Noteworthy Rome
While I thoroughly enjoyed Rome, there are small memorable moments that is too short for a whole blog post. Here as some of the things I experience in Rome during our trip.
- There is a special something about the coffee in Italy in general. A friend describes it as being bitter so that the Italians can taste it through the cigarette that they smoke as their breakfast. Coffee is surprisingly cheap too. It’s 70 cents for a cup of espresso that comes out of the vending machine in the hotel. The vending machine coffee taste just as good as those they brew in cafes.
- Most people speak English, but learning a bit of Italian always help (hi, bye, thank you). Was told that everyone learns English in school but their movies are dubbed into Italian, so their pronunciation is not accurate.
- Electric scooter, at least in Rome, is everywhere. We got stuck in a train station just as it was dinner and took the electric scooter on a 20 mins ride back to the hotel. Was terrifying but at least it’s a cheap way to get around. I rented my scooter from Free Now, an app that we use for taxis in Ireland and Italy.
- Easy to use transport ticket. We got a 72 hour ticket from the metro station. That ticket allow us to take the metro or bus for 72 hours. We didn’t verify our tickets at the machine on the bus, not sure if it’s the right thing. There were no issues but we didn’t get checked anyway. We also saw newsgents selling transport tickets, so tickets are easy to get.
- Encountered only one scam but do take precaution. We realised a lady was trying to help us buy tickets at the metro, helping with the machine, I didn’t think if it but she was going to ask for a tip after helping us. Since the machines are in English, I told her I don’t need help and she went to bother others. We also had front sling bags, was a precaution and we find it handy for travels. The phones and wallet is within reach, in case we need to take a quick photo
- Relatively cheap compared to Dublin and London. Coffee is at least 1/3 the price of Dublin and taste way nicer. The gelato is 3 Euro for a small cup, about 5 in Dublin. The hotel is expensive, I have to admit. But food and transport is affordable.
- You can tell when a building was built as they will have the name of the Pope that sponsored the construction chiseled into it. Castel Sant Angelo had names of 2 Popes around the place, showing who build which part of the Castle. So look out for names of Popes around Rome on the buildings.
- Vatican City Jubilee. We learned about a year-long event called the Jubilee. Happens every 25 years (therefore the next Jubilee is in the year 2025). There will be a Jubilee in 2033 to commemorate the 2000th year anniversary of Jesus’s death. We were told that Vatican City will be busy during the Jubilee. The tour guide said she will do the Jubilee, then take a long vacation. A lot of statues are also taken down or covered up for restoration to prepare for Jubilee.
- Rome just have the romantic vibe to it. Told the wife, if not for the kids, this feels like our second honeymoon. Rome is full of old and beautiful buildings a lot of young couple visiting Rome too. It is a dream come true fos us as Rome has been our bucket list.
- It’s sad but we did pass a homeless man who died on the street. Saw a person “sleeping” under a tented shade. We were walking to the museum and he was just outside the museum fence. When we came out of the museum, the tent area was fenced off and police were there. That’s when we realised he was provably dead when we passed. His tent was still there, without occupant the next day. Bot on the 3rd day, someone else has taken the tent. Cycle continues.
Rome and Naples has been a great experience for me. Already thinking if the next holiday should be in other parts of Italy. Europe is such a huge place, the opportunities are endless.
Read all the stories on our visit to Rome