Rome, In a Large Nutshell

Okay - here it is. It may seem long, but it is as abridged as possible, I promise!

What a trip it was, indeed. I saw most of the city, mostly on foot on the three suggested walks I found in a book from the library. Without the book, I'd have had no plan, so I am thankful I found it.

Wednesday:
9:00 AM: I took a shower so cold (boiler timing issue) it literally made my head ache. YIPES!!
9:45 AM: Caught the Aircoach to Dublin Airport.
10:30 AM: Breezed past the check-in counter, since I'd checked in online the previous day.
10:35 AM: Got through security.
10:40 AM: Walked about a mile (literally) to the Ryanair gates and found a good seat for the wait.
12:10 PM: Got in line to board with my passport and boarding pass.
12:20 PM (flight leaves at 12:30): *Debacle Alert!* Was denied boarding and told to go back to check in (no online check-in for US passports - would have been useful knowledge BEFORE I GOT MY PRINTED PASS).
12:30 PM: Arrived at the Ryanair assistance counter to discuss the issue with a service associate. No more flights to Rome that night.
12:35 PM: Went outside to wait for the bus back to the city, thinking of canceling my entire trip because I didn't know what else to do. Tried to call the B&B to see if they'd charge me anyway, but I wasn't able to figure out how to call Rome from my cell phone. I was livid to the point of tears - but I didn't cry. I don't know HOW, but I didn't.
12:40 PM: Came up with a plan. Went back into the airport and see how much a flight to Rome would cost. Went to the Aerlingus desk and bought a new ticket for 3:30 PM.
12:45 PM: Back through security, back to the gate which was much closer this time, and back to my book for two hours.
7:30 PM: Arrived in Rome
7:50 PM: Found train to Termini, which is Rome's main public transportation station.
8:15 PM: While en route to Termini, received call from the owner of the B&B wondering if I was coming. I told him I was on my way and should be there in half an hour. He said I'd better hurry if I was coming on the Metro, because it stopped running at 9.
8:30 PM: Purchased ticket for the Metro with little trouble and was on it by 8:45.
9:15 PM: Arrived at B&B with no trouble, as it was very close to the Metro station, greeted by Signor (Mr) Betti, who showed me to my room, where I noticed a sign on the shared bathroom door that showers could only be taken in the afternoons. Also found that I had a TV with nothing but Italian channels.
9:20 PM: Signor Betti walked me to a pizzeria down the street and told me goodnight.
9:30 - 10:30 PM: The place was very busy, and they barely understood English, but had an English menu. I sat at a table for two and shortly after I was seated, they seated a businessman at the table just next to mine. I ordered 1/4 litre of red house wine (about 2 glasses - only €1.50!!) and a margherita pizza. The pizza came - uncut - on its baking tray. The crust was thin and crispy and the pizza was delicious. The businessman ate his whole pizza in the time it took me to eat 1/2 of mine, and had polished off a tiramisu before I'd finished the pizza. I ordered a tiramisu at the recommendation of the waiter, who'd been very patient with me. It was all very, very good. I paid my tab and headed back to the B&B, exhausted from my stressful day.

