Day 2. Visiting The Vatican, Rome

On By Little Miss TravellerIn Europe, Italy, Rome October 2017

We woke at 8.00 a.m. and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in the hotel’s restaurant before catching the metro to Ottaviano S. Pietro station so that we could visit the Vatican.  Since 1929 the Vatican has been an independent state and is located across the Tiber river from central Rome.  It was a beautiful sunny morning as we joined the crowds in St. Peter’s Square.  The centrepiece of the Vatican is the magnificent St. Peter’s Basilica built between the 16th and 18th centuries.

Vatican City, Rome
Approaching Vatican City, Rome

The queue to enter the Basilica seemed endless, snaking all the way around the square and more besides.  It hardly appeared to be moving and the thought of spending about three hours queuing convinced us to just explore the outer parts instead.

St. Peter's Square, Rome
St. Peter’s Square, Rome

We admired the Piazza San Pietro which is a large oval area built between 1656 and 1667 to provide a setting where the faithful could gather.  It is enclosed at each end by semi-circular colonnades surrounded by a balustrade with 140 statues of saints.

Swiss Guards in Vatican City
Swiss Guards in Vatican City

We sat down on a bench to write some postcards, affixing Vatican City stamps to them before posting them in the Vatican post office so that they would arrive with the postmark of the world’s smallest state imprinted on them.  Before leaving the Vatican we explored the roads surrounding the main square that were open to the public and spotted some Swiss guards in their brightly coloured uniforms of blue, red, orange and yellow giving them a distinctly Renaissance appearance.  The Pontifical Swiss Guard is a small force responsible for the safety of the Pope.

St. Peter's Square, Vatican City
St. Peter’s Square, Vatican City

Leaving the Vatican by a different exit, we walked towards the Castel Sant’Angelo along the banks of the River Tiber.  The castle was built as a mausoleum for the emperor Hadrian and converted into a papal fortress in the 6th century.  Strolling along the tree lined riverside path we had some splendid views looking back towards St. Peter’s Basilica.  A little further along we walked over The Ponte Umberto I bridge near the magnificent Supreme Court building, where we continued our morning stroll on the opposite bank.  Spotting a cafe, we paused for refreshing cups of cappuccino and some irresistible chocolate croissants.

River Tiber, Rome
River Tiber, Rome

From there, it was only a short stroll to the large Piazza Navona, one of Rome’s largest, most beautiful squares.  Early on the Saturday afternoon of our visit, the square was crowded with tourists, street entertainers and musicians creating a lively atmosphere alongside the omnipresent street vendors trying to persuade passers by to purchase a fake handbag, a selfie-stick or some red roses.

Castello Sant'Angelo, Rome
Castello Sant’Angelo, Rome

Our route continued along more winding, narrow streets towards the Pantheon in the Piazza della Rotonda.  There was a lengthy queue to go inside, but noticing that this was progressing quickly, we joined the end and within a few minutes we were entering the former Roman temple through its Greek inspired colonnade.

The Pantheon, Rome
The Pantheon, Rome

Inside the Pantheon, we marvelled at the opulent, cylindrical structure with its magnificent giant dome.  Looking upward, there was a hole at the top of the dome, known as an oculus which lets natural light into the building.

The Pantheon, Rome
Inside The Pantheon, Rome

Set into the walls are monumental tombs and shrines with an elaborate altar taking centre stage.  There is currently no charge to enter the Pantheon but from early 2018 it is likely that a €3 entrance fee will be imposed for all visitors.  The sun was beating down, reflecting off the nearby buildings so we paused to remove some layers before continuing to the Trevi Fountain.  It took some time to edge forward to be able to see the fountain clearly but it was worth the wait as the largest Baroque fountain in Rome lived up to its reputation as being one of the most beautiful in the world.

Trevi Fountain, Rome
The Trevi Fountain, Rome

After admiring the fountain and trying to capture its beauty on camera amid people wielding selfie sticks in front of us, we caught the metro from the nearby Barberini station to Termini.

Frascati Cathedral
Frascati Cathedral

Our plan for the rest of the day was to take a regional train to the town of Frascati.  It was just as well that we had arrived at the station early as our train departed from Platform 18, which was located at the far end of the station taking quite awhile to reach.  We travelled on a modern, regional ‘Jazz’ train which was quite comfortable and we were able to find seats on the upper floor for the 30 minute journey.  Approaching Frascati we could see field after field of vineyards as Frascati is home to this Italian white wine.

Villa AldoBrandini, Frascati
Villa AldoBrandini, Frascati

The train terminated in Frascati and it was a steep climb up to the historic old town square which was dominated by its cathedral.  Passing a Gelateria we couldn’t resist the temptation of buying some coffee flavoured ice cream cones to lick in the warm afternoon sunshine.  It was pleasant wandering along the medieval streets admiring the faded grandeur of the town’s historic past.

Villa Torlonia Public Park, Frascati
Villa Torlonia Public Park, Frascati

The wealthy built villas here, the most impressive being the Villa Aldobrandini which dominates the Piazza Marconi.  We had hoped to stroll through its gardens which are open to the public after picking up free entry permits from the nearby Tourist Information office, but were informed that they were closed at weekends which was a pity.  Instead, we examined our map and made our way to the Villa Torlonia public park for a little look around there.

