The Ryanair flight from East Midlands to Rome should have been easy but ended up being stressful. There was huge, understaffed queue to drop bags off which delayed us so much that we had to ask at security to move to the priority queue or we might miss the flight. They allowed it 😀. The flight was quite bumpy and the guy beside me stared at me all the way, and it wasn’t Mark 😂 and he kept an eye on my crosswords and sudoku over my shoulder, v strange! Then we were first off the plane in Rome, back seats have their uses, but the security guy directed us to the European passport line, not noticing the kids, and when we got there and realized that it was self scanners, that kids can’t use, we had to back track and were now at the back of the ‘other passports’ queue. We were the last ones to collect our bags and get out of the airport 😳. But then a driver was waiting to take us to our apt near Vatican City. And 30 minutes later we were in the lovely Vino I Oli apt, home for the next four nights.
Vatican 
Castel sant Angelo 
Palazzo di Giustizia
After a lazy morning enjoying tea and croissants we set out to explore our neighbourhood. We had arranged to meet Orla, a good friend from Ballyvourney, in St Peter’s Square at one so we headed there. It was a bright sunny day and Rome was looking beautiful. We met up near the Vatican and walked down Via Della Conciliazione, past Castel Sant’Angelo and Palazzo di Giustizia and crossed the river. We stopped for a nice lunch and a chat and finished up in Piazza Navona. It was great to get a chance to meet up and spend some time together.
Next day we headed off on a walking tour of some other tourist sights. We retraced some of our steps from yesterday. It was warm and there were lots of tourists about. First stop was for an all important gelato, essential to boost energy levels and help little legs with all the walking 😂
First tourist stop was the Pantheon, an ancient Roman building, that has been a Christian church for centuries. It was designed by the Emperor Hadrian around 120 AD. It’s one of ancient Rome’s best preserved buildings and gives an idea of what some of the other ruins would have looked like. The pillared entrance is imposing and in the interior is a huge domed ceiling. Covered in decorated cloisters, the ceiling has a hole, or oculus, in the middle, letting the sunshine (or the rain) in. The artist Raphael is buried here. The artist, not the ninja turtle, Shea 🤭
Raphael’s Tomb
Next stop was the Trevi Fountain. Again it was busy and bustling. The fountain marks the terminal point of one of the aqueducts that supplied water to Ancient Rome. We managed to get some photos and the boys threw the obligatory coin over their shoulder into the fountain. There are an estimated €3000 thrown into the fountain each day! The security guard on duty is kept busy 😜
Last main stop of the day was a good one. The Colusseum. It was the largest amphitheatre ever built at the time and held 50,000 spectators. It was used for gladiatorial contests and public spectacles . Although substantially ruined because of earthquakes, thieves, and stone-robbers, the Colosseum is still an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome and is listed as one of the New seven wonders of the world. It is one of Rome’s most popular tourist attractions and also has links to the Roman Catholic Church, as each Good Friday the Pope leads a torchlit procession that starts here. In 2018, it was the most popular tourist attraction in the world, with 7.4 million visitors. A lot of them were there today.
Arch of Constantine
All that walking had made everyone hungry but there was one last stop before lunch. La Bocca de la Verita, the mouth of truth. An ancient Roman marble disc with a relief carving of a man’s face located in the Santa Maria Church. According to legend the face’s mouth closes if a liar sticks his hand in it. Shea decided he wouldn’t chance it so we skipped the queue and went for lunch 😂
We stopped for lunch in the Jewish quarter on the banks of the River Tiber. It was a relaxed affair where we tried some Roman Artichokes and a selection of Pizza, Pasta, Mussels and Risotto. From there we walked along the river and when we found a taxi rank we took a taxi back to the apt. We walked over 10K today so it was nice to have a relaxing evening in the apt with the TV.
Sunday is a quiet family day in Italy. We walked around our neighbourhood and stopped at a local restaurant. We had a lovely lunch then walked to Stadio Olimpico to cheer on Roma versus Cagliari. It was a great afternoon with lots of families with kids enjoying the match. The 70 thousand seater stadium was only half full but there was a great atmosphere. It was mostly Roma fans as Cagliari fans had to fly there from Sicily. The sun beat down on us in the stadium so Mark treated the boys to some gladiator hats to protect them from the rays! The game finished with a 1-1 draw. A late Roma goal was disallowed much to the fans dismay.
Next day it was time to say ‘Arrivederci Roma’. A day of taxis and trains followed as we headed to Sorrento Via Naples with a stop off at the tourist site of Herculaneum. Pompeii and Herculaneum were ancient Roman towns that have became famous for being destroyed and buried during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 C.E. The excavated cities offer a glimpse of Roman life in the 1st century, with many streets, houses, villas, baths, and temples still standing today.
Hairylambthewanderyears 