August 18, 2009 – First Day In Rome

Tuesday

• Around 11:00 AM – according to the schedule – our plane landed at the Leonardo da Vinci International Airport – aka the FCO (official website). We had a very smooth passport control, baggage handling and soon we’re ready to leave the airport.
• 11:15 AM. Took the airport train to the airport’s train station.
• 12:10 PM. At FCO Airport’s Grandi Bigliettere agency we bought the train tickets to get to the city (€5.83 pp, which included 6% fee). We also had a choice to jump on the express train called the “Leonardo Express“, but we opted for a regular train that was much cheaper and not that much slower. The choice was: €5.50 versus €11 (without fees) and 45 minutes versus 31 minutes. Plus we wanted to get the feel of the Italian train system – Ferrovie dello Stato – that we were planning to use extensively (trips to Venice, Padua, Florence, Assisi, Naples). We already liked their website (extensively researched at home), now was the time to see how they deliver.
• The train we took was to the Tiburtina Station and left the station around 12:20 PM. By the way, the Leonardo goes to Termini – another important transportation hub in Rome – which for some visitors might be more convenient; for us, the Tiburtina was actually better, based on our Internet research. Why? We wanted to have at least a glimpse of it as we were planning to use the Tiburtina hub in the coming days for various trips outside Rome. Arrived at the Tiburtina Station around 1:10 PM and got there the BIG tickets (Integrated Daily Ticket, €4 pp, 24-hour use on buses, trams and metro).
• Based on our research at the ATAC’s route calculation website (printed a copy of the route at home), we took bus #490 from the loop in front of the Tiburtina station to our hotel – the Executive Hotel located at Via Aniene 3, in the area of Corso d’Italia/Via Salaria. Bus 490 left around 1:20 PM. The route was as follows: @ Cremona 1:25 PM; @ Morgagni 1:28 PM; @ Piazzale Porta Pia 1:31 PM. We got off at the Piazza Fiume stop (corner of Via Salaria and Corso d’Italia) at 1:34 PM, so it took 12 stops and about 14-15 minutes and we knew that the ATAC’s route calculation was accurate and we could rely on it in the future, if necessary.
• 1:37 PM. After a short walk, we reached the Executive Hotel at Via Aniene 3 and checked in.
• Organized our rooms (two doubles), then took some rest.
• Intro reconnaissance into the city of Rome. We started in the area near the hotel and then explored the Rome’s most important transportation hubs – Termini and Tiburtina stations. We will be using them every day in our moves around Rome and when going for the trips outside Rome (e.g., Venice, Florence, etc.)
• 3:53 PM. Shopping at the closest grocery store – Affiliato GS Insteme (Via Tevere) – it’s just around a corner, next block from our hotel. Got some Italian delicatessen for a picnic – surprisingly inexpensive.
• 4:00 PM. Walk to Villa Borghese – a nearby park with the famous Galleria Borghese. To visit Galleria Borghese, the ticket reservation is needed. We’ve done that online at home and have a visit scheduled for Sunday, August 23, 11:00 AM
• Picnic at the Villa Borghese’s grass. Walk down Viale dei Museo Borghese to Galoppatoio è Via Pinciana/Porta Pinciana è Viale del Muro Torto/city wall 5:00 PM
• Underground passage 5:05 PM. Walked to the Spagna metro stop and from there took the metro train to the Termini station and then from there to the Tiburtina station.
• Metro trip to the Barberini station.
• Piazza Barberini – Fontana del Tritone – Palazzo Barberini 5:25 PM. We wanted to get to the Trevi Fountain, but felt a little bit lost without a good map. Anyway, after wandering in the area of Via del Quirinale – Giardini del Quirinale – Palazzo del Quirinale. Around 5:45 PM we finally got to Piazza di Trevi which was just filled with hundreds of tourists attempting to cool down near the Trevi Fountain and get a picture or two in one of the Rome’s biggest tourist attractions.


Piazza Barberini, Rome

• To explore more the city’s transportation system, we hopped on the bus that took us back to the Termini station where we wanted to buy the train tickets to Venice and Padua. There where huge line-ups, but there was another option available to purchase the tickets – an agency offering transportation tickets, hotel rooms and currency exchange. They charge a fee (rather modest one), but the queue was much shorter and the service was fast. It helped that from the Internet research at home we had all the info needed to buy the tickets (departure times, class of the train, etc.) and the staff spoke English. Ticket details:
  • Rome-Venice SL, Thursday, August 20, dep. 6:50 AM, arr. 11:17 AM – €61.80 pp
  • Venice SL-Padua, Friday, August 21, dep. 1:04 PM, arr. 1:52 PM – €2.90 pp
  • Padua-Rome, Friday, August 21, dep. 7:03 PM, arr. 11:10 PM – €56.10 pp

(Note those are net ticket prices; we also paid a commission, but it was very modest and the service was well worth the price).

• Bus to Piazza Fiume; it was only about 10-12 minutes from Termini.
• 7:22 PM. Affiliato GS Insteme (Via Tevere); bought some more Italian delicacies and a bottle of wine to celebrate our first day in Italy.
• 7:45 PM. Back at the hotel; very tired, but enjoyed the wine. However, exhausted we soon ended the day by testing the bathroom facilities and then going to bed. By the way, the bathtub could be lower (it was difficult to get in and out) and it would be nice to have a shower cabin, or at least a shower curtain. But hey, it wasn’t Ritz…