By Tamami Bullock, October 2013
My husband and I had a three night short holiday in Rome October 2013 and, I have to say, I didn’t expect that I would love Rome so much!
We stayed at the “Hotel Regno”. Both the room and the bathroom were very small, but this is very common in Europe. It was in a superb location, right on top of the shopping strip and less than a 5 minutes walk to the famous Trevi fountain and an easy walk to other popular attractions.
The Colosseum is amazing. We had purchased the tickets online before we left Australia and I highly recommend that you do this, otherwise you are in for a long wait. A guided tour is well worth the money and you get a personal tour of many parts of the Colosseum that are of limits to other visitors. Sadly we couldn’t visit underground sections due to local flooding.
The same applies if you want to visit the Vatican City. Even then, you will still be in for a long wait in peak season and there is no shade so definitely take something to protect you from the sun!!
Approximately 20,000 visit the Colosseum every day in the off season (Oct to Feb), so expect many more if you are travelling in the summer. But the people make Rome, so just enjoy it. Put your walking shoes on and get swept along the busy streets and embrace it all.
In the evenings, the restaurant quarters awake and become alive with busy outside diners, buskers of all kinds and a rich array of goods to buy from numerous hawkers.
You shouldn’t miss the Gelati! It’s the best Gelati I have had in my life!!! My favourite shop was “Tres Scalini” in Piazza Navona. There are lots of shops for you to try around Piazza Navona.
Whether you are there for a day or a week, I guarantee that you will have a great time in Rome.
My little tip…
Between the airport (Rome Fiumicino) and the city centre, there are a few transport options, such as express train, buses and taxi. Catch only the taxi licensed by the City of Rome (SPQR on the door), as the fee on this ride is fixed.