a fantastic place for a meal if we had more time. Sadly, we didn’t.
Upon completing our walk we headed back into the heart of Rome and walked back up through Campo Del Fiori through the packed market and once more into Piaza Navarona for a gelato. We noticed once more what a lovely atmosphere this square had, with families and friends having a great time soaking in the sites.
The last item we wanted to tick off before leaving the city was the famous Spanish Steps situated in the Piazza di Spagna (made notably famous for featuring in the fittingly named film ‘Roman Holiday’ starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck). Whilst there was nothing overly amazing about this place other than being pretty (and featuring a very cool fountain at the bottom), we spent some time sat on the steps watching the tourists below and above us. Alas, it was time to say goodbye to Rome. With a heavy heart we headed back to our hotel to pick up our luggage and say goodbye to the wonderful staff that had made our stay so great. Our transfer arrived and led us on a very bumpy ride out of the city back towards the airport. We had a very smooth travel through Rome airport and an uneventful flight home (exactly how I like them!). Back in England, we arrived at home for around 11:20pm. |
As a huge fan of the Italian culture, history, cuisine and language it is weird that Rome was never on the top of my list of ‘places I desperately want to visit’. I think this is partly due to the fact that it is a very busy touristy town. However upon visiting this wonderful city with my wonderful wife, it’s obvious why this place is so popular. The lovely people, mouth-watering food, mind-blowing history and general charm and character that this City is home to make it a must-see place to visit.
I couldn’t think of a better way to leave my twenties behind and begin the next decade of my life. So thank you Jennifer. You constantly surprise me in the most wonderful ways. Here’s to our next adventure!
JB.
I couldn’t think of a better way to leave my twenties behind and begin the next decade of my life. So thank you Jennifer. You constantly surprise me in the most wonderful ways. Here’s to our next adventure!
JB.