Roma (Friday 13th October 2017)

After little more than 24hrs in Tuscany we were on our way again. The Plus Florence hostel was excellent for our two  night stay. A great location, a huge room that was very clean, comfortable and well located. I’d certainly recommend it to anyone coming to Florence. Even though we were only 1.0km from the station we took a cab. We’ve now got two cases, a back-pack and three other smaller bags to lug. The cases with a wheel at each corner are an “absolutely must have” for modern travellers. They almost wheel themselves!

Even though it was not yet 8:00am the Firenze S.M.N was very busy. We had two hours to kill before out train departed so we sat in a cafe and had some breakfast and a couple of coffees. I’d already booked the tickets so that was already sorted. For this trip I’ve used www.loco2.com. It’s very, very easy to see all the timetable options you have, the costs and the travel time. That website, when used with Paulo Conte’s Italian Train Timetable Anrdoid app, has you completely covered and takes all the guesswork and grey out of the whole rail experience. While everyone was anxiously staring at the boards to see when the train to Roma would arrive and on which platform I had all that information in real-time thanks to Paulo’s brilliant app. I wish he’d do a version for lots more rail systems.

The train got in ten minutes late (I knew that) on Platform 11 (I knew that too) and we boarded. We were on board a Trenitalia Frecciarossa 1000 (Red Arrow) that is capable of 400kph although on this service it only got to 245kph. The train is the fastest in Europe entering service in 2015. The seats in second-class are very comfortable with a little fold-out table for your computer, power and wifi. Why doesn’t the Bendigo-Melbourne train have these things? I used the table to rest my head on and sleep which, according to Kerry, I did. Rome Termini station appeared after 90 minutes and we disembarked with all our cases and bags. I didn’t realise how long the train was (202m)  until we started to walk to the end of the platform. Whew! What a walk.

After a short cab ride we arrived at our one night stay in Via Genova, only 1,3kms from the station. Emily had arrived by aeroplane from Paris at about the same time we had arrived by train from Florence. We’d just got settled into the 5th floor apartment when she arrived at the door below. She dropped her one bag in the room and we headed out to explore Roma. Not far away was the famous Trevi Fountain which has over the last couple of years received a major renovation so it was looking pretty good. The crowds there were even more amazing. I thought that by mid-October they may have abated somewhat. Not a bit, I’d say. So we through our coins in and got out of there, heading for the Spanish Steps.

Gee it’s good to have an old-fashioned analog map instead of these new-fangled smart-phone apps. Having said that however we did manage to take the long way to the Spanish Steps, via the little known “portuguese steps” which took you to the top of the Spanish Steps, rather than the bottom where (surprise, surprise) the crowds were. From here we wandered over to the pretty Piazza del Popolo where we sat for a while on the steps of a public building while we enjoyed our gelati. The weather in Rome was perfect today, low twenties and a lovely blue sky. Great for gelati and strolling! Just a couple of hundred metres way was the Ponte Regina Margherita across theTiber River. Some photos on the bridge were in order and then we walked under the beautiful plane trees down to Ponte Umberto I, where we got a view on Saint Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City.

Not far from there we found a little bar in a little square that has started its”happy hour” so we sat there for a well-earned refreshment. It was past beer-o’clock already! Just around he corner from the bar was our target for this leg, the famous Piazza Navona. It too was very busy  with artists, performers and diners everywhere one looked. The multitude of restaurants bordering this large square were already doing a brisk trade.

After some photos and a brief stop to have a laugh at a very clever clown-magician we started our walk up Corso Vittorio Emanuele II towards Via Nazionale, the main street with which Via Genova intersects. On the way the pass ed Roman ruin five or six metres below street level, a sign of things to come tomorrow, and deli that was serving reasonably priced pasta dishes. We pulled up a table on the busy street and enjoyed a small but delicious meal. Quality, not quantity, was what we were after and that’s wnat we got. The place we’re moving to is just around the corner so we’re sure to visit again.

Bellies happy we marched onward. By now it was dark and the city was looking fabulous. Quite unexpectedly we happened upon the magnificent monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, lit up for the night. For those of you who don’t know who this chaps is he was the driving force behind the Italian unification in the mid-nineteenth century. He is known as the “father of the fatherland”.

After that surprise we found our way to  Via Nazionale before too long and with a quick stop at a supermarket for a bottle of Chianti Classico, some bubbly mineral water and some chocolate we head home to retire for the evening and enjoy the sounds floating up through our open window from the streets below.