Jaya's Italian journal - Italy Trip Day 10- Wednesday Oct 8th - goodbye Rome

Finally, the day came — time to wrap up and go home.But I couldn’t have left Italy without paying tribute to Amma.

I woke up early, put on one of her sarees, and off I went to the Colosseum. Her sarees have become my travel partners — light, easy to drape, and they make me feel as if she’s traveling with me.

It was still dark, and I didn’t want to deal with Google Maps or wonder if I was going in the right direction — I just wanted to reach my destination. It was supposed to be a 20-minute walk from our Airbnb, but with the metro, I reached in about 17 minutes. I must have walked almost half a mile just navigating through the different levels of Termini Station to get to the metro.

Rome was waking up. People were heading to work, trains were filling up with locals, and I hardly saw any tourists at that hour.

When I reached the Colosseum, it was beautifully lit. I had plenty of time before sunrise, so I took a short bus ride around. By the time I returned, a few people were waiting for the sunrise. It looked cloudy, and against my better judgment, I left right after sunrise. By the time I reached the Airbnb, the sun was bright and shining — lesson learned: don’t go too early before sunrise; it’s dark and no fun! Be patient and stay after sunrise, too.

We packed, got ready, and left for the airport. The last train tracks — 23, 24, and 25 — are dedicated to the airport trains. We took the super-fast Leonardo Express. There are also buses outside Termini Station that charge about €9 per person, but the 40-minute non-stop train is the easiest and costs €14. Make sure to take the Leonardo Express to the airport, not the local stop-and-go trains.

The airport, as expected for Italy’s capital, was huge and spotless.

As I boarded the plane, tired and happy, I carried home some limoncello, a couple of boxes of pasta and cheese, a few spices — and a heart full of memories. Memories of laughter, lemon groves, winding roads, ancient ruins, and countless stories that Italy so generously shared… asking me to come back soon.

Map of the Termini Station

6.05 AM line for Breakfast

Train arrived at 6.10

6.16 I was already there - another 40 minutes for sunrise

The  Rome Metro

Time to get back 

Jaya’s Italian Journal – Day 9, Tuesday, Oct 7th: Colosseum and Vatican Trip

 A crash course in Roman history would make the trip more fun. I missed my sons to explain things- A little preparation really helps.

Book your tickets months in advance through the official website. These places are reasonably priced, but most tour operators buy tickets in bulk, so when you try to book online, nothing is left.

Carry a water bottle and a backup battery for your phone!

In Rome, the Colosseum is a must-see. I’m so glad we had a 9 AM check-in. I booked through GetYourGuide, and they contracted it to Crown Tours. The people at the reception were very professional — clearly knew the best way of doing it. It was an awesome experience, and next time I’ll book directly with them.
Oh wait — the whole point of writing this is to say that nobody should buy tickets through any tour company; always book directly from the official site! May be this should be the in the list right after booking the flight.

Our tickets were stamped for 9 AM, and since it was a “skip the line” ticket (which I paid little too much), entry was smooth. You can’t enter earlier than 15 minutes before your slot, and you shouldn’t be late by more than 15 minutes either.

We spent some time exploring, but Mr. Husband was done with Colosseum quickly, so he sat outside while I went to the Roman Forum. I missed the Palatine Hill ,it would’ve taken longer and I didn’t want to keep him waiting.

From there, we took the bus to the Vatican — big mistake! We thought the bus would be a better way to see the city, but with bus change, traffic it was not fun. We somehow managed a quick lunch.

The Vatican was another story — hundreds of people in line, dozens of tours running at any given time. I’m not sure it’s for everybody.

I had bought the ticket again from GetYourGuide, but it was operated by another company called In and Out of Italy. It was also a skip-the-line ticket, so they dropped us at the museum gate, and then we were on our own.

By then, we were tired — too many people, too much rushing. The Vatican just wasn’t fun for us. I think I can handle only one big thing a day, or maybe it was just the tail end of our trip and we were worn out.

After the Vatican, we came back to the hotel, rested a bit, and later took a bus out for dinner. The restaurant Polese is a lively, family-owned place with amazing food. We ordered rice balls, meatballs, and white pasta. The house wine was excellent, and the service was warm and friendly — the perfect end to a long Roman day.

The bus ride back was quiet; my heart and stomach were full. I felt grateful for a busy, loud, beautiful, and historical Rome — with its many told and untold stories.