My very own “Roman Holiday”: no Vespa nor Audrey Hepburn but a good pair of walking shoes and “questa bell(g)a”

For those of you who are unfamiliar with the film, “Roman Holiday”” is a award-winning motion picture shot in the historical centre of Rome, starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck. Although my stay in Rome was not exactly like the movie I did get to see la città eterna in equally good company, my boyfriend, but in my case it was the girl who carried (read dragged) the guy around (female emancipation hahahaha) wearing our walking shoes.

DAY 1-2: In Rome, do as the Ancient Romans do…

Rome breathes history and I tried to take it all in, in 48 very intense hours of Ancient Rome.

! IMPORTANT !
Before leaving for your Rome trip I would, however, recommend you
to book the tickets for the various sites
and this to avoid long waiting lines.
DO BARE IN MIND that this doesn’t mean that you can enter immediately:
something I learnt the hard way leaving quite late and discovering that buying your ticket in advance only allows you to skip the ticket line not the line to enter but I can reassure you that it goes quite fast.

I started my journey back in time at the Circo Massimo

(I planned to start at the Colosseo but faith had something else in mind or… in reality the bus since itdidn’t follow its regular course). Take your time to walk around where chariots raced against one another to gain fame and glory… or simply for the emperor’s pleasure.

From one arena to the next… and in this case the most famous one, the Colosseo, in which up to this day people still gather for bread and games: each year there are still concerts in this arena. It is here that you will find the longest line.

It is hard to believe that so many centuries ago they were able to build this immense arena and then to to know that apart from the fights between gladiators and games involving exotic animals they also reinacted sea battles (by !flooding! the arena and introducing real boats).

If you leave this place full of amazement yet with a rather empty stomach I would suggest you to go to the Osteria Angelino or the Taverna dei Quaranta. I personally tried the latter and ordered a typical Roman dish, “pasta cacio pepe”, which will give you the energy you need to make it through the rest of the day.

Our next stop was the most central of the seven hills on which Rome was built, the Palatine Hill,  and the part of Ancient Rome in which the imperial palaces were constructed.

Entering the complex (using the ticket you used at the Colloseo) you turn to the left to visit the palaces:

One side of this hill looks over Circo Massimo, the other allows you to pear over the Foro Romano from about 40m high.

Going down you reach the Foro Romano, surrounded by the ruins of the political centre of the Roman Empire:

To complete the tour you still need to visit the Pantheon and the Teatro Marcello, where we went the next day.

The Pantheon is one of the best preserved examples of Roman architecture and considered unique in its kind.  In fact it is said that even in our days it would be impossible to replicate a dome of this size.

Inside, the only light comes from the entrance and above, where you appear to see the sky and no, your eyes aren’t fooling you, it is really the sky. This building might have an open roof yet the Romans needn’t fear to get wet on a rainy day since the water evaporised before reaching the ground.

Last, but not least Teatro Marcello, 

situated in what is currently the Jewish getto.

FOR THE COMPLETE EXPERIENCE we highly recommend a guided tour by night on the Foro di Cesare. The meeting point is at the Colonna Traiana. After walking through an recently discovered underground passage (where a short video will show the different phases of the excavations)you will reach the Forum where your journey back in time will start. By means of beamers you will see Ancient Rome reconstructed before your eyes.

 

 

DAY 3: In Rome, do as the tourists do…

When I travel I usually avoid acting too touristy, instead I wish to tune into the local vibe but let’s say that in Rome it is hard to not give into the selfie at the Fontana di Trevi

5 TO DO TOURISTY SPOTS

• Piazza di Spagna
• Fontana di Trevi
• Bocca della Verità (though I didn’t get the chance to lay my hand in it because the line was way but way too long to perform this quite ridiculous ritual)
• Castel Sant’Angelo
• Vaticano

 

DAY 4: Let’s look at Rome from another point of view

For the past three days I walked through the streets of Rome yet on day 4 I wanted to look at Rome from a different angle. In what follows I present you five perfect spots to enjoy the Roman skyline.

TOP 5 PANORAMIC VIEWS

(1) Parco Villa Borghese

Walk up the stairs next to the Piazza Del Popolo, reach the Pincio, turn, walk towards the terraces and look

(2) Giardino degli Aranci 

After a relax walk along the Tevere you cross the street and take a steep road up to find a small garden. It is the perfect place for a picnic. In fact we ate the sandwiches we bought in the centre here, far away from the hectic city centre, and what a view…

(3) Terrazza del Gianicolo

It takes some time to get there on foot but absolutely worth while. A picture tells more than a thousand words:

(4) Terrazza delle Quadrighe

If you are near the Altare della Patria it is worth while to enter both for this impressive building and view that lies behind, from the terraces (and above if you wish to pay to use the elevators which take you up).

(5) Palatine hill

To have a beautiful panorama of what Ancient Rome is about, you can’t take a better shot than from the Palatine hill:

Castello Aragonese: walk where so many have walked before

Ischia is more than sunny beaches and spas and it would be a shame to leave this island without having seen the Castello Aragonese in Ischia Ponte.

• bus stop: Ischia Porto and then bus 7 (but if you don’t mind walking you can also go on foot in about 15 min)
• entrance fee: €10,00 (well-spent)
• duration of the visit: 1-2 hours

The current structure of the castle is the work of the Alfonso V of Aragon (thus giving it his name): he expanded the existing castle built in the days of the domination by the House of Anjou and connected it to the mainland by a wooden bridge which was subsequently replaced by the current stone one. Having crossed this long stone bridge with romantic streetlights you pass the main gate and hit the ticket office. Once you have your ticket you can start to explore… guided by a map with useful information about what you will get to see (indicated by numbers). At that point you have two options: you can either take the elevator which takes you to the beginning of the walk described on that little map or you can go on foot (to –in that case- find yourself at the end of that walk). One or the other… this is the view that awaits:

For me this fortress was simply mind-blowing, from the moment I set eyes on it and even more when I entered this miniature city. Since the Castello Aragonese is so well preserved you really feel thrown back in time, walking in the footsteps of medieval princes, dukes and monks.

I will let my pictures do the rest of the talking because, as they say, pictures say more than words: