A Day in Rome, Italy

A Day in Rome, Italy

We had an early morning flight at 7:00 A. M from Orly airport. We had requested for a taxi pickup from Ibis Massy. The taxi was on time and this time we had a hassle free boarding. The flight operator was Easyjet. The duration from Paris to Rome is about 1 hour and 30 min. We landed at Fiumicino Airport, Rome at around 8:30 A. M. We had a quick breakfast after which we booked an Uber Cab again to reach our Hotel. Here, we were staying at Ostia Antica Park which is approximately 8 Kms from the airport. Ostia Antica is a quiet suburb and is famous for its beach. Italy weather almost resembles India. It was a hot and sunny, perfect for a full day outing. The hotel was awesome. There was a guy named Ricardo at the reception who was extremely helpful. The hotel has its own restaurant, a swimming pool and a spa. The place was perfect for a budget stay.

We quickly boarded our rooms, kept all the luggage and then booked a cab to "The Vatican City". It took us about an hour to reach Vatican city. The taxi costed us 50 Euros. As we walked along the pathway towards the central square, we just remembered that the Vatican is an independent country after all. 

Our plan was to visit the following:

• The Vatican
• Piazza Navona
• Panttheon
• Roman Forum & Colosseum

The Vatican

It is an ecclesiastical or sacerdotal-monarchical state ruled by the Bishop of Rome – the Pope. The highest state functionaries are all Catholic clergy of various national origins. As we entered the central square, the views were just out of this world. 

Within Vatican City are religious and cultural sites such as St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums. They feature some of the world's most famous paintings and sculptures. The unique economy of Vatican City is supported financially by the sale of postage stamps and tourist mementos, fees for admission to museums, and the sale of publications. It is a designated UNESCO World heritage site

There was a lot of crowd and pilgrims come here from almost all parts of the world. Looking at the crowd, we decided to skip the Vatican museum. We had lunch in one of the nearby restaurants. Next, we started to walk towards Piazza Novana which is a popular tourist spot. We had to walk for approximately 2 kms which took us about 20 min.

This place was included in my list because it was there in the top places to visit at Rome in tripadviser. But, overall there was nothing really interesting here. Next, We headed to Pantheon which was again a 10 min walk from the square.

Pantheon is a former roman temple but now it is a church. It is believed to be built around 126 A. D and I must say is definitely one among the most well preserved buildings. Walking through any random streets of Rome gives a real sense of Roman glory and architectural heritage.

Next, we headed to the Roman Colosseum. We decided to book an Uber cab again but this time in vain, Mavis had some issues with the data connectivity. We tried our luck but were unable to get any taxi. Then after a painstaking wait for about 30 min, we managed to get one. It took us about 25 min to reach Colosseum. At the entrance, there is one more important place of Roman heritage. The Altare della Patria, also known as the Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II ("National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II") or Il Vittoriano, is a monument built in honour of Victor Emmanuel, the first king of a unified Italy, located in Rome, Italy. 

Form the monument, the Colosseum is approximately 1 km away. The place was crowded like hell. Previous day, there was a major earthquake in some exterior part of Rome. Hence, the Colosseum was closed and this was a big disappointment. 

The Colosseum

The Colosseum or Coliseum, also known as the Flavian Amphitheatre is an oval amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome, Italy. Built of concrete and sand, it is the largest amphitheatre ever built. The Colosseum is situated just east of the Roman Forum. It is estimated to be built around 80 A. D by the Flavian dynasty. this was primarily used for entertainment in the early medieval era.

We spent an hour at the Colosseum. As the lights turned on, the building looked spectacular. After all, the Roman Colosseum is one among the 7 wonders of the world. 

Next, we decided to head back to the hotel. We were fed up of wasting our money for the taxi and this time we decided to use the metro to reach back to our hotel. We took a metro pass which costed almost like 10 Euros for all of us. There is a metro station next to the Colosseum. We had to change stations but we reached Ostia Antica station without any trouble. The hotel was just 2 kms away from the station. None of us had the energy to walk and we could not locate any taxi as well. One elderly couple told us that we could call up the hotel and they would send a pickup vehicle at a reasonable cost. Mavis called up the hotel from her mobile and within 5 mins a tempo traveller came to pick us from the metro station. Finally, after a tiring day out, we reached hotel. We straight away headed to the restaurant and had some good round of drinks and pizzas.