The beautiful city of Rome is the setting for many scenes in my novels, including The Queen’s Handmaid and The Time Travel Journals of Sahara Aldridge.
I hope you enjoy the tour through the city!
A Mother-Daughter Trip
My research trip to Italy was even more special since I took my daughter Rachel, a senior in high school, with me. The two of us explored Rome, Venice and Pompeii for more than a week, and had a fantastic time
Arriving in Rome
We arrive in Rome early in the morning, find our way to a shuttle service at the airport and begin a two-hour crazy ride through insane European traffic to our hotel. We probably should have paid the extra for a direct taxi, but it was already so expensive, I was trying to save some money. As I have experienced in Cairo, it appears that in Rome stop signs are only suggestions, painted lines are invisible, and the right of way belongs to whomever manages to snatch it. We arrive at our hotel by 10 AM, check into our room, regroup, and head out on the free hotel shuttle to the city, which drops us at the subway terminal. It doesn’t take long to figure out the Metro system and we take it through the city to the stop nearest the Vatican, then walk the rest of the way.
The Vatican
We start through the Vatican Museum by 1 pm, which is much like any museum but with more, and more important, artifacts.
Sistine Chapel
The museum ends at the Sistine Chapel, which is truly almost too much to take in. The paintings by Michaelangelo cover the ceiling and walls of this huge room. We have an audio tour of the room on our iPods, and we play them in sync with each other, with earphones. I am glad for the explanation of what we are seeing, but still overawed.
St. Peter’s Square
When we exit the Vatican, it is pouring. We know that St. Peter’s Basilica is next, but see a long line stretching through the downpour and (shamefully) don’t know enough about the Basilica to determine whether it is worth getting soaked, since we are sans umbrella.
The Holy Door
We find a seat on a step, under a sort of portico, and sync up the audio tour again. A few minutes into the track, we eye each other, a slow suspicion of our actual location dawning on us. Turns out we are sitting on the steps, leaning against the “holy door” that the Pope enters only once every 24 years! We are soon chased off, and realize we can go through another set of doors into the Basilica. The long line we’d seen had been to climb to the cupola only.
Inside St. Peter’s Basilica
Once we get in, I cannot believe we almost missed it. The place is absolutely incredible. It almost defies description. Again, the audio tour is really wonderful, and it is fun to walk around together learning about the place, simply by listening together to our iPods.
Time to Eat!
After the Vatican, more underground navigation through the city, until we reach our chosen dinner restaurant. We both have giant plates of gorgeous lasagna, which we wolf down, not having eaten all day. Another subway ride to the spot where the shuttle bus will pick us up for the hotel, but we are a bit early, so we walk down the street for some gelato in a little shop. No trouble getting back to the hotel, except we both crash the minute we get on the shuttle bus, and sleep all the way there!
Eating again
We overslept! The 10:00 hotel shuttle we’d planned to catch to the city is already booked, but the receptionist directs us to the nearby bus stop, and we catch a public bus to the Metro station, then get off and wander to find the Pantheon. We’ve had no breakfast and it is getting late. When we see a sign for McDonalds, the idea of American food appeals. It is nearly lunch by this time, so we enjoy our McNuggets outside, sitting in the courtyard of the Pantheon. No matter how much I travel, I never get used to this strange mix of modern and ancient.
Ocular of the Pantheon
The open eye at the peak (the ocular) is a work of art in itself, allowing rain and snow to fall through it to the marble floor with tiny drain holes.
The Pantheon
The Pantheon – a temple to the Roman gods built in the first century – was part of Augustus Caesar’s construction efforts in Rome. The rotunda is surrounded by marble columns and gods sculpted into niches, dim and beautiful and full of echoes of the ancient past.
The Colosseum
Our audio tour walks us through the city, past many medieval churches, and then on to the Colosseum, which I’ve been eagerly anticipating. The arena is huge, with most of its flooring gone, revealing the corridors where both animals and gladiators prowled before being released to the public above, hungry for violence. Senators and nobles had the best seats and peasants the highest, bt this was all free entertainment – an effort by the emperor to keep the people happy. In a city nearly entirely supported by the empire and functioning on slave labor, boredom could quickly turn to discontent. It’s an awe-inducing thing, to walk the corridors and seating where spectators watched criminals and religious rebels thrown to lions.
