Visiting Rome: Speak to Me, Ye’ Ruins

“It’s a city duly made eternal. Its imprints through histories can never be forgotten nor diminished.” – Old Sean

Unexpected Grace

My company in Saudi Arabia surprised me with a substantial time off, in a slightly haphazard manner. Work was cancelled for a couple of weeks, but employees were still required to show up. Then, work spiraled slightly and shore leave was revoked.

But by then, I had already bought tickets and I was due to fly out. My time off request was honored. For better or worse (and generally quite better), I was off, flying north on an impromptu journey to Italy.

Directly after my work shift, I rushed to the airport, speeding through the last bits of responsibility. I had packed minimally, no more than a couple of outfits, a charger and a spare phone.

Honestly, traveling with nothing is such a rediculous relief.

Trance Hikes

I landed in Rome deep in the evening where my hotel manager picked me up from the airport for fifty euros. This expense was increased slightly due to Rome’s hotel tax, better known as a city tax or tourist tax.

One of the things that blindsides a lot of guests is this additional fee. It’s not exactly a secret, but it’s generally not included in booking prices. This tax, which is an additional two to ten euros per visitor per night, is designed to help upkeep the city and manage the immense tourist population. The taxes exist in several overtly popular Italian cities, including Milan, Rome and Venice.

While the merits of the tourist tax are probable, I always pay them with a bit of reluctance. I already drop a substantial amount of money every time I visit Rome, the museums and various attractions demanding a little bit of splurging. While the tax isn’t enough to ruin a vacation or anything, it’s enough to make a person roll their eyes slightly.

Regardless, I made it to my exceptionally nice private apartment with a huge bath, wide bed, warm blankets, flatscreen TV and lovingly decorated living spaces. After being given a tour, I quickly and grudgingly stopped my internal whining and settled in for the night, reveling in my plans for tomorrow.

Dawn, Don’t Yawn

After waking up concerningly late the following day, I hunted down and espresso and found myself a train heading towards Rome’s center. I had been lodging in the lovely but distant Torre Gaia, so the sunrise hours of my day were spent snoozing lightly in a train seat.

This trip proved to be a wryly entertaining. One of the big critiques and problems in Rome is the notorious influence of pickpockets. But since this vacation was so lightly established, I was traveling without anything worth pickpocketing. It made snoozing while clattering along far more comfortable.

When I arrived in the city proper, passing the Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano. Heralded as an official seat of Catholic power in the region, it’s a pretty building with numerous apostles depicted in marble. But I was far more interested in what laid just beyond.

One of the endlessly humorous things I’ve found in life is Rome’s fascination with Egyptian culture. While western nations around the world build in styles reminiscent of the Roman existance, Rome itself had occasional spurts of admiration with Egyptians. They imported pyramids, obelisks and other uniquely Egyptian features which were eventually enfolded into the nation.

My personal favorite is the Lateran Obelisk, the largest standing ancient Egyptian obelisk in the world. Though it once collapsed and then underwent repairs, it’s a truly ancient piece of architecture, constructed around 1400 BCE during the reigns of Pharaohs Thutmose III and Thutmose IV. The famed Roman Emperor Constantius II had the obelisk moved to Alexandria in the early 4th century AD, then in AD 357 had it shipped to Rome and placed at the Circus Maximus. Eventually, the monument collapsed until it’s restoration in the 1500s, at which point the Pope added a cross of Christ atop the structure.

The Obelisk, surprisingly unassuming, is one of my favorite features of the city for it’s authentic and impressive journey. Pulled from antiquity, shipped across Egypt, carted into an empire, lost to time and then mildly Christianized, it’s a rare, manmade relic that defies the human imagination for the passage of time.

Delighted with the deeply etched hieroglyphs on the side, I eventually carried on, shuffling to the tourism center of Rome.

Ever the Tour, Ever the Tourist

I gradually joined an increasingly dense tourism crowd, waddling alongside others as I passed Ludus Magnus, the old gladiator training facility. Within moments, the Colosseum yawned into view.

Rome, by its very nature and history, makes it challenging to not be a tourist. So much of the city deserves to be gawked at. There are so many features that can be enjoyed repeatedly, I always end up as a tourist, no matter how many times I walk past.

I decided, prior to taking my trip, to fully commit to the tourism mentality. I ended up stopping at Punto Informativo Turistico, the Roman Forum Tourism Point, where I got my Roma Pass for the next 72 hours.

The Roma Pass needs no introduction, granting discounts to a vast array of Roman museums and free access to the bus-and-metro system. The resulting pass allows visitors to enjoy Rome’s various famed features at top speed.

