By Christine Swan

It appears to be just a short hop from Venice to Rome but, in reality, it is about half way down the boot of Italy, plus the width around the calf of it from East to West. I caught a morning Frecciarossa which I had booked months in advance. There are four classes of travel on some Italian trains and I decided that Executive level was a bit too decadent for me, so I chose Business class. My ticket was about 39 Euros. This sticks in my mind because it was great value both for the level of comfort and length of journey. I was welcomed onboard with a cold drink and complementary snacks.

Rainy weather leaving Venice

My final couple of hours in Venice before I left, were much cooler than the previous day and it began to rain just as I left the station. This didn’t bode to well for walking around Rome all day. I had booked a night train from Roma Termini to Catania, Sicily, for later that evening, giving me most of the day and evening in Rome. I had to carry my rucksack and additional bag with me but, here is where travelling light and packing economically pays off. The only non-essential weight was my complementary welcome bottle of prosecco from my luxurious Venetian hotel. I was determined to keep this as a gift for my daughter when I reached her in Valletta.

A good level of comfort onboard in business class – and only 39 Euros!

The Italian countryside sped past, green and lush at this time of spring. The journey time is about three and a half hours but, with dozing, reading the onboard magazine and staring out of the window, it didn’t feel long before I began to see signs of the approaching capital city. Ruined aqueducts litter the countryside and signal the presence of Roman civilisation. The advantage of arriving by train is that you emerge into the heart of the City. Frequent travellers who are familiar with the journey, signal imminent arrival by getting their bags together ready to disembark, and so did I as I saw the landscape become less green and felt the train begin to slow.

The Italian countryside speeds past

Roma Termini is a modern building with a huge number of platforms. There are also lots of shops and eateries to keep you occupied if you have a wait between trains. It was early afternoon when I arrived and, to my delight, the weather was dry and the sun had reappeared. It was also pleasantly warm, requiring me to remove my thick hoodie and tie it round my waist. In comparison with the stylish Italian ladies, I looked like a scruff. Ah well, what I lacked in style, I more than made up for in taste. I found a very small gelateria for a cooling treat, which was heavenly. Fragola is such a wonderful word. To me it conjures not just a strawberry taste, but their smell too. I decided that strawberry gelato really was the food of the gods and that I would eat it whenever I could.

Inside Roma Termini

I headed towards the Roman Forum and other key sites. I can remember turning a corner, and there it was – ancient Rome lay before me. It was stunning. No matter how many photographs that you look at in books, they cannot prepare you for seeing Rome for the first time. The sheer enormity of Colosseum, peregrine falcons buzzing around Trajan’s Market, so many temples partially standing, and part fallen. All of Rome was there before my very eyes. I wandered about in a daze, almost not believing that I was seeing these legendary landmarks at close quarters. I walked until my stomach told me that it was dinner time.

Early evening skies over Trajan’s Market

I found a small cafe away from the main tourist sites and decided that I would test-run their pizza. The staff were very welcoming and I was rumbled as being English even though I spoke Italian. I did my best but my dodgy accent must have given me away. Some young students were also dining with friends. They had travelled from all over Europe but, with interest, I noticed that they decided that English was their common denominator as they could all speak a little of it. I tried not to listen too intently as an Icelandic boy was chatting up an Italian girl and his German friend was trying his best too. It was quite charming. The pizza was delicious and I rounded off my meal with more gelato and a coffee. Perfetto.

Coffee time – with a warm Roman welcome

I set off to find the Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps just as dusk was beginning to fall. The best advice is – follow the crowds. And, crowds there were. It’s impossible to take a photo with nobody else in it. I was astounded how many people were there at 7pm on an evening in March. I took a few photos and then went to buy supplies for my overnight journey to Sicily. There was a Spar supermarket just off of the piazza so I bought food and drink to meet my needs. It was close to Easter and the store was full of elaborate chocolate eggs. I decided that these were not very transportable, no matter how stunning they were.

Whenever you choose to visit the Trevi Fountain, expect crowds

Crowds!

Dusk falls at the Spanish Steps

It was getting dark as I walked back towards Roma Termini. I had read lots of warning stories about solo women wandering around Rome after dark. However, I am happy to report that there were still so many people out and about, I never really felt alone. I looked at my train app to see the platform that my sleeper train would arrive at and found a member of station staff to point me in the right direction. He told me that the train wouldn’t be in for another hour but that I could wait with him. I think he found it a novelty to see the Trenitalia app in English and he chatted about my onward journey as well as my travels up to that point. My spoken Italian isn’t fluent but I got by. I found every person that I spoke to genuinely pleased that I was making the effort and I found the Italian people warm and welcoming. As with any travel, you have to have your wits about you. The street sellers in tourist areas can be quite insistent. One grabbed my wrist to put on a friendship bracelet. Huen sau is a Kung Fu wrist rotation move. I think he was suprised by my quick reaction and found that he no longer had my wrist and that my hand was drawn back in readiness. “No”, I said, and walked off. Even the Centurions offering personal tours and “jump the queues” tickets are being clamped down on. When so much of Rome is there to see, if you don’t have time to queue, which I didn’t, you can still take in the major sites without the need.

Monument to Vittorio Emanuele II

I vowed to return, I still vow to return. Rome is beautiful, perfect and of course, eternal.

All photographs by the author.

More information

Book your train tickets through Trenitalia https://www.trenitalia.com/en/purchase.html

The Rome Tourist Board site will show you everything you need to see: https://www.turismoroma.it/en

Everything you need to know about travelling by train in Italy: https://www.seat61.com/train-travel-in-italy.htm