theDIBB - View Single Post - Rome 2007 - Mike & Amanda's Trippie

Mike · 2 Apr 08, 04:59 PM

Amanda & Mike, Rome, 2007 � Pre-trip stuff.

It may be obvious by now that we enjoy city breaks. In the last 18 months we�ve been to Florence, New York, Barcelona and Paris. The latter was during a family holiday with the kids, based at Disneyland Paris, and was enough of a taster that we wanted to go back on our own at some point. However, Rome ticked a couple more boxes for this autumn�s break and we started planning it over the summer.

Previous, kid-free trips had been easier to sort, as my kids only lived with us alternate weeks. This had changed earlier in the year, and as we now had DD fulltime, we had to consider her needs when booking a holiday. She likes staying with my parents, but her school is difficult to get to (I drop her off and collect her every day normally) and the grandparents don�t drive. So the decision was made to go at her halfterm, when her brother was at his mum�s anyway, and school wasn�t a problem.

This did heavily affect the cost though � last year�s flights to Barcelona were only �30 or so� the best we could do this time was with Ryanair at around �400. Accommodation was carefully considered, and we ended up with a quietly located place north of the Vatican that seemed to have a bit of something about it when compared to the majority of more central places at similar prices. We also booked Terravision transfers from Ciampino airport to the central railway station.

We�ve found that the ideal length (for us) of a citybreak is somewhere between 3 and 5 nights: by that time we are generally a bit exhausted from all the walking (and, to be honest, we get a bit sick of eating out all the time, too.) So 5 nights were booked, which also gave us the convenience of a day or so at each end to sort the dog, kids, washing etc out.

If you�ve read any of my other reports, you�ll already have an idea that we generally fit quite a lot of sightseeing into our holidays, walking miles every day and hitting one or two �must-sees� before letting the rest of the day organise itself: we had the usual tourist magnets on our list (Coliseum, Forum, Vatican etc) but added a couple more after digesting our preferred trip bible, the Rough Guide. We�ve found the Rough Guides are excellent for giving you the inside knowledge and tips, particularly about eateries and transport. We love cathedrals and churches, so should be spoilt on this holiday, and I have always been fascinated by ancient ruins � the idea that you can touch marks made in stone or read words carved by someone who lived 2000 years ago blows my mind! With this in mind, we were enthralled to read in the Rough Guide about the previously �lost� town of Ostia Antica, the old Roman port at the mouth of the Tiber, and allowed a day in our itinerary for this.

Right, on with the report proper�. I give my usual caveat that our trippies are done first and foremost for our own enjoyment, to record the trip in a fashion that allows us to relive the journey whenever we please in the future. My style preference is for a lot of written detail, illuminated with a plethora of photographs. I am encouraged by feedback over the years that this also suits many of the trippie forum readers, but may bore some to tears � in that case, feel free to use the little �X� in the top right corner of your screen!

Amanda & Mike in Rome, 2007 � Day 1, Monday 22nd October

The previous day we had taken our dog, Ruby, to the dogsitters in Cheshire (a long way, but she has a great time there, and is spoiled rotten!) and deposited DD Beth at my parents for the week. We finished off the day by packing (oops, nearly forgot that!) and having dinner at a favourite restaurant near our home. Our flight is at 6.20am, requiring us to rise around 2.15, so we�re in bed by 9.00pm Sunday evening.

I never sleep too well the night before a holiday, and, as expected I am awake around 1.30am. I soon get bored and manage to wake Amanda �accidentally� (oh, sorry darling, didn�t mean to disturb you!) before 2.00 for some company! We shower and have a coffee before leaving at 3.05 for the 40 mile drive to Liverpool.

The roads are wonderfully quiet at this time of day (it�s a pig of a journey after 6.00am! We prefer early flights for this reason, and the fact that we have the better part of a day left in the resort upon arrival.) and it�s only 3.45 when we arrive at the off-site parking venue (Liverpool Park and Ride, based at Lenox Farm, Hale Village � they are only 5 minutes from the airport, totally secure, and cheaper than the onsite parking, which is all too frequently accompanied by sad little piles of broken window glass around your vehicle upon return!)

