Easter trip to Rome!

[isaac]

this trip was a last minute decision to join friends in Rome...having already planned a Central European one in the summer, a trip to rome would inflict even more damage to a (already severely depleted) dwindling savings pot from giving tuition during NS...

But hey, it was rome and the scholarship board (ie mum and dad) gave the all clear so it was off to rome for me...

[isaac]

original routing of this trip was to either:
1.) meet friends in Florence on 30/3 flying from LPL-PSA, and spending 2 nights in Florence, or
2.) fly MAN-CIA(Rome's budget airport)

Decided to just do Rome this trip as 2 nights in Florence wouldn't be doing it justice... Milan-Venice-Pisa-Florence could be done in a separate trip (often the return airfare could,and would be cheaper than a long distance train journey )

And besides the 2.5 hour trip to Liverpool airport would be a pain in the arse...

Return was to be a two leg trip... Leaving CIA-TPS (Trapani-somewhere on the western tip of Sicily) in the morning, spending half a day there and then TPS-MAN. This would be cheaper than the direct FCO/CIA-MAN routing

Unfortunately Ryanair changed the departure time of TPS-MAN from 1700 to 0700... Which meant it left earlier than the domestic CIA-TPS

Contrary to what I've heard... My experience of their customer service has been quite good. I asked for my TPS-MAN ticket (which I bought for 18€) to be changed to a CIA-MAN ticket (which was selling for 90€ at that time)... Immediately changed without any hassle. Half a day in Sicily gone but hey, cincai lah!

(I still checked in for my CIA-TPS leg... In the hope there'll be delays and I could claim under EU261 ) alas, not to happen...

[isaac]

sleeping rough in manchester airport...

trains from leeds (where i live) to manchester airport are usually every half hourly during the day and hourly through the night... Unfortunately we were flying right smack on Easter Sunday and hence a reduced service was in place. first train in the morning was too late for us so had to take last train at night, reaching at 0100 for a 0600 flight...

Manchester airport is no changi airport but really it's quite adequate. Loads of armrest free seats to lie on and no rowdy people thankfully. Only complaint is lack of heating at ground floor where most of the benches are. Unseasonably cold for this time of year, unfortunately.

The 5 hours passed and back we were on the infamous yellow seats of Ryanair. Much as many detest them, I do admire them. They made leisure travel that much more affordable for the masses and without them, I doubt I could do three euro trips a year like this year and the previous

Their baggage restrictions are very tight and I usually get around it by wearing my luggage, ie wearing more layers than needed and packing them back at the destination airport (usually winter coats).

Ryanair has no assigned seating and that creates a kiasu atmosphere even worse than a plane load of Singaporean aunties

Everyone jostles to the gate when it is announced, people try to cut the queue(certain nationalities more prone to this behavior) etc etc

I am guilty of queuing quickly as well. It's because occasionally the last few passengers have no space in the overhead bins and have to check them in there and there (free of course) but I don't want to risk my stuff with the baggage handlers. So I prefer to be kiasu and ensure there's space in the overhead cabin for my luggage

All in all, boarding with Ryanair isn't a pleasant experience at all. But for the prices one pays, I really don't think anyone should complain. Alitalia was about 350€ for the same return MAN-FCO flight. Ryanair was 90€!


The infamous yellow seats. Not reclineable.

The flight was uneventful. The attendants came up and down three times to sell food as well as smokeless cigarettes, lottery scratch cards for charity and Rome airport transfer tickets

The flight time on ticket was listed as 2h50 but was closer to 2h30. flying into Rome, try to get the right side window seats... They offer quite a spectacular view of Rome. I didn't have any snaps as the dude beside me was blocking (I had an aisle seat)

Ciampino airport is a small one. There are many companies offering airport transfers for 4€ to termini. There is also the public bus which one can board for 1,20€ to the last Roma metro station. One can take the train into the city from there. Being cheapo students and since our apartment was in testaccio and not termini, we took the public bus instead, saving a few euros

[CarbonMan]

Thanks, Isaac, for the TR. I think it's absolutely great to see a version that has more details that'll benefit those who are into the more economical end of travelling.