Wandering Rome
After the Colosseum, we walk to the Forum area, but it is already too late to get in, as it closes two hours before sunset, which in November means 3:30. I am disappointed, as this was a place I really wanted to see. I know we will be back to Rome in a week, before flying home, so maybe I’ll change plans and get back in time to come here again. And so our evening in Rome begins, starting with a walk down Via del Corso, one of the main arteries through the city. It is so clogged with pedestrians that I believe no cars are allowed, but when a vehicle starts nudging tourists and locals out of its way, I realize that most drivers just don’t other to use this part of the street. We window-shop our way down, then wander off the main road to find a recommended restaurant, and have some pizza at a street-side table. Then we continue to the Capitoline Hill, and climb to see where the city government has been located for 2500 years
Back to the Hotel
We’re ready to call it a night, and glad that we discovered the bus option this morning, since it’s too late for the first evening shuttle to the hotel, and too early for the last. The only problem is, we realize that we never noticed what bus we rode to the Metro station this morning. We can get to the station, but then how do we figure out which of the main buses to take to the hotel? We don’t even know the name of the stop! Several buses are sitting outside our Eur Fermin Metro station when we emerge, their drivers taking smoke breaks in the parking lot. None of them speak English, but “Sheraton?” seems to be understood, and we’re pointed to the correct bus (we hope!) We watch carefully as the bus meanders through the outskirts of Rome, and finally see the hotel come into view. We shouldn’t have worried, as the driver yells out “Sheraton!” when we stop.
Long Day
We have planned to do this trip in reverse early tomorrow morning, with our luggage, to reach the train station and then take the express train to the airport. It will be much cheaper than taking a taxi directly to the airport, we know. But we realize two things after talking to the hotel clerk: 1) the buses don’t run early enough to get us to the Metro station on time, and 2) we will be taking the bus/subway/train all the way into the city and then all the way back out again to the airport – a ridiculously circuitous route! He convinces us to get a taxi, and says he will call one for us, to pick us up t 5 AM. We are happy to reach our room, and immediately change our clothes and head down to the indoor pool to soak our aching feet!
Tomorrow, we leave for Venice.
[See my Venice travel journal here, and then my Pompeii travel journal here.]
After Venice and Pompeii, we returned to Rome to squeeze in another day of sightseeing before returning home.
Bus 64
Travel day. Up at 7 AM, bus to Sorrento, train to Pompeii where I hop off quick for more souvenirs, then back on the train to Naples, cross the station to another train to Rome, then a local bus to get as close to our hotel as possible. The bus is extremely crowded and uncomfortable, with Italian men pressing far too close for comfort. Bus #64, we later learn from Rick Steves’ guidebook, has quite the reputation. It’s funny to read it after the fact.
The Forum of Rome
We recognize our location when we get dropped off, and feel like experienced travelers. We drag our luggage over cobbled streets to find our hotel in a back alley. But strangely, it’s the nicest hotel we’ve stayed in yet. There is no time to waste, though. It’s back out into the city to visit the Forum which we missed last week. My overall impression of the city of Rome is that it is vast, and the average Roman must have felt very small among all those temples and columns and arches. Rome was definitely built to impress. It’s easy to imagine them here, strolling around or hurrying off to some meeting or speech. The different emperors just kept building, each trying to outdo the last. It reminds me of the temple complexes in Karnak, where the Egyptian temple kept expanding through successive Pharaohs. Indeed, the Romans were fascinated with ancient Egypt, which was already ancient to them, and considered very fashionable. They appropriated both the gods and the decorative features of that civilization.
Arch of Titus
I’m especially moved by the Arch of Titus – erected to celebrate the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. In the picture, you can see the Arch of Titus behind my right shoulder, and the Colosseum in the background, where many Christians reputedly met their deaths.
Under the Arch
Inside the Arch of Titus, commemorating the destruction of Jerusalem. Notice the menorah.
The Trevi Fountain
After exploring the Forum, we head toward the other touristy places like the Trevi Fountain, where tradition has it that if you toss a coin into the water and wish to return to Rome, someday you will.
The Spanish Steps
On the Spanish Steps, I have to eat an ice cream cone, like Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday. Fun.
Campo di’ Fiori
We reach the Campo di’ Fiori – our destination for dinner – and eat our meal at an outdoor restaurant, seated below an ancient façade incorporated into a modern building. After dinner I realize that it’s the beginning of the theater of Pompey, where Julius Caesar was assassinated. We spend the evening shopping for souvenirs, then come back to the square to people watch and enjoy one last hot chocolate.
We Love Italy!
Our time in Italy has come to an end, and tomorrow we fly home, heads and hearts full of history and memories. Rachel, you were a wonderful travel partner! I had such fun with you and am so glad for the memories of laughter, learning and adventure that I will always treasure!
