Eternal Rome

We took a bus tour “Eternal Rome” which included four of Rome’s most famous landmarks:  Trevi fountain, the Roman Forum, the Colisseum, and St. Peter’s. 

The ship docked in Civitavecchia (Latin for “old city”).  Unlike previous ports where we were by ourselves, this time there were three other cruise ships.  That should have been a clue for what the day would be like.

Traffic was bumper to bumper once we got off the autostrada.   Bus traffic in Rome is limited to certain areas, so we got dropped off and walked to the other sites.   Luckily, this was the best weather we had in Italy, so walking was pleasant – although everyone had to pay “atenzione” to autos, scooters, and trucks going down streets that seemed barely wider than sidewalks.

There was a threat of a march by students opposing the current Italian government, so the police and Caribineri were all over… helicopters overhead, and water canons & armored personnel vehicles at the ready.

We saw the Italian tomb of the unknown soldiers at the base of the Victor Emmanuel Monument – a large white structure referred to by locals as “the wedding cake.”

church inside Roman columns

From street level we went down into the Forum and wandered through remnants of large temples and public buildings.  Since Romans tended to tear down and build on top of existing structures … or to recycle materials to build new ones, much of the area requires you to use a great deal of imagination to “see” what once stood there.

Our tour took us inside the Colisseum – something we were both looking forward to doing.  It is impressive.    Trivia for the day:  the term arena comes from the fact that sand covered the floor of the Colisseum – sand in Latin was arenas.

We lunched in an underground restaurant nearby, then walked back to an area where we could pick up the bus to go to the Vatican.  Due to a Wednesday morning papal audience, all tour groups were in the afternoon.  It gives new meaning to the word crowded… and pushy.  

Alesandro, our guide

Imagine trying to look at beautiful artwork with people stepping in front of you, elbowing you out of the way, and being downright rude.  Not fun!  

And to top it off, the place we were to meet up with our guide was the same sidewalk where Costa Cruises, MSC Cruises and Oceana Cruises told their groups to meet.  Chaos, Italian style.