While J and F TRs are great to oooh and aahhh about, it gets a bit tired after awhile.

Looking forward to the next installment - as I'll be in Rome the following weekend!

[isaac]

rome day 1

the weather was such a refreshing change from Leeds. It was a cool 15C when we touched down and quickly rose to about 18C at midday. Its been the first time I've opened any window since I left Singapore in September 2012.

We booked an apartment through the net. It was cheap for Rome standards (26€/night) considering it was Easter week- not the cheapest, but we needed 2 toilets as we had 8 in the group. Reasonably big as well.



one of the rooms. it was 4 to a room, with a separate pull out sofa not inside.



kitchen.

The apartment had a few problems unfortunately, chief of which was a 90L hot water boiler capacity, which meant after the first 5 or 6 showers, there was no hot water left. Not sure why these Europeans love hot water boiler systems rather than instant hot water like in UK or Singapore. Had the same problem in Budapest previously.

But enough about the apartment!

Directly outside the apartment there is a Roman tap, which is ubiquitous



Later, we found out there was a special "Roman" way to drink from these taps, which is proudly demonstrated by yours truly here:




you have to block the bottom outlet and there'll be another hole at the top which will make the water flow as such. Its more hygienic as one will not have to touch any part of the tap with one's mouth, which may have been shared by dogs and etc.

Lunch was at a forgettable tourist trap. We then went on a free guided tour of rome, who meet at the Spanish Steps at 5.30PM every day. Of course, it's not really "free", they ask for tips at the end. I usually give about 5€ but I notice the Yanks normally give more. It was quite good except that it started to pour midway through the tour, not UK type of rain but Singapore type thunderstorm. Not fun...

Crossing the road in Rome is very much like crossing the road in JB... loads of little scooters paying scant attention to the road signals, treating them as suggestions, cars who honk at every opportunity... thankfully our Roman guide told us the rule for crossing the roads is "Go for it!" the vehicles will stop.

Dinner was recommended by the guide at a place called L'archetto, which had over 100 types of pasta on their menu. It's authentic I suppose, with a restaurant full of Italians. Quite good but honestly!! not that much better than what I can cook!





after dinner was the other thing Italy is famous for... Gelato!!!
Went to a shop called Venchi, also near Spanish steps and they made the most awesome gelato one could have! 2,50€ gets one 3 flavours in a medium cone or cup. So heavenly.



From Top to Bottom: Pistachio, Cappuccino and Nocciola flavours

[isaac]

Thanks, Isaac, for the TR. I think it's absolutely great to see a version that has more details that'll benefit those who are into the more economical end of travelling.

While J and F TRs are great to oooh and aahhh about, it gets a bit tired after awhile.

Looking forward to the next installment - as I'll be in Rome the following weekend!

thank you! though i doubt there are many economical travelers over here

hope you have as much fun as i did in rome!

[SQflyergirl]

Great report! And No thanks to you for making me hungry enough to break open a pack of maggi mee to see if i could emulate your pasta. Turns out i can't

[yflyer]

thank you! though i doubt there are many economical travelers over here

There is at least one other.

Nice report, by the way! Was in Rome on vacation a few years back, in the middle of summer. Seemed that every resident of Rome had left for their summer holiday, and it was just a deserted city with tourists roaming the streets, maps in hand. Even the gypsies and pickpockets seemed to have gone on their summer break...

[isaac]

Day 2

Day 2 was a rushed day, visiting 3 cathedrals in the morning, namely saint paul's (paolo), St. Maria and St. Giovanni (John). They were all great, with amazing architecture and awe inspiring artwork. to be honest, they started to look the same halfway through.



This way from St Paul's Church outside the walls. (As it is situation almost directly outside the ancient city walls) note the foreboding clouds. It poured a thunderstorm later.

