I didn’t know what to expect in Rome. With no preconceived idea or feeling about this city, I was open to see how it panned out.

What I knew about Rome was what I learnt in school. About ancient Roman civilisation, that it’s the capital, that the Vatican is located within the city and there’s big name fashion houses.

What I’ve discovered – it’s a mecca for tourists, even in March. I can’t imagine how busy it would be in full tourist season because even now it’s packed with tour groups and visitors like us, throngs of people at every attraction. Interestingly, the Polizia are ever present at all tourist destinations.

Restaurants catering to tourists have three options – pizza, pasta and gelato. We’ve had to venture a little farther than surrounding streets to find interesting Italian meals with the exception of our hotel restaurant. Finding the locals friendly, very helpful and quite stylish has made our visit warm and encouraging.

My word for Roma – fabulous!

We’re staying at the U-Visionary Hotel located near the city centre, 300 metres from the Trevi Fountain and walking distance to most main tourist attractions. It’s a very busy area.

The hotel entrance is on the right (the purple flag) and we’ve really enjoyed our comfy room.

There’s a roof top terrace with fabulous city views.

It was fun spying on the locals from the rooftop.

Thoroughly enjoyed our fancy meal on the rooftop with a pretty sunset backdrop.

The amuse bouche (a French term that translates to “mouth amuser”) is a popular addition to many restaurants here. This one was crispy cod skin, cod cream and citrus.

Followed by Chicken with Pancetta, Mustard and Carrot, and Pork neck, leek, quince and mustard. Delicious!

Sights (aka old stuff)

We’ve walked far and wide and ticked off most of the tourist attractions – the Roman Forum, The Pantheon, The Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, Castel Saint Angelo, St Peters Square, Piazza Venezia, Quirinale Palace (where the President lives), Villa Borgese Gardens and walked countless small streets and alleys. through many small piazzas, past cafes and restaurants, stopping to sample food at more than a few. Here’s a few snaps.

The Trevi Fountain – we’d squeezed past the crowd every day on our way to see other attractions since arriving in Rome unable to get near enough to really see it with tourists about 40 deep. So we got up early and went there before breakfast. That was better, but still many others had the same idea. We did throw in a coin, if you’re wondering…..

The Spanish Steps – the 135 Spanish Steps were constructed in 1725 to span the gap and slope between two popular squares. You’re not allowed to sit on the steps any more. The Polizia are stationed at the bottom and severely castigate anyone sitting on the steps with a loud whistle blast, lots of hand gesturing accompanied by instructions in very loud and fast Italian. Too bad if you can’t understand. Climbing all those stairs every time you had to do your job would make you a little cranky. The people sitting in the foreground are just about to get a rude shock.

Jeff told me to make sure I took photos of old relics. So I did 🙂

The vibe!

Enough of the old stuff. It’s the people and colourful sights that has made Rome so memorable to us. We found Rome to be a city full of very talented buskers.

My first piano accordion sighting this trip.

Who would paint themself head to toe and stand in the sun for hours? These guys. It’s an artform but one I can only imagine is not so good for your health. The first guy was excellent. Until he moved, I thought it was a statue. The second dude smelt of house paint and turps and got a tad upset when I began to back away because I had no coin for his pot after snapping his pose. Luckily the paint was drying and cracking which hampered his pursuit.

Rollerskating and blading is a popular activity in the Villa Borgese Gardens on a Sunday afternoon. And then, a surprise sighting wandering the streets – time travellers?

We did indulge in pizza and antipasto plates for lunches.

This is Giuseppe. We came across him sitting in the corner of a quiet piazza. His business “The Art of Recycling” is making jewellery out of scrap metal. We loved his business model. Enjoyed a lovely chat, although he didn’t understand a word of English. He still thinks my name is “Australia”. Of course, I bought earrings.

Dinner at Sofia Restaurant. I couldn’t go past the Gnocchi with Black pepper, prawns and lime. Jeff (always one for raw fish) order the Seared Tuna, crumbed with olive tapenade.

And, that’s a wrap.

We will go back to Rome some day. Afterall, we did throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain – it’s guaranteed.

Next stop Milano!

Ciao,

Jeff and Catherine x