Rome

We went to Rome for the long weekend. We had to appear in person to apply for bel bambino's Australian passport and used this as an excuse for a mini holiday. It was lovely to visit Rome again, we stayed at the hotel where we met and visited our friends. It was lovely yes, but reinforced the notion that never in our lives do we want to live in Rome with a baby.

When you've lived in Rome like we have and seen it inside out then you don't see the splendour of the Colosseum, rather you see how dirty and dark it is. The Trevi Fountain, always my favourite place, was full of beggars and foreigners harassing us to buy flowers. We didn't go and visit all the sites this time, there was no need. I was last in Rome for a weekend in 2009 and so much has changed or maybe there is so much I have forgotten. The city is dirty, really dirty and there are foreigners galore. Now I am a foreigner so don't go thinking I am racist but I was surprised by just how many foreigners there were. We heard stories that a lot of jobs are being given to foreigners and not Italians since they will accept low wages and poorer conditions.

We got the tram one evening to visit a friend's wine bar. When the tram came it was so full that we had to walk back 3 stops to the start to try and get on with bel bambino's pram. We finally got on and were crushed like sardines while we tried to protect bel bambino from being squashed. If this experience wasn't bad enough, half way there the tram stops and people start getting out. The driver didn't make an announcement, we had no idea what was going on until we learnt that there was a protest down the way and the lines were blocked. A day doesn't go by when there isn't a protest in Rome, but this was about 6pm at night.

Tram after tram were pulling up and spilling out the commuters. It is not as if they thought to notify people before getting on the tram or that they thought of suspending them all together. Instead they sent one bus, one normal bus which is one third of the size of the tram. We didn't even attempt to board as with a sleeping bel bambino it would have been impossible. Finally another bus came and we asked to board before the mad crazed commuters. Permission granted, a warning given to be careful of the mad rush and then the onslaught began. After people being pushed out onto the street and us shoving people away from bel bambino the bus left. Amidst 2 gypsies fighting, the over powering stench of way too many sweaty people in a small space we made it to our friends and the haven of the wine bar.

We really want to go and live in Australia. We cannot think of raising our son here anymore.

My first year in Rome

It was a hot and humid evening in late spring, 2006. It was May I think. I was new to the job, having lived in Italy, in Rome for just over a month. Home was a nondescript apartment paid for by work, in a mediocre suburb called Gianicolense. The area was nothing special, but it was just up the road from one of the most beautiful areas of Rome, Trastevere, the beautiful old Jewish quarter. The apartment was ok, nothing special, but  I was living my dream, I was living in Italy so would have settled for much less.

I lived with my English colleague on the second floor of an eighties apartment block. On this particular evening, I returned home late from work. There had been a  problem with a customer and since I was new to the job I was slow in resolving the issue. My feet were sore and tired after having traipsed around the Eternal City in high heels, so I decided to take the lift, something which I never do since I lived on the second floor and a bit of exercise is always good.

It was one of those small, claustrophobic, old lifts which fits a maximum of 3 people, 3 small waif like people that is. You have to close the door manually in order for the lift to work. I was a few seconds into my journey when the lift stopped. Not on my floor mind you, not on any floor. It just stopped in between floors. Ok, try not to panic, I thought. I rang my colleague who was at home and she rushed out to see the lift stuck between floors, and she could hear me in it. Go and get help! I yelled out to her. Ok! She called back rushing off to knock on some unknown neighbours doors. People living in massive apartment blocks don't normally know one another, they aren't normally trusting, so it took a while before someone opened the door. It took even longer for them to understand what was going on since my colleague spoke absolutely no Italian, a few words of Spanish at best.

I was starting to get nervous, images of me being stranded in the lift, dying of dehydration were starting to fill my over active mind. Stuck on the wall of the ancient lift was a phone number and thanking god that part of my job included a mobile phone, I called the number. A man answered and in very, very bad, almost non-existent Italian I tried my best to explain the situation. He had no idea what I was saying but was very nice trying to calm me down as I was rather hysterical by this stage. I hung up, having gotten no where with the phone call, and instead rang my twin in Australia to ask if I should save my water in case I was stuck in the lift for a long time, or drink the water and risk having to pee myself should I be stuck in the lift for a long time. Call waiting was beeping, so I had to go, having decided to have a few small sips of water at regular intervals. Beep, beep went my phone. It was the lift maintenance man who was trying to help me by telling me that he couldn't actually help me. I was calling the wrong number I eventually gathered and one of the only words I could understand was fuoco which he kept repeating.

