Rome: My visit to the Eternal City (Day 1)

I visited Italy in April 2014 and like most people who visit Italy, kicked it off in Rome. The peak tourism period in Italy is during their summer (June - August).

The positives of visiting during mid-spring are the odds of fine weather are in your favour and there are less crowds to deal with. You may also find hotel prices are cheaper during this period. I must stress though - ensure your visit in Rome is not during the Easter period as there is a large influx of pilgrims for the events held at Vatican City and throughout Rome.

Brisbane to Rome. Three flights. 32 hours later. I arrived at about 11am feeling a bit jet lagged.

After catching the train into central Rome and checking into accommodation, it was already the afternoon. The first sight on my list was the Vatican City.

Vatican City
I had arranged an afternoon tour through Green Line Tours, they do have some terrible reviews. Truth be told this tour was satisfactory. My main motivation for booking this tour was the skip the line benefit, as the line to get into the St Peter's Basilica is nearly as infamous as the disciple himself. If it hadn't been for that, I would have foregone the tour and done my own thing.

The tour does offer a bus transport from their office (which is two streets down from Roma Termini), but wanting to do a test run of the subway system, I caught the nearby Metro subway from my accommodation to 'Ottaviano'. It is only a short walk from there.

Going back to the quality of the tour - the guide was informative and fluent in English. I would recommend this tour to anyone wanting a basic tour and guide of the history and also for the skip the line inclusion. Without that, I would have been waiting at least an hour before gaining entry.

Looking at some of the reviews on Trip Advisor, most of them don't relate to the specific tour of the Vatican or complain about rude counter staff when wanting to book a tour for that very day off the cuff. Take from that what you will.

After the tour the guide expects you to get back onto the bus to be transported back to where you were picked up from. I declined the offer and took the opportunity to wander around St. Peter's Square (Piazza San Pietro).

Saint Peter's Square in the late afternoon. The seating is for the Good Friday festivities occurring in a few days

Trastevere
From St. Peter's Square I went on foot to Trastevere - taking the scenic route by walking along the footpath of the Tiber River. The leisurely walk took about forty minutes before reaching Sisto Bridge (Ponte Sisto) just outside of Piazza Trilussa.

Trastevere is a suburb just across the Tiber River from central Rome. It has a long history dating as far back as approximately 750B.C and had fallen into a dilapidated state but has recently enjoyed a period of gentrification. It is contains narrow cobbled streets and is host to a large amount of restaurants and pubs, mostly frequented by locals. And as they say, when in Rome...

Across the Tiber River. Ponte Sisto to the right.

Any review or explanation I could give would not do it justice, but I would glowingly recommend visiting this hidden gem of Rome if only for the food, culture and atmosphere.

For Christians and history buffs alike, Bascilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere is an appealing choice. It is one of the oldest churches in Rome and is debated to be one of the first to openly practice mass. If that doesn't appeal to you, the people watching enthusiasts will enjoy the courtyard outside. Beware though, the PDA between some couples can be quite alarming.

I had dinner at Sette Oche. The ravioli and gnocchi dishes I tried were unlike anything I have tasted before. After completing my trip in Italy several weeks later, and eating many a pasta dish - I consider the pasta at Sette Oche the best I tasted.

Tip: Know this about Italians: they eat dinner late. Most restaurants do not open until about 8pm. Embrace it. It is a sure fine way to distinguish between an authentic Italian restaurant and a tourist trap which will open much earlier to cater to the western tourists.

There are buses and a main station from Trastevere (goes straight to Roma Termini) or a taxi is an option. My accommodation was near Roma Termini and I had always planned to walk back to my accommodation so I didn't research the bus network in Rome.

Courtyard outside Bascilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere

Rome is meant to be seen on foot and walking at night only increases viewing pleasure. The main streets are well lit as are the monuments. Along the way I walked past some of the Roman Forum ruins and the Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II.

Rome is relatively safe to walk at night, it is always preferable to travel in a group where possible but the main crime tourists get exposed to is pickpocketing. I never experienced any issues but always apply a common sense approach.