The compound is locked up tight with no sign of life, but, in fairness, we did tell them we�d be there at 4.00. I can�t quite manage to wait that long though, and rouse the poor chap with a phone call at five to the hour. It�s not Mike, (another one, numpty, not me!) the usual fellow, but a younger bloke with a Cockney accent.

He�s soon up and out and we climb into the crew-bus for the short transfer, entering the terminal at 4.10. The check-in isn�t supposed to be open yet, but the Ryanair staff must have wet the bed and are already starting to process the first arrivals. We are quickly checked in, through security and off for the first nervous wee before half four. The longest queue of the day turns out to be the one at the Food Village for breakfast (as Starbucks, our preferred option, isn�t open until 5.00am) and it takes 25 minutes to get served. I think I�ve been short-changed when I only get four quid back from a twenty for two bacon toasts, a croissant each and a small smoothie! Apparently not, according to the smug, Czech server. Her Polish colleague confirms this, and we wander off, in search of both somewhere to eat (the table provision is about half what they need) and to see if any Liverpudlians actually work here anymore.

The more observant among you will have spotted that we�ve omitted coffee from our breakfast: Starbucks is a pre-trip ritual (also a Sunday ritual, a mid-week, �escape from the kids for an hour� ritual, etc..) so we are saving ourselves. It�s well open for business by the time we get across the lounge, and, glory be, one of the three staff on duty is actually local!

We enjoy a spell of early morning people-watching (there are some wondrous sights at an airport before most people would normally expect to be awake) and then have a wander round the Duty Free shops�.. the stock never seems to change an iota year on year � same Casios and Swatches, same handy-dandy gadgets and pseudo Pashminas. At 540 our flight gate is put on the boards so we make our way across to number 40.

Loading is efficient, and we are seated by 6.05. Although first impressions are that it was a full flight, there are a few empty seats and we have a spare in our row for the duration.

There�s a slight delay in getting moving, and we finally leave the tarmac at 6.42 (sorry to be so precise, but how else can I slip in the fact that I own a 100% accurate, solar-powered and ceramic crafted, radio-controlled watch?). The stewardess hands out the Ryanair magazines, which includes a totally unbiased comparison of various, European breads (no, I don�t know why either).. it may come as a surprise that Irish soda bread is the hands-down winner!

We read a bit, resist the various sales pitches from the cabin crew (No, we don�t want coffee. Or plastic food. Or perfume that�s cheaper in the Trafford Centre! Yes, we�re good for scratch cards, ta. And we already bought our Terravision tickets on the web. Yes, really!)

The rest of the flight passes peacefully enough. I find I can do 2 � 3 hour journeys without thinking about it after the cross Atlantic marathons over the years. The one problem with Ryanair though is the fact that the seats have no reclining function, and at 6-foot odd, I am pretty uncomfortable as we approach the 3rd hour mark.

We land at 10.15, but are delayed for a while until they find some steps! There�s a further hitch in the baggage hall, when the second wave of luggage (including both our bags, naturally) fails to arrive for 20 minutes or so after the first ones.

Hey, hum, we get through eventually. And walk outside to find that the whole flight is now waiting ahead of us in the Terravision queue. We are forced to stand around (and it�s bloody cold) until a second coach appears at 1140.

The journey into Rome is a familiar one. No, we�ve never been here before, but every city approach seems to be the same: tired highways, tatty commercial districts either side of farmland and allotments, loads of graffiti everywhere and, (just like Warrington and Leeds,) an Ikea!

We are into the city proper by 1210, passing the University district. The streets are busy with students and foreign vendors flogging dodgy sunglasses, scarves etc from their paste tables and blankets.

It�s 1220 as we arrive at Termini station on Via Marsala. The traffic is horrendous, and I wonder where on earth our driver will find room to stop. He solves the problem in what we soon learn to be typical, Roman style, by just putting his brakes on and letting us disembark into a cacophony of blasting horns, dodging scooters who won�t wait and mount the pavement as we struggle to retrieve our cases from the lockers below the vehicle! Welcome to Rome!

Somewhat breathless, and glad to have survived so far, we head into the station building. Rome Termini is the main railway station for central Rome, and not, as you may imagine, named because of being at the end of anything! It is in fact named after the ancient Baths of Diocletian (thermae in Latin), which lie across the road.

