Rome was not built overnight, but you can definitely try to
discover its historic centre on foot in less than 8 hours with only 5 steps. It’s
not a stroll in the park, more like a brisk-walking, amazing race adventure
around the eternal city’s grand monuments and beautiful ruins. Trust me. My
sister and I achieved such feat in a couple of hours literally.
Now, here’s the thing. As a traveller, I would obviously
recommend and prefer taking time in getting to know a place and its people. I
think you’d generally agree with me if we start a tour by waking up not so
early and enjoy a local breakfast leisurely. But, in our case, my sister had an evening
flight to catch and was in Rome for the very first time. So, a quick survey of
the ancient city was in the itinerary.
You may start anywhere, actually. Our version of the “Rome by foot in a Day” challenge
started at the Roma Termini train station. Now, we invite you to retrace our
very same steps. Let me walk you through it. First, make sure you have
comfortable footwear on (one time, an Austrian friend walked around Rome
barefoot, but it’s another story). Then, you may leave your baggage by the
train station for a fee. And off we go.
1. 1. Begin with a wish: From Roma Termini, we walk
north towards the Piazza della Repubblica and say hi to the nymphs by the
fountain representing different bodies of water, and pay tribute to the famous Roman
waterworks. We head west and take our first real stop by the Fontana di Trevi. There,
we take out a coin, close our eyes, make a wish, and as traditions may vary, throw
the coin into the fountain in any way you like. You may wish for stronger legs,
at least for the day.
2. Shopping or Art? After wishing, we have to back it
up with concrete action, and big decisions should be made. We can go uphill
towards Piazza di Spagna, the roads to which are paved with great intention to
splurge with the flagship stores of my sister’s best friends lined up along the
way: Valentino, Hermès, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Fendi, Gucci, Versace, Bulgari,
Chanel, Armani, Dolce e Gabbana, Prada, etc. Or we could go further west towards
the Pantheon, and then, off to the open air art market by the Piazza Navona.
Here, you can mingle with both artists and art enthusiasts and check out paintings
from masterpieces to on-the-spot portraits.
3. 3. Another Country? In any way, don’t splurge too
much neither on brands nor art as we have yet the Tiber river to cross and
another “country” to visit. Across the Tiber, there’s the Castel Sant’Angelo,
our gateway to the city-state of the Vatican. There might be a queue, depending
on the day and timings, to enter St. Peter’s Basilica, a very important, if not
the most important holy site for some. While waiting and/or after a visit
inside the Basilica, you may take some time to enjoy one of Italy’s greatest
delights: il gelato! There’s quite a list of favorite shops, but for any newbie
traveller, any kind of gelato is definitely a very different gastronomic
experience from the regular ice cream we find in the rest of the world.
4.
4. A Meal Beyond the River: This one could be a
little case of only my own personal indulgence. But you might as well try it. From
the Vatican, we can breeze walk along the river Tiber to reach Trastevere,
which literarily means “beyond Tevere”. It’s my most favorite cozy neighborhood
in Rome, with the lovely small restaurants, and here we go, the best secondhand
bookshops. We can indulge in great local and international food there both for
the stomach and the soul. Here, I tried walking barefoot as the small neighborhood
atmosphere inspired me to.
5.
5. Rising from the Ruins: Following a Roman lunch,
it’s time to rebuild ancient Rome, at least in our imaginations, by marveling
at its ruins. But first we hit Rome’s main hub, Piazza Venezia, where we can
find the imposing monument to Italy’s first king, Vittorio Emanuele II. Behind it
are the remains of old Rome, a trail of historic breadcrumbs that will lead us
to the Colosseum, the crown of central Rome. It is a great icon of what Rome is all about: colossal,
imperial, spectacular, a city that stands tall, and rises above its ruins. Much
of Rome’s glory may have remained in the past, but seeing the city today, it
remains a great testament of a people made on the foundations of strong
governance and world ambitions.
From the Colosseum, now you can run back towards Roma
Termini to catch a train to the Leonardo da Vinci international airport. If
that is not your case, you might stay for the evening and have a quiet dinner
over your own ruminations by the ruins of old Rome. // Unshod Rover for Oasis Holidays
Photo Credits:
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For a day-to-day travel diary of Rome, you may want to check out this series: The Waters Of Rome: 4 Days In The Eternal City.
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is a worldwide-eyed wanderer currently based in Bangalore, India. You may follow his musings and journeys on this blog. "All Rover the World" chronicles his continuing travels wandering about the world and stumbling upon strangers.
