Vatican City - March 2017

We designated one day to visiting the Vatican & Sistine Chapel during our trip to Rome. I'd read that it is very busy at weekends, holidays and generally in the mornings so Friday at 11am is the time I chose... it was still busy. Very busy.

We got the bus from our hotel in Trastevere and arrived just outside the wall. The line was stretching all the way down the hill for those who had not bought a ticket already - so the moral of the story is, buy your ticket online!

It wasn't the easiest website to navigate - I used the official Vatican website to book the skip-the-line ticket which is timed, therefore you have to choose the date and time in advance. It was €16 plus the obligatory €4 booking fee... so €20 per person. We walked up the street past the giant line and hung around the entrance area whilst waiting for our time to come round as we were a little early. At about 10.50am we went to the 'Entrance with group reservations' line - although it says 'groups' don't let it fool you, anyone with a pre-booked ticket goes in this line. We walked right in and then had to go through a metal detector and x-ray machine.

After that, you go to the ticket windows on the left hand side to exchange your printer voucher for tickets. There is the option to purchase audio tours however, we didn't want to spend the whole day there... I had received an email a few days before informing that due to the EU Treaty Summit of European Leaders in Rome the following day; the Sistine Chapel would be closing early and last admissions at 2.30pm. Considering that I had not factored that in when I booked the 11am tickets, we aimed to only spend 2-3 hours at the Vatican before proceeding to the Sistine Chapel.

Be aware, you must wear appropriate dress at both locations - no bare shoulders or short shorts!


There were also bathrooms located here next to the ticket windows which was useful as I only saw one other set of bathrooms much later in the museums. We went up the stairs and then an escalator with the hordes of people. Understandably, this is one of the busiest attractions (probably in the world) to visit and that was the only downside, you did spend your entire time battling tour groups with flags and selfie sticks. The best thing to do was focus on what you were looking at and block it out as best as you can.

The map gallery was particularly busy...

I used my Rick Steves pocket guidebook at the Vatican Museums which proved very useful. If you want to check it out click here. I do not have a deal with Rick - his book was just great! He has several pages dedicated to leading you round the museums in an easy and reasonably fast way without missing important things out.

We checked out the Egyptian rooms - after looking at ancient history from 2000 years ago during our days in Rome and Naples... we were now looking at items from 2000 B.C. so - 4000 years ago! It's incredible. 

This is one of the first evidences of writing - they even had envelopes made of clay!

It really struck me how much history comes from countries in the Middle East that are currently at war and have been for some time. Some of the most ancient artifacts come from places now known as Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq and Pakistan where some of the earliest evidence of farming has come from.

We progressed through the Greek & Roman sculpture section and moved into "the long march" which is a never-ending 1/4 mile hallway, starting with sculptures and then leading into the tapestries rooms depicting the birth & life of Jesus and then finally the 'maps rooms' which I enjoyed - I would have love to have seen maps of other countries but then I guess it was only 300-400 years before this when some people still thought the Earth was flat so...

After the maps gallery finished, it is easy to follow the signs to the Sistine Chapel. It took us through some funky modern art (not a huge fan) and then finally you saw the change from the gold-clad, overtly detailed and luxurious looking decoration of the museums to the plainer, basic walls and decorations of the Papal rooms. 

As we walked into the Sistine Chapel itself, you feel like you don't know where to look first. We were ushered into the center part of the room (it was extremely busy) and periodically they made announcements on the PA to be quiet. Maybe its the British in me, but it is a church and really people should have been more respectful... yes it is a tourist attraction but its still a place of worship. Equally there were signs everywhere to not take photos and yet, people still had those selfie sticks out. Good luck to anyone trying to get a moment of peace with God because inbetween the crowds, the reprimands for photos and the 'SHHHH' coming across the speakers, it was not a very peaceful place!

However - the ceiling. It was very impressive. My trusty Rick Steves guidebook had a simple guide to the ceiling and how to read it so I was happy that I could understand what I was looking at. Of course, you walked away wondering just how Michelangelo managed to lie on his back for years painting a ceiling but at least I had some appreciation of what he was portraying!