Old fire engine, Villa Torlonia Public Park
Old fire engine, Villa Torlonia Public Park

On the main terrace of the gardens we found the local fire brigade were holding a display of old fire engines and police cars, so it was an unexpected bonus to take a look at these vehicles.  Moving on, we followed a path through the park which was actually more of a forest trail that looped back round to the entrance gates.

Religious Procession in Frascati
Religious Procession in Frascati

Leaving the park, we were beginning to feel thirsty so we wandered back to the old town where we found a cosy, small cafe for some refreshing cold drinks.  Just as we were about to leave, a religious procession led by the Frascati Brass Band paused outside the cafe so we hurried outdoors to see what was happening.  A short service was taking place but it seemed strange that they had decided to hold it on a narrow stretch of road and not continue slightly further to the cathedral.  Glancing at our watches, we realised that we had only a few minutes to get back to the station for our return train to Rome.  Hurrying along, we were just in time and it was just after 6.00 p.m. when we returned to Rome.

St. Peter's Square, Rome
St. Peter’s Square at night

A rest in our hotel room followed before having dinner in a restaurant near to the PonteLungo metro station.  Because it had been such a clear day the temperature had dropped considerably so we returned to the hotel for our coats before taking the metro back to the Vatican to see it illuminated and without the day time crowds.  After taking a few photos we found a cafe for coffee and slices of tiramisu then crossed the river towards the Trevi Fountain which seemed even busier than when we were there at lunchtime.

Castello Sant'Angelo, Rome
Castello Sant’Angelo, Rome

From there we returned to the hotel from Barberini station where we were surprised to have to wait 15 minutes for a metro train at 11.15 p.m.  Finally back in our room our feet ached and when we checked our phones we realised that we had walked 37,900 steps (over 15 miles) during the day!

Trevi Fountain, Rome
The Trevi Fountain at night

If you have enjoyed reading this post you may also like:

Rome City Break

Rome’s Spanish Steps and an afternoon in Bracciano

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96 thoughts on “Day 2. Visiting The Vatican, Rome”

  1. Pingback: Day 4.  Gianicolo and Trastevere, Rome – Love Travelling Blog

  2. Pingback: Day 3. Rome’s Spanish Steps and an afternoon in Bracciano – Love Travelling Blog

  3. Pingback: Day 1.  Rome City Break – Love Travelling Blog

  4. Pingback: Day 2. Exploring Florence – Love Travelling Blog

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  9. Skin Gin Travel

    This is great! We’re off in two weeks so will be reading all your Rome posts in preparation. I’ve just posted on my blog about what we are planning. What are your key recommendations would you say?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  13. missashira

    I’m going Rome in April and I’m a bit worried about crowds as I’d love to take pictures of places. Do you think going early in the morning to Trevi fountain could help? 😊

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    2. go at sunrise! if you want to take a look at my blog, ivegotacrushontheworld.com you can see pictures of these places from sunrise to compare. We went in the afternoons and late mornings when we first arrived and everything was so crowded! Sunrise we could enjoy everything to ourselves! have a great trip!!!

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  20. Love this post and its beautiful photos. Many years ago, I visited there with my son and grandson. We also walked all the day long from the morning to evening. My son got huge vesicles, but my grandson and I, we did not. Well, it happens.

    Thank You for this post.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  24. Wonderful to see the icons of Rome again . . . on my computer screen. You make my travels easy. In early spring I’ll be posting images from Charleston, SC. and Savannah, GA. Keep up the pace that your followers enjoy so much.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you for your kind words. It’s so pleasing to read that you are enjoying my series of posts on Rome. I’ll also look forward to reading about Charleston and Savannah which will be interesting as I haven’t been so far south in the US.

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  29. I will be in Rome in two weeks with my kids for their first time in Europe! I’ve been to Rome three times before and cannot wait to share all the beauty and magnitude of this town with my two babies. Thank you for this beautiful post and loved your pictures!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  31. Lana

    I have mixed feelings about Rome. I know the pope is not of God so the whole Vatican pomp and wealth does not sit comfortably with me. I like your photos and am glad to hear no more scaffolding at the fountain!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

  35. Beautiful pictures. I have to say, I’ve never gotten over the fact that the Trevi Fountain was under construction when I visited Rome. I saw it in a romantic movie as a child (the film doesn’t bear mentioning) and I would have loved to see it in its full glory. Also- so strange that in Italy you actually *shouldn’t* drink cappuccino after 10/11am! 😀

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  36. I’ve also been to Rome recently, and had the same problem with the Vatican. The only option to skip the q is to buy tickets online in advance 😦
    The Trevi’s Fountain is always incredibly busy, unfortunately, but it’s my favourite “thing to see” in Rome!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  39. The Pantheon rotunda is actually constructed of cofferred “Roman” concrete,and as such represents a marvel of early concrete architecture. It was only recently that its method of construction and the fact it remains intact 2000 years after it was built (in the reign of Octavian (Augustus) was fully understood. For example,apart from acting as a source of light, the inclusion of the oculus both lightened the weight and significantly strengthened the dome. A truly amazing and wonderful structure.

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