Sadly, human energy and the Roman Pass aren’t equal to the full splendor of Rome. There’s simply too much to do and I was forced to choose my ideal tourism options carefully.

So, Roma Pass in hand, I did exactly that.

Munch, Walk, Repeat

But prior to avid tourism, I needed breakfast. There was a small restaurant named Urbana which happily complied, providing pancakes, cookies, coffee and sparkling water. I was nearly too full to walk afterwards, but walk I did.

My next goal was my most desired. By a quirk of timing, my last visit to Rome prevented me from visiting the Roman Forum. I couldn’t bear the thought of skipping it again, so it became the peak of itinerary.

I quickly marched over to central portion of Rome. As always, the sheer tonnage of attractions and historical markers stalled my footsteps substantially.

I should mention at this point that I have a special tradition when walking Rome. I always visit alone and plug in podcasts and books about the ancient empire. These regale me while marching around, and the entire experience is rendered surreal. There is so much literature and emphasis on the Republic and Empire of Rome, it’s difficult to fathom it without being caught up in the legacy and magic of the city.

So keep in mind, while hiking through these endless ruins and living roads, I was utterly fangirling and in a state of total isolation. There was nothing but me, restored ruins and patient voices describing history and lore in my ear.

As such, starry-eyed, I saw a lot and practically forgot about the competing, roving crowds. I gaped at the spiraling triumphs upon Trajan’s Column, depicting fateful victories in the Dacian wars. I gazed over the columns of Basilica Ulpia. There was the Imperial Fora public squares, a Statue of Trajan, The Forum of Augustus, The Forum of Nerva, Minerva’s Temple, the Monument to Victor Emmanuel II, The Altar of the Fatherland and “The Typewriter” Piazza Venezia.

And that roughly covered one block.

I was possibly a bit too enamored. While walking, there are a fair number of people peddling scams. I don’t typically have problems with these. Sunglasses and fast strides deter most of these.

However, there are many of whom do a rediculous little act called a “Friendship Scam.” This involves typing a string bracelet around someone’s wrist, which can’t be easily unknotted before asking, jovially, for a chunk of Euros. In the name of friendship between nations.

It’s a piss-poor scam that only works on tourists and relies heavily on social goodwill.

At some point, I was funneled by the crowd directly into the path of one such fool. Bald with sunglasses and a radiant, billboard smile, he raised a hand and grasped my arm, saying “Good to see you, brother!”

But I was currently deep in the throes of an audiobook about the rise of the Gracchi Brothers of the late Roman Republic. I hadn’t even realized there was a person nearby until he was wrangling my arm.

More concerned with my book than my manners, I wrenched my arm back stating, mildly, “Whoa, f*** off there,” before taking two steps back and sidestepping the whole affair by rotating around a railing.

Friggin’ scams.

Fortunate Forum

The entire event didn’t stick with me for more than a second or two. I was still half-distracted. There were a lot of places to glance at during my next loop. Villa Aldobrandini, Santa Maria della Concezione dei Cappuccini with its four thousand skulls of dead friars, Pinocchietto handcarved toy woodshop and Trevi Fountain were among these.

I briefly stopped at Ciardi Caffè Ristorante for a coffee and bathroom break before rushing back to the Roman Forum.

The Roman Forum is one of my favorite places in the world. I always seem to find something compelling among the very old. I entered from the Septimius Severus Arch and continued on from there.

I realize that writing the list of every arch, column, building, statue and ruin I appraised would be dreadfully tedious for readers. Suffice to say, The Arch of Titus, Palatine Hill and Temple of Venus and Rome are my favorite features. Closely followed by several dozen others.

I wandered up stairs, took photos at overlooks, talked my way into a couple of museums despite not having tickets and generally enjoyed myself to a sinful degree.

Proper Legions

After leaving the Roman Forum, I ended up near the Colosseum and the Arch of Constantine once again. I began walking south, hoping to cross the Tiber, but a massive crowd began to swell at my side. Soon, I was effectively hemmed in by a bright parade, figures marked with pink and reddish paint over their cheeks.

Even with my painfully limited Italian, I could read the cardboard signs. The demonstration was a massive protest fighting against the violence against women.

The crowd continued to build. Wall of people thundered on each side. People moved with a sort of steady, implacable focus, signs casting shadows on followers.

I sidestepped the bulk of the crowd, seeing the route ahead was effectively jammed.

One of the features regarding traveling Italy is a certain social veneration of civil rights. Anyone who has traveled Spain, France or Italy long enough will see it. There are often rail strikes to ensure worker rights. Marches on injustice and these have proven largely successful in recalibrating the nation to one extent or another.

