Week 4: My Trip to Rome

Rome can be both fascinating and somewhat stressful for a tourist. That being said, I was there for just 3 days, so my experience was very limited.

I arrived in Rome by train from Florence on a cold morning in March eight years ago. After I left the train station, I went to the travel agency nearby, which I had contacted a few days earlier and made arrangements for a guided walking tour of the old city.

From there, I hopped in a cab and went to my hotel, which was located in a hilly residential neighborhood west of the Vatican. On my way to the hotel, we hit some traffic jam, which is very common throughout Rome, and then snow started to fall. The cab driver told me it rarely snows in Rome. It was just flurries but enough to make the traffic worse and the Italian drivers more animated. During my cab ride I kept wondering how many cups of coffee Italians drink on a normal weekday. I'm a coffee lover myself, but I can't have more than two cups a day, specially if I have a real Italian espresso.

After I checked into my hotel, I walked around the neighborhood, which reminded me a lot of a neighborhood in my hometown. Later that day, I jumped on the subway towards the Coliseum where I met my tour guide and the group of tourists that had signed up for the walking tour. On the crowded subway ride, though, I witnessed a fight between two women. At first, they were just yelling at each other, but after a while they started hitting each other. Fortunately, a man standing right next to them stopped the fight. Too much caffeine is my theory, along with a hot Latin temper. Somehow, it was all very familiar to me. I felt right at home.

The walking tour took us to the Coliseum, the Pantheon, and the Old City of Rome where the Forum is located. We also walked to the Spanish steps where I had dinner later that day. The ruins of the Old City and the Forum are just spectacular.

The next day, I went to the Vatican on my own. I think the Sistine Chapel is probably one the most spectacular sights I have ever visited.

On my final day, I walked around the fancy shops on Via Venetto, took some pictures of the latest Lamborghini model at the Lamborghini store, and headed back to the train station. I didn't have time to check the catacombs, which are the underground burial places going back to the Roman times.

One thing to remember in Rome is to be careful when you cross the streets, drivers do not yield to pedestrians, and if you have to drive, practice defensive driving. Other than that, I highly recommend it. It's one of those cities you have to see, if you love traveling.