As well as being the hub for the surface railways, Termini is also the connection for the two (soon to be three) subway or Metro lines. We need line A (Red). All Metro trips are a single Euro each, regardless of distance or transfer to the second line (and this low cost also includes any number of surface trips by tram or bus commenced within 75 minutes of first activation� it costs my daughter more than that to get 1.5 miles from her school to my office!). As we don�t yet have the change for the automated machines (although we find later that they take notes too) we buy a couple from a newsagent stall in the concourse.

Down a couple of levels to the platform, we are soon onboard a cramped train heading west to the other side of the Tiber. Our stop is Lepanto, the fifth (and only 5 � 10 minutes) from Termini.

Our emailed advice from the Hotel gave us detailed walking instructions from the station. Although negotiating the steep kerbs and seemingly abandoned cars along the way with our wheeled cases took some small effort, we arrived at the hotel gates just after 1.00pm.

Villa Laetitia (website link) is a charming, early 20th century residence standing on the Lungotevere Delle Armi, effectively the main road running along the west bank of the Tiber. The house is still a private residence for the owners, and the accommodation is created by the conversion of the �foresteria� (garden lodge or guesthouse I suppose?) into individual rooms and apartments. We know from reports on Tripadvisor that access is to the rear of the main house, and we soon find ourselves in reception. A pleasant and efficient young Italian guy swiftly processes us and we walk the 6 feet or so to our room, Bambu, immediately behind the reception desk.

First impressions are very good. It�s a cosy room, about 5 metres square, with a large, kingsize bed (having extremely comfortable, memory-foam mattress and pillows), reclaimed wall tiles, flat screen TV, an antique cabinet, 1950s lamps and a beautiful, arched and shuttered window looking into a corner of the garden. Beyond, in the area between the bedroom and the shower room, is a tiny kitchen, including a full-sized fridge (the only bit we used!), sink, hotplates and enough equipment to create a decent meal. The wardrobe area is opposite, and includes a safe.

The shower room has a four-piece suite (no bath, sadly) and loads of storage for bits and pieces. All the towels, bedding (Terrance or Jasper Conran, can�t remember which, cos I�m a bloke!) and free cosmetics are monogrammed with the Villa logo, as are the fluffy bathrobes. Free slippers are also provided!

The room has a large, arched and shuttered window with a pleasant outlook into the private gardens.

So far, so good! We unpack and hang our clothes on the half dozen or so hangers � why do even decent hotels never, ever provide enough coat hangers? � before heading out for our first wander. It�s 1.45pm, grey and a bit cool (we were sulking a bit about the weather, to be honest, as the pattern in the last three weeks, and historically for this week for several years past, was sunny and warm. The forecast started going pear-shaped a few days ago, and we�d reluctantly included winter coats in our luggage at the last minute.) Having done a quick tour of the nearby streets, identifying a caf� and small supermarket for later use, we strike out across the nearest bridge and head towards the historic centre.

The traffic is heavy along the river and adjacent streets, but it�s the numerous scooter and motorcycle riders you really have to watch out for.. they fly along, faster than the cars, weaving in and out, and while the cars will grudgingly heed red lights, the two wheeled commuters won�t!

We pass through an impressive gateway in the ancient, Aurelian walls into the Piazza Del Popolo, named for the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, tucked against the city wall.

Caught in the act�..

The square was the original gateway into Rome, and the start of the Via Flaminia, the most important road to the north. Now, following a redesign in the early 19th Century, it presents a Neoclassical face to visitors, including impressive walls and fountains to the sides, but centred on a 100ft high, Egyptian obelisk. (Apparently brought to Rome in 10 BC and first sited at the Circus Maximus, more of which in a few days)

Something must have happened last week of local significance, as a large, hoarding like structure currently splits the square in half and rather spoils the aspect across the centre.

The Piazza is exited to the south by way of three streets (the Tridente) including the central Via Del Corso, and, our choice, the Via Del Babuino on the left. Although pretty narrow, this important road is lined with designer boutiques�

� (quick, someone distract her!)

