24 Hours in Rome
It only took one 24-hour whirlwind trip to see why Rome is such a popular destination on the tourist trail.
A friend and I gathered our bearings at a small bistro on a cobbled side street, sunglasses on, twirling spaghetti on our forks – embodying all the clichés you see plastered on Italian holiday adverts. All that was needed to complete the picture was an Italian whizzing by on a cherry-red Vespa clutching a pizza box.
What initially struck me about Rome was the frequency with which you stumble across an intricately carved temple or a monument to a Roman Emperor when you least expect it. We unintentionally walked into the square that housed the Pantheon, initially drawn there by the rich sound of a one-man opera bouncing off the cobbled sideroads. The building emanated opulence from the inside out, which seemed fitting considering that it was originally built as a temple to all of the Roman gods. Although it was rebuilt after burning down twice between 80-110 A.D., it is one of the best-preserved Ancient Roman monuments, with elements of its build still remaining an architectural mystery. It is said to have inspired Michelangelo and his designs for St Peter’s Basilica.
We continued winding our way around Rome, initially mapping our way to a destination but quickly finding ourselves photobombing a bride and groom at St Peter’s Basilica. The building itself is extraordinary; influenced and sculpted by some of the world’s most renowned Renaissance artists, it is steeped in a rich history that has seen a succession of Popes deliver mass in its grand halls, and speeches in the square.
One of the top priorities on our Italian bucket list was to see the Trevi Fountain in all its glory, so we swept the sleep out of our eyes the next morning and, albeit slightly reluctantly, got up at 5:15. Arriving at 6am, our only company was a few young Italians lounged around the fountain, sipping on cool beers in their outfits from the night before.
The Trevi Fountain was radiant against the bright blue sky. Dating back to ancient Rome, it has been a staple feature of Rome’s landscape since around 19 B.C, although being renovated by Nicola Salvi in the 18th century after Pope Clemens XII held a contest for a new fountain to be designed, and recently restored by fashion house Fendi.
The money thrown into the fountain allegedly stems from a long-standing tradition dating back to the days of Ancient Rome where it was believed that throwing coins into the fountain would bring people safe passage on a journey across water. Nowadays it is thought that if you throw coins over your shoulder into the fountain, you will return to Rome. The money is regularly collected and donated to a non-profit called Caritas who are based in Rome and operate various humanitarian projects on a global scale as well as contributing to the local community.
After taking a few pictures, we met our guide for a skip-the-queue tour of Vatican City, the Sistine Chapel, the Raphael Rooms and St Peter’s Basilica. With just a day in Rome, there was no time to waste and we had read that the queues could be over a kilometre long.
We explored Vatican City, our guide pointing out where the different Popes have lived, shouting out a host of international visitors who had graced the grounds over the years and pointing out statues and art gifted to the Pope. The art inside is vibrant and mesmerising. Intertwined with gilded framing, in the Gallery of Maps small cherubs appear to hang off the ceiling when actually it only seems three-dimensional because of how it was painted. The Raphael Rooms, Sistine Chapel and St Peter’s Basilica are equally spectacular, if not even more so. With contributions from the likes of Michelangelo, Raphael and Alessandro Botticelli, a trip to Vatican City is a must.
I’ve come to learn that Italian food rarely disappoints. When you only have 24 hours, it is worth doing Rome on foot as that is how you discover some of the best boutique ice cream shops and authentic Italian bakeries. Forno Campo de ‘Fiori offers a huge range of mouth-watering Italian baked goods, and freshly-baked pizza slices that you can eat on the run. It’s located on the edge of a buzzing market square where you can browse an array of colourful foods, strings of scarlet onions and chillies hanging from the umbrellas, ceramics, memorabilia and more sprawled across the tables. The square is worth a visit.
Rome is enormous and you can easily get swallowed up in the grandeur of the city and its magnificent buildings of old. While there is definitely nothing wrong with that, even with only 24 hours to spare, there is always time for a gelato. Three gelatos later, and the city truly had my heart. Where else serves a combination of red wine and chocolate in one delectable scoop? When in Rome…
Emma Loubser
Sources:
Gina Mussio, ‘9 things you didn’t know about the Trevi Fountain’ https://www.walksofitaly.com/blog/rome/9-surprising-facts-trevi-fountain-rome
Tanza Loudenback, ‘Visitors threw $1.5 million into Rome’s Trevi Fountain last year – here’s where all those coins go’
https://www.businessinsider.com/how-much-money-is-thrown-into-romes-trevi-fountain-and-where-it-goes-2017-6?r=US&IR=T?utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=topbar&utm_term=desktop
Caritas, ‘What we do’
https://www.caritas.org/what-we-do/
viaggi
https://www.veltra.com/en/europe/italy/roma/a/104359
Gallery of Maps, Vatican Museum’, Peter Kwok
https://www.pbase.com/image/137145226/original
‘Fendi celebrates 90 years in Rome’ https://www.lvmh.com/news-documents/news/fendi-celebrates-90-years-in-rome/