Roman Holiday…

Day 1 - Saturday, 12th February 2022

2a.m. on a Saturday; almost a 2 hour drive to Dublin Airport. Pre-flight jitters setting in…

The first holiday abroad since COVD-19 hit over 2 years ago. To say we were excited would have been an understatement, and not even a 2-3 hour wait in an empty airport before boarding our flight could dampen our moods. The flight was almost too perfect to be true. Smooth the whole way, and with a stunning view of the Swiss Alps just a little while before we landed in Leonardo Airport.

By the time we arrived at our hotel, luckily just a 5 minute walk from Termini Station, the afternoon nap we had planned on having was quickly tossed aside in favour of a stroll around the area to gather our bearings. It was a beautiful sunny Saturday, couldn’t half tell we were tourists in amongst the locals. Us, walking around in t-shirts, soaking up the February sun (which was only warmer than our usual weather by about 3 degrees), locals still wearing their jackets or coats.

Our first stop on our walk was right around the corner from our hotel, a site we had walked by on our way from the station. The Baths of Diocletian, dating as far back to 298AD, was an interesting spot I just had to have a quick look at. The site is now a museum, and unfortunately, we didn’t indulge in going inside during our stay. Outside in the courtyard however, we spent a few minutes admiring the sculptures and statues instead.

Just around the corner from the bathhouse was the Piazza della Repubblica. Although its fountain is not quite as famous as the Trevi Fountain, it’s still quite a breathtaking sight to see. In the middle of a very busy thoroughfare, we were quite literally dodging traffic to get a closer look, it looks like something straight out of a fairytale. As impressive as the Fontana delle Naiadi is it’s also the surrounding sculptures and architecture of the buildings that instantly grab your attention.

Sculpture on top of the Palazzo delle Esposizioni.

Trajan’s Column.

After a few minutes walk along the Via Nazionale, we walked alongside another impressive piece of Ancient Rome; the Trajan Forum. An impressive column with a large sculpture of emperor Trajan, dating as far back as 107AD. It was almost neck breaking trying to take in this particular sight, as well as the forum beyond (which we would get a better look at the following day).

The next jaw-dropping sight to behold was the Altar of the Fatherland. Possibly one of the largest sites we came across during our stay. This is a national monument dedicated to the first King of a unified Italy, Victor Emmanuel II, started in the late 1800’s before being finished in 1935. The scale of this monument cannot be put into words for me, personally. One of the most common links I found between each site we visited was just how large they actually are.

Even more astounding to me was how sights like the monument above and the Fontana delle Naiadi, is how modern Rome blends in so easily alongside them. The Altar sits right at the heart of one of the busiest areas we had come across for traffic, at the Piazza Venezia.

So, after spending an hour or two taking in some sights, we headed back to our hotel room for a much needed cat nap… Come 7p.m., it was time for our Vespa tour!

When we were booking our fast pass tickets to some of the attractions Rome has to offer, I spotted one experience that sounded like a must. Rome by Night on the back of a Vespa with our own guides. Naturally, I jumped at the chance to experience Rome this way, especially on our first night there. We booked with a company called Dearoma Tours, and we were contacted the night before our arrival about a pick up point.

Our first guide, an extremely pleasant and charming man by the name of Mimmo, arrived early on his classic Vespa, fully kitted out for the next 3 hours of riding around this beautiful city. Our second guide, Gianluca, arrived shortly afterwards on a more modern Vespa, equally as pleasant as Mimmo was. When given the choice of which Vespa we wanted, I barely gave them a minute before claiming the classic. If you’re going to do something, do it right, right?

After a few minutes of general chat and getting to know our drivers, and letting them know what we had already seen that day and what we had planned for the duration of our stay, it was time to go on our way. Over the course of our 3 hour long tour, Mimmo pointed out practically everything in sight, from ancient graffiti on the walls to the best places to try out the local cuisine. Each time we stopped to take a closer, more in-depth look at somewhere, Mimmo was an exceptional tour guide.

Our final stop on the tour was to the Vatican, at which point Gianluca took over as our guide for the final few minutes. He was just as informative as Mimmo had been throughout the night, giving us every piece of information you could think of before sending us off for a few minutes on our own to admire St. Peter’s Square and St. Peter’s Basilica from outside.

Although my legs certainly didn’t thank me for spending the majority of 3 hours on the back of a Vespa, it seemed as though the tour just wasn’t long enough for us. We both thoroughly enjoyed the experience, and all that our guides had to offer us, but we just didn’t want it to end! A bit of a pricey splurge, but one that was definitely worth it, and possibly the highlight of the trip for me. I would 100% recommend anyone planning on visiting Rome to book a tour with this group, and hopefully you’ll be lucky enough to have one of the two charming gents we had the pleasure of meeting.