My English colleague by this stage had found an obliging neighbour who understood her 5 words of Spanish and 1000 hand gestures. I yelled out to her that we had to call the fire brigade, I had no idea what the number was, or how to explain my situation. The obliging neighbour made the call, and I tried to calm myself with thoughts of a sexy Italian fireman coming to rescue me (I was single at this stage). It didn't work and by the time I heard the sirens wailing down the road I was a complete wreck, crying like a lunatic and talking to the kind maintenance man who kept calling me back to check my progress, even though we didn't understand a word that the other was saying.

It only took a moment for the fire men to rescue me, since the lift had only been stuck between the two floors. Slowly the door of the lift was wrenched open with some sort of equipment and I burst out, crying and hyperventilating into the arms of a startled, rather old and chubby fireman.

Welcome to Rome!

Getting married in Rome (no not me!)

I am leaving the hot and humid Sorrento for an even hotter and humid Rome...no - don't worry - I have not lost my mind, pining for a Rome that I could not wait to leave last year...I am SO glad to no longer be living there and this time I am returning, with pleasure to attend my first Italian wedding!

Bel ragazzo's cousin is getting married (a cousin I have never met but that is neither here nor there.) The family was invited and since Rome is a little trek from Calabria and his parents did not feel the urge to make the journey by bus in the blistering heat, it was decided that we would go. Bel ragazzo is already there for work, so I am getting the bus from Sorrento tonight (bargain for only euro 31,50 RETURN) and will arrive into my favourite station Tiburtina tonight...(note sarcasm)

For once I am excited (seriously, I am not being sarcastic this time) as I will be in Rome for only 2 nights, I can see my friends again, and attend my first Italian wedding. I cannot wait! I have been to hundreds of massive family Australian/Italian weddings but these are not the real thing. Who knows what awaits me Sunday night...a big, fun, festa I hope!

A little moan about Rome

If you are one of those people who loves Rome more then any place in the world then please do not read on (I used to be one of the Rome lovers...but now...well now I am not.)

So here goes my big moan about the Eternal City. I've only been back in Rome for a few days and all I can say is thank god I am leaving tomorrow!

Yeah..yeah...Rome is great and all that but as you all know I have done my time here - 2 years in fact so enough is enough.

I have been out of Rome for a while now and had forgotten just how dirty the air is. You cannot breathe in this city at all! I was walking around the Spanish Steps before to visit some hotels and was almost gagging from the pollution. (Ok so I may be exaggerating a teeny bit.)

And the traffic...I hate the traffic in Rome (and all Italian main cities!) The city is constantly one big mix of buses, cars and scooters all trying to push and shove to get one centimetre ahead of the other.

And the crazy people. There are SO many of them in Rome. I am sick of being accosted by the crazy people who seem to seek me out. I must have a beacon above my head saying "here I am! Come and bother me, I have nothing better to do." I was harassed 4 times yesterday - 5 if you count the drunk homeless man who nearly grabbed me. Ok so the drunk homeless man did not literally try to grab me, I think he was just so drunk that he nearly fell on me. Then there are these annoying people who always try to sell you socks on the street. Has anyone else ever seen them walking around or is only me? I got stopped again today by a sock selling man...they seem to be rather 'normal' looking people (not gypsies or dirty and homeless looking) and they walk around Rome (and other main cities I have found them) selling socks...They are so annoying and I always think it odd that they try to sell socks. A lot of illegal street pushers try to sell toys, tissues, almost dead flowers but socks...?

I am accosted almost every second it also seems by beggars of every description (with legs, without, with babies, without...) They love to take the bus that I happen to use and they smell so bad! So bad. But if only you could have seen their jewellery! One had these massive, heavy gold hoop earrings, a gold watch and two front gold teeth...

