Before the Trip

Our flight from Gatwick with easyjet lasted less than two hours and was very clean and pleasent overall. We encountered no real problems, we had to wait a little while for our bags at the other end, and on exiting the airport struggled to find our driver to take us to our hotel (it was packed with male drivers, holding signs up with people's names on). However once we had found him, we had a fifteen minute drive to our hotel and it was exciting to go through the city looking at all the ancient ruins surrounding the modern roads and buildings.

I was so glad that I decided to upgrade my hotel for a 4* and selected its a good position in the centre of Rome, and because we booked so early we also got a room upgrade to a superior suite. The hotel from the outside looked a bit grubby on arrival, but the entrance was very modern and clean. There were three lifts, internet access, the restaurant, a gym and a luggage hold. The bar also extended beyond the entrance area and was very expensive, one small drink was 15.00euros, we opted for a 'tall' cocktail thinking we would get a bit more, it came in a martini glass...so watch out for their wording and descriptions.

They were also keenly advertising the "tour bus" that picked you up from differnet points in Rome and took you to the different major exibits Rome had to offer. However I highly recommend NOT to buy this additional extra at 20.00euros a day per person, as everything is in walking distance. I would only recommend this to people who do not enjoy walking, which if you are going to Rome, you will really miss out because the back streets are just as diverse and culuturally rich as the main tourisity ones! I think they must get some form of commision for each one they sell, as they advertised it several times during our stay.

The only disadvantage (from my fellas perspective) was that there the air conditioning was not functioning in our room. The receptionist however found it amusing (and so did i) when he asked why that the air con did not work in our room, she looked at him rather puzzled and said "Air conditioning is not turned on in the winter, Sir."

We had breakfast each morning, and it was very popular with the other visitors. We had a personal service by a waiter, with tea and coffee served to us at our table. There was options of a cooked breakfast, cerals, juices, fruit, yougurts, cakes and bread with ham and cheeses and it was all unlimited. So we made sure we ate as much as we could to get our money's worth and also avoid eating alot later at lunch as the prices were quiet expensive eating out! The quality was very good, and was always being replenished whilst we were there. Their evening menu did not change, expect on Valentine's night where a special menu was arranged.

Once we had settled in, unpacked and refreshed we went in search of food.

We then went for a walk in our surrounding areas, finding street sellers on every corner, the train station being next door practically to the hotel and lots of shops, mainly tourist shops filled with a variety of gifts and unique items, again pricing was varied and generally expensive, however we found the back streets cheaper than the main tourist sites.

I knew that on arrival at the Collosium there would be a long wait in queuing to get in, and because it was Valentine Saturday, i had no doubt that many tourist couples would be heading to this 'top ten' destination in Rome. On arriving in the vicinity of the place, we were bombarded with "Do you speak English, Sir? English tour for the Collosium!" It seems that English is the main language that people from different countries which are not English speaking, speak here.

As we had joined the group, this meant we did not have to buy the tickets, and did not have to join the ticket queue. We did however have to join the 'airport style metal detector queue', (fortunately they let you keep your shoes on!) which was not too long, but we did stand in it for about ten mintues. There were hundreds and hundreds of people there on this day, and although the collosium itself was impressively huge, with only one exit and one entrance it was obviously very congested, and at times we could not even hear our tour guide (even though she had a microphone speaker) and was shoved around alot. (Keep an eye out for pickpockets, one guy on our tour had his wallet pinched).

A quick bite to eat, and a large bite in the pocket......

We waited

Pictures of Rome (Italy)

Rome (Italy), The Collosuim Val Day 2009

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The palantine hill and roman forum are also worth a visit, not only for a pleasant walk, but also for some great photos of ancient Rome. This was further confimed when a couple were having their wedding day photos shot there. We had an hour tour with our guide and was given jam packed information about its history including the many individuals whom lived and ruled here. This is also a great place to see the rest of Rome as it is high above it. There are no toilets or drinking facilities inside the forum, and with one exit at the other side of the forum (at least a fiveteen minute walk away) i recommend ensuring you have water on you and go to the toilet before hand.

After another expensive lunch of pasta and lattes, I ordered by fella to take me to the Trevi Fountain (the last time i visited Rome, the Trevi Fountain was not working). Getting from the Collosium to the trevi fountation is a bit more tricky and required a bit more map reading that previously thought, but still is within a reasonable walking distance. We initally got lost down some of the back streets and as the sun was setting was getting worried we wouldnt find our way back to the hotel. However down the backstreets away from the main crowd were a variety of fountains, shops and small historic places of worship, not to mention more ruins among the modern buildings.

A snack in.....MacDonalds

We then walked back to our hotel (my feet were killing by this point!) and got dressed up for our evening valentines meal in the downstairs 4* resturant at our hotel.

Our third and fourth days was spent wandering the streets looking at old fountations and museums, filling the days out with shopping and eating lots of pasta and drinking lots of wine and spending time relaxing together. We walked along a river during sunset and over rustic bridges, stopping in little coffee shops next to abandoned historic buildings, grabbing ice cream as we wandered around them as night fell.

I think in the middle of the current credit crunch, Rome is not the first place i would select. However if you love art, history and good food and wine, Italy is a wondeful place to visit on holiday. I give Rome on a four day visit 4 out of 5.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/rome