Thursday:
8-8:30 AM: Washed up as best as I could without a shower (still no shower since my icy one the previous morning), and opened the window to let in a little air. I noticed there were rocks on the ledge but it looked like there had been some construction going on outside, so no worries. The air felt good in the room. I planned to hit the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica (a five-minute walk) first, then come back for a shower in the early afternoon.
9-10:30 AM: The Vatican was amazing: ornate details of the walls, ceilings and floors, statues and sculptures 500 years old, and of course the Sistine Chapel is the highlight. I was awed by it, really. I had to sit down on the benches along the sides of the room to just take it all in. Michelangelo's paintings practically looked alive, as if the figures were coming out of the ceiling.
10:30 AM-12 PM: Around a winding ramp with wide steps and out I went, on to Basilica di San Pietro just down the road from the Vatican. Amazed at the size of the place. It is like its own village. I sat at the base of a column. *Debacle alert!* Just as I was cooling down enough to get into the long line (it wound around the entire piazza), a bird pooped on me. I can't believe it finally happened. It's been years of fearing bird poop and it never happened until the day I was sitting at St. Peter's, waiting to go in. Stupid pigeon. I was able to clear away the poop without much effort using a napkin I had in my purse. The damage wasn't too bad. And I think I can qualify the incident as special religious poop since it happened at St. Peter's... so, literally, Holy Crap! The inside of the basilica was even more breathtaking than the outside. Most of the decorations are Bernini's, and the dome is absolutely beautiful to behold. Best of all, seeing the Pieta was unbelievable.
12:30-1:30 PM: After wandering for a fairly long time, I headed back to the B&B, eager to get cleaned up after the poop incident. It seemed like a long walk back, although it was probably worse because it was really heating up out there, with the sun blazing on me as I hiked. The cleaning service woman was in the middle of working on the bathroom, a delay I didn't mind since I was happy to use a clean shower. She told me she'd be five minutes and I said fine. *Debacle Alert!* As I started to open my door, I heard strange noises coming from inside my room. I wondered if maybe someone was inside cleaning it as well. Imagine my surprise when no one was in there. That's when I noticed the rocks all over the floor. In my hurry to get out to my sightseeing, I had left the window open and now the demolition was clearly again in progress, and quickly piling up on the floor of my room. Excellent! I rushed over to the window to get it closed, and had trouble with it due to the rubble in the window frame. As I struggled with it, dust and rubble continued falling as the heavier chunks pummeled my head. I was finally able to clear the way for the window to close all the way, and then set about finding a way to clean up the mess. I used a chair cushion to sweep it into an organized pile for the time being.
1:30-3 PM: After the shower, I made my way back out toward the sights. I got a little lost getting to the next place - Castel Sant'Angelo - from the B&B, and decided to stop for lunch since I was a little hot already and it would be a good chance to study the map and try to find my way. I went into a little deli and ordered a panini, and grabbed a bottle of water. The food and water must have helped me regain my wits, as I found my way shortly after departing the deli.
I got to Castel Sant'Angelo and paid for my ticket and walked up lots of steps to find a gorgeous view of Rome. I started snapping away with the camera, of course, and enjoying the breeze I felt from such a great height. I found a nice couple and offered to take a picture of the two of them with their camera and handed them my own for a return of the favor. They happily obliged. After a little further exploration of the castle, I decided to move on to the next part of the walk.
3-6 PM: Had a lovely (though very warm) walk past pretty piazzas, monuments, churches and fountains. The walk was along a beautiful road with low trees and plenty of wonderful views of the city. I had walked so far that all of the huge sights I'd seen earlier in the day were far away and tiny now, but part of a gorgeous and amazing scenery that made me forget how hot I was a few times.
6-7 PM: I took YET ANOTHER shower and got ready to go out for dinner. I told Signor Betti I wanted pasta, and he gave me a map and directions to La Soffitta, which was just a few blocks from the B&B. He even called them to let them know I was coming. After the shower, I made my way there.
7:30-9 PM: I was greeted by a very nice Italian man who spoke English, thank God, and seated me at a table near the bar, and it was a great people watching location. The restaurant was busy, and I was still treated very nicely as I ordered and then ate the DELICIOUS tortellini with meat sauce. It was so good, and I was happy to polish off the meal with a piece of cheesecake for dessert, that was like no other cheesecake I'd ever had. It was thinner and creamier, and seemed to have some sort of pastry on top. Yum. I asked my waiter for his name - Angelo - and told him I'd be back on Saturday night. I went home 'fat and happy' and read for a while until falling asleep.

