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2010 Italy – Rome

Next stop was Rome where we stayed with some friends near the Centre. They took us to a restaurant where they knew the manager and as is not uncommon in Italy, rather than give you a menu they tell you what is available and their recommendation. I have a hard enough time deciding what to choose when there is a menu in front of me but with all the dishes flashing past my ears I took the easy way out and ordered what everyone else was having. It wasn’t a bad plan as most of the time I wish I had ordered other people’s meals anyway. I was concerned when the waiter recommended fish soup for the main course but still went along with it. As it was a main course I naturally assumed it wouldn’t be just ordinary fish soup but some kind of magical Italian soup with massive bits of fish in it. I was disappointed when it turned out to be just ordinary soup with cauliflower and just the slightest hint of fish. I didn’t enjoy it but I was hungry so ate it all and was surprised how filling it was. It was only then that the waiter asked us what we wanted for our next main course. Our friends explained that it was normal for Italians to eat two main courses and despite having an Italian mother and working in an Italian band when I was young, it was the first I had heard of it or maybe it was just something that happens in Rome. I wasn’t that keen on the second main course either but everyone else was happy enough with it. Federika was always keen to go with friends’ recommendations which I know is normal but in my experience, you are just as likely to have a good or bad meal in a restaurant you have chosen from internet reviews.

The next day we went by ourselves to the centre to see the usual tourist sights beginning at Piazza Navona which I particularly liked. At St. Peter’s Basilica, there was a huge queue. Up until 9/11 you could walk into St. Peters without delay but now they had security which caused the queues but they went down pretty quickly.

By the end of the day I was shattered and it didn’t help that we got lost finding our friend’s apartment.

The Colosseum for me was always the main event of our holiday as I was obviously a famous gladiator in a past life.

Outside we were approached by someone selling tickets for a tour which included bypassing the long queue so we jumped at it. Our guide wasn’t very good and a lot of what she said conflicted with what other guides were saying but it didn’t last long and afterwards we were free to wander around which was always my favourite part anyway. The price of our tickets also included a guided tour of the Roman Forum and this time we were fortunate to have an excellent guide with a real passion for the subject. At the end of the tour, we all sat on the grass while he gave a long lecture about Julius Caesar and I enjoyed every minute of it which was a new experience for me as at school, history was the subject I hated the most. Our guide spoke perfect English and we were surprised to discover he was Romanian.

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