The book sellers annoy me too - outside of the main bookshops there are these people who try to sell you books or pamphlets or something. Has anyone else seen them? I don't know what they are all about as I don't want to stop and talk to them! I just say a quick 'no grazie' and keep walking.

The restaurants who try and 'entice' you into their establishment also bother me greatly. This morning I was walking down the street when this waiter blocks my path calling out "Signorina, cappucino? Corentto? Prego." Why does that bother me you ask..perhaps he was just being nice. Well I was EATING a cornetto! Leave me be. Really. Leave me be.

So it seems Rome really is the Eternal City and nothing ever changes. Bring on Sorrento I say! Bring it on.

Mayhem at Rome airports

I am so glad that I am not working here in Rome today!

Since yesterday the Ciampino airport has been closed since a Ryan Air flight from Frakfurt had to make an emergency landing at Ciampino due to bird interferance. As the plane was making its decent, a number of birds hit the plane and got sucked into the engine causing substantial damage. The customers had to evacuate the plane by emergency chutes and seven people were sent to hospital with minor injuries. The plane is now sitting at Ciampino with one part of the engine on the ground. Some flights were to gain entry into the airport, but then the ground staff decided to throw a last minute sciopero (strike) without any warning so now the airport is closed...

Oh and that's not all. Don't forget that Rome has two airport, we also have the main international airport Fiumicino aka Leonardo da Vinci. Since yesterday Alitalia decided at the last minute and again without warning to go on strike, cancelling about 20 flights and leaving thousands stranded. My colleague who has taken over from me has just come back from the airport as she has customers who have been waiting since yesterday to fly home. No one even offered them a bottle of water and no one has been communicating with customers as to when or how they will be re protected on other flights. The issue with Alitalia is basically that they have been taken over by CAI and staff are not happy with the new work contracts.

So yes - as you can see I am very happy that I am not working today in Rome! I think I may see what's on at the cinema...I am a lady of leisure after all.

Random Rome

Poor bel ragazzo has been working morning shifts then night shifts, followed by afternoons and more nights at his old hotel...it is only for two weeks though so it's not so bad but I feel guilty that he is always on the go, getting such little sleep while I am a lady of leisure. I spend my days going for walks with Nikita...it sort of feels like I have a dog but that in this case my dog is our camera...(No I am not crazy and think our new camera is a dog, it is just that our new camera sits on the table, willing me to take it for a walk, so in that respect it is like a dog.)

Anyway, enough camera/dog talk. Here are some random photos we took around Rome:

Some photo's from the Fori Imperiali one of the most famous streets in Rome. This is the heart of the ancient city with ruins on either side. If you are in Rome it is particularly nice to stroll along here on Sundays as the road is closed off to traffic.










Santa Maria Maggiore




Me being artistic

Random Rome

I had a call from work today asking me if I wanted to go to Fuerteventura, which is one of the Canary Islands where bel ragazzo is going to work for the second half of winter. I turned them down. Why you ask? Does Leanne not want to be with the bel ragazzo? The answer is yes, Leanne does want to be with the bel ragazzo so she had to turn them down. They wanted to know if I was free to go immediately for the first half of winter! I think not...I have work waiting for me in Malito, contadina Leanne cannot wait to go down south. So now I am still waiting, having re clarified the issues that I want work for the 2nd half of winter. We will just have to wait and see.

In the mean time we have been enjoying our last week in Rome with Nikita. She is fantastic, and we are slowly learning how to use her. (FYI Nikita is our new professional camera.)

If you see the water fountains in Rome don't be afraid to refill your water bottles. The water is clean and some of the best water that you'll find in Italy. Bel ragazzo and I often go to the fountain down the road from our apartment to fill up our water bottles...yes some people stare at us like we are homeless but the water really is that good, why pay for it from the supermarket?

Random Rome

Here are some random shots of Rome that we took with our new camera. The count down is on...soon no more Rome so take advantage of the photo's while you can!

It has been raining on and off for the last few days, but the temperature has still been very warm, even hot...so of course I have been getting my fill of gelato! There is a gelateria/bar which opened in Malito this year, but I am not sure if they will be making gelato in the winter.



Soon there will be no more discovering deserted back streets in the centre of Rome.



