You can spot I'm a tourist from a mile off, even if I wasn't standing in front of the colosseum. But it's 21° today and the Romans are wearing light winter jackets. I'm in shorts and a t-shirt having seen the most amount of sun in four months- how dare I?
For my first venture into the city centre, I thought it was better to cover ground and visit as many tourist attractions as possible- if not only as a way to map out the city centre in my head. What I wasn't prepared for were the 18,000 steps I achieved in under 4 hours- and I am none the wiser for understanding the layout of Rome! All roads may lead to Rome, but roads IN Rome lead down one-ways, dead ends and occasionally to a hidden masterpiece. I would call myself a city-savvy person, or at least someone with a fairly good sense of direction, and yet I can't make heads or tails here.
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Despite this I ambled pretty happily, half-guided by a map, from the Colosseum to the Forum, Capitoline Hill, Mole del Vittoriano, Largo di Torre Argentina (to see the cats who now live amongst the ruins of Caesar's infamous demise); got lost somewhere on the way to the Pantheon and then lost again on the way to the Trevi Fountain. Sounds like a lot right? Turns out they're all within 1 kilometre of each other but when you're walking Rome's meandering streets... you walk MILES.
To be truthful, the 4 hours were pretty overwhelming. Each location is so eminent that's it's hard to fully appreciate the history, beauty and stories associated with them at a glance. Luckily I will have plenty of time to revisit each monument in the next month to fully value the experience.
I was determined to walk from one place to another relatively unaided- an occasional glance at Google Maps now and again. I know if I spend the whole month staring at my phone then I'll never actually see Rome. There's one thing to be said for getting lost in Rome- as it is for Florence, Verona, Trento or any other Italian city- you will always find something interesting or beautiful hidden where you don't expect it. Thinking I was heading North to the Pantheon I ended up going East to the river, but all the way I was walking between terraces painted in shades of orange and yellow, on cobbled streets, past trattorias and mini-markets. I'm sure a lot of the centre of Rome is 'beautified' for the tourists but I don't mind one bit.
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Rome has quickly established itself as the 'Eternal City'. Finally, my architecture degree comes in handy as I identify thousands of years of built history. It's true when they say Rome is built in layers- at a single glance, you can spot the city's past present and future. Electric taxis drive on cobbled roads next to the ruins of the Roman Empire. A sign made me chuckle at a pile of stones, which were once a building... which underwent restoration work in the year 4AD. The majority of Britain was still living in timber and earth huts at the same time Romans were restoring their ancient temples.
Yesterday was certainly an immersion into prime tourist Rome. Every bit of it is dumbfounding and I can't wait to explore with more time and knowledge. Despite all this, there is one thing the suburbs can do better than the centre- gelato outside the Pantheon = 4€ a scoop.... gelato outside my flat = 2.50€ a scoop, that's a win for me (or a tragedy for my waistline).
A gentleman reads the newspaper on a balcony overlooking the Pantheon.
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