Mr A and I had been to Rome to watch the 6 nations match, England versus Italy, 2 years before and enjoyed it so much we wanted to go again. Last time we visited all the ‘big sites’, the Vatican, Colosseum, Palatine Hill and Trevi Fountain. So we thought we would go again and visit some of the wonderful sites a little off the beaten track. I usually do a bit of prep and used to imbibe travel books and get some personal recommendations but this time set up a guide on Apple Maps using blogs and Untappd (the app for 21st century beer tickers) for my prep. It is a wonderful time of year to go to Rome as it isn’t too hot and less tourists than in late spring to early autumn.
The trip did not get off to the greatest start. They had ‘improved’ security at Birmingham Airport. This meant that you didn’t need to take loads of stuff out of your bag but removing your watch and hoodie was still necessary. It still took 3/4 of an hour to get through. Just enough time for breakfast at ‘spoons and a few of their festival beers that I ticked off in their handy booklet. We made final call and were up and away for the short flight that arrived early at Rome Fiumicino airport. There was further fun to be had here with the new Passport Control system where our EU overlords have deemed it necessary to take your finger prints, along with a facial recognition check. It didn’t work the first time, or the second time and they waved me through the barrier. That took about an hour; Mr A’s fingerprint record was gathered at the second time of asking and his reward was a queue of a further 20 minutes. Apparently they had only introduced the system 2 days prior to our arrival. A complete farce I am sure only designed to put Brits off 2 weeks in Benidorm and get you used to digital ID.
So, after this we were grateful for a speedy trip to our city centre hotel and a change of plan due to the late arrival. From our last trip we discovered that the hop-on, hop-off tour bus was a rip-off. The bus and metro system is comprehensive but all buses are often caught in the horrendous Rome traffic. We decided to take a bus and then a short walk to the ‘Ma Che Siete..’ bar. This is a well-known craft bar but, more importantly, it is open during the day. Very few bars are open in the day except in hotels so you have to plan when and where to go. After a relaxing pint we walked to the Fontana dell’Aqua Paola. However, we managed to get lost, I managed to throw myself to the floor by falling over a grate and we arrived hot and bothered at the fountain. It was billed as a viewpoint above the city and there were a lot of people there but the fountain itself was disappointing and I thought the view was a bit ‘is that it’. I had a splitting headache by then so purchased Aspirin. The cost of just over 10 Euro made me gulp and apparently, due to a Pharmacy monopoly on Aspirin, it is the most expensive place to buy it in Europe. However, it did the job. We went for a drink and bite to eat at the Mercato Centrale near Termini station. Another venue where you can get a lunchtime drink.
Started off by watching RAI (Italian BBC equivalent) in our hotel room. An Italian reporter in flak jacket was reporting from Beirut but the spell was broken when a local walked past with his dog, no tin hat, just a T-shirt. Never go full Jeremy Bowen…
After loading up on breakfast we ‘did’ a couple of the Papal basilicas. They are outstanding jewels anywhere in the world but here there are so many wonderful buildings they are almost lost and neither of the 2 we visited were that busy. The Basilica of St John Lateran was our first stop. The church was founded by Constantine and its official title is the ‘Mother and first of all churches of Rome and of the World’. It has been repaired, added to and altered and has been subject to damage following invasion, earthquakes and fires through the centuries. The magnificent facade dates from the 18th century. The Basilica is huge with many chapels. When we were there, there were priests taking confession and a few chapels had services going on. Notable features included a ‘Holy door’ dating back to the Jubilee in 1650, monuments to Popes dating back hundreds of years, apparently relics of St. Peter and St. Paul are held in a Tabernacle and, according to tradition, there is a fragment of the table used for the Last Supper. This was a joy to visit, a masterpiece and a centre of active Christian worship.
We made our way by bus across town to the Basilica of Saint Paul outside the Walls. It is an extraterritorial outpost of the Vatican. It is one of the oldest church sites founded by Constantine. Following a fire, the current building was completed in 1840. It is a massive, cavernous building. The focus of the building is the tomb of St Paul. A sarcophagus was discovered beneath the alter in 2006 and the bones found date from when St Paul was supposed to live. Above the tomb there are chains reputed to be those that held St Paul. It is a place of active pilgrimage and many came to pray while we were there. Again a joy to visit and to pray at this ancient holy place.
By bus to Eataly, near to Rome Ostiense station for a refreshing pint. If you are a foodie or wine lover this is the place for you, a massive interior market. We then walked to the Pyramid of Cestius. This is huge and was built in around 18-12 BC as a tomb for Gaius Cestius. You cannot access the interior and apparently nothing has been found inside the Pyramid but you can enter the grassed-over grave area alongside the Pyramid by going into the Cimittario Acattolico. This is a cemetery for non-catholics who were buried in Rome. It is beautifully looked after, has many interesting tombs and has a resident cat sanctuary. The cats were extremely friendly by the way and were obviously well looked after. It was set up in 1671, and, over time became seen as the cemetery of the British, it was gradually extended but due to lack of room it is rare that there are burials today. Among those buried are Gramsci, avoided of course; and the tombs of Shelley and Keats. This is well worth a visit and trees provide shade and a rest.
Back to Termini station. Under the station there is a posh shopping centre giving it the feel of an upmarket airport but it’s OK and we stopped for antipasto, as big as a meal, of wine and pizza slices. Definitely better than a Greggs.
Next day was Game Day. After a leisurely breakfast we went by metro to Piazzale Flaminio. We walked to a bar not too far from the Stadio Olimipico, the Roma Beer Company. The beer was nice and there was a bubbly atmosphere with lots of rugby fans soon piling in. After a couple of hours we made our way to the ground where there were plenty of beer and food stands, the offering was better than Pukka pies you usually get at British grounds. Stadio Olimpico was built in 1928 and further expanded in 1937. It was associated with the Fascist regime and even hosted a parade to welcome Hitler. It was re-named and rebuilt for the 1960 Olympic games. As well as sports and music events it hosts home football matches for both the Lazio and Roma teams. There are other sports stadiums in the area, known altogether as the Foro Italico formally known as the Mussolini Forum. On the approach to the Stadio you can see 60 marble statues dating from when the Foro was built depicting athletes in various sports representing physical perfection and there are other interesting statues in the complex. I thought they were absolutely fantastic and worth a visit in themselves; apparently you can do a tour and visit a museum at the Foro. As the more the sport-orientated know it was an historic rugby match where Italy deservedly beat England for the first time in the 6 nations.
Our final day just gave us time to visit another site before returning to the airport. We visited the Largo di Torre Argentina. This is the site of the Pompey theatre and there are the remains of 4 Roman temples in the square and is believed to be the place where Caesar was assassinated. In 2019 gantries were added so that you can visit inside the site but you are not allowed to wander off the gantries. The view is just as good from outside so you can save your money I think. There is also a cat sanctuary here but the cats were not quite as friendly as at the Cimittario! After some lunch and a glass of wine at the Mercato Centrale we went to the airport and there were no hold-ups this time.
The trip was fantastic. The only issue that was much in evidence was the Meloni wave. This included a proliferation of MiniMarts in every street, sometimes 2 or 3 in the same street. Who is funding them? Why are they there with so few customers? Also, the buses are already crowded in February so in summer I expect they are hellish. I love visiting Rome and by no means did we see all there is to see. I would like to return again to visit this marvellous city. However, with the destruction of energy infrastructure in the Middle East who knows what the situation regarding travel will be in the months and years to come.
© text & images @Alurka 2026