We stayed in there just for about 15 minutes or so as it was very busy. My guidebook spoke of a 'shortcut' to St. Peter's Basilica which proved to be awesome! As you go towards the back of the Sistine Chapel, take the exit on the right hand side of the room marked as an exit for 'tour groups' - there was nobody standing there to question us otherwise. It went straight outside where we could just follow a simple path and then exit to the entrance of the Basilica! Apparently otherwise this would have been a 20-30 minute walk around the building.

We went inside the Basilica which was more peaceful and just as impressive. It is hard to portray in words the grandeur and sheer skill that it took to paint, sculpt and design these great places.

Inside St Peter's Basilica

'God's 4 poster' at the center of the Nave

This church can accomodate 60,000 worshippers (standing!) when it is full and I can only imagine the atmosphere! We didn't see the Pope on this occasion although he did come out the next day for the aforementioned EU Leaders event. We strategically avoided this event though...

There were tour buses you could get around the Vatican gardens which would have been nice if we had had more time and although entry to the Basilica is free, you can pay to go up to the Dome to see that too. A few things to put on the list for next time!

So, our three days in Rome came to a close - we'd hit quite a few of the typical tourist destinations, Colosseum, Roman Forum, St Paul's Basilica, the Trevi Fountain (didn't mention that... it was incredibly full of tourists, I guess I can say I've been there), Capitoline Hill, the Vatican City & Sistine Chapel. To get from and back to Rome Fiumcino airport, we took the Leonardo Express which was €14 each way. There are cheaper ways to get from the airport to the Roma Termini station e.g. on a bus, however this was incredibly easy and only took around 35 minutes each way, plenty of luggage storage and seating. You can buy the ticket in the station at the 'TrenItalia' self-service machines.

Top Tip! We used the KiPoint luggage storage services in both Rome and Naples train stations. It is €6 for 5 hours per bag to store there, with €1 additional per hour after that. Saves a lot of arm-ache and frees up yourself for more sightseeing before going home or even just shopping in the train station! They are easy to find - follow the signs for Luggage Storage or Left Luggage.

Rome, Italy - March 2017

This post will focus on my most recent place of travel - I took a 6 day trip to Italy, spending 3 days in the Naples area (Pompei, Herculaneum & Capri) and then 3 days in Rome. I will write respective posts for those places but for now, it is the home of ancient history - Rome!

We stayed in an area just south of the River Tiber called Trastevere. It was barely touristy; frequently you would see the local women hanging out their washing from the windows and shops containing kitchen goods rather than the usual tourist tackiness (don't get me wrong, I love a good tacky tourist shop too!) and we realized only on our final day there, how great it was to just wonder around these back streets taking in the smells, watching your step on the cobbles and feeling the warm sun.



Our hotel was the Relais Le Clarisse a Trastevere (see official website) which was a converted old convent - definitely added to the atmosphere! The rooms was small but good enough, bathrooms modern and very near a tram link (number 8) to Piazza Venezia or a short walk to the bus stops (which is how we got from the train station).

On our final day before heading to the airport we took the time to just walk around this area and enjoy it which was a great decision - we also ended up taking a small hike uphill to the green area we found on the map (turned out to be called Parco Gianicolense) where there was a couple of nice monuments to look at (including an impressive fountain called Fonte Acqua Paola) and some awesome views right across Rome. We could see from the Vatican all the way across to the Pantheon (my friend asked what the 'space-ship' looking roof was!) and towards Capoline Hill.

This hill was steeper than it looked and then preceded and proceeded by a large staircase...

Fonte Acqua Paola

View across Rome

This park was littered with busts of Italian patriots who fought for the unification of Italy

I made friends with one.

So... moving on to the more 'touristy' things that we got up to during our time in Rome. Of course, I will start with the Colosseum as most people do... to be honest, I was a little underwhelmed. Naturally, the area in front and around these tourist attractions is going to be littered with people trying to sell you things (just like when I visited Paris and definitely came home with a plastic Eiffel Tower) but in this day and age it is Selfie Sticks. I think I got offered one literally 25 times during that morning. Other than that, people just offered to give us private tours however I had already read online to purchase the tickets in advance which definitely was a good idea!

