Six days in Rome in September 2021

On 13.09.2021, I flew to Rome with Nina... 

Here are our funniest and most exciting experiences from six days in Rome. 

Everything started with the flight. One day before, we still couldn't check in online, so we had to be at the airport quite early. We were a little nervous because whenever we tried to check in online, it said that our booking number was not recognized... 

After Julian said goodbye to us at the airport, we had to stand in a long queue because apparently no one was able to check in online beforehand. Fortunately, it went faster than expected, so we had some time to spare afterwards.

Nina bought a really nice handbag with her holiday money. So, the vacation started off well!

When we were seated in our row in the plane, I realized that I couldn't remember that there's so much legroom on a plane... A few minutes later, I figured it out: we received a special briefing from a very funny flight attendant because we were sitting by the emergency exit! That's why we had the extra legroom.

When we arrived in Rome, we had to wait quite a long time for our luggage. But then we took a small shuttle bus to the city. From there, we took a city bus to get to our hotel.

It was particularly interesting that you can buy bus tickets at any kiosk, newsagent, tobacco shop... And it always costs 1.50 € for a ticket that is valid for 100 minutes. You can also change buses. We found this system really cheap and easy for such a big city.

The hotel was a bit further away from the city center. So, we always used the bus to go to the city.

The rides were of course particularly adventurous. I was scared to death during the first few rides: The bus drivers have a real lead foot. The car drivers just park wherever they want... even in the fifth row. I couldn't understand the people who ride bicycles there. They must have really good health insurance or life insurance. But the craziest were the scooter riders. They passed between waiting cars and wove their way to the front of the red traffic lights.

But the pedestrians were the absolute icing on the cake: You could always recognize us as tourists because we stopped and waited at a red pedestrian traffic light. Everyone else just hopped onto and across the street - even elderly pedestrians and mothers with their children.

Another thing we noticed: Everyone seems to have a dog here. I never expected to see so many dogs in such a big city. 

But now let's talk about the second most important topic: What did we do?

On the first day, we explored our area. 

On the second day, we explored the city center with a Hop on - Hop off Bus and saw some sights and heard interesting things. After the second round with the bus, we walked to the Spanish Steps. It was really hot, so we quickly took some pictures and sought shelter in the shade. The Spanish Steps are a very popular photo motif. Sitting on the steps is now prohibited. When a family still did it to take a few pictures, two policemen came out of the crowd to scare away the sitters with shrill whistles. Then we strolled through the alleys and streets until we suddenly discovered a sign that we were very close to the Trevi Fountain. There were a lot of people and tour groups here. But we still threw a coin over our shoulder into the fountain.

On the following day, we got some delicious ice cream. On recommendation, we went to the ice cream parlor. There were so many different flavors of ice cream that you would have to come here every day. In the evening, we went to the Pantheon. You can go in for free. But only until 6 p.m. and the line was so long that we didn't want to wait.

On Thursday, we took a guided tour of the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. Our tour guide made the tour really interesting and funny. Since we started with the Roman Forum, we learned a lot about the history of Rome here. We were able to visit old temple complexes and found the stone on which Caesar was buried. The special thing is that this archaeological site is located in the middle of the old town. For example, the town hall is located right next to the excavation site. The Colosseum was very impressive. The amphitheater is said to owe its name to a giant statue that stood near the amphitheater. After serving for entertainment for many years, the Colosseum fell into disrepair and was used in the Middle Ages to create living spaces. Then it was used as a quarry by the ruling families and the popes, causing it to deteriorate and be dismantled.

The next day, we visited the Vatican. Equipped with an audio guide, we walked through the huge museum. At the end of the museum tour, we came to the Sistine Chapel. The special thing is that you are not allowed to talk here or take pictures. Every 15 minutes, there is an announcement over the loudspeakers asking for silence. The first time it startles you a bit. Then we visited St. Peter's Basilica. The church is really incredibly large and pompous.

Now to the most important topic of all: The food

On the first evening, we ate pizza at a traditional Italian restaurant. The waiter only spoke Italian, so we ordered and paid with gestures. He didn't seem particularly happy that we couldn't speak Italian. But the food was very delicious.

On the next evening, we ate at Piazza Navona. The waiter was the friendliest we had all week. And the pasta was also very tasty. Piazza Navona is really beautiful. There are a few fountains and many restaurants. We also sat near the artist section - there were some artists who could paint your portrait.

On another evening, we had pasta at Piazza della Rotonda - that's the square near the Pantheon. Here we had a nice view of the square and the Pantheon. 

Another evening, we had a delicious meal at a restaurant near the Vatican. After the pizza, we also had a tiramisu. It was really delicious. We also received a limoncello and a small almond pastry with a touch of marzipan and a dollop of jam in the middle with the bill.

By the way, it was really warm and sunny all the days, so we could really enjoy the days. In the evenings, however, we were always quite exhausted because we explored so much by foot. This is really special: You're walking the whole time, but you can still see a lot.

Quite atypically for a city vacation, we could have stayed much longer to see everything. Since we both threw a coin into the Trevi Fountain, we will definitely visit Rome again.