Rome

Running Around Rome and Beyond Day 4

~ Adam Verdoorn ~ Leave a comment
We decided to go out of Rome again one more time to visit the ancient ruins of Pompeii. The trip to Pompeii was very easy by train! We showed up to buy tickets for the next train to Naples, the nearest major city to Pompeii. The train station had lots of automatic kiosks to buy tickets from, and the walk up fare was 49 euros a person! The trains run about every 30-45 minutes and the trip takes only 67 minutes on the new Frecciarossa 1000 trains! One we were seated, the train picked up speed pretty quick once we got out of Rome. They have monitors in the cabin that shows where you were, how far you were away from your destination, ETA, and speed. It was crazy watching the Italian countryside fly by at 220mph. Once in Naples, we had to transfer to the local Circumevesuviana trains, which are cash only, to Pompei Scavi station. The trip on the local commuter train is about 35 minutes.
Pompeii is an amazing ancient city, founded in the 7th or 6th century BC, it was covered in 13-20 feet of ash after Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. The site was lost for about 1,500 years, rediscovered in 1599 and only really excavated in 1748. All the artifacts have been so well preserved because of the lack of air and moisture from the ash that covered it. When we got to the front gate, we were in luck! Come to find out, most public Italian museums are free to the public on the first Sunday of every month! Once we got in, the city is 170 acres full of ruins. You’ll need a good part of a day to explore all of what this ancient city has to offer. It has a few homes, baths, temples, an amphitheatre, and a gymnasium. When I was walking around, I was in awe of the technological feats to support these ancient citizens way of life 2,000. I could only imagine what it would be like then.
After walking around Pompeii for what felt like all day, we headed back into Naples. We were going to catch a meal in Naples before heading back into Rome, but we decided on heading back earlier. Luckily, our walk up fare train tickets were transferable to an earlier train. We left an hour and half earlier than we expected! Once we were back in Rome, we went to the Colosseum one last time at night before we had to head home the next morning. I just stood there, looking at this ancient wonder in appreciation for a minute or two, before heading back to the subway station for the hotel, longing to return back to Rome to enjoy its sights and sounds.

Running Around Rome and Beyond Day 1

~ Adam Verdoorn ~ Leave a comment

Once we got into Rome, we took one of the local Trenitalia train lines to get to our hotel. The one-way fare was only 8 euro for the hour and 20-minute ride with a transfer. We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott Central Park, which is located conveniently near a local bus and train stop. I ended up getting a room with an amazing view of St. Peter’s Basilica. I didn’t have time to admire the view, as we had to rush over to the Colosseum for our tour reservations! We took an Uber right to the Colosseum for about 35 euros.

The entrance and tour package allows you to skip the line, which was a huge help. The third ring tour was 12 euros, plus a 2-euro reservation fee. You still must buy a ticket to get in the Colosseum, which was 9 euros. The total package was 23 euros. Once you pass security, you must stop by a ticket booth to collect a physical ticket and get a sticker for the tour. The third ring/underground tour was amazing. They let you out onto the arena floor where the gladiators fought. The tour also lets you down into the underground tunnels, as well as the top tier of the Colosseum. Hang on to your ticket into the Colosseum, as that is good the Roman Forum and Palatine area close by! You could attempt to walk it all in one day, or break it out over 2 days; but the ticket only allows one entrance into each landmark.

We decided on doing the Roman Forum the same day as the Colosseum. It is A LOT of walking around the old ruins of the Forum and Palatine hills, but it’s a sight to see one of the oldest city centers in the world. After a few hours of walking around the ruins, we walked up to another famous landmark, Trevi fountain. Trevi fountain is the largest Braque fountain in Rome. It was built in 1762 to supply Rome with water via the Acqua Vergine. Lots of tourists throw coins into the fountain. The proper way according to the 1954 movie Three Coins in the Fountain is for the coin to be thrown using the right hand over the left shoulder. It is said in the movie that if you make a wish to return to Rome once you throw the coin, you will.

Once I made my wishes at the fountain, we headed back to the hotel via subway to freshen up and meet up with a big travel group at Tonnarello. Tonnarello is an excellent Italian restaurant near the Tiber river. I had the cheese and pepper pasta, a traditional Roman dish. The pasta was good for the 8.50 euros it cost!