Lunch was near termini at a restaurant called "Il Brigantino", where I felt I had the best meal of the trip! The Pizza was so thin and so good, and the cheese in the calzone was simply divine. Great service as well!



The calzone- basically folded up pizza.



Pumpkin sauce based pizza.

It was to the world famous Trevi fountain after lunch. An extremely huge and striking fountain, it is perhaps the world's biggest wishing well. All coins are collected by the carabinieri every night and donated to the red cross as well! So throw with impunity!



The right way to throw- use your right hand and throw it over your left shoulder

The pantheon was up after that- basically a church with a huge hole in the middle.



More gelato after Pantheon

My personal favourite of the many I've tried in Rome- Gelataria Frigidarium. The intense flavours with generous helpings make it a great treat





This was dark chocolate and biscotti flavour- half eaten



uneaten

[isaac]

Great report! And No thanks to you for making me hungry enough to break open a pack of maggi mee to see if i could emulate your pasta. Turns out i can't

thank you! I've found that food photos in the middle of the night aren't a great idea

There is at least one other.

Nice report, by the way! Was in Rome on vacation a few years back, in the middle of summer. Seemed that every resident of Rome had left for their summer holiday, and it was just a deserted city with tourists roaming the streets, maps in hand. Even the gypsies and pickpockets seemed to have gone on their summer break...

from your nickname, we seem to be soulmates. Rome in summer must've been ... hot. No desire to find out how much hotter the world can be than our dear Singapore!

[CarbonMan]

The pantheon was up after that- basically a church with a huge hole in the middle.

LOL! Many an engineer or an architect who has studied the Pantheon will probably shudder reading such a irreverent description! Not that it is untrue though.

[isaac]

day 3

Day 3 was perhaps the most exciting day for us. First up in the morning was the appointment I made for the Galleria Borghese- there was rave reviews about it on tripadvisor. An appointment was made for 9AM 2 weeks in advance. It was a little out of the way from the main tourist thoroughfare, in a nice little park.

The building itself was magnificent- gorgeous and like a villa.



No pictures were allowed inside the Galleria, but it was magnificent with lots of artwork and sculptures. However, it was quite arty and I didn't enjoy it as much as someone else more inclined toward the arts. Our group felt the same way. Was it because of our scientific backgrounds? or perhaps because we are young? Whatever it is, I thought half a day could've been better spent elsewhere in Rome.

At 11AM when we were chased out, (2 hour max visits) we headed off to the main part of Vatican City. As fate would have it, the Pope himself was conducting mass! Though he was just a white speck amongst the sea of people, we felt really lucky to have met the Pope. I mean, how often do you see the pope?



It was off to the Vatican Museum after that. Thankfully, there were almost no crowds (perhaps due to the mass) and we got in with minimal queuing. full cost was 16€ but students get in for 8€. The main attraction obviously being the Sistine Chapel.

Vatican Museum is absolutely huge, and one has to walk a long way to the end of the Museum, the Sistine Chapel. All the male sculptures have their bits *censored* with stone leaves. hehe

Hint: those with less time, the main famous Raphael bits are toward the end, ie this fresco:



and the famous Sistine chapel where photography is not allowed...but I didn't know till I snapped this shot and someone told me not to.



and of course, the famous spiral staircase down Vatican Museum




Thereafter was a visit to St Peters Basilica, which reopened after mass. It is mind blowing, big, magnificent, and just really fit to be the crown in the Vatican's jewel.






And the Swiss Guard who guard the Vatican.

[isaac]

LOL! Many an engineer or an architect who has studied the Pantheon will probably shudder reading such a irreverent description! Not that it is untrue though.

Interestingly enough, when I mentioned this to a civil engineering friend, he freaked out the same way you did! Perhaps I shall be more superlative in my future descriptions.

