A long weekend in Rome
Well, well, well. What fun is to be had in the Italian capital of Rome.
I went from Friday-Monday with my mum, and we saw as much as we could in those four days.
Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill
The Colosseum is bigger than I thought it'd be, and oh so impressive. I mean... seriously, it was built in 70 AD and it's still standing. Gladiators fought there. Emperors entertained there. It's hard to walk around - both inside and outside - and not be in complete awe.
As for the RF & PH... wowzers. History there dates back almost 3000 years... there's so much to see, so you want to (a) wear good shoes - the ground is uneven too and (b) allow enough time to see it all. These three are surely a must when visiting Rome.
Vatican City, including St Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel and museums
First we saw St Peter's square and the Basilica. It's free entry, but we queued for an hour (arrived at 11am on a Saturday) so probably better to get there early to avoid the queue. Inside is just outstanding... the size, architecture and detail within is beautiful. It's hard to walk into the basilica without at least thinking 'wow' in your head. You can see the Pope on Sunday's if that's your thing, but I'm not really a fan ;)
The museums were also crazy busy - literally back to back people, which spoiled it quite a bit. It's like you're just shuffling along in a huge herd, so we didn't see it all. Again, maybe better to get there early... The Sistine Chapel was my favourite part. Bigger than I expected, Michelangelo's finest work is so detailed, and so beautiful... I'm not a Christian but there's something quite special about it. I'd go to the museum again just to see that alone.
Trevi Fountain
Just lovely. Crowded, just like everywhere else. Hot chocolate in the Trevi Cafe (behind you if you're looking at the fountain) was one of the best I've had, delicious.
Altare della Patria
We stumbled across this beautiful building via our bus map, having not heard of it before, but I'm so glad we did. There's glass elevator that takes you to the top.
With views of the whole of Rome including the Colosseum and Vatican, it's well worth the small fee to ride to the top.
Pantheon
Dating back almost 2000 years, this is another place with free entry and it's beautiful inside and out. Definitely worth visiting.
Piazza Navona
One of my favourite spots - a large square (well, rectangle!) with restaurants, shops and a gorgeous fountain in the middle.
It just feels quintessentially Italian; the atmosphere, the buildings, the smell of garlic and olive oil wafting out of the restaurants...
We had lunch there, looking out in the sunshine and it was kinda wonderful.
Spanish Steps
Another famous scene in Rome - again it was really busy here so I'd go early if you're into photography. We saw a lot that day so didn't stay long as we were pretty tired.
The Food
Amazing pizza, of course - crisp, light bases, sweet tomatoes, mozzarella - nom nom nom.
Also had some amazing pasta, my favourite being spaghetti in olive oil with chillies (simple but delish), and yummy ice cream. Also had a nutella canoli (oh my goodness) and a caprese chocolate and pistachio pie (like a sponge cake) with raspberry sauce - yummers.
Hop-on/hop-off bus
We booked with City SightSeeing Roma (in advance) and I was really impressed; great route around the city, good price and a nice map showing you where all the attractions are so you can easily find your way from your bus stop.
Finally...... our flight and hotel
We flew with EasyJet: Excellent service, friendly staff and comfortable flight which arrived early. For a budget airline, I was really impressed.
We stayed at Capo d'Africa, a 4 star hotel just a few minutes' walk from the Colosseum, and it was fantastic - clean, comfortable, spacious rooms, lovely receptionists, rooftop terrace with great views, lovely breakfasts and nice cocktails in the bar.
All this was booked via Expedia - we got a good deal by booking the hotel and flight together.