48 hours in Rome

Inside the Vatican Museum

There is this unexplainable sense of excitement when you are going to do something for the first time and especially if it is something that you have spent your whole life dreaming about then I don’t have to tell you how elated I must have felt when my husband and I set out on our first trip to Europe. I wish I could have shown you how we jumped up and down when we got our passports back with the Schengen visa on it.

We booked our tickets for the evening of the last working day before school closed for summer break and I do not know how I managed to push through that day at work because I was hoping I could just fast-forward it to take off time. We flew one of the Middle Eastern airlines and loved every bit of our travel from receiving snack boxes at the airport because it was Ramadan time to the delicious food they served on the plane.

We landed in Rome Leonardo da Vinci International airport in Fiumicino. The airport is approximately 35 kilometers from the historic center of Rome and we had read that we could take a train to the city. We managed to get to the ticket machine and encountered our first challenge. I still do not know if the ticket machine was not working or whether we had no clue how to operate the machine. There was not a soul in sight until one man appeared from nowhere and asked if we would like a ride into the city for about 15 euros each, if I remember right (this happened two years back and my memory is not that sharp when it comes to semantic memory but episodic is very good ;)). If you are someone who grew up watching a lot of Hollywood movies, this is an offer you would decline because all you can think of is being kidnapped, robbed and left on the streets in an unknown place with no money and documents. However, since we were desperate to get out of the airport we decided to go by his cab, which we realized was a shared taxi when we got to where it was parked. We were happy that we chose to go with him (please do not jump into any shared cab just because I said so, make sure it is safe) as it felt like a personal guided tour from the airport to the city. The driver dropped us at the hotel. After a quick shower and breakfast, we set out immediately as we had no time to waste.

We chose a hotel near the metro station because we did not have a car and Rome has a very convenient metro system. You can access almost all important sites by metro and some famous sites are close to each other and can be reached by foot. It was not difficult to decide what we wanted to see first because it is where the Colosseum is. We took our first metro in Europe from Policinico station. The metro tickets can be bought at the station and then needs to be validated at the machine. You can buy 24 hour or 48 hour or more passes depending on your need and it can be used on metro, buses and trams. Just keep track of the time after it is validated. When you exit the metro station, the magnificent sight of the Colosseum will welcome you. We had booked our tickets online and I recommend you do the same to avoid the long lines especially if you are travelling in summer. We had done the same for the Roman Forum, which is on the opposite side and there are combo tickets available as well. We were exhausted by the time we finished these two sites especially because it was an incredibly hot summer day. It was interesting to find these ancient drinking water pipes/fountains in various parts of the city and nothing will be more satisfying than ice-cold water from those. You would even wonder how water comes out that cold and it is free. Just carry an empty bottle if you want to collect some water for later.

Colosseum

View of the Roman Forum from the Colosseum

We had lunch near Piazza di Spagna (downtown Rome) and returned to the hotel to catch some shut- eye before venturing out in the evening again. The streets in and around Piazza di Spagna is where you will find the showrooms of famous Italian labels like Gucci and Prada. It is a nice experience to see those stores in their home country. Piazza di Spagna is also, where you will find the famous Spanish steps. In the afternoon, we visited the Pantheon (free entrance) the dome is definitely worth looking at and then walked towards the Piazza Navona. This is a beautiful square and it was wonderful to see the square transform from a peaceful place to one bustling with activity with street performers and crowds gathering to watch them. From the Piazza we walked towards the Trevi fountain and I couldn’t believe the crowd near the fountain. The best part of summer is longer days and it was around eight at night and still bright. The streets were a treat to the eyes and ears with vendors selling beautiful trinkets and buskers singing away at every corner. We had dinner in a restaurant near the Trevi fountain and returned to our hotel, drunk on the magnificence of the city’s architecture and general feel.

Dome of the Pantheon

Walls of the Vatican City

Part of St Peter’s Basilica

The next morning we took the metro to the smallest country in the world- Vatican City. We had booked Vatican Museum tickets online. In summer if you want to avoid standing in lines that stretch for at least half a kilometer, without exaggeration, please make sure you book tickets. There is a separate entrance for those with tickets and a wait time of barely ten minutes. The Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel turned out to be everything and more than I imagined it would be. We walked to St Peter’s Basilica from the museum. Make sure you catch a glimpse of the original Pieta by Michelangelo while you are there; it is placed on the right side once you enter. We then went to have yummy paninis for lunch in an acquaintance’s wife’s café. Based on her recommendation, we tried some gelato in Gelateria La Romana, which according to her serves the best gelato in Rome and must admit was quite delicious. We walked back to Piazza di Spagna and returned to the hotel. We decided to rest and grab dinner from a restaurant near the hotel since we were off to Naples the next morning hoping to be blown away by the breathtaking sights of the Amalfi coast.