I bought our tickets from the official website Coopculture.it - see this link - which, as the various websites I used for this trip went, was pretty easy to navigate. The ticket for the Colosseum is €12 plus a €2 booking fee and this gives you access to both the Colosseum and the Roman Forum (more on that later!). The good news is, that if you're 18-25 and from the EU you can get reduced tickets or even in for free at some of the attractions in Italy! Unfortunately, I'm too old...

So, once we arrived, chaos ensued. We got in the right line but we were not directed to the ticket office to exchange the email confirmation for an actual ticket. Once we realized this, it took a further 15 minutes in that line, then we opted to purchase the videoguide (€6.00 or audio only for €5.50 - to be honest, the video didn't give very much more info than the audio - and it's credit/debit card only) so we had to get in another 15 minute line to pick it up. Finally, the longest line was for the ladies bathroom (about another 15 minutes!) so after we had finally done all of that, we could enter the Colosseum itself.

The videoguide was not very straightforward... in most attractions it will give you the number to activate in the appropriate place but the Colosseum isn't like that, you kind of have to guess or use the lacklustre map that they give you. It contained some useful facts and information but overall I think it would be better to have a good guidebook. Personally, I used Rick Steve's guide to Rome (see this Amazon link) which is aimed at American visitors but was perfectly fine for me (although I've been in the US so much I am basically a mix of both). He has lots of tips, information and even guides which I used at the Roman Forum and also at The Vatican eliminating the need for an audio guide.

So, we looked around the Colosseum. It's impressive but I never realized the brutal nature of the games there. Maybe I just never had my eyes opened to it until now. It's amazing that so much has survived and been restored - the part I found most interesting was the way the underground tunnels were designed. In future maybe I would consider the 'underground & third tier tour' which they offer at very limited availability.

We were only there for around an hour. Tummies rumbling, we left to find a restaurant nearby for lunch where I had a pleasant spinach & ricotta pasta dish and of course, wine.

 Top tip - always wonder away from the main piazza and main streets especially near these attractions - prices for the same if not better quality food will almost half! Mostly, we paid not more than €8-10 for a big pizza or pasta dish and €5 for a glass of wine at most at lunch or dinner!

Moving on... to the Roman Forum!

I honestly expected this to be a pile of rubble in the middle of a city. How wrong I was. Using my guidebook, I was taken around step by step of this amazing place where you could really picture the past 2000 years ago...

Entering the Roman Forum

There are a couple of hills, and you have to be steady on your feet to visit as the majority of the paths were big cobblestones - no texting and walking here! However, it was not a huge site and we saw everything at a casual pace for around 1.5 hours. Highlights included seeing where Julius Caesar was assassinated, the Forum itself where Romans would have shopped and socialized, and the Temple of Antoninus Pius and Faustina which was just HUGE and very impressive.

The Forum

Julius Caesar's memorial where he was killed

Temple of Antonius Pius and Faustina

The Roman Forum is located right next to the Colosseum so it makes sense to do both in one day however the ticket is valid for 2 days consecutively.

As, theoretically, Vatican City is another country (!), I will do a separate post for it and I think this one is long enough!

An Introduction

Hello!

My name is Catherine and I've had a few blogs over the years, focusing on my jobs and highlights of the Disney College Program as well as my current career at Disney Cruise Line but I decided it was time for something new that doesn't involve work!

I am lucky enough in my current job to not only visit and experience different places whilst working but also to get 6-8 weeks off with every 4 months contract that I complete so I usually try to visit somewhere new each "vacation" as it is an awesome opportunity that many don't get. The ship I am currently assigned to only visits the Bahamas on short 3 and 4 night cruises however I will make a post for that...along with posts for the other places I've visited with the ship such as Alaska, Mexico and Columbia!

I am hoping to make this a fun and useful little blog... if nothing else, just to note down my experiences so when I am old and forgetful I will be able to remember them :-)

Enjoy!

Catherine