We woke up, grabbed a complimentary breakfast, and were in the train station just in time to see our train was delayed by about 20 minutes. Our train was packed…really really packed. And it was direct to Roma, so there was no chance of anyone getting off at other stops. We managed, but it took a lot of finagling and apologizing.
When we got to Rome we hit the ground running. I handed Daniel walking directions to the hotel – 1.2 km, we all agreed to try it and set out. 1.2 km later we were all quite hot and sweaty (Rome was much warmer than anywhere we’d been so far on our trip), but had successfully checked into the Hotel Apollo which was on a road that led directly to the Colosseum – we could see the Colosseum from our street!!!
We immediately set out for lunch and found a really cute café with a warm, friendly family who served me the best spaghetti carbonara I have ever had…ever. We all had fantastic meals and delicious orders of different kinds of brochette. And the owner came out and served us complimentary shots of limoncello before we left (which we are now big fans of!)
And so, full of wonderful Italian food we set out for the Colosseum. It was about 2:45, so we figured we were okay. By the time we navigated through the vendors, crosswalks, and scam artists it was about 3:15 and the line was short…only…they closed the Colosseum at 3. Seriously? It was not New Years Eve. It was not New Years Day. It was not Christmas. It was Wednesday, December 30th and they closed at 3 when the Vatican closes between 4 and 6. We still had several hours of daylight left and they were closed. Great. Maybe our luck was not turning after all.
So we rushed over to Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum which are right next to the Colosseum (even if the entrances are a kilometer or so apart). We got there at 3:40 to find out that they had closed at 3:30. Really? Honestly. We were crushed and really angry. We had done everything right. Most museums said they closed at 6. In Florence they had. And now we were heading into New Year’s Eve tomorrow…when things usually close early with a wish list a mile long…and the knowledge that nothing would be open on New Year’s Day.
Onward. We walked to the Circus Maximus while walking along the fenced in Palatine Hill and taking lots of pictures and sneaking what glimpses we could and!! The Circus Maximus was just an open field and we actually got to go down and walk on the track – hooray! So we walked the path the chariots had blazed and then per Phil’s great suggestion we headed up a hill where we got a fabulous glimpse of a great bit of Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum. It was almost as good as going in – it was a great view. And then! We went to the Victor Emmanuel Monument and took the elevator to the top of the building to watch Rome at sunset! We got to see the whole city bathed in pinks and purples as the city lights grew brighter and stronger. We could see the Colosseum all lit up, St. Peter’s Basilica at night, along with the whole sparkling city. Our timing was perfect!
We continued on our wanderings and checked out the Colonna Tralana which had a Roman story intricately carved into it, checked out the interior of a beautiful church and walked up to the Trevi fountain. Although slammed with people we were able to enjoy a few glimpses of the famous monument while we chowed down on gelato. We found another open church and were able to check out the interior of that one as well. We tried to find the Spanish steps but misread the map and found a Spanish palace...and decided to put that quest on hold. Our feet were tired and our tummies wanted more Italian.
We had dinner at another great restaurant and had more wonderful food. We headed back to the hotel after that, determined that we would get up early so we could do both the Colosseum and the Vatican…tall orders, but we were determined. Nothing would be open on the first.
Our first day in Rome was fantastic! It was absolutely awesome to wander the streets and find one amazing monument or ruin or church or palace after the other. The food is even better than Florence and we couldn’t be more excited about our New Year’s Eve in Rome!
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