Visit the photo set Rome on Flickr.
It took me fifty one years to stand on Italian soil but only a few hours to fall for her charms. Rome, in particular, was everything people had said it was; the mix of a modern city with the two plus centuries of history was fascinating.
We flew into Rome from Amsterdam via KLM late in the afternoon. I had booked our hotel, the Caesar House Residenze Romane, from a recommendation on the Sawdays website. We were very happy with our selection as it was located close to ancient parts of Rome but also within a walking distance of Vatican City and the other parts of Rome.
We broke our sightseeing over three days:
- The first day (a Sunday) we focused on ancient Rome and walked around the Roman Forum, Palatine Hill and the Colosseum. We also got up early (6:30 am) and made a quick trip up to the Trevi Fountain to photograph it before the rest of the tourist hordes arrived.
- The second day focused on the Aventine Hill, the Tiber, the Campo di Fiori, the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps.
- On day three, we walked northwest through the Piazza Navone to Vatican City and St Peter’s. We toured the Castel Sant’Angelo and ended up on the top of Capitoline Hill.
Food wise, we enjoyed a variety of meals in Rome. Probably the best meal was the first night at La Taverna degli Amici, where we ate outside on the patio. We started with a primi course, pasta for me and risotto for Robin. Robin then shared my secondo dish of calamari prepared in tomato sauce, all washed down with a bottle of the house red wine. A couple of nights later we had a light dinner and several glasses of nice Italy red wine at Enoteca Cavour 313. Cavour 313 has been around since 1979 and had a wide selection of nice wines from around the world both by the glass and by the bottle.
We also had some good smaller meals at Panzirone on the Piazza Navone (good but the most expensive meal we had in Rome) and Baccanale on the Campo di Fiori. And the afternoon Guinness and plate of nachos at the Scholar’s Lounge was a welcome break from the rain.