Rome is one of those places I’ve always wanted to see, and so I was ever so slightly jealous when my brother went last summer, followed swiftly by my parents when it was their Silver Wedding Anniversary in October. They all came back with tales of what a wonderful time they’d had and so I sat and listened and pretended not to be in the slightest bit jealous…. I’m not totally sure they were convinced.

As we were flying Ryan Air, this wasn’t as easy as it may sound because they only allow you to check in 15kg of luggage (and 10kg of hand luggage), which is a bit of a problem for a person who likes to pack for every eventuality, but after a bit of careful rearranging, I headed for the airport feeling confident that I was prepared for the most common holiday problems, and, more importantly, would actually be allowed to board the plane.

We touched down at Ciampino Airport (the smaller of the two airports in Rome) several hours later, and as it was late, decided to get a taxi to our hotel, which was situated close to the Termini in central Rome. This cost us just over €40, which was expensive but at that time of night was well worth it. During the day however, it is far more reasonable to get the bus to the metro and then to get a train into the centre of the city.

Also, as it was the beginning of February, it was only around 6-10°C during the day and as most days were sunny it was very pleasant wandering around on foot, provided we were wrapped up warm (gloves were definitely necessary!!). It also avoided the overcrowded public transport system, which can only be a good thing.

The only down side to February, was that it did go very cold at night. Our hotel was well heated so sleeping wasn’t a problem, but once five o’clock came and the sun had gone down, there was a definite need for winter woolies if you were out and about.

Looking at what other people have said about food in Rome, I am inclined to agree. Meals are often expensive, and rarely worth the money, especially if you sit close to the main tourist attractions. I would however recommend visiting Trastevere in the evening. Situated on the other side of the river, we found the food to be of a higher quality and more reasonable price than in restaurants closer to our hotel. It was also a little more atmospheric than other parts of Rome at night on the chilly February evenings.

Supermarkets are also far more reasonable for buying drinks, outside the Colosseum, we asked the price of a small bottle of water and were told €4, in a nearby supermarket we got it for 80 cents, crazy!!

Looking back on our trip to Rome, the experience that stands out the most was visiting THE VATICAN. The size and splendor of St Peter’s Basilica really is overwhelming. I found myself marveling at how on earth such an enormous building was ever constructed, and was completely unable to fathom how much it must have cost. It is quite amazing to see that such a place exists.

After viewing the inside of the building from the dome, you can continue your ascent further to take in the marvelous views of Rome from the top of the Basilica. These are truly breath taking, and the view of St. Peter’s square from above is quite spectacular. The stairs that take you up to the roof however, are quite tricky in places and the passageways become quite narrow. I found it a little claustrophobic at times, and can see how it might be some people’s worst nightmare! If you can cope with the climb though it really is worth all the effort.

Not too far away from the Vatican stands the CASTEL SANT’ ANGELO, built by Hadrian. It is worth visiting partly because of the wonderful views of Rome across the river, but also because it houses an interesting museum to enlighten you about the history of the sight throughout the ages.

Some of the large churches in Rome are truly fantastic, and there are so many smaller ones dotted around everywhere that have their own surprises to discover. The wealth of the Catholic Church throughout the ages is demonstrated so many times in Rome, and the first sight we took in on our trip, SANTA MARIA MAGGIORE, was a perfect example of this. The 4th largest church in Rome, it is a truly awe-inspiring building. And I would also recommend heading to the PIAZZA del POPOLO to take in the twin churches, Santa Maria in Montesanto and Santa Maria dei Miracoli.

Many ancient buildings were converted to Christian places of worship following the Roman Emperor’s conversion to Christianity, and the PANTHEON is a lasting example of this. Built by Hadrian (he was a busy man!), the building’s exterior certainly looks its age, but it quite amazing inside. There was a fair bit of scaffolding up when we visited which was a shame, but necessary I suppose!

The TREVI FOUNTAIN suffers from the same problems but is another romantic spot after dark. The fountain look very beautiful lit up at night and there was hardly anybody else there when we visited, which sounds as though it was a bit of a luxury listening to the experiences of other visitors. It wasn’t the easiest of places to find as it just appears as you wander down the narrow streets but I think this adds to its charm.

On our last morning in Rome, we decided not to venture too far from our hotel, but this only served to show us just how much of the city we had yet to discover. Not far from where we were staying was the BASILICA of SANTA MARIA DEGLI ANGELI, which exists on the site of the Baths of Diocletian, and was designed by Michelangelo. From the outside, it looks little more than a ruin, but inside it is quite amazing and so much bigger than you would expect looking at the entrance to the building. There was also an interesting history of the site set up in a small room in the church.