With Shiv and Lil now back at work in Toronto, we know for sure they’ve fulfilled one of their three simple goals: arrive home safely. I think it’s also safe to say that they’ve had a blast, so now we’re up to two out of three. But did they stick to their budget of $2500 each? I have a feeling that’s a strike!

So far we’ve only heard about their adventures in Madrid and Barcelona. The ladies were able to check off all the must-see places and must-do activities on their list and then some. Gazing at Antoni Gaudí’s unique architecture was a must and enjoying a flamenco show in an old man-made village was a bonus. In this week’s update on Shiv and Lil’s awesome European vacation, we find out if pizza, pasta, and gelato really do taste better in Italy!

Let’s hear from them!

Wednesday, September 21st 2011 – Rome, Italy

After the mad dash to the gates in Barcelona, our arrival in Italy was quite muted. We landed at Rome’s Ciampino Airport in the evening, gathered our luggage, and walked straight out of the door. Just like that. There was no need to go through customs much to our surprise. Perhaps this was due to the smaller size of the airport, but that meant there was no confirmation that Shiv and I had actually arrived in Italy.

We then caught a bus to Termini, the main bus and train station in downtown Rome. At 4 Euros one way, it was much more economical than a taxi which would have been significantly more as it took about 45 minutes to reach. In our selection of hotels, one of our main criteria was accessibility. The hotel we chose was easy to find and located close to Termini.

Hotel Galles is a three-star hotel, the highest rated hotel we would be staying at in our European tour, so expectations were pretty high. The hotel façade and main lobby were well decorated, however, upon checking in, we were told that our room was actually located in the next building. There, we had to ring to be let in, and then we were greeted by a very old fashioned elevator that could only be described as a birdcage. Rather than take the elevator, as we were on the second floor, we made our way up the spiral stairs. After climbing up the equivalent of 4 storeys, we finally made it to the 2nd floor, and our room was another surprise. Decorated in a dated fashion with dark green patterned walls, red carpets, and lots of mirrors, the two-storey room was actually quite scary. Nevertheless, we reassured ourselves that we would not be in the hotel for very long as we would be out and about.

[caption id="attachment_1921" align="alignleft" width="294"] Lil in front of Hotel Galles; the ladies actually stayed in the adjacent building.[/caption]

Deciding to grab a bite to eat, we walked through the area of hotels that surrounded the Termini station and were pleased with the amount of restaurants. We ordered pasta of course; Shiv was very pleased with her seafood dish. I had water with my food while Shiv had a glass of wine. This was the last bottled water I ordered! The price difference between wine and water was only about 1 Euro but since the tap water in Italy isn’t recommended, it had to be bottled.

Completely stuffed, we headed back to the hotel to get a good night’s rest. Due to the hotel’s décor and atmosphere, we ended up needing to leave on one light to sleep. It was far too dark and scary without it on to sleep peacefully!

Thursday, September 22nd 2011 – Rome, Italy

Despite the creepy atmosphere of our room, we slept in until noon and as a result, missed the complimentary breakfast at the hotel. This was truly complimentary unlike our experience in Barcelona! The night before, we purchased unlimited metro passes for three days at 11 Euros each and were eager to put them to use so we decided to visit the Colosseum. We chose to get off the metro one stop before it in order to find a place to eat.

Rome was quite hot, more so than Barcelona. At 30 degrees Celsius, the weather was beautiful. With a water bottle in hand, purchased from the local pharmacy, we walked through tiny and hilly streets looking for a place to eat. Shiv approached a local who suggested Via Nazionale, a street with shops and food. On our way, however, we approached a small but busy cafeteria and decided to try the food. For 6 Euros, you could choose a meat dish, a veggie, and pasta. The gnocchi was fantastic, and with bellies full, we were off to find the Colosseum.

[caption id="attachment_1922" align="alignleft" width="294"] Lil, her bottle of water, and Shiv near the Colosseum[/caption]

Thoroughly lost in relation to where the metro station was, we found the Colosseum on foot when Shiv noticed it in the distance. She is clearly more observant than I am, as I was more focused on the street names and didn’t notice the massive structure that is clearly identifiable as one of Rome’s main landmarks.

We decided that we would pay the 12 Euros to tour the Colosseum and it was money well spent as it is a very impressive representation of Roman architecture. Completed in 80 AD, we could not help but compare it to Toronto’s oldest buildings which are only from around the late 18th century.

