{"id":8086,"date":"2014-03-12T12:40:51","date_gmt":"2014-03-12T12:40:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thesojournseries.com\/bavaria\/?p=8086"},"modified":"2019-01-28T19:39:18","modified_gmt":"2019-01-28T19:39:18","slug":"four-days-rome-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.thesojournseries.com\/bavaria\/four-days-rome-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Four Days in Rome – 1 – Basilicas, Pizzas, and Art Students"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rome is one of those cities that feels familiar even when you’ve never been there before (inevitable with how often it feature in films and historical programmes I guess), and therefore it can feel quite surreal when you see parts of it “in the flesh” for the very first time. \u00a0 I felt like I had also been to the airport here too, but perhaps that’s because a lot of them are so similar anyway? \u00a0Beware though, this one has plenty of “enthusiastic” taxi touts who will try to convince you that the trip into town costs \u20ac100 – it doesn’t. \u00a0 Look out for official registered cabs, and you will find yourself paying no more than\u00a0\u20ac48 (if you are\u00a0staying centrally – \u20ac60 Euros if you are staying just outside of the walls like we were)…<\/span><\/p>\n

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Our base for a few days was in up and coming San Lorenzo, the University district – booked on the basis that it’s away from the main tourist hub, and that University areas are usually thriving and have interesting eateries (as this one does –\u00a0<\/span>no chips and curry sauce for Rome’s students, as you might imagine!)! \u00a0The hotel<\/a> served hearty breakfasts (the waiters will gladly make you perfect coffee if you ask them, ignore the machines on the side!), and also had good facilities for the kids, with bunk beds, dvd’s and games consoles in each room. \u00a0 It’s only a 5 minutes walk to either the metro, bus and tram from here – all of which are frequent and cheap (I have to say that Rome’s Metro is not my favourite way to get around, it’s grubby, packed and hectic – I commuted in London for several years and have travelled the length of Tokyo’ Subway system so it’s not like I am used to subways either – but it is convenient and cheap at around \u20ac1.50 for 100 minutes travel. \u00a0 Pharrell William’s “Happy” seems to be played on a constant loop down here which helps, and the whole experience compared to Munich’s orderly U-bahn system (with it’s piped classical notes) made me laugh at least). \u00a0 If you are planning on using a lot of public transport (and visiting major sites) it’s worth investing in a city sponsored Roma Card<\/a>…<\/p>\n

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By the time we had completed our first taxi mission, arrived at the hotel and dumped our bags, time was ticking on – so we headed straight into town to catch our first glimpse of this ancient city. \u00a0 Small Girl decided it was like a living museum, a statement I couldn’t agree with more. \u00a0 A lengthy promenade through the Centro Storico led us past some of those incredibly surreal and familiar sights, until we got to the top of a hill where we were treated to the sun setting over Rome<\/a>. \u00a0 \u00a0Red sky appreciation undertaken, we decided upon dinner at nearby Ristorante Alla Rampa<\/a>,\u00a0completely taking a chance thanks to two small hungry people – but it didn’t let us down. \u00a0And later, bellies full of delicious stuffed zucchini flowers and handmade pasta, we wandered happily back to the hotel looking forward to our first full day…<\/p>\n

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Up with the larks (or should that be up with the first students getting in from a Sunday night on the tiles – do make sure you ask for a room at the back of this particular hotel!!), we set off to investigate the nearby\u00a0Basilica Papale di San Lorenzo Fuori le Mura<\/a> (or “Basilica of Saint Lawrence Outside The Walls” – sounds better in Italian no?)\u00a0.<\/p>\n

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This place is completely off the tourist map so we had it all to ourselves, but as it originated in the Sixth Century AD it’s of huge historical importance. \u00a0 We spent longer in the grounds here than otherwise expected thanks to the stationery stall directly outside our hotel. \u00a0 Both Small People had invested in notebooks and pencils, and embarked on an ambitious series of sketches of Rome here… \u00a0Not that I was complaining – the sun was out and it was warm after all – and as a friend later pointed out – Rome wasn’t drawn in a day (these notebooks came with us wherever we went, and have now been safely squirrelled away to remind them of this trip one day)!!<\/p>\n

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We had an important appointment to keep that afternoon, so decided on lunch at La Tana Sarda<\/a>. \u00a0 This proved the perfect watering hole – a tiny Sardinian style place taken up mostly with the biggest wood burning stove that churned out delicious pizza after pizza. \u00a0 If you fancy something other than pizza, \u00a0try it’s sister two doors up where the locals come to pile up plates with fresh pasta, roasted vegetables and all manner of sliced meats, and sides… \u00a0<\/span>Sustenance for the amazing and packed afternoon that lay ahead….\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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