Rome, Italy

 

 

Rome was a spontaneous last minute trip that I booked with (my now boyfriend) Kieren.  With both of our birthdays being within the month we decided we both just wanted to get away and that we may as well go together.  We were on a tight budget and also a tight time schedule, so we didn’t have loads of time to research places to stay. We used the Hostel World app to search hostels, we stayed in the Daisy Apartments, which were local to all the things we wanted to do and see while we were there, and then we could save money on travel by having everything in walking distance.  We planned the trip for 4 days including travel days, which I think is the perfect amount for a city break.  You don’t want to feel too rushed but then you don’t want to end up sat in your hotel because you’ve done everything you wanted already.

Rome is a place I’ve always loved the thought of visiting and never thought I would (but I also never thought I’d adopt this spontaneous way of living.)  Growing up we could never afford fancy holidays abroad so the world always seemed so out of reach.  But getting older and being able to spend your money how you want, I wanted to see places younger me only got to see in a Disney movie.  And yes I did watch the Lizzie McGuire movie  before this trip.  After all, this is what dreams are made of.  Except when my alarm went off at 5 in the morning for our early morning flight, I nearly didn’t make it because even the thought of Italian adventure wasn’t enough to motivate me out of that warm bed.  But after a brew in the airport and a quick insta passport and ticket shot, I was ready.

 

 

The first thing I think most people do on any kind of trip, is you have to get accustomed to the area around you.  After arriving in the hostel and exclaiming with joy at having a bedroom with three big windows enclosed by wooden shutters that you could throw open of a morning and let in the bustling cobbled street noise from below.  I was ready to scope out the surrounding streets and find food.  The first meal of course had to be a huge real Italian margherita pizza to set us up for the day.

 

 

I think Italian food is amazing, unlimited access to pasta, pizza, ice cream and coffee any time of day.  That’s a diet that would be dangerous to get used to.  Fortunately Rome is a very walkable city and combined with the very touristy map you get on arrival that clearly shows every must see piece of architecture, I can honestly say I walked off every meal I ate.  (Maybe too much walking as one day ended with my bleeding throbbing toes having to be soaked in the sink.)

 

The first stop off on our Rome adventure was of course the Colosseum.  We strayed off track and made our own paths through the cobbled side streets, the stunning shop fronts and outdoor seated cafe’s that banked every road.   Sometimes I think there is more joy in the tidy hidden parts where you see the way life really moves in this city, over the big tourist hot spots where you cant stand for 5 minutes without being approached by 7 people trying to sell you anything from a tea towel to a key ring.  But even they couldn’t take away from the feeling of being at such a great piece of history, the Colosseum.

 

 

Because we were on such a tight budget we didn’t pay to go in but seeing it from the outside was enough.  We circulated all the things in that area by walking along the Tiber river banks, and watched the sunset from the Altare della Patria before heading back on ourselves so we could see the Colosseum lit up at nightfall.

 

 

 

One of the main reasons I wanted to go to Rome was to see the Trevi fountain (bucket list item), and with it being my birthday the day after arrival I’d vowed myself that I wouldn’t see it until my birthday.   So my 24th birthday morning in Rome started with my new favourite thing.  Coffee, or latte at least.  Can you believe I’d never drank it before this trip? I’ve never had a coffee as nice since.  After breakfast it was a walk around the corner to the beautiful Trevi fountain, besides from the fact it was swamped with tourists, it still doesn’t take away from the fact that it is an incredible piece of art.  I always think its magical being around water, and of course I was thinking this as I cast a coin over my shoulder into the depths of the fountain making my wish. When in Rome..

 

 

The rest of the day was spent wondering around the city in the slightly less populated areas making the most of the gorgeous warm September weather.  We walked round the Villa Borghese park where we rented a small rowing boat, and strolled down pathways lined with trees with acoustics provided by a musician which gave the best soundtrack to the day I could of ever imagined.  There is something so peaceful about sitting down and just watching the world go by for however long you can afford.

 

 

For the evening my boyfriend surprised me with picking an amazing rooftop hotel bar with a killer view of the sun setting over Rome and the Vatican city.  It closed out another birthday and year of life in the most perfect way.  I felt like the most blessed person ever and it will always be a day (and a view) to remember.

 

 

For our final full day we were up and out early walking to the Vatican City, I’d worn jeans because its a rule that you have to be covered up and it was so warm that day it was a struggle with such a walk on hand.  (We later learned that you only have to be covered up if your actually going INSIDE the chapels.  All that sweat for nothing!) We decided not to go inside the Vatican museums or the Sistene Chapel because there were stacks of queues, which perhaps I regret, but (again) it was a budget trip.  Seeing them from the outside was still something I never thought id do.

 

 

The final thing we saw which was perhaps by accident, was a smaller fountain called  Fontana dell’Acqua Paola, which was clearly not as well known as the Trevi Fountain, because it was practically deserted.  But I couldn’t  understand why, because not only was it a beautiful fountain but it had another great view out over the city.  It was a hidden gem and one of my favourite spots in Rome.

 

Walking past so many old ruins and iconic monuments such as the Pantheon and seeing this modern civilisation carrying on in such a historic old town rich with culture is one of the things that makes Rome so special.  As much as the abundance of tourists takes away from the peaceful calm of this city, I don’t blame anyone for wanting to go and spend time in this amazing place.