The third day began with an early morning visit to the world famous Colosseum. You just have to see it when visiting Rome. Take the train to Colosseo Station on Line B. I got tickets to enter at €12.00. I didn't get a guide. Is it worth the €12.00? I'd say that this is money one should not save on. Enter and walk around the ancient amphitheatre at least once and marvel at the structure.
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| Colosseum |
I was greeted by a group of 4 men in gladiator suits and armor outside the Colosseum. Warning: This is nothing but a tourist trap. A minor scam. So the
Modus Operandi will be to get friendly with you and entice you to get a photo with gladiators for keepsakes. One of them will help to take the picture with your camera while the other 3 will gamely pose with you for a couple of shots. And before you leave, they will ask you for some Euros. I'm not sure if they have a market rate. As it was my first experience with such things, I dug out a €2.00 coin, passed it to one of them and walked off. They don't seem too happy so I assume that was way below the market rate.
Next up was a 20 minute walk to Santa Maria in Cosmedin where the Bocca dela Verita or "Mouth of Truth" lies (no pun intended!) There isn't so much of an entrance fee, but more of a courtesy fee of €0.50 needed. When I arrived, there was a short queue. There is a guy who manages the tourists - helps to take photos for them (maximum 2 shots per person apparently) and prank them sometimes.
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"Mouth of Truth"
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| A bridge in ruins at the River |
In the afternoon, it was a trip to the Vatican City. I took the Metro to Ottaviano Station. As you walk from the station to the Vatican City, you will see plenty of souvenir shops, eateries, street vendors selling toys as well as people approaching you offering guide service for a tour of the Vatican. I walked past all of them as my objective was only to see the place for myself and perhaps enter, if time and crowd permits. Not surprisingly, there were hordes of tourists and a whole lot of them in a very long queue. My guess is, they are queuing to enter the museums or the Sistine Chapel. With a shrug, I went the other way and happily snapped photos of the architecture there, St Peter's Basilica and St Peter's Square - the huge open space where people gather to see and listen to the Pope.
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| St. Peter's Square and St Peter's Basilica |
As I'm not a fan of huge crowds, I quickly left Vatican City as soon as I was done with getting photographs. A Metro ride later, I found myself back across the River Tiber, exploring and admiring places like the Pantheon, Piazza Navona and the Altar of the Fatherland - a strikingly huge and white monument.
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| Pantheon |
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| Pantheon - Natural light shining through the top of the dome |
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| Altar of the Fatherland |
I'll recommend Piazza Navona as one of the places to visit in Rome on a fine day. Being an open space, there are no admission charges. You can admire the buildings surrounding it and its fountains with their respective statues. There are often street vendors selling paintings and drawings too. You don't have to buy them, but I like to just admire the talents. Besides, there are eateries in the area, which I think is a good place to sit, enjoy your food and people watch.
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| Piazza Navona |
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| Piazza Navona - Eateries & Art Vendors |
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| Piazza Navona - Fountain of Neptune |
I head back in the early evening to rest for the next day will involve a little bit of inter-city travelling.
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