All of which I can respect. But it makes smooth travel terribly finicky for the unaware. Though I spent some time with the marchers, there was only so much I understood from the Italian bullhorn. I quietly exited stage for the time being, applauding softly as I walked inverse to new arrivals.

Over the Tiber

For the next hour, I continued to scrub away whatever rubber had endured on my boots over the past few years.

I was delighted to visit the Baths of Caracalla briefly, a vast thermal bath complex used by ancient Romans. I was similarly tickled to see the Pyramid of Caius Cestius. As I mentioned before, the Romans had a unique interest in Egypt and it pops up in unexpected places. The Pyramid of Caius Cestius is actually a tomb for a Roman magistrate with an impressively frescoed interior, though it was closed as I walked by.

Before I finally found a crossing bridge for the Tiber, I stopped to visit a personal favorite oddity of mine. Monte Testaccio is an entirely artificial hill built in Rome. The structure is actually a trash heap, constructed entirely of discarded testae (fragments of broken pottery). The structure, though created as a place of broken shards, is a surprisingly pretty site during the sunset.

At this point, I finally crossed the Tiber River. Not only is the river a vital aspect to the city, and therefore Roman Empire, but it’s also part of the nation’s origin myth. Supposedly, the river was where the city founders, Romulus and Remus, survived thanks to a passing she-wolf named Lupa. The entire story, which harkens back to the Trojan War, involves a mortal woman giving birth to the twins by the divine war-god Mars. The twins were meant to drown in the Tiber, but ended up founding on the world’s greatest cities on its banks. Eventually, Remus would be slain by his brother, Romulus, resulting in the name of the city Rome.

The myth is likely just that; a myth. But there is no doubt the Tiber’s banks have seen more history flowing by than I’ll ever adequately imagine.

Chocolate Shots

At this point, I was admittedly getting tired. Walking for upwards of twelve hours a day will do that, and night was falling. I stopped to get a delicious meal of pasta before seeking out an old, personal favorite location of mine.

Rivendita Libri “Teatro e Cioccolata” is a special little shop. They serve little shots of chocolate-liquor and other treats in chocolate shot glasses. Patrons simply pick up the entire glass and drop it into an open mouth.

It’s a delightful way to warm up during a cold Roman evening. Even better is the shops quirky love for entirely inappropriate and delightful names. The menu has options such as “Quicky,” “Orgasm,” “Boob Job” “G Spot,” “69” and “Kamasutra.” There’s a special kind of joy in walking up to a bartender with three years, sliding them over the counter and ordering a “One Night Stand.”

Perfectly pleased with myself, I wandered back to the Tiber and crept close to Castel Sant’Angelo in the night. Then, moon overhead, I moved towards the Vatican.

I’ve been to the Vatican a couple of times in life and St. Peter’s Basilica is a treasure that absolutely must be sought at least once in a mortal life. I’ve already been inside once and I would adore revisiting the experience, but night had moved past me. So instead, I simply enjoyed the quiet atmosphere of the Vatican, devoid of crowds. Thousands of wind-tossed chairs sat in a jumble in the plaza and the beginnings of an artificial Christmas tree was rising near the Obelisk of St Peter’s Square.

Finally, reality hit me hard. I was tired. Hands in pocket, I stopped for gelato and hopped on the Metro back home. My apartment’s immense comfort enfolded me and I felt sleepiness rub against me like a friendly cat.

There, I lounged in a bath while facing a flatscreen TV artfully placed behind an “anti-steam” wall. I don’t have Netflix in my current country, so it was a real pleasure to enjoy catching up with the Live Action One Piece and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. Both are perfect for low-investment, rediculously high-enjoyment evening entertainment.

I think Rome shook something loose in me. Despite the ease of my life in Saudi Arabia, there’s something different in Italy. A part of my soul calming. I’m not sure how much longer I wish to explore the Middle East going into next year. But for the time being, the center will hold.

Interim Thoughts

Normally, I usually do only one post per city I visit. This is a handy way to break up my locations geographically.

However, considering the sheer tonnage of activities I enjoyed during my time in Rome, I think a split is necessary. Not only does this give me time for some reflection, as each day brought a different vibe, it also allows me to trim down the number of photos per post.

As such, I’m going to end this post here. Tomorrow, I’ll rise again and scuff my way through Rome and beyond.

But until them, only the usual. Best regards and excellent trails,

Old Sean

Written November 25th, 2023

Read more about visiting Rome and seeing the world by visiting Leftfade Trails Destination Info.

Affiliate Disclosure: Leftfade Trails contains affiliate links, so using services or products through these links supports the website, at no extra cost to the user. All links are to tested services and products designed to aid travelers on their journeys. Some links specifically connect to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate this website earns from qualifying purchases.