2 Apr 08, 04:59 PM	#1
	2 Apr 08, 04:59 PM Mike Imagineer
Mike Imagineer Join Date: Oct 03	Rome 2007 - Mike & Amanda's Trippie - Part 1 Amanda & Mike, Rome, 2007 � Pre-trip stuff. It may be obvious by now that we enjoy city breaks. In the last 18 months we�ve been to Florence, New York, Barcelona and Paris. The latter was during a family holiday with the kids, based at Disneyland Paris, and was enough of a taster that we wanted to go back on our own at some point. However, Rome ticked a couple more boxes for this autumn�s break and we started planning it over the summer. Previous, kid-free trips had been easier to sort, as my kids only lived with us alternate weeks. This had changed earlier in the year, and as we now had DD fulltime, we had to consider her needs when booking a holiday. She likes staying with my parents, but her school is difficult to get to (I drop her off and collect her every day normally) and the grandparents don�t drive. So the decision was made to go at her halfterm, when her brother was at his mum�s anyway, and school wasn�t a problem. This did heavily affect the cost though � last year�s flights to Barcelona were only �30 or so� the best we could do this time was with Ryanair at around �400. Accommodation was carefully considered, and we ended up with a quietly located place north of the Vatican that seemed to have a bit of something about it when compared to the majority of more central places at similar prices. We also booked Terravision transfers from Ciampino airport to the central railway station. We�ve found that the ideal length (for us) of a citybreak is somewhere between 3 and 5 nights: by that time we are generally a bit exhausted from all the walking (and, to be honest, we get a bit sick of eating out all the time, too.) So 5 nights were booked, which also gave us the convenience of a day or so at each end to sort the dog, kids, washing etc out. If you�ve read any of my other reports, you�ll already have an idea that we generally fit quite a lot of sightseeing into our holidays, walking miles every day and hitting one or two �must-sees� before letting the rest of the day organise itself: we had the usual tourist magnets on our list (Coliseum, Forum, Vatican etc) but added a couple more after digesting our preferred trip bible, the Rough Guide. We�ve found the Rough Guides are excellent for giving you the inside knowledge and tips, particularly about eateries and transport. We love cathedrals and churches, so should be spoilt on this holiday, and I have always been fascinated by ancient ruins � the idea that you can touch marks made in stone or read words carved by someone who lived 2000 years ago blows my mind! With this in mind, we were enthralled to read in the Rough Guide about the previously �lost� town of Ostia Antica, the old Roman port at the mouth of the Tiber, and allowed a day in our itinerary for this. Right, on with the report proper�. I give my usual caveat that our trippies are done first and foremost for our own enjoyment, to record the trip in a fashion that allows us to relive the journey whenever we please in the future. My style preference is for a lot of written detail, illuminated with a plethora of photographs. I am encouraged by feedback over the years that this also suits many of the trippie forum readers, but may bore some to tears � in that case, feel free to use the little �X� in the top right corner of your screen! Amanda & Mike in Rome, 2007 � Day 1, Monday 22nd October The previous day we had taken our dog, Ruby, to the dogsitters in Cheshire (a long way, but she has a great time there, and is spoiled rotten!) and deposited DD Beth at my parents for the week. We finished off the day by packing (oops, nearly forgot that!) and having dinner at a favourite restaurant near our home. Our flight is at 6.20am, requiring us to rise around 2.15, so we�re in bed by 9.00pm Sunday evening. I never sleep too well the night before a holiday, and, as expected I am awake around 1.30am. I soon get bored and manage to wake Amanda �accidentally� (oh, sorry darling, didn�t mean to disturb you!) before 2.00 for some company! We shower and have a coffee before leaving at 3.05 for the 40 mile drive to Liverpool. The roads are wonderfully quiet at this time of day (it�s a pig of a journey after 6.00am! We prefer early flights for this reason, and the fact that we have the better part of a day left in the resort upon arrival.) and it�s only 3.45 when we arrive at the off-site parking venue (Liverpool Park and Ride, based at Lenox Farm, Hale Village � they are only 5 minutes from the airport, totally secure, and cheaper than the onsite parking, which is all too frequently accompanied by sad little piles of broken window glass around your vehicle upon return!) The compound is locked up tight with no sign of life, but, in fairness, we did tell them we�d be there at 4.00. I can�t quite manage to wait that long though, and rouse the poor chap with a phone call at five to the