15 Sep - The Colosseum and Vatican City

It started raining very early in the morning and we could only wait in the guesthouse. As soon as the skies cleared, we headed for the Colosseum!  It is very easy to get to the Colosseum; take the "B" line Metro and stop at "Colosseo" Station.

 

The Colosseum was crowded with tourists. There were little stalls selling souvenirs. There were also people offering to be your tour guides and some people were dressed up as gladiators. These gladiators will pose for photos with you but I read somewhere that you need to pay them EUR5 for that. We had barely taken some photos of the exterior of the Colosseum when it started to rain heavily again. We decided not to enter the Colosseum. 

 

Come to think of it now, we should  have entered the Colosseum. Can you imagine how majestic this place was in the past?

 

The Colosseum also known as, the Flavian Amphitheatre is an elliptical amphitheatre in the centre of the city of Rome. It was the largest amphitheatre of the Roman Empire and is considered one of the greatest works of Roman architecture and engineering. It is the largest amphitheatre in the world. The Colosseum is an iconic symbol of Imperial Rome. It is one of Rome's most popular tourist attractions The Colosseum, like all the Historic Centre of Rome, Properties of the Holy See in Italy and the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, was listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1980. In 2007 the complex was also included among the New 7 Wonders of the World. Source from Wiki.

 

 

We returned to the guesthouse and waited for the rain to come to a drizzle. Since it was our last day in Rome, we decided to proceed with Vatican City. Take "A" line Metro and stop at Ottaviano Station. To our dismay, it started raining heavily before we even reached the entrance of Vatican City! Despite that we had an umbrella, we still had to take shelter in one of the cafes outside Vatican City.

 

The skies finally cleared but there was a very long queue to get into the museum (the queue went almost half of the square). Just as we were contemplating if we should join the very very very long queue, it started to rain again. There were still tourists who continued to queue with their umbrellas. Such perseverance!

 

We decided to take a walk in the rain. The Vatican City is actually quite near to Spanish Steps. It was a really enjoyable stroll and we saw many beautiful buildings. However I was not able to take much pictures as it was drizzling. We finally took the metro from Spagna Station back to Termini Station. 

 

Vatican City, officially Vatican City State is a landlocked sovereign city state whose territory consists of a walled enclave within the city of Rome. It has an area of approximately 44 hectares (110 acres), and a population of around 840. This makes Vatican City the smallest internationally recognized independent state in the world by both area and population. In the city are cultural sites such as St. Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel and the Vatican Museums. They feature some of the world's most famous paintings and sculptures. The unique economy of Vatican City is supported financially by the sale of postage stamps and tourist mementos, fees for admission to museums, and the sale of publications. Source from Wiki.

 

 

14 Sep - Spanish Steps and Ristorante Massimo d' Azeglio

We reached Rome on a Saturday so we decided to resume shopping and visit both the Colosseum and the Vatician City on the next day. They are actually at different parts of the City but we did not want to miss the shopping opportunity as most shops will be closed on Sundays. Neither did we want to lug along the shopping bags when we visit these attractions.

There are people standing beside the ticketing machines and asking for money. These ticketing machines are outside the station. But you can also buy your tickets inside the station.

It was very crowded at the Spanish Steps

Roasted chestnuts which is way overpriced in Rome. 

We had dinner at Ristorante Massimo d' Azeglio. The place is cosy. The waiter, Teodoro who served us was humorous and attentive. The dinner had made my stay in Rome a memorable one.  I ordered the set dinner and A ordered a salad and steak. We also had wine.

 

Ristorante Massimo d' Azeglio

 

Starter 1

Starter 2

Salad (al carte)

Linguine Pasta with anchovies, Eve's cheese and lemon (set dinner)

Grilled king prawns with seasonal vegetables (set dinner)

Steak (al carte)

 

Desserts bar (set dinner)

 

Impeccable service from Teodoro

 

 

Dem Guesthouse, Rome

Address: Via Filippo Turati 48 (M. Fanti Room)
Nearest Train Station: Roma Termini

As the name says it all, Dem Guesthouse is not your typical hotel. I felt like I was staying in a hostel. There were no prominent signs and we had some difficulty locating it (we initially went to the no. 38 guesthouse). It was actually inside a residence building. It was also my first time using this kind of semi-manual elevator.

 

On our first day, the reception lady handled 3 keys to us - the building door, the apartment and our room. Check out was simple; we only needed to leave these keys on the table. There were a total of 3 rooms in the apartment. Breakfast was cold croissants which were left on the table for us to share.  There is a coffee machine in the common area (capsule kind). They also provided us with biscuits and fruit juices in the room. If you prefer hot breakfast, there are also restaurants, cafes and McDonalds just round the corner.

 

Although Dem is only 2 blocks from the Train Station (nearest Metro - Termini), we did not feel safe as the streets were dimly lit at night and there were people loitering around. It was also a hassle to carry 3 keys. I will not suggest this place to ladies who are travelling alone. However if you are looking for convenience, then this is it!

 

Plus points - Dem provided maps for its guests. The WiFi speed was fast! It was only few minutes walk to the Train Station (but do take note that Dem has 2 other locations elsewhere. We went to the wrong location initially).