Rome, The Eternal City

After realising we had a 4 day slot with only a handful of events booked, I decided to take the family on a short break to Rome. Its been a while since any of us had time for a holiday, and this season seemed to have been non stop work so we deserved a break. Rome has the reputation for being one of the most impressive cities in Europe so I was expecting something out of the ordinary. What I found was a mixture of the good, the bad and occasionally indifference, this isn't meant to be a holiday review so I will summerise what I liked and disliked about the trip.

The Good

History

I don't think there is anywhere else in Europe that you could walk along a street of relatively modern buildings, turn a corner and be confronted by a 2000 year old structure, and not just the once, but time and again, Rome seems covered in ruins (although I use the term loosely as some buildings such as the Pantheon are pretty much intact).

The statues and fountains by Bernini or Raphael are utterly breathtaking. A visit to the Vatican or the Sistine Chapel and the wealth of treasures on display are equally awe inspiring.

Entrance Fee Discounts

Most all of the public museums and monuments have a policy of allowing under 18 year olds from the EU free entry. If you are lucky in England you might get a discount for kids, but I wouldn't bank on it.

Discounted Rail Fares

When buying two adult tickets on the Italian rail system, a child of 12 or under was allowed to travel free of charge.

The Italian Rail Service

Rome's train operator is the first one in Europe I have travelled on that actually makes British Rail look good. The first train we approached, the conductor closed the doors as we reached it and wouldn't let us on, I thought this might have something to do with making sure the trains run on time, but as no other train managed to turn up at the allotted schedule this obviously wasn't the case. The next train that arrived had most of the doors out of order, so it resulted in a panic as the crowd of waiting people were forced to run up and down the platform trying to find a door that opened, we made it this time, but many again fell foul of the system where the doors are arbitrarily closed and the train leaves irrespective of whether anyone is waiting to board.

Lack Of The Nanny State

When visiting the Castle De Sant Angelo, a prominent notice warned visitors to beware of the uneven flooring and steps which were original and dated back to the time of the Emperor Hadrian. In this country the castle would either have ot be closed, or the floor would have to be ripped up and replaced in case someone tripped up and sued. There were many similar incidents, and surprisingly we did not see a single fatal accident whilst we were there, surely without our all encompassing Health and Safety Gestapo the people should have been dropping like flies.

Air Conditioned Hotel Rooms

The temperature was a steady 38C whilst we were in Rome, air conditioning must be a prerequisite for living in a country with temperatures like that.

Swiss Air

We flew out with Swiss air, a budget carrier which puts Sleazy Jet and Ryan air to shame. We were fed, watered, given chocolate and the kids on board presented with a selection of toys and games to occupy their time, all fairly inexpensive touches which would put them well in front of the other low cost airlines in my order of preference for future trips.

The Bad

The Vatican

We are constantly told by organised religion that we shouldn't aspire to worldly possessions, why then does the Vatican Cities display wealth and splendour far in excess of what any European King or Queen would be allowed to get away with in this day and age.

Roman Traffic Lights

The first evening in Rome I was amazed by the amount of drivers who, when we were stood on the pavement at pedestrian crossings, stopped and waved us across even though the traffic lights were still on green. I thought at the time that they must be the most considerate drivers in Europe. What I didn't realise at the time, was that in Italy you stop at a green light and go at a red light, as we rapidly discovered when we walked across zebra crossings with the traffic lights at red, and had to dodge the lunatic drivers swerving around us. I think it would be an idea for this strange traffic light system to be more widely publicised to prevent visitors being run down.

Speed Of Your Average Roman

I have often maligned our fast food outlets in the UK for the speed (or lack of it) of their services. After experiencing the Roman equivalent I now realise we operate at warp speed in this country. I walked into a Burger King, which had 4 separate tills open, 6 staff serving, and 8 people in the queue. After 10 minutes the queue had not altered one inch and nobody had actually been served. The amount of historic ruins in the city initially had me thinking that the Italians must be far more respectful of history than we are and more culturally sophisticated. I have since realised that the reason there are so many ancient ruins, is because the construction workers in the city haven't got around to demolishing them yet, and given a few centuries more will probably have them flattened.

The Heat

At a steady 38C during the four days we were there, Rome is just too bloody hot in August. I don't like blisteringly hot weather at the best of times, but trying to walk miles around a city and clamber up and down the 7 hills of room meant that we spent a fortune buying bottled water at ridiculous rates from local street sellers.

The Indifferent

The Population

The locals were a pretty miserable looking bunch. Sure if you asked for directions they tended to help you if they could, there was none of the contemptuous look and ignorance you would receive in say Paris at asking a local for help. But equally there was no sense of pleasure either. Ask for directions in Holland, or Scandinavia and the people seems to genuinely enjoy talking to you. In Italy they just seemed, well, indifferent.


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