I’m praying I still have some leftover energy for this last stop in Italy before heading home. With 4 more nights in the Eternal City, we needed to decide which spots TO MISS. Easier to decide on which to give up, rather than which are the must-sees. There are just too many. As it turned out, the basilica interiors can wait. The walk-through the Roman Forum and the Colloseo interiors are struck off the list. The Vatican Museum and other museos can wait another day. And so it happened so naturally that the must-see spots were narrowed down to Saint Peter’s Square, the Vittorio Emmanuel and Piazza Venezia, Piazza Navona, Pantheon, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, the Colloseo and the Roman and Imperial Forum from the roadside.
It was a struggle to maintain one’s sanity given the flux of tourists in ALL the “must-tick- off” list in Rome. Unless you get there real early — as in the break of dawn — expect tourist traps. Even museum visits can be an ordeal when one pushes or gets pushed by the thick crowd. It was hot and humid when we reached Rome, and people around aren’t in the best of moods. We saw many gelato scoops on the ground — must have been dropped there by tourists angling for snapshots while navigating the crowds. We joined a walking tour “for context” as my apos would say. But we DIY’d the Vittorio Emmanuel, Saint Peter’s Square and Piazza Venezia. We made time to visit a museum of contemporary art, and lingered in 2 bohemian neighborhoods in Rome.
I think we did pretty well. The apos can always visit the spots they missed next time around. I remember renting a room in Rome with my niece in 2006 for 11 days. Thought that gives us much time to cover more ground but naaahhh, one should always be willing to pass up some good spots. On this trip, we only had 4 days. Ergo, we decided on a core list of mandatory visits if only so we can roam freely in some of the neighborhoods we found more interesting. Besides, the heat, the crowd, the sun were beginning to bother us. We have also been hailing cabs or booking Uber rides. All energy sapped to even take the bus or train. Thank goodness we’ve been eating real well here and elsewhere in Italy. We are adequately “nourished” and that kept our sanity intact.
Next and final blog will be on the neighbourhoods we spent more time in. Monti and Trastevere charmed us. We liked the bohemian vibe and the dining scene we found very interesting. Watch this page 🙂
“I’m a big believer in winging it. I’m a big believer that you’re never going to find perfect city travel experience or the perfect meal without a constant willingness to experience a bad one. Letting the happy accident happen is what a lot of vacation itineraries miss, I think, and I’m always trying to push people to allow those things to happen rather than stick to some rigid itinerary.”
- Anthony Bourdain
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