A weekend in Rome

It's been a very long time I wanted to go back to Rome. I love the city despite the crowds and sometimes the unfortunate garbage smell. This time I went on my own and so I got to cover far more in a weekend than usually. Get ready :)

It was my 3rd time in Rome, first time was when I was 11 and part of my bus trip with my grandma all the way from Romania and second time it was my first big roadtrip since I moved to Belgium. Let's see how a weekend would look like. 

Getting to Rome

You can either land on Ciampino (CIA) which is closer to the city of on Fumincino (FCO) which is some kilometers away. I landed on FCO and took the Leonardo Express Airport Train to central station. The trip is about 30 min and costs approx 14 Euro one way.

Getting around in Rome

I would say that Rome is quite walk-able so you can cover a lot of the top sites walking around the city. As an alternative and saving maybe some time depending on what you need to reach, i can recommend the metro which worked very good. 

Accommodation

I stayed at Royal Termini which is located very close to the train station. The downside to it is that it's overpriced for what it offers. I know Rome is expensive, but still. Below my review
+ excellent location 
+ friendly stuff 
+ comfortable beds 
- poor wifi
- reception is usually not present
- expensive 

DAY 1: 26km

It was a long day, but got to see everything I had on my list. The locations are listed in the order i saw them.
Maybe one thing worth mentioning is that I absolutely hate eating alone and so I opted for street food 

Santa Maria Maggiore Church

I really did not have this church on the list, but with so many of them in Rome is hard to have them all, plus you get to see them anyway, but it seems that this one is quite important as it is the largest Catholic Marian church in Rome. 

Santa Prassede Church 

What i did have on my list is this medieval church which was started in 780 and finished 822 being one of the oldest churches in Rome. 

This is one of the places which I would recommend to go inside (you don't have to be religious for it) as it's small, not crowded and the mosaic of the apsidal arch is really gorgeous. 

btw, I also absolutely loved the ceiling 

Basillica di Santa Pudenziana

Not far away from Santa Prassede, you can find the Santa Pudenziana church which according to Wikipedia it is recognized as the oldest place of Christian worship in Rome. 

Route to Spanish Square

As said a lot of times in Rome you get to see things that are really special without having them on your list. 

Crossing of Quattro Fontane which is an ensemble of 4 fountains located in the intersection Via delle Quattro Fontane and Via del Quirinale in Rome. The 4 is said to represent: The River Aniene,  The River Tiber,  The goddess Diana,  The goddess Juno

A bit further down the road you can find Palazo Barberini which is the home of the Gallery for Antique Art

Column of the Immaculate Conception: "The Marian monument was designed by the architect Luigi Poletti, the actual figure atop was sculpted by Giuseppe Obici and commissioned by Ferdinand II, King of the Two Sicilies. In part, he wanted to put closure to the dispute between Naples and the Papal States that had developed in the last century, when Naples abolished the Chinea, a yearly tribute offered to the Pope as ultimate sovereign of Naples. Since December 1953, Pontiffs have visited the monument annually and offered a bouquet of flowers at the base of the column commemorating the Feast of the Immaculate Conception." (Source)

Spanish Square & Spanish Steps 

One of the places that best stayed in my memory from my first time in Rome was the feeling of being around the Spanish Steps. But this was happening more than 20 years ago (OMG) and so the tourism since increased. The feeling I got now is incomparable and far less impacting than during my first time. Still is one of my favorite spots in Rome.
Please check some of the rules and regulations that you need to take into account when travelling to Rome. 

"The monumental stairway of 174 steps (the slightly elevated drainage system is often mistaken for the first step) was built with French diplomat Etienne Gueffier's bequeathed funds of 20,000 scudi, in 1723-1725, linking the Bourbon Spanish Embassy, and the Trinita dei Monti church that was under the patronage of the Bourbon kings of France, both located above - to the Holy See in Palazzo Monaldeschi located below. The stairway was designed by architects Francesco de Sanctis and Alessandro Specchi. (Source)

Spagna Metro Stop (for streetart lovers) 

Don't get too excited, as it's not that much art. But when I went there was one piece of Seth_globepainter and some other mosaic pieces. 

Trevi Fountain

This is of course one of the top crowded places in Rome. Now I am not sure if the coin is the one that makes you come back, or just your appreciation for the city, but each time I went, i threw a coin and went back :)

Before the current fountain was built there used to be a fountain here which was considered by Pope Urban VIII as not dramatic enough, so he requested an improved version. When the Pope died the project was abandoned. In the end was Nicola Salvi the architect that started the construction in 1732 at the request of Pope Clement XII. 

One one of the small streets around I found a window full of locks. Crazy tradition, but looks pretty. 

