AUGUST 2000

This was going to be our longest European journey so far. We booked our flight to Sardinia     (a beautiful island of Italy) to visit our friend Daniele, then go to Italy, Rome, France and so on.

Sardinia:

When we arrived Alghero Airport, Daniele was already there, waiting for us. He drove us to his villa on the other side of the island, I think it was Golfo Aranci, and we met his parents and his brother Davide. His mother had already prepared a great lunch for us (home made cakes, croissants, different types of cheese, fruit juice, etc.) and after lunch we went to the beach.

Sardinian party season only lasts about 2 months and the busiest months are July and August, so we were just in time. The island is beautiful and charming and the beaches are great.

Next morning we decided to discover the untouched beaches of Sardinia. We took a local train up to a certain point, then visited a few beautiful beaches which are only known by locals. Then we went to famous Costa Smeralda, one of the most known beaches in Italy. Every summer a lot of famous people, models, footballers, mafia leaders and “students from London!” come here for holiday.

That night Daniele’s father took all of us to dinner in one of the posh seafood restaurants in Sardinia. It was a big restaurant with all kind of expensive cars in front. (His father had Mercedes 600SEC!) Whatever you can ask from the sea was on the menu: fish, shrimps, mussels, prawns, crabs, lobsters, etc. I can’t remember the names of the dishes we had but it was all great, absolutely delicious. Service was excellent and everything was first class.

Next day we rented a boat and travelled around Sardinia and the other little islands including Tavolara. It is a small island of Sardinia with a little extinct village. It has a few houses, a small cemetery, a restaurant and a military restricted area (NATO submarine harbour). That night was our pizza night , we ordered some Naples style thin and crispy pizzas. Although it only had tomato sauce, cheese and some olives, it was unbelievably delicious. Now I understand why there is no Pizza Hut in Italy!

A long six days of holiday in Sardinia felt like six hours for us and it was time to move on to the mainland Italy. Daniele and Davide also joined us and we booked our ferry for next morning. Daniele told us that the ferry which we were going to use is not very good and the journey takes 8 hours, but we didn’t have any other choice. After 8 hours of sunbathing on the ferry, finally we arrived to Civitavecchia (a little town on the coast!) and got on the train for Rome.  

ROME

Here I am in Rome. It is an amazing city, with so much to see. I have highlighted my favourite places in here and I hope it will help anyone who is planning a trip to Rome.

Colosseum:

It is the symbol of Rome worldwide, originally called The Flavion Amphitheatre. It was started by the Emperor Vespasion between 70 and 76 A.D. and it took 10 years to build. Over the years, spectators watched battles between gladiators, slaughter of animals ranging from dogs to elephants, crocodiles, bears, lions, rhinos, camels and giraffes. Although partially destroyed, it is still enormous one of the largest ancient Roman ruins.

Right next to the Colloseum is this magnificent looking arch of Constantine. It was built in 315 A.D. to celebrate the emperor Constantine’s victory over Maxentius. If you get close enough, make sure to take the time to really look at all the great handwork done on this arch.

Vatican City:

The Vatican is the smallest state and it is all surrounded by the big city of Rome, but although it is so small, there is plenty to see.

The splendid square (St. Peter’s Square) and colonnade from a superb entryway to the largest church of Christendom, dominated by the magnificent dome of Michelangelo. Everyday thousands of international tourists come here to see the Pope, St. Peter’s Cathedral, the holy chapel and the museum.

Unfortunately we couldn’t see the Pope, he was away on a skiing holiday when we were there! Next time…

Rules in the church: Be quiet, no pictures, keep moving, dress properly, shorts, skirts or bare shoulders mean no admission!

Roman Forums (Antique City):

The forum is an obvious must-see in Rome and the most spectacular collection of ruins in the city. After the fall of the Roman Empire, many of the government buildings, temples and monuments fell into disrepair and today only ruins remain. The forum is a large area filled with significant ruins, including the Temple of Vesta, the tomb of Julius Caesar, and the spectacular Arch of Titus.

It is best viewed by taking a guided tour, it takes about an hour and you can even sneak into some other groups and have a guided tour for free!

It is sad because it is not well preserved, furthermore if a powerful civilization like the Romans could be reduced to that… What would happen to ours?

Trevi Fountain:

This is one of the most imposing and stunning attractions of Rome and every day it is visited by hundreds of people, many tossing coins into the water if they want to come back one day! As a result, the fountain actually creates a large amount of money each year and most of this is donated to charity.

The fountain is so big and details are great, so you just have to see it, even if it is over the heads of one of the many Japanese tourist groups!

According to the legend, tossing one coin brings you back to Rome, second coin will grant you a wish, and a third one will guarantee you a wife. Hmmmm... We must have tossed too many!

Pantheon:

The Pantheon is one of the most important Roman temples, it is also the best preserved. It was built by Marcus Agrippa, son-in-law of Augustus, in 27 B.C. in honour of all the Gods.

The entire building is conceived as a perfect geometric figure: a sphere inserted in a cylinder. Outside the Pantheon is the Piazza Della Rotunda, usually filled with people who want to enjoy its cosy cafes and peaceful restaurants, and guess what? There it is, another McDonald’s!!! You would think they could at least leave one part of the world alone!

Castel Sant’Angelo:

One of my favourites, Castle Saint Angelo is known as the Mole Adriana and is the tomb of Emperor Hadrian. The castle has a fantastic panorama of the city of Rome that you should see.

It was not originally built for defensive purposes but as the funeral monument of the emperors and in the 10^th century, it was transformed into a castle.

The bridge in front of the castle is called Ponte Saint Angelo and the archway over the river Tiber is traffic free, perfect for a quiet walk. Look at me!!!

The catacombs are the burial places for Christians. There are over sixty catacombs around Rome, but five of them are open to the public. The best known and most visited is the St. Callixtus. In catacombs, there are hundreds of meters of passageways, thousands of tombs with sculptures, inscriptions and paintings, all expressing the same Christian faith of the early Church of Rome.

It costs a small fee to join a guided tour very 30 minutes, and photographs are not allowed. Although I usually obey such rules, I more often try to sneak at least a picture and here it is!!

S.P.Q.R.

Everywhere in Rome you will see these four letters. The abbreviation of S.P.Q.R. comes from the expression Senatus Popolusque Romanus. The Roman poet Belli interpreted the abbreviation as meaning “Solo Preti Qui Regneno” (only priests rule here!), referring to the temporal power of the Church of Rome.

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