Where I'm going, there will be no brown tourist signs pointing you in the right direction...where I'm going I'll most probably be the only tourist!



No more living next to San Giovanni.



Where I'm going there will be lots of these.



In Malito there are no mammouth buildings, just a multicoloured countryside.





Cannot wait to head south!

Finally it's over.

Tomorrow is my last offical day of work here in Rome! So now I will be a lady of leisure for while until bel ragazzo and I head down to Calabria.

I have been complaining a bit this year about being 'over' Rome when in reality it was mostly due to the fact that I was having issues with my lazy colleague, and that if circumstances were different I would have liked to remain in Sicily ...but that aside I actually do love Rome.

I will miss Rome. Don't get me wrong - I won't be crying all day and night, but there are some things I will miss. I will miss living so close to one of the biggest airports, which made it so easy for us to pop over to Venice for a mini break. I will miss having such a great selection of shops and international restaurants on my door step, but what I am looking forward to the most is that I will have time to miss Rome.

At the moment I see the Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, and all the sites of Rome every day. They are no longer exciting. It's like when you live in London and you don't really care that Big Ben is in front of you, in Paris I am sure the locals rush past the Eiffel Tour without a second glance...and Rome is a little like that for me at the moment. I want to see these sites and remember how excited I was the first time I saw them and the only way to get this enjoyment factor back is to leave Rome behind and come back not as a resident, but as a tourist. At least after working here for so long I will not have to ask any stupid questions!

Soon...very soon... no more Rome.

Bel ragazzo has finished picking chestnuts in Calabria and is returning to Rome tomorrow! He is going to be working here for 2 weeks at his old hotel (which happens to be one of the hotels that I work with, and where we happened to meet two years ago.)

Tour guide Leanne is officially hanging up her hat on the 5th of November, and saying 'arrivederci' to Rome. My time working here is nearly (and thankfully) finished. Rome is a beautiful city but my heart was never here...I left a little piece of it behind in Sicily and hopefully (well I am 99% sure) I will be returning to Taormina, Sicily to work next year, this time with the bel ragazzo in tow.

Also when he finishes his 2 weeks in Rome bel ragazzo is returning to Calabria - this time with me in tow. We are leaving Rome, together on the 15th of November...and although you won't be hearing from tour guide Leanne for a while, I imagine you'll be hearing a lot from Contadina Leanne!





Bel contadino ragazzo has been in Malito for a week or so but it has not been all traipsing around the mountainside for him. No! My Bel contadino ragazzo has been true to his new name and has been working the land around our (one day) house. We are going to be in Malito for 6 weeks or so and have lots of work to do! (I'm not going to spend the whole time being a farmer though...tour guide Leanne has been planning a week in Puglia, and we want to travel around Calabria as much as possible, but I am really looking forward to working on our house.)



So stay tuned...the countdown is on...only 16 days left in Rome and 7 days left of work. (And no, before you ask I STILL do not know where I am going for the 2nd half of winter. I keep getting told to be patient...hmmm...we'll see where in the world tour guide Leanne is going hopefully very soon.)

National lottery jackpots at 100,000,000 euro

Tonight the national lottery jackpot is 100,000,000 euro!!! Yes one hundred MILLION euros.

I am not a gambler, but bel ragazzo and I 'started' to gamble the other week when the jackpot was 93,000,000 euro. Still no one has won...so now it's 100,000,000 and when it only costs 50 cents to play then you cannot say no!

Tonight I splashed out and spent 3 euro (I would love to know how much people are spending. I bet you some people are spending hunderds on buying a million tickets.)

I have never purchased a lotto ticket alone in Italy. I don't know the lotto lingo. The little tabacchi downstairs was full, literally over flowing with people, all on their mobile phones trying to guess the winning numbers. I was so excited and nervous I was not sure which form to take, but I spied over the shoulders of those carefully shielding their numbers.

The line was long, and slow. We were mostly all 'new gamblers' it seemed. No one knew what to do. I angered many people by taking my time at the counter as I tried to remember how to ask for computer generated numbers (Bel ragazzo had called and told me to ask for gia gioccato but the lady did not understand this phrase, or maybe the way I said it. In the end we got there when I asked for 'i numeri che il computer ha scelto.' (the numbers that the computer chose - yeah...I know...high tech wording!)

