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wi-fi and on-board snack service. We got a pizza-packed lunch at the train station to enjoy as we took in the scenic ride through the Italian countryside.
In Rome, our first stop was the Pantheon, a megalithic 2,000-year-old Roman Temple. It’s nearly perfectly preserved because the Catholics turned it into a church. Inside, we marveled at the massive dome and saw the burial sites to famous Italians like the artist Raphael. For such a fantastic site, Pantheon tickets were a modest 5 euros.
From there, we walked down to the Roman Forum. The historic park stretches just over a mile. You can walk the wide streets to see ancient temples, senate buildings and shops on all sides. You can wander the central street and look into the Forum for free, but it’s best experienced by going into the Forum itself with a $19 ticket that also gives you access to the Colosseum. After a wonderful pizza dinner at Pizza Al Fori, we rested up to check out as much of Rome as possible.
Our full day in Rome started at 8:30 a.m. in line for the Colosseum. After a 15-minute wait, we got inside the ancient, colossal arena. Built nearly 2,000 years ago, the Colosseum hosted not only gladiator fights, but also mock naval battles where water would flood the floors and ships would sail around. While the senators would get prime seats closer to the action, the lower class plebs had to climb all the way to the top. For an extra fee, you can go under the Colosseum to see where the Gladiators would prepare for the battle of their lives. There’s also a museum inside that shows other uses for the Colosseum over the years – it was briefly a medieval fortress!
It was a short walk over to the Roman Forum. We budgeted four hours and still didn’t see everything – the expansive web of trails, temples, tombs and vistas each had history that made them worth stopping to admire. Of the hundreds of artifacts and structures, my favorites were the Temple of Jupiter and the Temple of the Vestal Virgins, a cult of women whose vow of chastity meant death by live burial if broken.
A major part of the forum is Palatine Hill. For no extra cost, you can climb up and get amazing views of the entire forum from end to end. You can also get a view of the Circus Maximus, a former stadium that’s now a concert venue that’s hosted artists like Bruce Springsteen!
It was 98 degrees and sunny while we toured the Roman Forum. That meant walking around tired us out more quickly. To avoid cutting your trip short from fatigue, take advantage of shady spots to sit down and enjoy the surrounding history.
After a quick brunch of Maritozzi, my new favorite Italian puff pastry, we took a taxi across town to another country: the 2.2 square mile Vatican City. It’s the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church and home to Pope Francis. The major draw is St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest church in the world. Its gilded, jaw-dropping interior can fit over 100,000 worshippers at a time.
The line for St. Peter’s is always long, but the best times to visit are in the early morning and late afternoon. We stopped to admire the dozens of statues and side-chapels as we made our way to the central altar, where 6 o’clock mass had just started. The hymns and giant organ were epic, filling up the cavernous cathedral with beautiful music.
After a final pizza dinner, we got to bed early to wake up early for a few final sights before our flight. At 7 a.m., we got to the Spanish Steps – a gorgeous staircase named after the Spanish Embassy to The Vatican. It’s normally so crowded that police officers make sure nobody sits down, but in the morning we had the place to ourselves.
Our final stop in Rome was the Trevi Fountain. Perhaps the most famous photo-op in Rome, the Trevi has several traditions you can join in on when you visit. Elizabeth and I drank from the Couple’s Fountain, which myth says seals the bonds of love forever. We also took a coin and threw it behind ourselves into the fountain, which means that one day, hopefully not too long from now, we’ll come back.
My final installment of Chas In Europe comes out next week – tune in to see how I spend just under 24 hours in Dublin, Ireland! Until then – this is Chas Chappell, signing off from Italia! Ciao!
