Le Journal de +Louise

Everyone soon or late comes round by Rome….

Robert Browning.

Trip Report – {Rome 2 Nov 2008}

ROME was the first stop of the italian leg of our Europe trip back in November ’08. We booked our tickets nearly a year in advance with Singapore Airlines; the long wait leading up to the trip was almost intolerable that we vowed to never hunt for air tickets so far ahead in time, unless we are absolutely prepared to live through yet another long bout of wild anticipation.

After almost 23+ hours of air travel, we finally flew into Leonardo da Vinci – Fiumicino Airport at around 7am. The impending adrenaline rush of treading the grounds of the Eternal City was so overwhelming that I was happy to overlook the long, uneventful flight and the inconsistent cabin temperature.

We pre-booked our cab online through RomeCabs and were happily greeted by a round, slightly scruffy looking man holding a yellow placard with our last names casually scribbled on it. Mario, our cab driver spoke very little English but he seemed just as enthusiastic about Rome as us first time visitors were; motioning aggressively at each prominent landmark as we drove past. All the while we were in awe at the magnificent structures that pulled up in almost every corner our little white cab weaved into. The desolate AquaDucts, the barren Circus Maximus, the majestic Piazza Venezia, and we promptly held our breaths and squealed as we caught glimpses of the Colosseum peeping through some Mediterranean autumn foliage.

After a 30 minute cab ride, we arrived at our hotel, Relais Fontana di Trevi. Since our room was not ready, we left our bags at the hotel and went on a mad hunt for an Italian breakfast.

Fontana di Trevi
The moment we stepped out of our hotel and with a slight turn to the left and onto the cobble stone streets of Rome, we found ourselves in a compact square (piazza), awestruck by the imposing sight of the largest Baroque fountain in the city of Rome, surrounded quite tightly by terracotta buildings with brown, blue and white shutters.

Oceanus reigns here upon his shell chariot and the massive basin of water below was filled with coins of those who wished to return to Rome again some day.

Our stomachs were growling as we walked up Via Del Corso. Rome, in its sleepy and groggy state, had only just started to kick off the covers with health conscious joggers pounding quietly on her pavements and the beeping and unloading sirens from delivery trucks slowly stirring her up from a late Saturday night.

We picked an alfresco table at Bar Brasile, overlooking the magnificent Piazza Venizia and had my very first cup of Italian cappuccino and quickly devoured an eggplant Panini.

Piazza di Spagna
The Spanish Steps were a short and comfortable walk from the Trevi Fountain. Designer shops and major Italian labels lined the narrow cobbled streets leading towards the Piazza.

Crowds gathered around and on the steps of Fontana Della Barracia (Fountain of the Old Boat).

Piazza Del Popolo

We wandered along Via del Corso and saw an obelisk in a distance. We arrived at Piazza Del Popolo (The People’s Square) and marvelled at the second oldest and one of the tallest obelisks in Rome.

Pantheon
The late afternoon sun cast a sombre glow against the Pantheon, the oldest standing domed structure in all of Rome. Originally built as a temple to worship the gods of Ancient Rome, since the 7th century, the Pantheon has been used as a Roman Catholic Church. Wreaths of flowers lined the tomb of the 2 Italian Kings, Vittorio Emanuele II and Umberto I who were buried inside the Pantheon.

The dome of the pantheon has an opening, the oculus (The Great Eye) lets in a stream of sunlight into the somewhat dark interior.

At around 6pm and extremely consumed with jet lag, we decided to break all travelling rules and headed straight into McDonalds for a quick bite on via Del Muratte.

Relais di Trevi
By the time we dragged our weary selves back towards the hotel, the crowd gathered at the Trevi Fountain had turned for the worse. It was close to impossible trying to navigate through the maddening groups of tourists and street vendors. Luckily, our hotel is quaintly and perfectly tucked away from the hustle and bustle of Trevi Fountain. Our room was tastefully decorated in baroque wallpaper, complete with a minifridge, a writing desk, flat screen tv and our bags were already safely lined up back to back against the closet doors.

That night, we fell asleep amongst the company of wondrous structures, of ancient gods and dreamt of leather shoes, cobble stone streets, gladiators and the Colosseum…..