Rome / Italy
Day 1
Rome, our first but definitely not last visit to Italy. A city that is also considered Caput Mundi, or capital of the world. In 130 BC it became the first city in the world to reach a population of 1 million. The thought of that is crazy, no wonder the Roman Empire ruled over so much and for so long!
Monita and I left London in the morning and arrived around lunch time. We caught a bus into the city and took the metro to our Airbnb. An hour later my parents and my brother arrived in from Paris. We spent a week in Italy, and managed to fit in Rome, Vatican City, Florence, Cinque Terre and Venice (which I’ve put into separate posts!).
After arriving and getting some lunch into us we hit the streets. Although we were mere minutes away from the Colosseum we went in there the following day. Our first stop was the Pantheon (not to be mistaken for the Parthenon in Athens), passing the Colosseum and the Roman Forum as well as navigating through the thousands of tourists! Rome is definitely a busy place in the middle of summer, not to mention hot. So much cold water and gelato was consumed between the five of us!
The Pantheon is a Roman temple that was rebuilt between 118-128AD and is now a church. There are large granite columns out the front from the pediment and once inside, the rotunda is topped off with an unreinforced concrete dome. Even though it is nearly 2000 years old, the dome is still the largest in the world – pretty impressive engineering!
Next stop was the massive Trevi Fountain which almost needs no introduction, drawing crowds of people many of whom will be standing on the edge throwing three coins into the fountain. There are multiple legends on throwing coins, one being that it will mean you will one day return to Rome. There are guards at the fountain to make sure no one oversteps or steals coins – those that do, are met with a stern whistle and public embarrassment! Apparently workers clean €3000 from the fountain per day, which is donated to local charities, the Italian Red Cross and a supermarket that serves the poor of Rome. So kind.
The next stop was the Spanish steps, built between 1723-1725 . You’re probably wondering why they’re called the Spanish Steps right? So the church atop the steps was under the patronage of the king of France, with the Spanish square below – which is named after the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See. It was the perfect place to relax in the sun, rest the feet and people watch. We then headed to Osteria da Fortunata for some pasta made fresh in front of our eyes! It was then off to the Airbnb for some much needed sleep.
Day 2
We started the day early and almost made it to the front of the line for the Colosseum tour. We used the Rick Steve’s app and spent an hour or so walking around and taking in the sights and history. It was then off to the Roman Forum. The Forum is a rectangular plaza with ruins of several important ancient government buildings. Some good reading about it and the Colosseum on Wikipedia.
To escape the relentless heat we headed back to the Airbnb for a rest before headeding out to Trastevere, an area in the west of Rome. It was definitely one of my favourite areas, quiet streets and pops of colour amongst the old buildings. After a drink we headed back towards the centre across the river and had dinner at Cantina e Cucina It was good, more pizza and pasta!
Day 3
Day 3 was another super early start. We had booked a tour of the Vatican City museums and St. Peter’s Bascilica. I’ve done a separate post for that considering it is actually another country! Click here for that.
After the tour, we grabbed a quick bite and headed up to the Villa Borghese gardens. A massive massive garden/park that has a number of buildings, museums and attractions. It’s so large you can rent a Segway of golf cart to explore it. We didn’t want to spending money doing so, so just spent an hour chilling on a bench under the trees.
It was then home for a little while to escape the sun (again) before grabbing some dinner close to our place. Just as we finished dinner the light was getting really nice, so it would be rude not to head down to the Colosseum to watch the sun light it up! The area was full of life and people crammed into trams. It was then bed time as the next day we grabbed a rental car and headed through Tuscany up to Florence.
I love creating images that speak to me.
I grew up in a small town that nobody really knows about, Levin. Spent a good ten years in Hamilton making some of the best friends anyone could have. And now I’m living, working and playing in the city of Auckland, New Zealand. Also a small country that people have trouble locating – I’m looking at you America!
Life is about stories, and that’s what I love to capture and document. My shooting style is unobtrusive. You may be a natural in front of the camera, or have no idea what to do but before we even start I’ll make sure you’re comfortable and relaxed.
Things I love: Travelling to wherever I can, my partner Monita, homemade burgers, wood fired pizzas, the smell of rain on a hot summers day, mountains, the snow, sunsets and sunrises, star gazing, natural light, the aesthetic of wood, crashing waves and day dreaming.