First Day Rome Arrival

Flying into Rome from America usually results in leaving late in the afternoon, flying overnight, and with the back crossing of time zones, arrival is the next morning. The airport is about 16 miles outside of the city and taking a taxi into the city costs about $50.00 depending on the going rate of exchange. NOT in our favor these days. You can also take a train into the city which is cheaper, takes a little longer, and requires a little more vigilance for pickpocketers as well as schlepping your bags.

Going through customs was a brief courtesy since Italy has thousands of tourists each day from the U.S. We had booked Splendid Hotel La Torre in Rome, but on arrival, we were transferred a few blocks away to
Hotel Villa San Pio. The location was a lovely, quiet suburban area. The three of us shared a room with an additional bed.


Below was the view from our bedroom window.


Since we could not actually check in, we dropped all our bags at the hotel and then requested a cab to the Vatican. Because we were booked for the Scavi tour at 10:45 A.M. and had arrived at the airport at 8:30 A.M. we were under a very tight schedule. We hadn't showered but were able to change clothes a little in the bathroom at the hotel lobby . In our pathetic Italian and rudimentary English we explained to the taxi driver that we had reservations for the tour of the excavations under St. Peter's Basilica. Only 120 people a day get to tour and we didn't want to miss this opportunity. He indicated that he knew where we should go. As we drove around the Vatican on a Saturday morning, we saw the line of people for the tour of the Sistine chapel...blocks and blocks long. He dropped us at the front of this line. We now had a little less than 20 minutes and were feeling pretty good about the time we had made. We, of course, were told by the guards at the drop off that the excavations' office was clear on the other side of the Vatican and our taxi driver was already gone. We held out purses and camera tightly to our bodies and actually jogged all the way to the other side of Vatican City past the line of tourists. I am sure they thought we were crazy...I have never seen anyone jog across St. Peter's Square, that was a first.

We arrived at the office out of breath, and a little sweaty, but on time. Our luck was holding as there were only three others on our tour and the women who gave the tour was magnificent. She knew her subject well and gave us lots of time for questions at each stop. It was not a religious tour, but an historic tour and most rewarding. It ended at the hall of the Popes where we were gently and firmly pushed aside by a Cardinal and his minions on a tour reminding us abruptly of our place in this structured Catholic society.



The Swiss guards at the Vatican are very patient in answering the tourists questions every day. They are also cute.

Here is a quick shot inside St. Peter's.

We then walked to the Pantheon which is a must-see for any first time visitor as was my daughter's M.I.L. As you can see they were way ahead of me!

During the walk we stopped to visit the shops and be silly since we now had been up for over 24 hours.

The Pantheon is most impressive with a span of over 142 feet. It was originally a Roman temple and survived by being consecreated as a Catholic church. The architect is unknown. I had taken many pictures on a prior trip, so was able to just enjoy the building this time.

Within a few blocks was a small and lovely church that we had passed before and decided to visit.

That evening was M.I.L.'s birthday and so we took a taxi to the top of Janiculum Hill for a meal at Antico Arco. This place is expensive and has recently been re-designed with a modern minimalist interior. The wait staff anticipate your every need before you know you have one and it is just the place for a memory. Don't eat here if you want lots of food at a reasonable price...memories are more expensive. I ordered a raw seafood salad, a wild mushroom pasta dish, a lemon veal, etc...I can't remember what everyone else ordered but we shared and tasted since they provided tasting plates of what others had ordered and it was delish.