Staying in central Rome made for the perfect tourist spot, as the city awakens, so do the people. On my first morning there; I woke at 5:50, sunlight peaked through the windows and provided that extra warmth to an already furnace of a room. I watched cafés open up and people walking around; on their way to work or what have you, the streets being cleaned; almost as if what ever happened the day before was history, ready for a new day. The hotel we were staying in was basic. Nothing fancy nor anything to get excited about, but it provided all the essentials and I needed for nothing more.
We visited many places in Rome (of course), one of the highlights was visiting the Vatican. One of the rules of visiting the Vatican is that visitors must cover up their, midriffs, shoulders and knees, so there we were; scorching in our cover up clothing. However it's opulence was overwhelming and everywhere glistened; capturing every bit of light. There was gold plated everything!
The food in Rome was amazing (as expected), gelato being my favourite. I can never look at ice-cream in the same way, gelato is so much more creamy and delicious, and the flavours are endless (below is pistachio gelato #ftw). One thing which I found extremely bizarre is that it is tradition that in Italy; pasta is always served as a starter. The one thing which was most disappointing about the food is that fruit and vegetables were sparse. Hydration was key, I think we all drank about 6 litres a day!
The second half of the trip was spent further down south in Sorrento. We stopped off at Naples on the way; the journey was so picturesque, as we were on the south-west border of Italy. When we approached Sorrento we were first presented with the beach; immediately that was the first thing on the agenda for the afternoon. The sea was cool and refreshing making for the perfect cool down from the hot 6 hour journey and after spending 4 days in the ‘furnace’, which was Rome. During my stay at Sorrento we visited Pompeii, Mount Vesuvius and Capaccio. Pompeii was amazing, being able to go into the ruins of a prehistoric city, was breathe taking! It was at Capaccio when we say some Roman temple remains, being guided around; I could only try and imagine how they were originally, in all their splendour. However my favourite part of our Sorrento trip was being able to climb Mount Vesuvius; it was absolutely incredible, when I had climbed to the top, the crater of the volcano could be seen. If I would recommend just one thing to do whilst in Naples it would be to climb Vesuvius, however hot it may get!
There is a famous quote by Giotto de Bondone which is:
Rome is the city of echoes, the city of illusions, and the city of yearning
The line which I entitled this post is from The Princess 'The Splendour Falls...' by Alfred Lord Tennyson. I thought is fitting as the poem emphasises what sort of influence we shall have on the world , or will we fade away like an echo. Rome is the city of echoes, this suggests that the echoes of Rome are what make up the city. But one cannot hear every echo, referring back to Tennyson; what if the echo itself isn't from just one thing itself, but if the echoes together are what makes the sounds. One thinks rather negatively of a 'dying echo' however some of the most understated things are what are of most significance; the little things in life. Obviously being able to visit such a city as Rome, is a once in a lifetime opportunity; however it is the memories and culture which I have taken away from my trip. The city of Rome holds so much culture and history which has inspired so much literature, art and life. But it is the undying history which still remains and shall remain always.
Right Italy? Check, what is next on the travel list.....
Thanks for reading
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