Leaving from one place to another was definitely the least favourite thing in my to-do list. It was always the case when we were travelling in Europe. First, I reached a country where I knew nothing about it except for the name of the place and probably some famous attractions in the place. After spending a few days, I would start to get familiarised with the area that I temporarily lived in. Then. it would turn into sad goodbye as we would need to continue our adventure to a new country or city and the process would repeat. I guessed that was the downside of being a traveller.

Day 1

Roma Termini

Image Source: bookingromaresort.com

After packing our bags, we went to La Spieza to board the Trenitalia to Rome. How long does it take to travel from Cinque Terre to Rome? The journey had taken about five and half hours as we were travelling from northern part of the Italy where Cinque Terre located to the central part of the Italy where Rome was. The train ticket from Cinque Terre to Rome cost about 56 Euros which was kind of expensive after conversion to myr (approximately RM280) but that was the most ideal way to get to Rome so we cannot complain about it.


The ride was pretty smooth and we did get to see a lot of mesmerising views along the way. There were a couple of things to take note while travelling in Italy especially in the train. One of them was NEVER accept any generous offer from strangers to help you with your luggage as they might be scammers who would charge you a hefty sum of fee after that (or worse where they might run off with your luggage). Also, make sure the inspectors in the train are really inspectors as they might also be scammers who would accuse you of getting counterfeit tickets and force you to pay money to get a new one!

We reached the train station in Rome at about 2.30 pm and although we had a good rest in the train, the blazing sun in Rome during the summer was making everyone pretty uncomfortable with the heat and dry weather was another annoyance that we had to go through. As if it was not already terrible enough, we had to board a very crowded bus to get to our airbnb accommodation which was a few stops away from the train station.

Pizza Florida

Image Source; romevacationtips.com

After getting some quick shower to make ourselves fresh again and rest for half an hour, we headed out to the Pizza Florida to have our obnoxiously late lunch at this wonderful pizzeria. We were prone to become a bunch of hangry (hungry+angry) people when we missed our meals. #life The pizzas were very big in portions and they came with an affordable price as well. Aside from that, the service was equally great!

Roman Pantheon (The Pantheon of Agrippa)



Our first attraction of the day was none other than the famous Pantheon in Rome. We were seemingly excited to finally being able to see something that was actually mentioned in our History textbook back when we were still in the secondary school days! Never had I ever dreamed of witnessing any historical buildings that I had actually read from the books It was certainly a dream came true moment for us me.



The Pantheon was a colossal building that was completed in 126 AD. It was a significant building to Rome not only because it was a formerly a Roman temple that was dedicated to all the gods of pagan Rome, but also the most preserved and influential architectural masterpiece from ancient Rome. There was no entrance fee charged to enter the building so we were undoubtedly happy with it.



When we  first entered the building, we were surprised by the roof's design of the building. There was a huge hole or oculus (to be fancy) at the centre of the dome that actually served as the main source of natural light that illuminated the entire building. We thought that was a defect of the building as the water might get into the building when the rain came. However, we were pretty much being foolish as there was no literally no rain in Italy or Europe for the entire of our trip. As we looked closer we found out that there were actually drainage system built on the floor top counter-act the raining issue.



The Roman Pantheon opening times vary depending on the seasons. There were tickets for guided tour and photographic tour that we could buy from either the website or on the spot. The inscription under the pediment was "M:AGRIPPA.L.F.COS.TERTIUM.FECIT" which meant Marcus Agrippa, son of Lucius, built this temple when he was a Consul".

Taverna del Seminario




Night time arrived which meant it was time for dinner. Our friend (tour guide) found out about this restaurant that had set menus which cost only 15 euros! One thing I learned while dining in the restaurants in Europe was NEVER call the waiter when you were ready for order because that would be considered rude and insult to them. The etiquette of dining in Europe was different compared to Asia because in the latter it was considered normal to call for waiters when we were ready to order for food. Hence, we ended up waiting for about 20 minutes for the waiter to wait us.





Each of us ordered different items so that we could try as many dishes as possible. Yes saying that meant we shared our food. It was an asian thing to do. There were starters, main course and a dessert for 15 euros which was really cheap to begin with! The food were mostly local Italian dishes and they were delectable! The service was nonetheless not that amazing as the waiters were very busy and trying to rush us through our once-in-a-blue-moon fancy dinner experience. Check out their website via this link.

Day 2

On our second day in Rome, we woke up early in the morning as usual to catch on with the itinerary.
Colosseum





Reason being the opening times for Colosseum was 8.30 am until 7.15 pm. When we thought we were the earliest to arrive, we were so wrong about that. There were already 5 long lines of people waiting for the ticket booths that was yet to open. Thank goodness our friend bought the tickets online because there were two types of lines, one for those who had bought tickets online, and the other for those who were going to buy the tickets on the spot.








Nevertheless, we still had to queue for about 1 and a half hour before managed to get into the amazing Colosseum. It was probably one of the best preserved monuments of ancient Rome that was built between 72 AD and 80 AD and capable to hold more than 50 000 spectators. Being the largest amphitheatre in the world, the building housed some of the most exciting yet gruesome sporting events and games including the gladiatorial combat, wild animal hunts, ship naval battles and the likes!





