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Writer's pictureLiz

Backpacking Italy

Updated: Apr 30, 2022

Viva L'Italia! Part Five: Central Western Italy

(Rome, Vatican City)

Region: Lazio


* Please scroll to the bottom to find links to my other blogs related to this trip.


Day 35: Rome

Taking the taxi from the train station to our rented apartment was expensive, and we were all convinced that the driver went round and round the neighborhood, as we walked quicker to the same train station the next day. It was a lesson learned! We each went our own way today. After the informative visit from the landlord, I wandered the area in search of a grocery store, wanting to save a bit of money on food.



Day 36: Rome

Not wanting to tackle another metro system and remembering the purse-snatching tale from the landlord, we decided to take the hop-on hop-off bus with CitySightseeing Roma for our first day exploring, only to walk away from the kiosk with a 3-day pass. Although it was nice to sit on top of the bus and have a clear view of the city, the line ups were incredibly long, wasting good sight-seeing time.

Photo of colosseum in Rome taken from the hop on hop off bus
Photo of colosseum taken from the bus.



Tas and Tanjalee laughing at me reading the map!

Spanish steps

The Spanish steps stood empty as they were closed for repairs, as was Trevi fountain.




Day 37: Rome

Once a historically oppressed area, the Jewish ghetto is now home to trendy restaurants, synagogues, Roman architecture and churches. We spent the morning strolling through this inspiring area, stopping to eat the tastiest sushi I've ever had.

Tanjalee raising her arms for a photo in the Jewish section of Rome
The Tanjalee Salute

Stumbling across a Leonardo di Vinci exhibit, we soaked ourselves in Leonardo's unique inventions, enthralled with his room of mirrors.



Day 38: Vatican City

St. Peter's Basilica and Sistine chapel

Be prepared to wait in long lines and be swept away among the crowd of onlookers. It's worse than a traffic jam, so just take a deep breath and slowly wade through the hall and chapel with everyone else.


How do you end 4 days in Rome? With pizza, of course! The surroundings and serenade were a bonus.


Rome tourist website: https://www.rome.net/


Tips:

1. Book a room within the castle walls as it's easier to maneuver around the city.

2. Be wary of taxi drivers and their tricks. There is a charge for suitcases, even if you load them into the trunk yourselves.

3. The hop-on hop-off buses have very long wait times! I'm not sure I would repeat that experience.


Related Blogs:

Viva L'Italia! Part Five: Central Western Italy



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