We are back in Roma and are immersing ourselves in the fabulousness of this place. Our trip from Canberra and via Sydney, Singapore and London took over 30 hours. I can categorically say every minute of the journey was worth it to get here.

We are staying at a beautiful three bedroom apartment. It is only a 15 minute walk from the Roma Termini. The train is the best way to get from the airport to the centre of town here in Roma. Despite our lack of sleep, we have a spring in our step. We walk the cobblestoned roads toward the wonderful apartment we are staying in. We do this even with a wonky suitcase that has lost a wheel at some point during our journey. Ah yes, a purchase of a new suitcase will be required.

For the Roma part of our holiday we are a group of seven. All of us have spent some time in Roma in the past. This trip is about revisiting the places we have each loved over the years. We also want to ensure that we each make new wonderful memories of this ancient city.

For those new to Rome, this city was founded around 625 BC. The year of establishment is a little murky and does vary depending upon which website you visit. It has always been a fascinating city. It is considered by many to be the cradle of Western civilisation. Some fun facts about ancient Rome:

• Romans consumed flamingo tongues (not that I should be judging but ah why – gross!)
• During the festival of Saturnalia, slaves were treated as their masters equals (yes absolutely and why not for the rest of the year as well)
• Roman Emperor Tiberius banned PDA ( or kissing in public)…. there are parts of the planet that this is still in place
• Upper class Romans ate while lying down ( I like this – I immediately go to wine and grapes being served to me while reclining on a velvet lounge)
• Roman rulers ingested small doses of poison daily to develop immunity. I, of course, immediately went to the fabulous scene in the Princess Bride. This is where Vizzini and Wesley are engaged in the Battle of the Wits.

Not that the ancient Romans were alone in their rule making. Did you know that groups of three people are not allowed to sing in the streets of the city? Larger groups are also forbidden. They can’t drink, dance, or eat in the streets. Apparently if caught they can face a fine of EUR 500.00. Does this mean that one can’t picnic in the city? The other that springs to mind is the dress codes. Visitors to places like the Vatican Museums and Pantheon must be dressed modestly, and then of course that pesky rule about not having a cappuccino after 11.00 .. ‘cmon really?

I digress. For Steve and my first night in Rome, we head a few streets away from where we are staying (have I mentioned how great the place is).. We have a wonderful dinner at Il Tettarello. Charlie and Kim had visited this little restaurant three times before and rightly recommended it to the rest of us. My verdict is if you find yourself in Rome and you want an uncomplicated and delicious meal, at an excellent price, do yourself a favour and go to Il Tettarello. The food is yummy and the waiting staff are tremendous. They tolerated an over-excited group. We hadn’t seen each other in a while and had lots to catch up on and of course tried to engage sporadically in Italian. They serve great homemade pasta and pizzas along with a wonderful Rossa, beer and some limoncello – bellisimo!

Tomorrow we are hitting a few tourist spots and there will be lots more pictures I promise. Now for some sleep 💤 .