Rome and Vatican City in 4 days!

When In Rome..

Rome was our final city on our stroll through the Italian Rivera. Rome is one of the biggest cities of Europe with so much history right in the middle of it. We were spending 3 days in Rome and plan was to cover Vatican as well. We had taken the Omnia Vatican & Rome card and had booked our entry times to Vatican museum, St Peter's Basilica and Colosseum in advance.

Colosseum

Our Day 1 started off with a trip to the Colosseum to go back in time to when Gladiators and their fights were the main source of entertainment for the Roman Emperors and masses. We turned up at the Colosseum at our stipulated time and walked in, zoomed past security and proceeded to enter the area. I was under the impression that booking the entry time had an audio guide included. Unfortunately not. Rick Steve's audio guide to the rescue! The sheer size of the Colosseum is what hits you as soon as you enter. Go back in time, visualize the gladiators in action and get lost in the narrative as you soak in the vastness and size of the arena. Btw.. you can also go up to the first floor for a birds eye view of the entire arena. After spending about an hour in the Colosseum, we visited the Roman Forum right next door. This is the archaeological remains of the Roman Empire. Strolling through the ruins along with Rick Steve's audio guide narrative helps you visualize the pomp and grandeur of the Roman Emperor and the Empire. Right next to it is the Palantine hill and is a very nice place for an evening stroll. Do climb up, above the home of the Vestal Virgins for some great views of the entire Roman Forum. We then headed out towards one of the major Piazzas of Rome - Piazza Del Popolo. Behind this lively square is Villa Borghese and its gardens. Take the stairs and climb up for some good views of the central Obelisk and rest of Rome.

Colosseum

Roman Forum

Vatican Steps

Day 2 was when we "exited" Italy to enter a country within the country i.e Vatican City. Vatican, the home of the Pope and the most religious place for Christianity was something we were really looking forward to visit. Our Air BnB was close to Vatican and we started early and walked to it. We had taken the 9am slot to visit the Vatican Museum & Sistine Chapel and 1 pm to visit St Peter's Basilica. Do budget an entire day for Vatican since it does take long. We met at the RPO point of Omnia Card Center at St Peter's Basilica and were led to the entrance of Vatican Museum by a representative. After the security check we proceeded right to the top to start our tour. Rick Steve's audio guide in our ears and we were ready to be mesmerized. As soon as you reach the top ensure you pull away from the crowds and go to the right side section to see the famous Vatican Spiral stairs. You enter and exit Vatican from different points so you would not be able to come back to see the stairs. Its exactly as in the pictures - beautiful. We then proceeded to see the main highlights of the museum - the treasury, map room, Rafael room etc. The museum is huge so a guided tour helps. Alternately you can also book a Guided tour on the Vatican Museum site. All the tour groups have their tours in the mornings and hence it was crowded. However we did read that Vatican is always crowded. But you can still get some great clicks without crowds - you just need to wait a bit. Soak in all the art around you especially Rafael's room which was magnificent. We then followed the crowds into the Sistine Chapel and one is definitely overwhelmed by the beautiful frescoes - definitely Michelangelo's best! the fresco of Last Judgement, Creation of Adam amongst many more are spectacular and your eyes can't get enough of it. We sat there, admiring this work of one man at a day and age when our current technology wasn't available.. Btw, one cannot take pic inside Sistine Chapel so I recommend spend enough time to etch them in your memory.

Rafael's frescos

From the Sistine Chapel, there is a small door on the right which leads into St Peter's Basilica. The Basilica, the home of the Pope, is quite majestic and is huge.. The dome of it extremely beautiful and we spent more than an hour taking in the intricacies of the Basilica. Unfortunately, it was a Monday and the Pope usually would come to the Balcony and have an audience on Wednesdays. Near to the Vatican City is Castel Sant Angelo, a beautiful castle to enjoy some great views from.

St Peters Basilica

Trevi Fountain

Day 3 was where we had decided we would visit the main Piazzas, Trevi Fountain, Spanish steps and the Pantheon. The Roma pass had a great advantage of unlimited use of the transport which we exploited completely. Tip: in-case you choose to buy tickets to use the buses, ensure you buy them in advance at the train/bus stations. Else another option is to keep a look out for small mini mart like stores which sell them. We started our day at Piazza Navona, an oval, stadium shaped square with some interesting buildings around. We then headed to Piazza Venezia which housed the Victor Emmanuel monument. Not many know, you can enter the monument free of cost and walk up to the terrace on the 2nd floor. There is a lift on the terrace which goes right up to top most point of the monument offering some spectacular, unobstructed views of Rome. From Piazza Venezia we walked up to the Trevi fountain and then proceeded to the Spanish stairs. Btw, we had the best Tiramisu ever at this place called Pompi near Trevi fountain. Its a must do! A well spent last day, enjoying our Tiramisu and strolling our way back to our Air B&B.

Italy is a beautiful country - vast, has lots to see and experience in-terms of terrain, landscapes, brilliant blue seas, history etc. Italians have a very rich culture and strong family values. The love their food and a typical Italian meal would have around 4-5 courses. Interestingly Italy also has a very strong North-South divide and the sentiments are not so much of love. Their food, fruits, cheese and wine vary as you travel from the north to the south of Italy. Italians are very warm, loud and boisterous set of folks who love their merriment. They have a strong history and culture and are very proud of it. They have equal number of warnings of pick-pockets, robbery etc at all their attractions. Sounds familiar? Italy has a lot of similarities to India.. can't wait to go back someday..