Disclaimer: I added only one picture as the internet is too slow to upload my files :-/…
As I mentioned in my previous post, I will be at a conference in Italy the coming week. I booked a few extra days before and after the conference, so I could relax a bit and check out the surroundings of Napoli, where the conference will take place.
Last Thursday I arrived in the early evening at Rome Fiumicino and I spent two nights in Rome, as I had never been there before. Friday was my Rome-in-a-day quick tour. Everybody told me this would be impossible.
They were all wrong.
I have seen all the major highlights of the city AND tossed in a few extras, such as getting lost in a big park for one and a half hour. I have to add that I did not do this the Chinese way, either. I do confess, this is not for everyone. I walked 32 km that day and I probably walk a bit faster than most. I did not use any public transport either.
Here’s the key; just find an optimal walking route. For me this was Quattro Venti street (where my appartment was) – St Peter – Castello Sant’ Angelo – Pantheon – Trevi Fountains – Spanish Stairs – Roman Forum – Colosseum – Palatino – Circus Maximus – Tiber Island – Botanical Garden (unfortunately this was closed upon arrival, but I had planned to spend at least an hour break there…). Because I had time left, I decided to walk around the Vatican.
Don’t do this! (Spoiler alert: there is absolutely nothing to see there and it is boring as fuck)
Because Rome is Rome, there is ample extra stuff to be seen on the way, too. There are also plenty of signs that tell you about the pretty buildings and history. I read them usually, but you can even skip them if you don’t give a damn. No, I did not see any museum and yes, that is a shame (unless you, again, don’t give a damn, but then I don’t see why you would go to Rome)! I will come back for that. Now I just wanted to see the Colosseum, St. Peter and the Pantheon. I read on the internet that this was too much to be desired. I strongly disagree there.
In any of these places you don’t really want to stay too long. The masses of tourists are not that cool and I usually avoid them a bit if I can. I did sit down at the Colosseum and Roman Forum (there was a nice beatboxing artist doing ‘his thing’).
I was back at the apartment around six (left around nine in the morning), where I cooked my own plate of Italian pasta :). Eating out alone still feels awkward as hell to me. Maybe one day I’ll get used to it? In New Orleans (soon) I will have to get used to it, because I need to try everything new. Italian food feels a bit closer to home and is also much more familiarized in the Netherlands than Cayun, Gumbo, Po Boys and Crawfish soup.
I am now writing this from my tiny TINY apartment in Napoli. Where I arrived yesterday evening.
Today I visited Pompei. More on that perhaps in a later post… It deserves more words than a sloppy paragraph.
Tomorrow, my conference starts :).
Side note: It is incredibly warm here. But my shower is nice and cold :D. After this writing, I’ll look for a supermarket that is open til late to get myself some breakfast and veg. And deodorant. Man, I keep sweating like a pig here and I have never smelled so bad. I even bought two new pairs of shorts today, as I feel like my current pair cannot possibly be worn any more in the coming days. As I brought only trousers, I needed a quick fix. It is that bad.
OKbye!
Robin Heinen 