Rome. I

On Friday afternoon, the 15th of August, I landed in Rome from Toronto. The flight was a long 8 and a half hours, with a gain of ten minutes thanks to a favourable tail wind. I managed to sleep on the plane by listening to Bon Iver – Bon Iver, Bon Iver on repeat throughout the entire flight, the only music I found tolerable at the time to listen to. The airport in Rome is not as small as I would have expected (it is an International airport, mind), but despite this, all passengers, myself included, were shuttled from the tarmac to the main building. It was hot, a plus 30 degrees when we landed. I waited one hour to gather my baggage, and then headed for the train, which is conveniently attached to the airport. My passport was stamped by customs on my way to the train, the first stamp in my new ten-year passport.

When I arrived at Termini Station, I had to walk only five minutes to my bed & breakfast. After lugging my 23kg suitcase up one of two flights of stairs, I could hear someone rushing down the steps toward me. It was a member of the B&B staff to help me out. What I hadn’t realized at the time is that the elevator located in the building, on the first floor, is in working order. The hotel staff carried my suitcase to the top, where I checked in, and was given my room. The room was small, on the street, lightly decorated, and clean. I threw my suitcase onto the bed and opened it up to find that a tin of tea that I’d brought with me had opened on the flight, spilling tea leaves throughout my suitcase. My clothing smelled fragrant, of caramel and nuts. They still do.

I had a shower, the drain clogged, I lied down and slept for 2 hours. It was 5 o’clock when I woke up, I felt good and was ready to explore Rome. At this time, I didn’t have a memory card for my camera and so the only document I have is my own memory. I had a map, but not looking at it, I started walking. I’m not sure where I went, or in which direction, but by nightfall my stomach was calling and so I made my way to a small pizzeria nearer to Via Nazionale, a large major road. The pizzeria was busy, I ordered pizza, and watched the television in an upper corner. Televised: a local radio station playing national and international songs in Italian or English. It was curious to note that the English music videos were alternative videos to what we would see on our televisions in North America, they were of, for the most part, the English lyrics.

After dinner, leftovers in hand, I’d decided to try to locate the Fontana di Trevi. This was a place that I was told I must see at night. However, despite following a few signs marked with the name I could not locate the place, and thus I decided to head back in the direction of my hotel. My first steps were in the wrong direction. This is when I stumbled onto Ponte Garibaldi, a bridge that crosses the Tevere (Tiber) River, into the Trastevere area of Rome. The river’s edge was alight with tents, from Ponte Sisto to Ponte Palatino, live music was playing, and masses of people walked in either direction along the river. I found the link for the event later, in my room at the B&B: http://www.lungoiltevereroma.it  I was told by a merchant that it was a festival of sorts that began every Spring, and ran until September. I walked and walked, taking in the sights of goods, people, and the smells of food from the various pop-up restaurants. On my second last day in Rome I would come back here.

By the time I’d reached the end I had been walking for quite some time, and was getting sleepy so, now I finally decided that I’d try to find my B&B. After crossing the river at Ponte Palatino, I made my way in the direction of Termini Station, for which there were signs posted en route. But then, the street opened up and there was Circus Maximus. Really, all that is left is a tower, and a field of grass. The tower was surround by fencing, because of a new archeological dig on the site. Along the fencing were plans by the city to revamp the ancient racetrack at the bottom of the Palatine. There were many people jogging around the track, couples hand in hand, and individuals taking their dog for a walk. Once I’d reached the top of the track I turned toward the Palatine, walking around it and coming to Capitoline Hill. The flames burning on either side at the top of the first set of stairs were being watched over by guards, standing erect beneath the Altare della Patria or the Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II, a large monument of the first king of unified Italy. At this time of night the gate was closed, however I was determined to walk to the top of the stairs, and would make my way back to do just that on my last day in Rome.

From here, tired, and stumbling my way back to the B&B, I ran into the Colosseum. It was huge, and lit up in the night. I walked around it a few times, in awe. There were few people at this time, and the last merchants in the area, selling tacky souvenirs, scarves, and bottled water, were already packing up. I was bothered by no one, and if I was I barely noticed. I tried to catch a view of the inside of the Colosseum, but there are fenced barriers around the entire perimeter of the ancient building. There was a wall of scaffolding built up one quarter of the outer Colosseum. I desperately wanted to see inside, but I knew that I’d have to come back. So, I left.

When I arrived back at the B&B, around 11pm, I was exhausted. The shower drain was still clogged and the water that had filled the bottom was still. I notified the night staff, and I was moved in the morning.

It is still unreal to me to have been to Rome, but I am glad to have had the opportunity. I would suggest a visit to Rome to anyone. I will update with photos and my two days in Rome in the next post. Thanks for reading.