
As the second day of my Roman
Holiday was split between the Vatican and Rome, it meant less time for the
latter. In my head, though, it was fine because we still had the whole Saturday
the next day anyway. On my very touristy list of priorities, only the Fontana
di Trevi and the Coliseum were left to cross out. And so after dragging my
Roman friend to Burger King and her reacting with a grimace and a groan
(Italians, they love their cibo don’t they?), we hopped on the Metropolitano en
route to the Colosseo.
We got off at Flaminio and she toured me around what they call Piazza del Popolo. Pizza. Piazza. Lest we forget that we are in Italia! This one gave off a different vibe somehow, maybe because of the Egyptian motif? There was an obelisk at the center and I think I saw a mini sphinx or two as we hiked up the steps leading to the hill. That hill offers a good panoramic view of the square and the horizon behind it which features the dome of the Vatican to the far left. I bet that scene is jaw dropping during sunset.

As we camwhored atop that
hill, I noticed two policemen on horseback and chasing some illegal vendors. The
three guys dressed up as Roman soldiers also disappeared, probably changing to
civilian clothes to avoid being caught and fined. I’m not sure how city
ordinances here work, but I guess it’s safe to assume that no hawking is
allowed. Friend also chimed in saying that playing music is also forbidden
because of copyright issues. If you are a legit tourist, these matters shouldn’t
really concern you.

Going back down to the piazza,
you will see twin churches, except that it wasn’t that obvious when we were
there because the one to the right was under construction. We followed a
cobblestoned street which was supposed to be exclusive for pedestrians, but
Friend bemoaned the occasional taxi that would pass us by. She also hates the
giant billboards obscuring the grandeur of many old buildings at the center. I
guess you’ll share the same sentiment if you live in a city with such a grand
history. Manila? Not quite.

I knew we were approaching another
tourist hotbed as the overall feel changed from chill and relaxed to crowded
and evacuation center-ish. It was when my eyes read Piazza di Spagna on one of
the buildings that I understood where we were exactly. How could I forget to
add the Spanish Steps on my tourist hit list? I guess it’s because I already expected
the place to be as it turned out to be. Overrun by tourists, navigating the
steps is tricky. You just don’t know when you might step on another human
being.

Some tourists there felt as if
they were lounging in their own living room, half unconscious and sprawled on
the floor like the sun wasn’t baking them. Or perhaps sunbathing in an urban
area is just part of their itinerary. As we observed the crowd around us, I saw
two policemen again, this time asking those laying down the steps to sit down
and behave appropriately. After taking some selfies, we decided to move on
because the sunlight was just too much for us to bear. Bring your sunglasses
with you!



We walked some more and sought
refuge in a church. It didn’t seem famous. It was half empty inside. Walking
around Rome for hours, I found this church to be a blessing, really. The
ceilings are intricately decorated, as always, and it was quiet inside. And so
we just sat down, inhaled and exhaled. In short, we chilled, before going back
to the tourist battleground waiting outside. Rome is said to have more than 800
churches. I’m sure you’ll find one that will offer you some shelter from the
touristpocalypse.

We passed by that huge white monument
in honor of an unnamed soldier. Across the street is yet another church as well
as the ruins of Old Rome. You will see a statue of Caesar there along with the
inscription: SPQR, which translates to Sono Pazzi Questi Romani (These Romans
are Crazy). Nah, I plagiarized that joke from Wikitravel. It’s an abbreviation
for the Latin, “Senatus Populusque Romanus” which translates to the “Senate and
People of Rome”. You’ll see this abbreviation emblazoned everywhere you go,
seriously.



We were both tired from
walking and I wasn’t in the mood for ruins so we just opted to go straight to
the main attraction which is the Coliseum. There was an ongoing construction
for an extra Metropolitano stop there when we went, so that was a bit of an
eyesore but the structure itself makes up for every hassle along the way. Isn’t
it awesome that this piece of ancient history has been preserved for all of us
to see? It’s almost 2000 years old, for crying out loud! It must have been unimaginable
back then.

But what I loved about the
area were the chill picnic spots. You will see a lot of tourists there just lazing
around with the Coliseum as their backdrop. Again, thanks to the sun’s
cooperation, the earth tones of the amphitheater played well with the blue and
white palette of the sky. There is a hill not far from here where you can snap
a panoramic photo, but that’s what professional photographers are for. As for
us, just seeing that thing in all its glory was enough to serve as a good closure
for my Roman tour.

We passed by Circo Massimo on
the way to Trastevere, where you’ll find a lot of bars and restos considered to
be hip and frequented by locals and tourists alike. After getting lost in two
or three more piazzas, we settled for a pizza and a carbonara at some random
pizzeria. Taking the tram and train combo back to Monte Mario was pretty much
straightforward, and how I love how your EUR1.50 (~PHP80) can be valid for all
forms of transpo for 100 minutes or so, which is way cheaper than Berlin. Heard
that, BVG?

The third day was spent waking
up late and catching up with another Roman friend. We just hung out at San
Lorenzo, which they said was a university area one of them frequented way back
when. I totally forgot all about the Trevi Fountain, only realizing that we
missed it when I was already on the S-Bahn back in Berlin. Overall, Rome has
been really exhausting. Che stanchezza indeed! Do yourself a favor and stay for
at least a week, and take everything slow. Rome is not something that you just
can rush.
2 creature/s gave a damn:
Wow you are jumping from one country to another these days! Will bingewatch your vlogs these holy week :)
@Mariane Ballesteros - Di naman, during weekends lang. Moving to Berlin was a good idea, so many cheap travel opportunities thanks to Ryanair/Easyjet! :)
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