hour. It�s not Mike, (another one, numpty, not me!) the usual fellow, but a younger bloke with a Cockney accent. He�s soon up and out and we climb into the crew-bus for the short transfer, entering the terminal at 4.10. The check-in isn�t supposed to be open yet, but the Ryanair staff must have wet the bed and are already starting to process the first arrivals. We are quickly checked in, through security and off for the first nervous wee before half four. The longest queue of the day turns out to be the one at the Food Village for breakfast (as Starbucks, our preferred option, isn�t open until 5.00am) and it takes 25 minutes to get served. I think I�ve been short-changed when I only get four quid back from a twenty for two bacon toasts, a croissant each and a small smoothie! Apparently not, according to the smug, Czech server. Her Polish colleague confirms this, and we wander off, in search of both somewhere to eat (the table provision is about half what they need) and to see if any Liverpudlians actually work here anymore. The more observant among you will have spotted that we�ve omitted coffee from our breakfast: Starbucks is a pre-trip ritual (also a Sunday ritual, a mid-week, �escape from the kids for an hour� ritual, etc..) so we are saving ourselves. It�s well open for business by the time we get across the lounge, and, glory be, one of the three staff on duty is actually local! We enjoy a spell of early morning people-watching (there are some wondrous sights at an airport before most people would normally expect to be awake) and then have a wander round the Duty Free shops�.. the stock never seems to change an iota year on year � same Casios and Swatches, same handy-dandy gadgets and pseudo Pashminas. At 540 our flight gate is put on the boards so we make our way across to number 40. Loading is efficient, and we are seated by 6.05. Although first impressions are that it was a full flight, there are a few empty seats and we have a spare in our row for the duration. There�s a slight delay in getting moving, and we finally leave the tarmac at 6.42 (sorry to be so precise, but how else can I slip in the fact that I own a 100% accurate, solar-powered and ceramic crafted, radio-controlled watch?). The stewardess hands out the Ryanair magazines, which includes a totally unbiased comparison of various, European breads (no, I don�t know why either).. it may come as a surprise that Irish soda bread is the hands-down winner! We read a bit, resist the various sales pitches from the cabin crew (No, we don�t want coffee. Or plastic food. Or perfume that�s cheaper in the Trafford Centre! Yes, we�re good for scratch cards, ta. And we already bought our Terravision tickets on the web. Yes, really!) The rest of the flight passes peacefully enough. I find I can do 2 � 3 hour journeys without thinking about it after the cross Atlantic marathons over the years. The one problem with Ryanair though is the fact that the seats have no reclining function, and at 6-foot odd, I am pretty uncomfortable as we approach the 3rd hour mark. We land at 10.15, but are delayed for a while until they find some steps! There�s a further hitch in the baggage hall, when the second wave of luggage (including both our bags, naturally) fails to arrive for 20 minutes or so after the first ones. Hey, hum, we get through eventually. And walk outside to find that the whole flight is now waiting ahead of us in the Terravision queue. We are forced to stand around (and it�s bloody cold) until a second coach appears at 1140. The journey into Rome is a familiar one. No, we�ve never been here before, but every city approach seems to be the same: tired highways, tatty commercial districts either side of farmland and allotments, loads of graffiti everywhere and, (just like Warrington and Leeds,) an Ikea! We are into the city proper by 1210, passing the University district. The streets are busy with students and foreign vendors flogging dodgy sunglasses, scarves etc from their paste tables and blankets. It�s 1220 as we arrive at Termini station on Via Marsala. The traffic is horrendous, and I wonder where on earth our driver will find room to stop. He solves the problem in what we soon learn to be typical, Roman style, by just putting his brakes on and letting us disembark into a cacophony of blasting horns, dodging scooters who won�t wait and mount the pavement as we struggle to retrieve our cases from the lockers below the vehicle! Welcome to Rome! Somewhat breathless, and glad to have survived so far, we head into the station building. Rome Termini is the main railway station for central Rome, and not, as you may imagine, named because of being at the end of anything! It is in fact named after the ancient Baths of Diocletian (thermae in Latin), which lie across the road. As well as being the hub for the surface railways, Termini is also the connection for the two (soon to be three) subway or Metro lines. We need line A (Red). All Metro trips are a single Euro