Cathedral of Saint Ignatius

The highlight of this church is the ceiling and the mirror placed so that you can properly see everything happening on the top. So I highly recommend going inside  

Andrea Pozzo, a Jesuit lay brother, painted the grandiose fresco that stretches across the nave ceiling (after 1685). It celebrates the work of Saint Ignatius and the Society of Jesus in the world presenting the saint welcomed into paradise by Christ and the Virgin Mary and surrounded by allegorical representations of all four continents. (Source)

Pantheon

The whole atmosphere around the Pantheon is somehow special, could really say why. But i definitely recommending passing by.

It is a former Roman temple, now a church, in Rome, Italy, on the site of an earlier temple commissioned by Marcus Agrippa during the reign of Augustus (27 BC - 14 AD). It was completed by the emperor Hadrian and probably dedicated about 126 AD. Its date of construction is uncertain, because Hadrian chose not to inscribe the new temple but rather to retain the inscription of Agrippa's older temple, which had burned down. (Source)

BREAK: Sant Eustachio Il Cafe

It was time for a break and an Italian espresso. After a bit of research I found online that  Sant'eustachio il caffe is a must try. So i went to check it out. 

I could not say it's the absolute the best coffee I tried, but it definitely has a local charm (even if it is overfilled also with tourists - like me :|). I ordered my cappuccino with a sweet bit to make sure I get enough energy till lunch and enjoyed the coffee Italian style standing at the bar. Great thing to do if you love people watching ;)

Piazza Navona

Such a wonderful square!

Here besides the nice architecture you'll find a collection of street artists, that somehow fit it and you don't feel as overwhelmed as in a lot of other locations.

"It is built on the site of the Stadium of Domitian, built in the 1st century AD, and follows the form of the open space of the stadium. The ancient Romans went there to watch the agones ("games"), and hence it was known as "Circus Agonalis" ("competition arena"). It is believed that over time the name changed to in avone to navone and eventually to navona. (Source)

Road To The Vatican

As mentioned also before, there are so many nice things in Rome that's impossible to have them all on your what to see list. This section here is to add for you some pictures from around the city that I found cute or interesting to share 

Castel Sant'Angelo

Maybe you will think that how is it possible I did not know the place/museum, but well, to be fair I did not know about it and so when walking towards the Vatican I was wondering what is that? Well with some google research was not hard to figure it out. 

"is a towering cylindrical building in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family. The building was later used by the popes as a fortress and castle, and is now a museum" (Source)

Saint Pieter's Bassilica

Not sure this needs any introduction or comments or anything, but if you did not already know here some fun & interesting facts about it

It is the second largest church in the world, it is so big that the statue of liberty can easily fit inside it. 

It needed 219 years to complete (maybe this is not that incredible there are some monuments out there that needed a lot of time to finalize, or are still being built. 

Do you fancy views from the top? Then you would need to climb 551 steps (less if you take the elevator) for the view. I must admit I only did it once and it was not during this trip. 

The majestic dome, designed by Michelangelo is one of the world's largest measuring 42 meters in diameter and reaching 132.5 meters high.

BREAK: Bonci Pizzarium

As I was alone, I preferred to stay on street-food and so after checking out what's there to try, I found as must try the Bonci Pizzarium. They serve a thinker type of sliced pizza with super fresh ingredients. 

I know that the pizza dough is special & all, but I did not appreciate it that much :|. I am clearly more of a Neapolitan pizza dough, BUT the ingredients and the tomato sauce was absolutely exquisite  

If you do decide to go, expect long to very long queues. HERE you can read more about the story of this pizza 

Views of Saint Pieter's Bassilica: Via Nicolo Picadomini

I try to find places that are worth the time and are not that crowded, sometimes I manager sometimes there is a mediocre outcome. I went all the way up on this street for a view over the St. Pieter's Basilica and not that is bad, but not worth your time. 

Largo di Torre Argentina

If you love cats, then this place will be like heaven as they are everywhere. It is a cat sanctuary but also a sort of an ancient square with four Roman Republican temples and the remains of Pompey's Theatre. It is in the ancient Campus Martius.

If you don't like cats, just go around and take some pictures, it looks quite nice and for sure it's interesting to read a bit about the place. "The name of the square comes from the Torre Argentina, which takes its name from the city of Strasbourg whose Latin name was Argentoratum. In 1503, the Papal Master of Ceremonies Johannes Burckardt, who came from Strasbourg and was known as "Argentinus", built in via del Sudario a palace (now at number 44), called Casa del Burcardo, to which the tower is annexed."  (Source)

The four temples, originally designated by the letters A, B, C, and D, front onto a paved street, which was reconstructed in the imperial era, after the fire of AD 80. The area was delineated to the North by the Hecatostylum (one-hundred columns porch) and the Baths of Agrippa, and to the South by the buildings related to the Circus Flaminius, to the East by the great porched square of Porticus Minucia Frumentaria, and to the West by the Theatre of Pompey. (Source)

