Rome, Lazio, ItalyIt was an overcast day on the day we were to leave Positano, which was good for our three hour road trip to Rome. The journey included a couple of hours stopover at Pompeii, travelling courtesy of Fabrizzio from Amalfi-drive Limousine and his luxurious Mercedes mini van.
We had a couple of hours breakfast, shower, and pack before Fabrizzio was due. Leftover groceries were left to Suzanna, the cleaner, who arrived to handover the villa at 9.30 and Fabrizzio arrived on time at 10. We set off for Pompeii with the poor travellers, Alice and Rena up front.
We arrived at Pompeii around 11am, it was hot and there were crowds gathering at the entrance, but the queue was not that bad and it was about another half hour before we had tickets and audio guides around our neck. While one of us queued, Rena bought the girls a children's book of history of ancient Rome from the bookstore. This was devoured by both of them before we left Rome four days later, and we were getting historical facts quoted all the time.
Pompeii was a fascinating place. We only planned to stay an hour and that is not nearly enough to do the site justice, but it left us with an impression. It was a lot larger than I expected and the Pompeian society was more advanced. What a devastating travesty befell this community and over the centuries since its rediscovery, the Italians have done a marvellous restoration and preservation job. (Later that day, we learned from our neighbour in the floor above our Rome accommodation, who was from the Vesuvius region, that the other excavation at Ercolano (Herculaneum) is less crowded and in better condition; but we wouldn't have missed Pompeii).
It was nearer two hours when we finally exited the complex; the audio guides made the visit more interesting, listening added to the time. We had a quick lunch at a café near the exit from Pompeii, then joined Fabrizzio again and hit the road north around 1.30pm. The journey took about 2 3/4 hours and we all dozed a little and I tried to write some notes for the blog.
Just after 4pm, we arrived at the Nobleman's Loft, our Rome apartment right in the heart of Trastevere. This place was amazing. I can see why it wins awards for service. Martin the owner had been very helpful, communicating from his home in Spain. As his Roman family were away during our visit, we were welcomed into the apartment by the couple who lived in top floor apartment and they invited us up for a coffee.
By the time we had unpacked and I took the perfunctory photos of the place, the weather had improved and we headed out for the night at 7.30 on foot to find a place to eat. Rena had location in mind, somewhere in Piazza Navona, which was only 17 minutes walk according to Google maps.
Nobleman's Loft is perfectly located only a few 100 meters from Ponte Sisto, a footbridge across the Tiber that offered access to the central Rome sites as well as views of the Basilica to the north. Buskers and musicians were setting up for the evening as we passed. We made our way down alleys and across piazzas, arriving at Piazza Novona soon after 8pm and took our time wandering around and taking in the atmosphere. As the light changed to dark, the pace was humming. By now the girls were used to dining late, but we settled on Ristorante Panzirone. This was good choice, we had a great time and were well looked after by our enthusiastic waiter.
We were on our way back to Trastevere by 10pm and got a great view of St Peter's dome lit up at night as we crossed Ponte Sisto. As we made our way down the Trastevere alleys toward 'home'. We were struck by the contrast from our outbound journey. It was now a balmy spring night and there were bars with patrons in the alleys where earlier they were boarded up. Susan took the girls back to the Loft while Rob, Rena, and Allan found a bar a block from home and had a night cap or two, arriving back around 1 am.
2025-05-22