I am staggered by just how much Roman ruin there is and how big their buildings were. Vatican City was another enormous set of buildings with much ornamentation on show – and opportunities for money making in every direction.
It is true that Italian drivers, at least of cars, shouldn’t be allowed on the road: our taxi driver from the airport first tried to rip us off by demanding a larger fee than the price advertised and then drove at 100km/hr while talking on his mobile phone, changing gear and hand such that he regularly had no hand on the steering wheel. We agreed we’d not get in another taxi and returned to the airport by train – even more expensive but it felt safe!
It is also true that Italian food tastes even better in Italy: we ate bruschetta, pizza, pasta, and tiramisu (including tiramisu ice-cream) washed down with Italian beer or wine most nights. Our evening meals were relaxed and fun, if on the pricey side, but buying drinks was extortionate! Iced water in bottles was readily available and much needed in the heat, and we were able to top up bottles at the many drinking fountains around the city, but if you wanted to buy a coffee or a Coke we’re talking 5Euro each at best.
Having viewed the Coliseum, the Palatine Hill, the Forum, the Vatican, four museums, the Spanish Steps, lots of fountains, ridden on the metro and the buses, marched all over Rome and braved the high temperatures, we took a ride up into the hills to visit the Villa D’Este and its garden in Tivoli on our last day. It was delightfully cool and we loved the place. Very few flowers this late in the season, but it was lush and green and had every imaginable water feature. My high point!
