Our final two days in Rome and our final two days in Italy, we decided to do what you must when in Rome: the Vatican, the Colosseum and the Roman Forum.
Though we started early, the day was already boiling hot by 9.30am when we reached the Vatican Museum entrance. By purchasing our tickets online we managed to skip the long queue that wraps around the walls of the Vatican, as well as the bunch of people trying to sell fake tickets or tell you you need to upgrade the tickets you already had (took me back to Cambodia for a minute). The Vatican Museums are littered with incredible things to look at from marble statues to ancient Egyptian relics. We walked down hallway after hallway of beautiful and intricately decorated ceilings and wall dressings in search of the Sistine Chapel. We were not alone in our search, however and with a lack of air conditioning for most of the walk, we got to know the people around us quite intimately… The Sistine Chapel was amazing once we got there and while we weren’t awed by the silence when we walked in (instead confronted by a guard yelling orders over a megaphone) it was beautiful and we spent a good few minutes staring up.
Next up we were off to find St Peter’s Basilica and considering it was the hottest part of the day, we decided to treat ourselves to a lovely looking cafe on the way over. Dear god. €36 for two panini. The cafe was heaving though and reminded me of my cafe back at home. Is it sad to say I miss working?
Arriving at the Basilica was monumental and so was the line! Thankfully it moved relatively quickly because I don’t think I would have managed in the sun. I might even have given in to the people trying to sell me umbrellas and scarves had Catherine not been there brutally turning them away. As I got closer to the Basilica it became more and more impressive, but it was once I was inside that my jaw really dropped. We’ve seen a fair few churches in the time we’ve been traveling so far but this one by far takes the cake. It was MASSIVE and every last inch from the windows to the walls was elaborately decorated. As the light spilled in through beautiful stained glass windows, all you could see was a sea of selfie-sticks emerging from the groups of people gathering below. We finished the visit by popping down to the Crypt to see the tombs of hundreds of Popes and read about how they had contributed to the church and faith.
The next day was an early rise and one of the squishiest metro rides I have ever experienced. We missed the first metro but the next was only four minutes away and though we were only two rows back from the train line, we barely managed to be squished on to the carriage. It was hot, it was sweaty and though we couldn’t reach anything to hold on to, we had no room to fall anyway.
We piled out onto the metro station and raced to meet our tour group with City Wonders that was taking us around the Colosseum and Roman Forum. It was a stinking hot day and our tour guide did such a great job trying to keep us all focused and hydrated throughout the tour. It was blistering hot and with no shade for majority of the tour, it was no surprise that we witnessed at least two people faint. At least we know what to do now if it happens to one of us. The Colosseum was fantastic as expected but unfortunately by the time we got to the Roman Forum I had sweated out most of my concentration and was struggling to stay conscious.
http://www.citywonders.com/en/italy/rome/rome-tours/colosseum-tour.
After a big drink, an hour or so in the air-con and a €7 all-you-can-eat buffet, we headed off on our own adventure to find a hidden treasure in Rome called the Aventine Keyhole. If you manage to make your way up Aventine Hill, past a few parks, and all the way to the end of the road you make it to the Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta. This building was the Roman Headquarters for the Knights of Malta and today hosts the Embassy of Malta too. While it is closed to the public if you look through the keyhole of the front gate you see an incredible view of a tree-lined path to St Peter’s Basilica. Unfortunately we took a very wiggled route to get there and in the blistering hot sun it was much to Catherine’s disappointment that the keyhole was just that, a keyhole. I found it thoroughly amusing though and the view absolutely beautiful. Definitely a hidden treasure, but probably worth getting a taxi to. Needless to say we can now call ourselves official adventurers. Find it here: http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-aventine-keyhole-rome.
Considering we had spent a bomb on lunch the previous day we had visited the local pizzeria just outside our hostel and had fallen in love with the smiley waiter who had served us, so of course we went back the next night. While he didn’t ask us for drinks this time, while we were standing on the street outside talking to a fellow traveler we had met (hey Zane!) he kept walking back and forth and waving at us, claiming he was just doing deliveries yet we never saw him deliver or collect anything…hmmmmm…we will forgive him for being charming. He even gave us a discount to come back the next night but alas we will be on our way to Spain by then!
Where in the World 