I chose 2 lots of 6 numbers and then had the computer selected the other 4 lots of 6 numbers. (We wanted to play the same numbers each week, but bel ragazzo is traipsing around the Calabrian countryside having a jolly old time and is away from his house and our old tickets. Oh well, this time we have new numbers, based on those we could remember from the old lot!)

It's so funny too as apparently lots of French people are crossing over the boarder and buying lotto tickets in the north of Italy!

No one can say no to the chance of winning 100,000,000 euro. I am trying not to go all crazy and let my mind wonder too much... but I cannot stop thinking about buying a small island...

Protecting the People

Being the good citizen that I am, I called the police today to divulge some information on my neighbours. Rushing like a mad woman to the front door peep hole every time I heard a noise outside the apartment is not the same as spying...it's not since the police asked me after all to let them know if I saw anyone...

On Saturday night I heard someone enter the neighbours house, but they are always so quick that by the time I reach the peep hole I never catch the face. It was too late to call the police and after 10 minutes I heard someone leave. Again, to late - I missed the face...'but hang on' I thought, if I run to the kitchen window I can spy down and catch them walking out of the building - perfect! Again I did not catch a glimpse of the face, but I took note of the hair and body shape of this mysterious female.

I considered calling the police the next day, but then I begun to think paranoid thoughts that I might be living next door to serial killers. On Tuesday bel ragazzo left for Calabria, and I decided I could not possibly call the police as the serial killer, people smuggling, drug lord neighbours may come knocking at my door during the night.

The next day I saw someone else enter the house. This time I saw her face since she was walking in front of me on the stairs. We exchanged a smile while I gave her the subtle once over C.S.I style (mid 40s, petite, light brown curly hair with definite blond highlights) and I even heard her speak, in Spanish to a male already inside the house.

I lost all fear and decided that since I had a good look at her, it was my duty to call the police. It is not that I am curious and want to know what they are up to...no! Not at all! Don't forget they asked me for information...but come to think of it, I should find out why the police are interested merely for self protection purposes.

So I call the police once and the officers are not there, I call twice and they are out again...I call this morning and finally on the 4th call I speak to the senior inspector! I tell him what I saw, and he didn't even bother to ask me for times, descriptions or anything! All he said was they think the apartment is being used as an unregistered B&B.

How boring. I am not going to spy - sorry - monitor the house anymore for the police. An unregistered B&B...why did I waste my time.

Work in Progress / Rome

Rome is still one big work in progress. I mentioned a while ago that all the old cobble stones are being removed from the main roads, and reset in a more smooth fashion. It is a great idea, and I am glad that they are not replacing the old cobble stones with pavement...but the city is still one big mess with traffic jams day in and out.





To make matters worse there was a 24 hour transport strike yesterday and we were all warned that there would be no trains, planes, buses or trams...even ferries for that matter - not just in Rome but Italy wide. So anyone and everyone was driving around Rome yesterday...buses too since the 24 hour transport strike was in reality...not a transport strike.

Via Appia Antica...the old Roman highway

If you want to get off the beaten track in Rome then you can pay a visit to Via Appia Antica. As you look down at the ancient cobbled stones, remind yourself that you are walking on a road that was built in 312 B.C. The Via Appia is the most famous and important Roman road and was originally built to give the military easy access across the country. Also know as the 'queen of roads' this stretch of road was to become the first Roman highway ever built. The old part of the road originally ended in Capua, in the region of Campania near Naples. The 'newer' part of the road extended from Capua ending in Brindisi, Puglia and they were finished by 264 B.C.





It can be quite difficult to find your way to the Appian Way...or maybe it was just that bel ragazzo and I found it difficult. We took the public bus number 218from San Giovanni in Laterano to the Appian Way. We got off the bus when we saw the road sign saying Via Appian Antica but don't get off at the start of the street, well not unless you want to walk for ever and ever. I asked the traffic warden if this was the right place to begin our walk, and obviously being sick of tourists asking him this question, he chose to just smile and me and say nothing.



