24 hours in Rome

We finished this years’ Via Francigena trip with a night in Rome Trastevere.

From Bolsena we got a Cotral bus to Viterbo main bus station and from there we had to take a different Cotral bus for 10 minutes or so to Porta Romana train station for our direct train to Rome Trastevere.

We purchased our bus tickets from a newspaper kiosk in the centre of Bolsena for 2.20 euros each and our train tickets from the coffee shop at the station for the incredibly cheap cost of 5.60 euros each! This was for a 2 hour train journey!

The 4 of us then shared an uber from Trastevere station to our Rome hotel.

Once checked into the hotel Chris stayed in the room to rest and I went out for a wander…

We were staying on a hill just outside Trastevere this time and as this was now my 4th visit to Rome I didn’t have any major sites to explore.

The first thing I came across shortly after leaving the hotel was the Basilica di Santa Sabina all’Aventino. I looked inside and was greeted with the sounds of the wedding march and the lovely sweet smell of freshly cut flowers decorating the church.

Guests were starting to arrive and gather outside as I left!

Next was the Gardino degli Aranci (orange tree garden) with its big shady trees and scenic terrance with panoramic views of the city.

From here I had memories of seeing the Vatican in May 2022 when we completed our first Via Francigena trip!

The other direction looks towards Rome city centre.

I next made my way down the hill towards the Tiber River with the intention of heading across the bridge into Trastevere to explore.

I crossed over but changed my mind when I realised how close I was to the centre of Rome and because I would be returning to Trastevere for dinner that evening. So after a short walk I went back over the next bridge.

As by now I wasn’t too far from Piazza Navona, the famous large oval square I decided on a re-visit.

I’ve been here 2 or 3 times and on this occasion the fountains were covered up and closed for restoration.

Piazza Navona is vibrant and lined with open air bars and restaurants. It was first commissioned in 86 CE as a stadium to hold 20,000 spectators.

I decided to have a look inside the Sant’Agnese 17th century baroque church on Piazza Navona.

The ornate interior was impressive.

Having had no lunch a snack was in order so what better, in 26 degrees, than gelato in Piazza Navona! I was pleasantly surprised that 2 scoops were only 3.50 euros.

Piazza Navona is close to the Pantheon one of the most famous temples in Rome and was commissioned by emporer Hadrian 1800 years ago.

Chris and I went inside the Pantheon in April 2010 and there was hardly anyone in there. We then sat in the laid back relaxing square with a drink. Today it was mayhem and the queue to get inside the Pantheon was massive. I’m glad I went in there with Chris previously.

Just along from the Pantheon is the Basilica Santa Maria Minerva with its elephant and obelisk statue outside. Amazingly, this statue was unveiled in 1667 in the same place it still stands today.

There was no queue to go inside and it was well worth a visit to see its magnificent interior.

And free entry and zero queuing is a much better option!

On the way back to the hotel I came across the ruins of Largo di Torre Argentina which are among the oldest in the city and this is said to be the site where Julius Caesar was murdered in 44BC.

In Rome huge churches and ancient ruins are aplenty however a couple of church visits are enough for me so I didn’t go inside anymore… not until later anyway!

Chris and I were meeting Roza & Russell in the evening in Trastevere so having gone back to the hotel for a shower and to get changed we set off early in search of a bar.

We went back down the hill and crossed back over the Tiber this time via the Porta Portese bridge. (Trastevere means ‘beyond the Tiber’).

Things were already starting to liven up even though it was only 7 pm. Attracted by a sign for organic wine we went inside the Cantina Ripagrande bar.

We only wanted a glass of wine each however the friendly bar man brought 3 different bottles of organic red wine across to our table, explained what they were, which region they came from and which grapes they were made with and offered us a taste. We were also given a welcome snack of some thin toasted bread with hummus! Fab service.

We were meeting Roza & Russell in front of the Basilica Santa Maria so after the wine we set off to meet them.

We arrived first so decided to have a quick look inside the Basilica where people were getting ready for an evening service.

With its original floor plans and wall structure dating back to 340 this is one of the oldest churches in Rome.

Once we had reconvened with Roza & Russell we began looking for a restaurant. The streets were packed and many restaurants including Tonnarello where we went last time had long queues.

Instead of joining the tourists we went to a couple of quiet back streets and found Restaurant Bali which served Indonesian and Thai food. I had vegetable spring rolls then Pad Thai with shrimps both of which were delicious.

Once we had finished we joined the even madder madding crowds in search of another bar to finish the evening with a couple more drinks.

By now it was around 10 pm and the majority were young people and probably many of which were locals.

We left the bar at around 11.45 pm and headed back up the hill towards the hotel walking past a closed off road due to a concert which was just ending. We later found it was David Gilmour from Pink Floyd! (Nope… never heard of him)

We stayed in the friendly and comfortable Hotel Aventino which had a good location in a quiet part of the city. As detailed in this post some of the major sights are within walking distance if you don’t mind walking up and down a hill!

The hotel was set in a historic villa and had an elegant breakfast room which served a pleasant breakfast.

Summary

A short and sweet visit to Rome! Each time there is always more to see and despite the crowds, you can explore some wonderful historic sights often free of charge and without having to queue.

The general costs were reasonable for a major city; the evening meal was under £60 for two and bed & breakfast in the hotel was around £160 (although we had to add another 12 euros per room for tourist tax).

Italy isn’t quite a cashless society. While most of the time during the total 8 night trip we were able to paid by card, Chris and I had taken 200 euros in cash with us which came in handy for small incidentals, the odd coffee or snack and for tourist tax in each accommodation (which was one or two euros per person outside of Rome).