Almost exactly two years ago, I was on a plane making my way to Italy’s Eternal City; Rome. Given I have always had a love affair with art, history and architecture, to say I was excited was an understatement.
Arriving in the afternoon, I made my way to the hotel, unpacked, refreshed and was out the door to explore the area a little bit. My first order of business was getting hold of a gelato, closely followed by finding a beautiful spot to enjoy it whilst watching the sun set.
The next day I approached Rome in much the same way as I approach every city I visit – I walked it… and it was a long walk! It’s my personal belief that you only truly get to see and discover a city by foot. But in this case, Rome just seemed to be endless – and with nearly 3,000 years of globally influential art, architecture and culture on display, I didn’t want to miss any of it.
My trip to the Italian capital lasted 4 days in total and after my ridiculously tiring first day of walking, I got clever on my remaining days and used the public transport.
The city is gorgeous. An mix and match of old and new. Ruins, thousands of years old, next to town houses. Horse drawn carriages pulled up next to the big sites along side taxi’s. From it’s super stylist policemen in their skinny jeans, to the fact that even the most crumbling and old windows are decorated with beautiful blooms in window boxes… On every street and around every corner you will find little reminders of the fact that you are walking on the cobbles that helped shape history. It’s an amazing thing.
And my top tips for visiting?
- Take comfortable shoes. Rome is big. The sites themselves are big. You will be walking A LOT!
- Plan ahead. Do the city in sections. Pick a few things in close proximity, use public transport and do them all on the same day. You don’t want to miss anything out.
- Set aside a whole day for the Vatican City. Get up early and go straight there – there will be a line to get in. Don’t oversleep or you may end up spending the day in the line instead of exploring.
- Eat GELATO! Just do it. You won’t be disappointed. Just don’t blame me if you put on weight – this tip is to be used at your own discretion.
