Rome: My visit to the Eternal City (Day 3)

This was my last day in Rome before boarding a train on to Naples.

I booked a tour for the Colosseum and Roman Forums with Dark Rome (City Wonders).

The Colosseum (map) is only a ten minute walk from my accommodation but if you opt for public transportation, the Colosseo subway station is within close vicinity.

The tour started at 8:30am and included skip the line entry, underground access and arena floor access. It is significantly more expensive as opposed to a basic tour but ultimately worth it.

The tour guide for my tour was a historian whose knowledge and insights into ancient Rome was most impressive.

Standing on the arena floor where many a gladiator once stood was a spine tingling moment and another highlight of my trip.

About an hour was dedicated to the Roman Forums (map), it serves as a great introductory guide. Julius Caesar's cremation site, the temples of the Roman Gods and the Roman Senate amongst many things covered in the tour.

However for the history buffs, I would recommend staying behind after the tour ends (which you are given the opportunity to do) and exploring a lot more. You could easily spend another four or five hours exploring the Roman Forums.

I stayed for about another hour, but that was more to do with time constraints than willingness to leave.

After that, it was time to say goodbye to Rome and off to birth place of Pizza.

Rome: where to stay and getting around

Where possible, I attempt to do all my sightseeing by foot, and if that's not possible - rely on public transport. 

To do so, I rely on two golden rules when it comes to choosing accomodation:

1. It has to be close to public transport

2. It should be central to the sights I want to see

Most of Rome's main attractions are spread throughout Municipio I (Rome is separated into fifteen administrative municipalities), and can be easily explored on foot. In saying that, it depends on your perspective, fitness level and time limits whether walking to all sites is desirable. 

"Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time" - Steven Wright.

Accommodation:
I used airbnb.com when staying in Rome. Being mindful of the luggage I'd have to be carrying, I chose to stay about a ten minute walk from Roma Termini nearby Piazza del Viminale.

If you plan on visiting main tourist sights such as the Colosseum; Roman Forums; Piazza Navona; The Pantheon; Trevi Fountain, The Spanish Steps and Capuchin Crypts this is an ideal area to stay in.

There are a number of small hotels within the area, or if you are an enthusiast of airbnb.com or willing to take the plunge I highly recommend the place that I stayed at.

There is also a number of restaurants and cafes in the area that will tempt you to disregard the sites and enjoy pastries and coffee.

Getting around:
The main public transport service in Rome is the Metro.

It consists of regional trains and a subway network. The subway network primarily runs through central Rome. Given that most sites of interest are within central Rome, the subway network is all that you have to concern yourself with.

There are three subway lines contained in the Metro:

• Line A
• Line B
• Line C (recently opened in November 2014 - was not operational at time of stay)

I found this site useful as a step-by-step approach on how to use Metro network.

Here are the closest subway stations to some of the main sights in Rome:

• Capuchin Crypts - Line A - 'Barberini'
• The Colosseum / Roman Forums - Line B - 'Colosseo'
• The Pantheon - Line A - 'Barberini' (1.3km distance)
• The Spanish Steps - Line A - 'Spagna'
• The Trevi Fountain - Line A - 'Barberini' (600metre distance)
• Vatican City - Line A - 'Ottaviano'