An unwelcome arrival
I would not advise arriving late at night in a city that you don’t know trying to find a far out hostel. Italian trains are not the most punctual and often travel from random platforms. The journey from Florence was easy but didn’t get us into Rome until ten o’clock in the evening. Unfortunately, by this time the underground line that we required had closed.
It has to be noted that Rome seemed alot more hostile towards tourists. A friendly policeman sketched us a map to show the bus route to find. The buses were crammed full of people. We counted the number of stops before departing and making our way to the next stop. Maybe we were easy targets in this new city, as there were several blatant attempts to reach into our backpacks by a gang of pickpockets.
This felt more like a mugging than a pick-pocketing. Luckily, anything of any value was stored deep in the centre of our bags, only a pac-a-mac and other worthless items in the outer pockets. I was in quite a predicament, as i had noticed them working as a group, winking and gesturing on the bus. Luckily, we made it to our stop and hastily retreated to our hostel.
Not a great start to the Rome experience.
The Eternal City
My unwelcome arrival left a permanent blot on the city. I felt paranoid in crowds and was untrusting of the locals. Yet the ‘Eternal City’ itself did not disappoint, even if it’s inhabitants did. The magnificent and imposing Colosseum was the centre piece of the Roman Forum. I would advise taking a walk and getting lost in the city. With so many sights, you are bound to discover many of them, such as the splendid Spanish Steps and the grandiose Trevi fountain.
We spent our final day exploring Vatican City, a sovereign territory. It is worth getting in line early so that yo have time to see everything, including the Raphael Rooms and Sistine Chapel. St Peter’s Basilica offers tremendous views down onto St Peter’s Square and across the city. There is a strict dress code for the church, and long queues so ensure that you are appropriately dressed before joining.
