Rome 2023

Finally made it to Rome. Kathryn had been wanting to go for so long—we almost didn’t make it as we were stuck on the M62 during a road closure for an accident, but fortunately it reopened after a nail-biting half hour.

We stayed at the lovely Taormina Hotel, near the Termini station. A bit of a rough location, but perfect for our needs. 5 days of non stop walking and sight seeing (over 60 miles according to Kathryn’s fitbit). There is just so much to see in Rome. The weather was very kind to us, over 30 degrees every day despite it being October. Thank goodness for all the water fountains around the city that kept us hydrated! The Colosseum, of course, was amazing but there were lots of other wonders that kept us in awe. Most are so well known such as the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, St Peter’s Basilica, the Pantheon, the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. We saw them all and then went on to see the lesser known sights of Castel Sant Angelo, Villa Borghese, the Wedding Cake and Piazza Navona. But just as much fun was going off the beaten track to see lots of other sights, such as the impressive Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore with its wonderful paintings and relic of the manger; the peaceful Piazza del Popolo; wandering the streets of Trastevere with all its restaurants and the brilliant Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastavere; hiking up the Gianicolo Hill with its impressive views of Rome and the impressive Garibaldi statues.

Top all that off with some fabulous food, far too much wine and the constant blaring of horns and you have one of the best trips, with lots of great memories. Rome lived up to and indeed exceeded all expectations.