each, regardless of distance or transfer to the second line (and this low cost also includes any number of surface trips by tram or bus commenced within 75 minutes of first activation� it costs my daughter more than that to get 1.5 miles from her school to my office!). As we don�t yet have the change for the automated machines (although we find later that they take notes too) we buy a couple from a newsagent stall in the concourse. Down a couple of levels to the platform, we are soon onboard a cramped train heading west to the other side of the Tiber. Our stop is Lepanto, the fifth (and only 5 � 10 minutes) from Termini. Our emailed advice from the Hotel gave us detailed walking instructions from the station. Although negotiating the steep kerbs and seemingly abandoned cars along the way with our wheeled cases took some small effort, we arrived at the hotel gates just after 1.00pm. Villa Laetitia (website link) is a charming, early 20th century residence standing on the Lungotevere Delle Armi, effectively the main road running along the west bank of the Tiber. The house is still a private residence for the owners, and the accommodation is created by the conversion of the �foresteria� (garden lodge or guesthouse I suppose?) into individual rooms and apartments. We know from reports on Tripadvisor that access is to the rear of the main house, and we soon find ourselves in reception. A pleasant and efficient young Italian guy swiftly processes us and we walk the 6 feet or so to our room, Bambu, immediately behind the reception desk. First impressions are very good. It�s a cosy room, about 5 metres square, with a large, kingsize bed (having extremely comfortable, memory-foam mattress and pillows), reclaimed wall tiles, flat screen TV, an antique cabinet, 1950s lamps and a beautiful, arched and shuttered window looking into a corner of the garden. Beyond, in the area between the bedroom and the shower room, is a tiny kitchen, including a full-sized fridge (the only bit we used!), sink, hotplates and enough equipment to create a decent meal. The wardrobe area is opposite, and includes a safe. The shower room has a four-piece suite (no bath, sadly) and loads of storage for bits and pieces. All the towels, bedding (Terrance or Jasper Conran, can�t remember which, cos I�m a bloke!) and free cosmetics are monogrammed with the Villa logo, as are the fluffy bathrobes. Free slippers are also provided! The room has a large, arched and shuttered window with a pleasant outlook into the private gardens. So far, so good! We unpack and hang our clothes on the half dozen or so hangers � why do even decent hotels never, ever provide enough coat hangers? � before heading out for our first wander. It�s 1.45pm, grey and a bit cool (we were sulking a bit about the weather, to be honest, as the pattern in the last three weeks, and historically for this week for several years past, was sunny and warm. The forecast started going pear-shaped a few days ago, and we�d reluctantly included winter coats in our luggage at the last minute.) Having done a quick tour of the nearby streets, identifying a caf� and small supermarket for later use, we strike out across the nearest bridge and head towards the historic centre. The traffic is heavy along the river and adjacent streets, but it�s the numerous scooter and motorcycle riders you really have to watch out for.. they fly along, faster than the cars, weaving in and out, and while the cars will grudgingly heed red lights, the two wheeled commuters won�t! We pass through an impressive gateway in the ancient, Aurelian walls into the Piazza Del Popolo, named for the church of Santa Maria del Popolo, tucked against the city wall. Caught in the act�.. The square was the original gateway into Rome, and the start of the Via Flaminia, the most important road to the north. Now, following a redesign in the early 19th Century, it presents a Neoclassical face to visitors, including impressive walls and fountains to the sides, but centred on a 100ft high, Egyptian obelisk. (Apparently brought to Rome in 10 BC and first sited at the Circus Maximus, more of which in a few days) Something must have happened last week of local significance, as a large, hoarding like structure currently splits the square in half and rather spoils the aspect across the centre. The Piazza is exited to the south by way of three streets (the Tridente) including the central Via Del Corso, and, our choice, the Via Del Babuino on the left. Although pretty narrow, this important road is lined with designer boutiques� � (quick, someone distract her!) __________________ Mike's Trip Reports - WDW/Florida 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, Florence 2006 (Piccies), New York/Florida 2006, Barcelona 2006, Wedding & Honeymoon 2007, DLRP, May/June 2007, Barcelona, our 1st Anniversary, Jan 2008, What a Carry On! Florida, August 2008, New York, May/June 2012 for Amanda's 40th & June 2014 - Gulf, Orlando and NYC for Mike's 50th!