Getting through Immigration and Customs in Rome was a breeze. The Americans can learn some pointers here.
That was the easy part.
I now had to navigate myself within this minefield of Italian speakers and Italians. What on earth am I doing here?! Am I crazy?! I admit, it took me almost an hour to feel ready to leave the airport…to tackle the real Rome. However, to my defence, a significant part of that time was spent waiting on a woman hogging the only internet portal working at the airport. I needed to check my email to get the PIN for my ekit mobile passport SIM card as I had forgotten to record it…and I very well couldn’t be without a cell phone could I?I took the FM1 to Trastevere station, an easy ~50 minute ride. But outside the station, it dawned on me that this was not going to be easy. After walking around the terminal for a few minutes, I found the right tram (#8) and after much, did I say much orienting and re-orienting I found myself at my bed & breakfast. This tram ended up being the backbone of my transportation service in Rome and I got to know its route well. The public transportation system ended up being easy to navigate.
My
accommodations, the B&B Calisto 6, was very close to public transportation and to the popular Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere. It is on the first floor of an old building right above the San Calisto bar and next to Paris restaurant. It really was in the heart of historic Trastevere.
accommodations, the B&B Calisto 6, was very close to public transportation and to the popular Piazza Santa Maria in Trastevere. It is on the first floor of an old building right above the San Calisto bar and next to Paris restaurant. It really was in the heart of historic Trastevere.I believe the B&B has four bedrooms and two shared bathrooms. With the exception of a Saturday when I slept in late, I did not have to wait in line to use either bathroom. My room was large and I would have felt comfortable sharing it with a second person if necessary. The doors however were tiny, not unique to this B&B, which made me wonder how obese people travelling to Rome fared.
The owner and his wife were both pleasant and available but I didn’t interact with them a lot as I was out sightseeing for most of the day each day. My room was tidied up daily, and linen/towel was changed every 2 days. I received a voucher good for a cornetto and a cappuccino at the San Calisto bar (and the Trasteverino bar on Saturdays) for breakfast and as I do not drink coffee in any form, the cornetto alone sufficed as my breakfast. I ended up taking it along with me each day, and eating it later in the morning when I started to feel hungry.
I would certainly stay here again if I return to Rome anytime soon. I would also definitely stay in Trastevere, my new home away from home. The only negative thing I could think of is that being in historic Trastevere and right above a bar that is open to the wee hours of the night, it is very lively and quite noisy. But as I am accustomed to sleeping to noise such as all the ICU bells going off when on call at the hospital and as I am known to be unable to sleep sometimes without the aid of a TV or music because of the quietness, this worked for me.
The patrons of the bar were not really my crowd not that I go to bars in the first place. Those who came at night were, how do I say rough-looking but not dangerous. I was surrounded by real Italians – like grandmothers chatting it up in the morning. In general my neighbours were older. I didn’t eat at Paris because it was way out of my league, but it too seemed to be very popular. But enough about my accommodations. Oh but first, minutes within my arrival I had musicians beneath my window.I again tackled the transportation system and found myself at Termini where I got the 110 bus for an overview of the city. You can hop on and off but I stayed on for the entire ~ 2 hour trip and did it twice. I also napped for a bit as well! Hey, I did just get off the plane from an overnight flight. The ticket, expensive at 16 euros, is good for 24 hours and it was a great way to orient myself to the city. If I only had a day to see Rome, this would be the way. I took the following pictures from aboard the bus.
The Aracoeli staircase was built in 1348. It leads up to the church of Santa Maria in Aracoeli. According to the Eyewitness travel guide, if you climb these steps on your knees you can win the Italian national lottery.
In the evening, I took a walking tour of Rome with Enjoy Rome. The guide was Italian and an archaeologist. I found the tour to also be a good overview of Rome and the guide very entertaining. Unfortunately, about an hour into the tour, it started to pour and although our guide decided to take a 20 minute break by taking us to a bookstore for shelter, we soon had to return to the torrential rains to complete the tour. Ah well, it made for a memorable first night.
The following set of pictures were taken during this walking tour.
A lover of mangoes. A woman - smart, without pretense, lefthanded, Afropolitan - navigating this thing called life. An unapologetic believer in social justice and karma. Choosing to radiate positive energy and be true to myself. Here, my musings.
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