A day in Rome

I recently visited Rome for a day on work. And even though I was inside the office for most of the time, I tried to catch whatever experiences I could during the short time I had to be out. I have been to Rome only once before, about 10 years ago. And I still loved being there, experiencing a city not just from a different century or millenium, but even more than that. Its from the BC years!

Landing at Rome airport

The first view I remember is from the airplane. The airport is a bit far from the city, and next to the sea (I never realised that Rome was near the sea!). I could see the beautiful coastline laced by blue and green hues of water. And the mountains far away and beautifully coloured houses down below, shining in the winter sun. It was a nice welcome to a beautiful city 😊.

The city was about an hour drive from the airport and you continue to see the mountains far away as you drive in. Driving to the city center of Rome is like driving to a different era. You pass by the forum and old churches and walls, and remains of the glory of the Romans. There are so many old buildings everywhere, that even a normal taxi ride ends up taking you through a different world. There is so much history in every turn, it reminded me of how I had been fascinated by the city 10 years ago. And nothing much has changed, in me or the city 😊.

There are old historic buildings everywhere, and the sun and tourists around make the atmosphere even more vibrant. I had a full day of work but while driving back to the airport, I asked the taxi driver to pass by some of the sights of the city (so that I did not feel that I wasted the opportunity!).

Fontana de Trevi

The driver felt bad for me that I was leaving the city without doing any touristy stuff, and so he started telling me trivia about the places we were driving through. We drove through the Via Veneto which is one of the most posh and elegant streets of Rome. Apparently, the street had journalist offices calla pappa razzo which lent its name to the paparazzi. And the pizza margarita which was invented by a chef in Naples gave its colour to the national flag! (I wasn't able to independently check these tales on Wiki, but so what 😝)

The Colosseum

We drove through the National street, the republic square, the Vittorio Emanuele monument (which looked as grand to me today as 10 years ago) and so on. I also stopped at the Fontana de Trevi and the Colosseum for a couple of minutes. The Fountain was full of tourists but I managed to take a photo without any! Even with the crowds, there was a feeling of peace and calm there, maybe because of all the water flowing through... And the Colosseum was calm and quiet as usual, shining in the moonlight.

The streets were all busy with tourists. And they were still cobbled, giving it an aura of the bygone era. Since it was winter, the day had started hot but by the evening, had got a bit chilly but still enjoyable.

The smoking room at the airport!

I was in the airport in no time. On the way, I passed by a few more old churches with histories of their own, old gates to the city and so on! There is just so much history in the city, its amazing. Closer to the airport, I also saw a building which was built much later in the shape of the Colosseum and had been converted into a high-end shopping mall. It looked quite impressive from far. At the airport, I was shocked to see a smoking room. And a long queue outside it too 😜. I have anecdotally heard that Italians smoke a lot but never seen an example of that. Anyways now I did!

Anyways by then, it was time for me to bid Rome goodbye. But I felt good that I had spent at least some time visiting its famous sites, and not ignored its history completely 😊.

Roam the Rome

Rome has something about it, the old city, with the lanes and the shops and the churches you come across and the fountains and the architecture.... there is something so laid back and old world about this place, cant even place what it is. Maybe the fact that in between the city, you have ruins from the BC years, maintained as if it were not as old, maybe because of the cobbled streets and the lanes, and the old looking shops on both sides with the biggest brands, its this mix of the old and the new in such a way, that you are transported to the old world so easily.

We went to Rome in summer, in June. So it was definitely not the best time to go there, it becomes very very hot there. But the city is amazing. There is a long list of places to go to, and we walked a lot in the city as all the places to visit are all located nearby. You need at least 2-3 days for this city, and if interested in history, a lot more time. There is so much to explore and learn from the history strewn everywhere in the city.

Let me start with some of the places which are a must-see in the city. First, there is the Emmanuel Vittoria Monument at Piazza Venezia. This would be one of the relatively new buildings of the city though. Gives a good view of the city around including the Colosseum and the Forum. Its a huge structure built in memory of the soldiers of Italy, all in white.


The Colosseum is a must see for any visitor to Rome.Its very difficult to imagine how such a huge structure could have been constructed ages ago. It still looks as grand as ever, though partially broken down. It looks fabulous at night too, all lighted up!
The Forum is very near the Emmanuel Monument, and has the remains of the Roman empire of old (of the BC years) It even has the location marked where apparently Brutus had stabbed Caesar. Cant imagine how something this old survives to this day in the state it is in right now.













The Fontana de Trevi, located somewhere within the bylanes of the city, is a good place to take rest, next to the cold fountain water. It comes up suddenly while walking in the city, quite a surprise and in such a small area. There are lot of street artists and musicians displaying their art near this area, as its quite frequented by tourists. Its somehow always crowded, with people just sitting there and chatting all day along.

Piazza Navona, is the square with open cafes to eat and drink, and is very very lively in the evening. Piazza di Spagna, is where the Spanish steps are, and where the Romans get together in the evening, sitting at the steps and doing nothing:). The Pantheon is an old temple, still preserved and grand as ever. There are many other museums, old temples, palaces, churches etc on the way to visit. Depending on how much time you have, you can explore these.

The Vatican is on the other side of the river Tiber, a small area ear-marked for the seat of Christianity. It is for all purposes part of Rome and Italy, though technically its a separate country. It has its own guard company though, the Swiss guards guarding the Vatican. In the Vatican Area, Castel Sant'Angela is the old Castle which was used for military purposes in the old days.

You can explore St Peter's Basilica, the seat of Christianity, the church where the famous Madonna status is kept. The church is huge, and it takes long to look around and appreciate the paintings and sculptors strewn all over the church across the years. The area also sparkles at night with the lighting all over and the road leading to the Basilica.

If you land up at St. Peters Square on a Sunday, you can see the Pope giving his Sunday sermon too. The whole square is teeming with people on Sundays.











The Vatican Museum has a long wait if you want to go in, but its definitely worth it! The Sistine Chapel is painted by the great masters and it actually surprises you, imagining how it would have been painted! There are a lot more art pieces collected from over the world and over the ages in the museum. Please note though that sleeveless shirts and shorts are not allowed in this area.





There are some Ferrari shops also nearby, would be a good place to buy Ferrari merchandise for all the enthusiasts and fans. The city is very nice to walk around in the streets, where you may suddenly come up into a piazza (square) and open air cafes to sit and enjoy the views around, and churches abound everywhere. In fact we landed up at a church where a Christian wedding was going on, stunning again! The Italians are friendly and lively people, you will enjoy interacting with them too. The country is a bit chaotic though, but being from India, that may be something we may feel comfortable with! Rome is good for shopping too, especially well designed clothes at cheaper prices. You can explore the lanes and the shops there for such bargains. The city is grand and lively, inviting and interesting, old and new, slow and fast. Loved it inspite of the summer heat!