Rome is a big city, a proper metropolis. And like any metropolis it can be a bit rough round the edges. I had heard all the usual things about how it is over crowded, grimy and full of petty crime, and I was prepared for it to feel a bit, well, edgy. But, to be fair to Rome, it isn’t like that at all. Sure, there are vagrants, there is a risk of being pickpocketed, there is graffiti and disrepair. But so what? This is a wonderful city, full of thousands of years of history, incredible art, awe-inspiring architecture and world beating cuisine. These trifling blemishes fade into the background noise of an overwhelmingly beautiful cityscape. The real problem is that there is SO much to see and do, choosing what to experience in two days is extremely difficult. Especially when you also have to squeeze a few hours of maths and English into each morning before you even set off. We broke it down into major tourist sites one day, followed by the Vatican city the next day.
So having smashed through proper nouns and partitioning of numbers by 10:30, we hopped a bus and arrived in the capital by 11:30. I had booked skip-the-line entry for the Colosseum, but not for a few hours yet, so we walk towards our first stop, the Pantheon. As we reach the Piazza Venezia, we find ourselves at the foot of the astonishing Vittoriano monument. This national monument was built to commemorate and symbolise a United Italy, and from its position on Capitoline Hill in the centre of what was Ancient Rome, it’s grandeur echos that of the buildings in the Roman Forum below, despite not being completed until 1935.
An early lunch is calling, before the hoards of tourists descend on the ample supply of restaurants, and I’m glad we sat down early as the restaurant begins to fill as we eat. By the time we pay and leave there is even a queue forming!
We join the queue outside the Pantheon, which seems daunting as it snakes around the square to the front. It moves remarkably quickly however, in fact this is the fastest queue I think I have ever experienced at a major attraction, especially one that is free to enter, and within minutes we enter the largest unreinforced concrete dome in the world. It’s pretty amazing that this building was built almost 1900 years ago by the emperor Hadrian, and is still in such perfect condition. In fact it is supposedly the best preserved of any ancient Roman building, due to the fact that it has been in constant use since it was built. It has been used as a Catholic Church dedicated to St. Mary since the year 609.
As we are stood marvelling at the incredible roof structure, we hear a surprised yelp. It’s Bam, and she’s stood there with blood in her hand. Initial shock quickly fades however as I realise that she’s actually grinning, her very first wobbly tooth has fallen out! It’s been loose for a while obviously, but it’s pretty cool that it’s happened here, at the Pantheon. A fact that she will spend the next several days reminding us of.
We have just enough time to check out one more of Rome’s most visited features, the Trevie fountain. Apparently it is always crawling with tourists here, keen to throw their change into the fountain in return for a dance with Lady Luck, and today is obviously no exception as it is absolutely packed! Eventually we manage to push our way through to the front line and take our turn throwing some change over our left shoulders as the tradition dictates. An estimated 3000 euros are tossed in everyday, and the money is used to subsidise a food bank for the homeless residents of the city. The kids have a quick sip from the drinking fountain to cool down and we take our leave.
It’s about time for our scheduled visit to the Colosseum, so we wind our way back through the streets to the entry point fuelled by a quick gelato stop, all the way to constant chants of “I can’t believe I’ve lost my tooth in the Pantheon!” Hunter has been very excited to visit this most famous of Roman ruins as he has previously studied it at school. A few years back we visited a Roman amphitheatre in Nimes in the south of France, and it was incredible as it was so well preserved. You could even walk into the arena as the gladiators would have done two millennia ago. The Colosseum is bigger, in fact it was actually the biggest amphitheatre the Romans built, and the fact that it has fallen into a more ruined state than Nimes doesn’t detract from how impressive it is. When it was in use it could hold up to 80,000 spectators within its walls, which is roughly the same as Twickenham. That correlation is also fairly relevant as the Colosseum was a centre of entertainment for the average everyday ancient Roman. Instead of going out to watch a football or rugby match on the weekend, they might instead watch a gladiator battle a group of slaves, or even enjoy a Sunday afternoon execution marathon!