If you do like cats, you can visit the shelter and also make a donation. Of of the reason of the need for this shelter is because Rome has a no kill law for cats so they need to have a place where they sterilize them 

Piazza Venezia

"Located almost in the 'geometric centre' of Rome (after a complex series of reconstructions), Piazza Venezia was named after the Cardinal Venezia who, in 1455, ordered the construction of his own Palace (Palazzo Venezia) that later became the seat of 'Serenissima' (Republic of Venice)." (Source)

Colonna Traiana

Towering over the Foro di Traiano, Trajan's column (AD 113) is adorned with a microscopically-detailed spiral frieze illustrating the Romans' victorious campaign against Dacia (roughly modern-day Romania). It later served as Trajan's tomb - his ashes were interred in a room inside the column's hollow base - and was crowned by a statue of the emperor. In the late 16th century, Pope Sixtus V replaced this with the statue of St Peter you see today. (Source)

Temple of Portunus & Bocca della Verita

While walking towards the green door with the keyhole :) I passed by these 2 locations.

Temple of Portunus: I liked a lot how it looks like and that's why I actually took a photo of it. Later when researching a little bit online I found out what it actually is. "one of the best preserved of all Roman temples. Its dedication remains unclear, as ancient sources mention several temples in this area of Rome, without saying enough to make it clear which this is. It was called the Temple of Fortuna Virilis from the Renaissance, and remains better known by this name. If dedicated to Portunus, the god of keys, doors and livestock, and so granaries, it is the main temple dedicated to the god in the city" (Source)

Bocca della Verita: If you do want to actually get you future read in your palm, prepare to queue. When I passed by there were quite some people waiting to see what the future has reserved for them 

Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta

When you get there it looks sort of stupid (and probably it is stupid) to wait about 45 minutes in a line to look through a keyhole. That's literally all that is happening.

The excitement grows as you approach and so when I finally reached it, i decided to take a picture also of the door & the keyhole itself. 

When ready look through the keyhole and you get to see through a tunnel Michelangelo's dome. Now, you have to apologize my photos, but was not that easy to take a picture of it (not a professional photographer here)

Panoramic Viewpoint: Giardino degli Aranci

After the huge wait, I stopped in this park for a panoramic photo of Rome, It was not previously on my list, but I needed a short break on a bench after the wait :) 

Roman Forum

At this moment of the day, the battery of my camera died, so it was just being plugged to the external battery to charge a bit and so the pictures are only with the phone. No panic as the next day i pass by again in more detail to take pictures with the camera. I did not enter the sight, but went around it. 

Colosseo

As I arrived at the Colosseum as expected thousands of people were everywhere around. Not that I know too much about it but was not that impressed by the light at that time and so I went back again next day. I did not know that there was Rome marathon day, but I did get some nice views :) Wait for it. 

Acquario Romano

Very close to the hotel there was this Piazza Manfredo Fanti which holds the building of the architects. Looks nice, so entered for a second for a picture :) 

DAY 2: 23 KM

For day 2, I promise it is a shorter post as my main focus was to search for street-art, which I will only briefly mention here. I intend a separate post in my streetart section to come up later on.

Streetart

One of the Italian artists I like a lot is Alice. As a local (she is from Rome) you can find quite some of her art around the city. I will be adding below 2 main areas that I have checked out and will leave you the closest metro stops: Porto Furba & Manzoni. More detaisl you'll have in the streetart tab. 

Porta Tiburtina

When going from Manzoni metro stop towards the streetart area I spotted some sort of walls and I was wondering what they were. Well it seems that it is a gate in the Aurelian Walls of Rome, Italy, through which the Via Tiburtina exits the city.

Colosseum 2.0

Monti Neighborhood

They call it one of the cutest neighborhood in Rome, and i could not agree more. Take an hour or so to walk around.  

Grab a Gelatto sit on the stairs and watch all the people passing by. 

Arch of Constantine

"Is a triumphal arch in Rome, situated between the Colosseum and the Palatine Hill. It was erected by the Roman Senate to commemorate Constantine I's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312. Dedicated in 315, it is the largest Roman triumphal arch. The arch spans the Via triumphalis, the way taken by the emperors when they entered the city in triumph."  (Source)

Roman Forum - actually the road around it

If you head towards the Roman Forum entry point but you tern left instead you'll find a road up, which is a very pretty walk with some nice views around. 

Road to Lateranense Palace

This was a random direction, where it looked pretty as I had some time to spare. Happy I took it as i found some nice looking spots along my way.

With 49 km walked in 2 days, I can't complain of the things I got to see. Next time, I'll focus more on food