We found no one to be helpful on our quest to find the ancient part of the road. After walking along the main street for a while I was desperate to use the toilet so popped into a deserted restaurant when, not only was I told I could not use the toilet, but I was told false directions that we had to go back 50 metres to begin the walk. I was also told to go to the information point next door and use their toilet.



One would assume that an information point is full of friendly, helpful people. Not here. Not only was I directed to walk up some dirt path and find a bar who may let me use the toilet, I was also given very poor directions as to where the ancient road was located.

In the end after walking for ever, getting back on some bus and getting off by the San Callisto Catacombs we found our way to the ancient road, which was actually at the end of the road we were originally on... Basically the Via Appia Antica has cars and buses which drive to a certain point before the road becomes pedestrianised. It is here the interesting part of the road begins. I however did not walk the whole way as I was annoyed and tired by this stage (ok and I am very impatient) so bel ragazzo continued to the very end of the Appia Antica alone. I must return, especially now that I know how to get there.

Some foolish and not so foolish questions on Italy.

Question and answer time again! Jewel has a few questions as she is planning a trip to Italy next year! This time she has asked me if you can get by in Italy with knowing only a small amount of the language.

The answer is yes. You can get by in Italy without knowing Italian. Of course it does help you to learn a few key phrases, and you'll find when you use them, (or when you get them wrong) people will be so endeared that you tried! I travelled alone in Italy for 4 weeks and at this stage I only knew the basic phrases. I somehow managed to get from the north of Italy up by the Lakes, all the way down to Calabria, detouring through Rimini, Perugia and Puglia...so if I can do it anyone can do it!

Truthfully a lot of Italians speak English, especially in the larger touristy towns. If you find yourself in a small isolated town, and no one can understand your bad Italian or sign language then I bet you anything that the town folk will run off, hunt down an English speaker and bring them to you... Really, they would! If you plan on getting off the beaten track and discovering places like Calabria, Basilicata etc... then a small Italian phrase book would come in useful but in other parts of Italy you can get by on English alone.

Some other questions courtesy of my customers:

Do Italians only eat piazza and pasta? People ALWAYS ask me this...always. The answer is "no you ignorant fools. NO! Do British people just drink beer all the time...NO! Let me make this easy for you, have you never heard of Jamie Oliver? He's British, like you. He did that great special on Italy, and even published that beautiful Italian cook book...so instead of asking me such brain dead, feeble questions go and do a bit of research, go and look at a menu at a restaurant...or if you cannot be bothered go and drink a beer and leave me alone." (if only I could answer like that.)

Italians eat so much garlic why do they not smell? A young customer who went to the emergency room here in Rome asked me this. Seems he has a garlic allergy and due to the amount of garlic in his garlic mushrooms he took a turn for the worse. (Yes - I know...why order garlic mushrooms if you cannot stomach garlic?) I had no answer to this question. I could tell him we eat lots of garlic to ward off vampires...but in the end I just sort of laughed his question off. I do that a lot of the time, as some of the questions my guests ask me a ridiculous.

Can I do a day trip to Sicily from Rome? It seems that most people do not even look at a map before coming on holiday. When I lived in Sicily people always were shocked when I told them it would take about 4 hours to drive from Taormina to Palermo. They thought Sicily was like a small Greek Island. Here in Rome it is even worse as they do not even realise that Sicily is the island, right down below Calabria. I tell them that a day trip technically is possible, but that had best book a flight as the train will taken them about half a day to get there. If I have a map of Italy to hand I get them to look so 1) they can see how silly their question was 2) they can see that Sicily is an island...and not really a 'day trip' from Rome. (People also often ask about trips to Venice...)


Any more questoins that anyone has?

Still in Rome for a little while longer

I am still waiting for my winter placement... Yes - I know - still. And yes - I know it is almost winter.

The financial crisis is affecting us all, especially us in the tourism industry. Customers are not buying holidays, therefore they have reduced the number of winter staff, and to make it fair are trying to offer all of us at least half a winters work. Bel ragazzo works in a different department and it has been confirmed that he is going to Fueteventura (Canary Islands) for the 2nd half of winter. He is very happy as that was where he wanted to go. I hope to be placed with him, or at least on an island close by, but to be honest I have no idea where they will send me. I am trying not to think about it too much, but I really would like to know where in the world I will go...at least we know that we are going to be in Malito, Calabria for a while...but then again - who knows!