Friday:
9-10 AM: Headed to the Metro, which took me directly to my first destination: the Colosseum, or Colosseo. When I came out of the station, the Colosseum was directly across the street. It was massive and extremely impressive. I got through the line and made my way through the enormous ruins in a state of amazement. It was unbelievable to be wandering around a structure that had been around since AD 72, and had seen bloody battles, countless spectators and wild animals, as well as survived earthquakes and pillaging to still be standing.
10 AM-12 PM: The next stops on my tour were the Palatino and the Forum. Ancient ruins are my favorite, so I was having a spectacular morning. Again, seeing the remains of structures dating back to hundreds of years BC was awesome. I had to pinch myself a few times as I imagined the ancient Romans going about their business in the places where temples and civic buildings used to stand tall and magnificent. Strangely enough, the song 'Gravity' by John Mayer was being played somewhere nearby at a fairly high volume so that it could be heard all around the area. I wandered until I felt that I needed to move on before I didn't meet the rest of my schedule.
12-6 PM: I continued wandering the streets of Rome, based on my walking guide. I saw the Area Sacra di Largo Argentina, where there are several temples in ruins and the probable site of Julius Caesar's 44 BC assassination. Oddly, it is currently a cat sanctuary as well, which you can observe in my photos. I also saw more beautiful fountains and ruins, including Teatro di Marcello, which looks a little like a smaller Colosseum. I saw the broken bridge (Ponte Rotto) on the Tiber, and the Templi del Foro Boario, two very well-preserved temples from the 2nd century BC. I stopped at Santa Maria in Cosmedin, where the Bocca della Verita (Mouth of Truth) is part of the facade. I waited in line to stick my hand in its mouth, which legend has it will close on a liar's hand. It turns out that I'm not a liar. My last stop was Piazza del Campidoglio, where the Capitoline Museum is. Great people watching and a nice place to have a rest on the steps before heading back to the B&B.
6-9 PM: Shower, dinner at the pizza place again (this time I had sausage and mushrooms and it was delicious!) and back to bed to rest up for my last day.

Saturday:
9AM-4PM: I toured the famous piazzas of Rome, including Campo dei Fiori, where I found a lovely market with food and vegetables and spices and jewelry and flowers and everything else under the sun, complete with loudly bargaining Italians. It was fascinating. Around the piazza were many sidewalk cafes, where the chairs were all turned toward the middle of the plaza as if to watch the 'show' going on at the market. Another one that impressed me was Piazza Navona, with three large fountains and bustling with people, including many street performers and guys dressed up like the ancient Romans to pose for photos with gullible tourists. The next major piazza on the list was Piazza della Rotonda, named appropriately for the Pantheon, a massive structure that is the highlight and most imposing feature of the area. Here I saw the tomb of Rafael and the amazing dome with the circle of sunlight pouring in from the roof. It was beautiful inside.The afternoon included the Trevi Fountain, which is the most famous one in Rome. It is literally a building with water pouring out to beautiful statues and many many folks enjoying the chance to toss in their coins, which is told to ensure another trip to the eternal city of Rome. I was also impressed with the Piazza di Spagna, which I glimpsed from blocks away as I noticed the mob of locals and tourists swarming around it. The Spanish steps within the piazza link to a French church at the top, and at the bottom sits the Fontana Barcaccia, where people were dipping their feet and water bottles for refreshment and relief from the hot sun. I finished my tour of the piazzas with a stroll along the Villa Borghese gardens, again with beautiful views of the skyline of Rome.
4-6 PM: I finished the day with a trip back to the Capitoline Museum, since I hadn't made it the day before. The statues were wonderful - the broken Emperor Constantine in pieces on a patio were the highlight for me, and the views of the Forum from the upper level were fantastic.
7-9 PM: I went back to see Angelo at La Soffitta for my last dinner in Rome, and was greeted with great enthusiasm and treated like a queen. I had veal cutlets with tomato and roasted potatoes, followed by a plate of Italian cheeses and antipasti. Toward the end of my meal, I started chatting with a Chinese couple from Canada who were wrapping up their honeymoon with a quick trip to Rome, and we got along famously and talked for about an hour. I gave them my e-mail address and she was planning to send me some info about trips she's taken around the world.

After dinner I headed back to the B&B and hit the sack early, already looking back fondly at the memorable moments in Rome - both the good and the bad. Despite the various debacles experienced in the first 24 hours, it was a magnificent trip that I am overjoyed to have taken. You'll be happy to know that my trip back to Dublin was happily uneventful.