The same ticket that allows entry to the Colosseum also permits you to visit the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill, but I’ve gotta be a bit careful here as I’m conscious that the kids have been very good today, they’ve walked a very long way and taken in a lot of sights. With that in mind we decide to give the Palatine a miss, and instead have a slow wander through the ruins of the Roman Forum. This ancient town square was once the centre of Rome, surrounded by important government buildings. Today it is a sprawling archaeological site with remains dating all the way back to the first days of Rome in the 8th century BC. Work here is constantly ongoing, with excavations happening all around you as you wind your way through the pathways and along the boardwalks that criss cross the site.
Before we head home for the night we head for dinner at the Mercato Centrale. Although not quite as impressive as the one in Florence, its still got a pretty decent selection of foods on offer, and with the added bonus of being right next to the main train station to catch our ride home afterwards.
Our second day in Rome is dedicated to one experience (well actually two if you count eating), visiting the smallest state in the world, The Vatican. It is smallest in terms of area and population at just 121 acres and around 453 residents, give or take.
Before our 3pm tour of the Vatican Museum, we visit a small shop about 15 minutes away which apparently sells the best pizza in Rome. Panificio Bonci is an unassuming bakery on an ordinary street, but it sells extraordinary pizza creations which differ every day. Gabriele Bonci claims to sell around 1500 variations on the pizza theme every year. It’s not a restaurant, there are no tables to sit and enjoy your lunch, but if you want to eat “in”, you can have your pizza served on a tray, and stand at one of the leaning shelves outside on the pavement. Weather permitting of course. Hunter is sold on the French fry topped creation, and Bam is a Margherita only kind of girl. I ask him what’s best today, and he says the lasagne topped, stuffed pizza is something really special. Sold! And I’ll also try the ham stuffed focaccia pizza please. Oh, and also a few of those amazing deep fried lasagne chunks! Ok, stop, that’s enough! The food is reheated and we perch at the windowsill to chow down. Wow, it is amazing, and I think he deserves his crown as the self styled “king of pizza”. Surprisingly, Bam doesn’t agree, it’s slightly too leftfield for her, and she decides she is much happier with a standard ristorante style pizza. Oh well.
Off we waddle to find our guide on the steps outside the entrance to the Vatican museum. Ilaria eventually shows with her green flag held aloft. Lucky she has the flag really, as the mini-guide (her nickname, not mine) weighs in at a mighty 4’10”. She was a brilliantly knowledgeable guide however, and was very engaging as she toured us through the halls of the Vatican. She even managed to keep the attention of both kids for over 2 hours, watching them while we got lost in the corridors! The tour whisks you through the highlights of the museum, with views of the square and gardens to begin with, then down the corridors containing some of the countless priceless works of art amessed by the Catholic Church over centuries. The gallery of maps then leads you down 120 metres of topographical frescos of Italy towards the papal apartments where famous popes have lived through the ages. Here you find the Borgia apartment where the Borgia pope Alexander VI lived with his mistress in the 15th century; The Raphael rooms completed by Raphael and his workshop of understudies; The Nicoline Chapel decorated by Fra Angelico in 1447; The tour then culminates with the famous Sistine Chapel. No photographs are allowed to be taken in this room. I did briefly consider flouting this rule and attempting a cheeky selfie, but the room is crawling with security, so I refrain and choose to simply stand and stare instead. We noticed a pair of priests stood in one corner with some random people, and as we edged closer a security guard approached and asked me if we were in line for a blessing? “Yes of course” I gingerly replied, and amazingly when it was our turn we were invited to step forward and chat with one of the charming priests who was extremely engaging, and asked what he could do for us. I said that we’d been informed we might be able to receive a blessing, and he invited us to pray together. We bowed our heads for several minutes as he blessed us all and our families, and our onward travels. We may not be the most religious of families, but in all truth it felt lucky that we were able to receive this blessing, and in the Sistine Chapel no less, because a few minutes later the two priests packed up and slipped out through a side door, just serendipity I guess.
As we exit the chapel and make our way towards the museum exit, there is one more fantastic sight to take in, a much more modern one – the Bramante staircase. This amazing double helix design enables people to ascend the stairwell without ever crossing those who are simultaneously descending. And with that we make our way out and leave the Vatican walls behind us.