Gypsy Monika: Rome Through The Eyes Of A First Time Visitor

La Dolce Vita. By now, most of us have heard this Italian phrase about the sweet life. Now it is our family's turn to see what all the fuss is about as we embark on a 3 1/2 week journey from Rome through Tuscany, to the Cinque Terre and leaving from the old port city of Genoa. This is my dream trip through Italy and with my husband and 11-year son in tow, we hope to discover La Dolce Vita.

Our Room With A View

We arrived in Rome from Vancouver via Amsterdam on a busy Thursday afternoon in mid-September, and the airport was packed! It was what the Italians call "Bel Chaos" (literally meaning "beautiful chaos") and nothing quite prepares you for it. For first-timers to the continent, it unnerves you a bit to be in a huge foreign city where no one is speaking your language. But we needed to be unnerved. Our senses were on heightened alert with being jetlagged and overwhelmed, so we were glad we had done a bit of research online and in guidebooks to prepare for our arrival. For example, we had heard that the taxi drivers at the airport often overcharge unassuming tourists. TIP: THERE IS A SET PRICE FOR TAXIS DRIVING FROM THE AIRPORT TO ROME CENTRAL. The price is set by the city of Rome, and it takes about 45 minutes to an hour to get into to Rome proper by taxi. The rate was €38 in 2013- IN 2017 IT WAS €48. There is a cheaper bus or train connection option if you are travelling solo or as a couple, but as a family of three, this was our best/cheapest option.

I love the feeling of arriving in a new country and driving in from the airport; the first impressions are what remain vivid in my memory. The enormous umbrella pines that dominate Rome's skyline and the ancient villas and Roman monuments we drove past all made my pulse race.

We were staying at a B&B that our friends at Perfect Wedding Magazine recommended to us. The B&B was in an ideal location; a block from the Colosseum and close to all the ancient city sites, yet down a quiet side street with grocery stores and restaurants. Our son Liam was an 11-year-old basket case from not sleeping overnight on the plane from Vancouver to Amsterdam; so after we checked into our B&B, we tried out the beds for a power nap. The beds were so cool and comfortable!

Ceasar Was Here

We headed out around sunset to explore; which was perfect because it was almost dinner hour. First, we went to a phone store by the Colosseum and got a local sim card for our phone so that we could make some local calls and texts. TIP: WI-FI IS NOT AS PLENTIFUL OR RELIABLE IN ITALY AS IN NORTH AMERICA. You may want to do a bit of research on what is your best option for a phone in Europe. Here is an article by Rick Steves on European SIM cards for your phone.

Roman Ruins At Sunset

We walked around the Colosseum, our feet shuffling along the ancient stones and I could feel my body relax into the scene. Maybe I was so spaced out from lack of sleep or maybe I thought I was still dreaming; but I kept saying to the boys "Just think, Julius Caesar probably walked on these very stones we are walking on right now!"
Heading further along the Via dei Fori Imperiali marvelling at ruins that blend into the modern city, our stomachs were beginning to grumble. TIP: DINNER IN ITALY IS USUALLY 7:30-10ish. Get your stomach on a new schedule right away along with your sleep schedule. We passed the Victor Emmanuel monument and headed further into the modern city, turning into an alley where a restaurant's tables spilled onto the street.

"Real" Spaghetti!

It was only 7:00 which is early to eat dinner in Rome, but the smells coming out of that restaurant made us NEED a meal right NOW! Pronto!!! TIP: We were concerned about eating in a tourist trap, but simple pasta dishes printed in Italian only on the menu is what to look for folks-you will not be disappointed. Just look at the look of "spaghetti bliss" on this kid's face! Luke and I had a Roman classic: Spaghetti Carbonara which is spaghetti with pancetta (Italian bacon) and a creamy sauce made of egg and fresh parmesan cheese. Hands down the best dinner I had in very long time. This place was a super authentic, hole-in-the-wall joint with delicious food at very reasonable prices (Rome is very expensive) so don't let looks deceive you!

We thought we would wander a bit through the small streets back towards our Bed and Breakfast by the Colosseum since we were determined to get over our jet lag. TIP: JETLAG HATES FRESH AIR AND EXERCISE; TRY TO WALK AROUND AND GO TO BED AT A NORMAL TIME AT YOUR NEW DESTINATION.
The street lights began to come on as the last rays of the sun sank behind the Palentine Hill. I have never seen such a beautiful city at night! The churches and monuments almost looked surreal in the orange glow of the Roman lights. The way Rome was lit at night got me thinking "this is how Rome must have looked like 2000 years ago softly glowing by torchlight." I felt like I was falling under a spell!

Power of Trevi Fountain

It was so surprising then when we heard the distinct sound of water gushing and when we rounded a corner were surprised by the bel chaos of Trevi Fountain!
It was absolutely jam-packed. Luke had to line up to get up front for a photo of Trevi. Hey, no problem; we're from Vancouver and are used to the long Starbucks Coffee queues. Liam wanted to climb all over the statues which were guarded by security staff of some sort; so I redirected him to look on the ground for coins to throw in the fountain. I told him the legend that if you throw a coin over your shoulder into the Trevi fountain, you will return to Rome again one day. Well, I guess a lot of tourists have lousy aim because he came back with a hand full of change! That's my boy 😏

Our First Gelato In Rome

We each tossed a coin into Trevi and put the rest towards a round of gelato at Gelato In Trevi. I know it was a touristy place to buy our first Italian gelato, but it was terrific! Liam and I made a pact that we would have gelato every day we were in Italy. We did honour that promise most days; except for on the days we had two gelatos a day...because GELATO!

By this time we were tired, full, and drunk on the beauty this Eternal City had to offer. We hit the hay hard that night, dreaming of all the ancient wonder that lay ahead of us the next day, and of course the gelato.