Our trip to Rome came very close to not happening at all. It was the middle of February 2020, and covid was increasingly starting to make the news. However our more immediate concern at that point was Storm Dennis, which had led the airline we were going to be flying with to cancel most flights on the day before we were due to go. After a lot of anxious monitoring of the weather forecast, it was a huge relief when flights got back to normal just in time.
I’ve been to Italy many times but there are still things I notice on arrival that make it particularly beautiful to me – for example the ubiquitous umbrella pine trees which give the landscape (and indeed cityscape) such a distinctive look.
We bought tickets in advance for the Colosseum, which reduced the queuing to some extent but we still had to wait for a little while to get in. I won’t go into details about our visit as there are lots of sources of information on these famous Italian landmarks, but it was definitely worth the queue, as was the next door Forum which we explored afterwards.
Our walk then took us to Trajan’s Column and the Trevi Fountain which was predictably crowded with tourists, but still a beautiful work of art.
Obviously one of the main highlights of Italy for many people is the food. We found a very good pizzeria which was frequented by locals, always a good sign. Another restaurant worth a mention had both a traditional menu and an additional vegan menu. Although I’m not vegan I do often choose vegetarian or vegan options, and this had the best meat free dishes I’ve ever seen. I opted for the pasta with almond pesto, lemon and courgette, followed by an amazingly creamy vegan tiramisu.
If we’d thought that the Colosseum was busy, that was nothing compared to what awaited us the next day at the Vatican Museums. There was actually no queue to get in, and the first few galleries were very pleasant to wander around. However, the one way system that gradually led towards the Sistine Chapel became more and more crowded the closer we got. In some of the galleries we couldn’t even stop to look at anything as we were swept along in a huge mass of people (a situation which a few weeks later would become completely unthinkable). Time in the Sistine Chapel itself is also very limited. I would even go so far as to say that I don’t recommend visiting the Vatican Museums at all, which is a shame as there are some wonderful exhibits, but the overcrowding detracts from the whole experience.
Much more to our taste was the Castel Sant’Angelo, a circular castle next to the river which was much quieter and had a variety of rooms and viewpoints to explore.
Another much quieter museum is the Terme di Diocleziano (Baths of Diocletian). The site of Roman public baths and containing many exhibits as well as well manicured grounds, this was a perfect place to wander around on our final morning in Rome.
Rome is a city which understandably attracts a lot of visitors, and whilst the main attractions are incredibly busy we found there are also plenty of other beautiful buildings and interesting museums which don’t feature on the main tourist itineraries. The Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore, which was just along from our hotel, had magnificent artwork but very few people were there to share our enjoyment of it. And of course like many great cities, Rome is perhaps best appreciated by simply walking around appreciating the sheer grandeur of the place.
In terms of transport, we were able to walk to most places, and also used the metro system a few times which was both quick and fairly cheap. To get to the city centre from the airport we booked a taxi in advance. Whilst we rarely take taxis, preferring public transport, the cost of the train to nearby Termini station for five of us would have been almost as much as the taxi, and as we were arriving in the evening we decided to take the easier option.
A final mention should go to the departure lounge of Terminal 3 at Fiumicino Airport. You never know what to expect when travelling from airports you haven’t visited before, and sometimes it can be a quite disheartening experience. Which made the discovery of a large, airy, well designed shopping and eating area on our return journey all the more pleasant. There was even a piano for anybody to play and a friendly robot outside the restaurant.
rhtravels 
While I have never been to Rome, this is a wonderful place to start to get acquainted with Italy’s capital. Generally Romano di Roma are such distinct breed of Italians 😉 making them and the city they inhabit alluring and everyone’s favorite places to get lost into, get mad about and return to time and again.
Jan – https://flyingbaguette.com/
Yes it’s definitely a city I’d like to return to, there is so much to see that we barely scratched the surface.
unfortunately, I 100% agree about the Vatican Museums. We had the exact same experience where it started out lovely but quickly devolved into anxiety-inducing madness. My favorite piece of art, the School of Athens, is there, too. I did at least get to slow down a bit there to enjoy it. I loved Castel Sant’Angelo, though!
I’ve been in busy museums before but this was a whole new level of crowds! Which seems especially ironic given that just a couple of weeks after that Italy went into lockdown and it would be a long time before crowds were allowed again. I think that because there is so much of interest to see in Rome it’s still possible to find plenty of places that are much quieter, as a large proportion of visitors do just stick to the most famous attractions.