The Colosseum was also known as the "Anphitheatrum Flavlum" (Flavian Amphitheatre) by the ancient Romans. Despite two thirds of the monument had been destroyed over time due to vandalisms, earthquakes and fires, the building was still a famous attraction site for tourists all around the world. Aside from appreciating the arena, we also entered the gift shop to look for some souveniors for our friends and family.

Roman Forum
Palatine Hill








While it was not the most famous attractions in Rome, probably because it was overshadowed by it's more prominent neighbour the Colosseum, the Palatine Hill was surprisingly tranquil and formed one of the oldest part of Rome. Besides, it was also the most central of the seven hills of the city and considered to be the birthplace of the Italian capital. Aside from wonderful scenery of the city from the top of the hill, we were able to appreciate the ruins and remnants of the Roman Empire which were impressive.

The Arch of Constantine







This was the arch that was located near to the Colosseum. It was massive and gorgeous but the absurdly high fence that was constructed around the arch to prevent people from getting close and touching it made it impossible for us to get a decent photos without the fence! The arch was built to commemorate Constatine I's victory over Maxentius at the Battle of Milvian Bridge back in 312.

Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore





After getting back from the Palatine Hill, whole day had gone by so we went to visit the last attraction before calling it a day. It was one of the seven pilgrimage basilicas in the world, the Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore which was built in 432 AD. This was also the place where famous Italian sculptor and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini was buried. The church opened from 7 am until 7 pm and without entrance fee! However there were massive crowds and we had to go through security check before being allowed to enter the basilica.

Day 3

Vatican City

I personally felt that Vatican City deserved a post of its own rather than combining it with Rome so I would come up with a new post about my day trip to Vatican City and attached the link HERE after I had published it.

Day 4

Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain)



On our final day in Rome, we had a couple of places left to visit before packing our bags and leave Europe for good. Rome was our last stop (actually London was our last stop) before we headed back to our home country. Of course we would not miss the eminent Trevi Fountain in Rome. One would be even considered not to be here at all if this fountain was missed.


We went out early to avoid the crowd as everyone was dying to see this magnificent sculpture. Designed by Nicola Salvi and completed by Giuseppe Pannini, this Baroque art was more than sculpture and it was featured in various movies notable the Federico Fellini's La Dolce Vita, the eponymous Three Coins in the Fountain, The Lizzie McGuire Movie, Sabrina Goes to Rome, just to name a few.



The water in the fountain was surprisingly very clear and there were loads of coins at the base. This was partly due to the traditions that caused thousands of visitors tossing coins into the Trevi fountain everyday. It was said that tossing a coin into the fountain would ensure a return to Rome. You should stand with your back facing the fountain and tossing a coin over your left shoulder to guarantee a return trip to Rome.

We thought that the tossed coins might eventually filled the Trevi fountain. However, it turned out that the gushing water of the fountain was stopped for an hour for the workers to collect the coins from the fountain and donated to the Roman Catholic charity Caritas.

La Strega Nocciola

Image Source: pinterest.com

Image Source: 055firenze.it

We had a treat at the La Strega Nocciola gelateria after visiting the fountain. There were a wide array of gelato selections and each of them looked very delicious. True enough, the gelatos tasted as good as they looked where the icy treat burst with natural flavours once you popped them in your mouth. In addition, the staff were super friendly and the place was also very cosy as well.

Scalina Spagna (Spanish Steps)




The Spanish Steps comprised of 135 beautiful steps with irregular butterfly design that was designed by architect Francesco de Sanctis. Located in the heart of Rome, it connected the Trinità dei Monti church that was under the patronage of the king of France with the lower Piazza di Spagna or simply called as the Spanish square.







This place was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen, with a stunning fountain at the square and an obelisk above. Despite its beauty, there were loads of tourists and scammers around selling things such as souvenirs and overpriced water and ice creams to quench the tourists' thirst as the weather was very hot.




Visiting the Spanish Steps was not only the thing that we had in our mind as we managed to spend some time browsing through the branded stores that opened in front of the Spanish Squares. Having said that, the reason being these branded and luxurious items were more than often cheaper in European countries compared to Asia as they were originated from Europe in the first place.

Two Sizes


The highlight of visiting Rome was actually it's dessert from Two Sizes! The store sold probably the best tiramisus that I have ever tasted in my life (considering I don't take coffee products at all) that came in two sizes, big and small. There were three flavours to choose from, pistachio, caramel and original vanilla. They were made with perfection, not too sweet and very smooth in texture.


Also, we ordered churros-liked dessert with cream fillings and bits of crushed pistachios sprinkled on the edges. That was equally scrumptious as well. We actually had been to this place on the second day of our trip and went back to the place on third day and last day as well before leaving Rome.



With that we called it a day and headed back to the accommodation to pack our stuffs and spent overnight at the Rome Ciampino airport before getting on our flight early in the morning back to London. Overall, we had a blast in every country that we had visited in Europe and it felt like as if we were dreaming from the day we landed in the UK. I would definitely return to these amazing places again in the future and visit more countries that I did not have time to include them for this trip.

Rome Itinerary