[isaac]

Day 4- final day in Rome and sleeping rough (again!) in Ciampino

as 6 of our travel mates were flying off to Kos (Greece) at 6AM, and our flight back to UK in the mid morning, we decided to forgo one last day of accommodation- whats the point of paying 30 euro per person to stay till 4 AM? Our apartment landlord graciously allowed us to check out at 5PM as there wouldn't be any guests till the following day. We thus made haste and went to the Colosseum, perhaps the one must see attraction





It perhaps can be considered as the ancient world's Nou Camp or Old Trafford. Gladiator fights, sporting events etc all being held here. Tragically became ruins due to earthquakes

I really enjoyed wandering around inside.

The Colosseum ticket includes Palatine Hill and the Roman Forums, which are more ruins. If we had more time, we could've enjoyed it more (I am a fan of just chilling in green spaces)

But we've yet to try other famous Roman food and hence had just above an hour



This was Il Vittoriano, a huge government building. Majestic. Very palace like



This is a really talented busker on the steps of Il Vittoriano. Spray paint art. 10 euros for one. I would've bought it if I had enough space to carry it back safely

It was then off to the main tourist thoroughfare in the Old Town in search of Biscotti, coffee, Tiramisu and a certain flavour of gelato.

Coffee at Saint Eustacchio Square received good reviews in tripadvisor. Prices were about 2,60 euro for a caffe latte. (which is about double everywhere else) Whilst I am not a coffee connoisseur, I do enjoy my morning cuppa and the caffe latte here, whilst better than my Nescafe back in UK, doesn't taste better than the other random coffeeshops near where we stayed. Perhaps I'm not discerning enough



We also managed to find the special flavour of gelato... Viagra flavour!!

No viagra inside, obviously. But just interesting trying it out!



(it's the blue one)

Thereafter it was back to the apartment to pack up and leave.

After checking out, it was back to Spanish Steps to try the famous Tiramisu from Pompi.

This time, it was much better than any tiramisu i've ever tasted! The girls went crazy over it. We ended up buying every flavour there was (seven iirc). 4 euro a pack, quite reasonable.



clockwise from left: Hazelnut, Strawberry, Pistachio and Classic

We then decided to chill at the Spanish steps till 10PM when we went to Termini for dinner.

Termini, being a major transport hub, has lots of services 24/7, and hence many restaurants open 24/7. Of course, Termini has lots of touristy restaurants and we went into one.

Not bad actually, 10 euros for 2 courses. 12 euro for other more "premium" a la carte dishes. Not something to rave about but if one is in the area, its more than decent for a nice meal. They open till 1-2AM as well. The restaurant is called "Ristorante Rosy"

Termini at night is dodgy...Lots of shady characters, policemen walking around, homeless people, beggars, all the weird and wonderful things one might expect from a big city train station. Not the best location to wander around aimlessly

We then took a taxi to the airport. fixed price to and from FCO is 48 euro but to and from CIA is 30 euro, which worked out to be 7.50 euro per person, not much more than the airport shuttle at 6 euro

I got into the wrong side of the taxi before realising I had a steering wheel in front of me

CIA is a 30 minute ride out of town. Italians drive so quickly and aggressively. Weaving in and out, overtaking on the right, jam braking etc. phew... Can't be good for fuel consumption and profits though

Our taxi was also stopped at Ciampino airport by the carabinieri who asked to see our driver's licence or something. Not sure why

We finally reached CIA at 2AM. Departures were closed and all overnighters were shunted to the arrival hall...which had a grand total of 4 seats. We whiled the night away snacking, drinking and playing big 2. quite fun despite the surroundings

It was a long wait till our 10AM flight back to manchester. But it was all good... Rome is a nice place, but I think I enjoyed Barcelona more. more varied attractions lah. Though the food in Rome is much better.

it was a good afternoon in Manchester as well...pigged out on cheap and good Asian food which one can't get in Leeds

Next holiday in 2 months is to Vienna, Prague and Bratislava. Can't wait!

Thanks for reading this TR

[Kyo]

Very enjoyable TR! Although you might have a few people who would say Barcelona has better food...

Thanks for writing it up!