After a couple hours of walking and taking photos, we headed back to the hotel for a nap (surprise, surprise). It was then time to check out the city nightlife and so we went to Trastevere, an area recommended by Shiv’s coworker.

How amazing! Full of narrow, winding cobblestone roads, restaurants and bars, Trastevere is lively and has a great upbeat atmosphere. With so many choices, we had a hard time settling on a restaurant. Once we did, we had pizza and pasta to share. This was our first pizza in Italy and it was more amazing then we could have ever imagined. It was so light and tasty, nothing at all like the pizza we’re used to from North America. It was official. Italian pizza has ruined for us all other pizzas.

[caption id="attachment_1923" align="aligncenter" width="629"] Pizza and pasta to share.[/caption]

Well fed once again, we sought out a place to dance the night away. Unfortunately, the only place we found (and due to the winding streets, kept ending up at) was a bar called DJ Bar. We did take a look inside but only because we needed to use the washroom (restroom). Far too crowded (this had to be a violation of sorts), we left immediately.

Asking around, we took a cab to another area of town where there were dance clubs to be found. We ended up in a Salsa club with some new friends we had made earlier in Trastevere. The people in the club were very friendly (perhaps a little too friendly) and there were many offers for a salsa dance, but with our feet in pain from walking in heels on the cobbled roads, we decided to trek back to the hotel.

The earlier cab ride had cost 10 Euros and we knew that to take it back to the hotel would be quite pricey and not in line with our economical approach so we decided to try and find a midnight bus. After taking the shadiest streets where we may have been mistaken for ladies of the night, we managed to find the bus with Shiv’s determination.

On the bus, we noticed that it was based on an honour system. You could enter the bus from any door and were not required to show payment to the driver. There was a machine in which you could purchase tickets on the bus, but we rarely saw that in use.

Friday, September 23rd 2011 – Day 3 in Rome

Once again we slept in until noon. As a result, we missed the breakfast again and with our flight out at 6:50 AM the next day, we would not have a chance to take advantage of the only complimentary breakfast that was available to us during our stay.

Our only real agenda was to visit the Vatican Museums and find the fountain from the movie When in Rome. The first item on our list though was to eat lunch. There was a charming and inviting restaurant I had spotted close to our hotel and despite originally wanting pizza, their lunch menu was too tempting to resist. We settled on more seafood, pasta, and wine.

After lunch, we took the metro to find the Trevi Fountain. It was much grander than how it was depicted in the movie. It was packed with tourists throwing coins behind their shoulder for good luck and for finding true love. We joined in on the fun. It’s reported that 3000 Euros are thrown into the fountain each day! With the amount of people we saw at the fountain that certainly seems true.

Our next stop was the Vatican Museums. The security to get in was akin to airport security measures – except for our experience at Rome’s airport! Anyway, we only perused the gift shop before deciding to leave. With only one day left in Rome, we weren’t willing to spend 2 hours inside a museum and decided it would be more worthwhile to experience the culture of Rome.

The best thing about a metropass is that you can jump on and off buses easily. Another great thing is that it is almost impossible to get lost. Buses will always take you to a main station and once you hit the metro, we could easily get back to Termini. With that in mind, we ended up at Piazza di Spagna, a popular shopping area and home to the Spanish Steps.

[caption id="attachment_1925" align="alignleft" width="294"] Shiv in front of the Spanish Steps near Piazza di Spagna[/caption]

Craving dessert, we settled in at a cute gelataria. In Barcelona, despite many places selling gelato, we refrained as we wanted to experience the gelato in Italy. We ended up eating gelato every day in Rome and it was absolutely delicious.

Our last night in Rome had to be an early night because of our flight out the next morning, so we made a stop back at the hotel (and this time avoided the 3 hour long nap) before heading out one last time for a meal in Rome. We decided to go to Via Nazionale where we settled on a pizzeria that had been around since 1938. The pizza once again didn’t disappoint, and accompanied with a bottle of Rosé, it was another great meal.

Reflecting on our time in Rome, we realized that our biggest accomplishment was savouring Italian cuisine. The food was absolutely delicious, especially the pizza!

Arrivederci Rome!

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Up next for the ladies are Nice and Paris, where a long train ride results in an upset stomach, appetites call for croissants and couscous (oddly enough), and language barriers create problems for Shiv and Lil at the cinéma. Read all about their adventures in France in Part Four of Europe on the Fly with Shiv and Lil.

[caption id="attachment_1926" align="aligncenter" width="629"] Lil and Shiv inside the Colosseum[/caption]

- Kiana Amirpour

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