In the mean time I am here in Rome for a few more weeks. At least the weather has taken a turn and we have had some very pleasant, even hot days. We took advantage of the weather and went out for a stroll with Nikita on Sunday. Who is Nikita you ask? Well she is our brand new camera of course! We had been saving for a while to buy a professional camera, and although we don't really know how to use her, we cannot wait to learn. These photos are taken with my stupid old camera...as Nikita would never take photo's of such poor quality!

Bel ragazzo and I can often be found on Via Urbana, or around that area. We decided to introduce Nikita to this central, but some what less touristy part of Rome. Wandering through these small cobbled streets you feel as though you are in a different place altogether:

MTV concert on my door step

Saturday night there was a live and free MTV concert where I live. San Giovanni in Laterano often hosts such events and this is the first time I have attended one of the free concerts. When I was living in Rome 2 years ago I was hoping to attend the concert featuring the Black Eyed Peas on 1st May (which is the most famous free concert in Rome) but I was so excited about going that I ended up hurting my foot as I rushed out the door. I never made it past the door as I hobbled back into my apartment in pain, having to suffer while watching the concert on TV.

This year I couldn't be bothered to go to the 1st of May concert as it was too hot and there were too many people, so I watched it on TV and the music was so loud I could hear it from my home in San Paolo anyway.

Last night though I had no excuse. The Cure was the head lining act, and I am no Cure fan...but there is worse music to listen to...and all I had to do was open my front door, cross the road and wham bham I was there in the heart of it all. No waiting in line to use the vile portable toilets, no waiting for an over crowded bus to take me home...the concert was literally on my doorstep which in itself was great!

Photos are from this website.

Rome airport taxi fees

Rome airport taxi fees. This is another frequently asked question. How much should one pay for a taxi to and from the Rome airports? What I have to say is a guide line, but I would like to point out that I do know what I am talking about so if I say not to pay more then 30 euro, then don't hand over even one cent more.

Rome has two airports - CIAMPINO (CIA) which serves most of the low cost airlines such as Ryan Air, Easy Jet, BMI etc... If you are going to or from this airport there are many transport options to get you into the centre of Rome. One of the easiest is obviously to take a public taxi from the taxi rank out the front of the arrivals hall. Do not take a taxi that is not in this taxi rank. Do not get in a taxi if someone approaches you. The real taxi drivers do not care to approach customers. They just sit in their cars, or stand close by talking, smoking and normally paying customers little attention. These are the real taxi drivers and they work on a first come first serve basis so you walk to the first taxi and get inside, rather then just choosing any old taxi that takes your fancy.

The set fee from the CIAMPINO airport to somewhere inside the city walls is 30 euro. (or vice versa) Normally this includes baggage, and is for one of the normal size cars which can hold 4 people. If you have excess luggage or arrive late at night there may be a small surcharge but you are never, ever to pay more then 40 euro. Never ever.

The Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) is the main international airport with flights coming in from all over the world. Is a big, hectic and disorganised airport, and the taxi situation here can be a bit confusing.

There are two taxis that enter the airport. Taxi's collecting guests from inside the city walls and dropping them off at the airport belong to the Comune of Rome. They have set fees which should be clearly listed in the taxi, normally in the back seat behind the drivers chair. The fee if you hail a taxi or collect it from a taxi rank is 40 euro If you ask a hotel to call a taxi for you, normally the set fee is 50 euro. The same as above applies. Do not take an illegal taxi, and do not pay more then the set fee. This is for a normal size car and should include baggage. All in all do not pay more then 45 for a taxi you have picked up from a taxi rank, or 55 euros if the hotel orders one for you.

The taxi's that serve the airport belong to the Comune of Fiumicino and they charge normally a 60 euro set fee to anywhere within the city walls. There is a lot of airport controversy as the Comune of Rome charges less for its set fee (40 or 50 euro) but they are not technically meant to transport guests from the airport to the city centre. They do so a lot of you will be lucky and pay the lower fee. Likewise the Fiumicino drivers are not meant to collect guests from inside the city walls and take them to the airport...but they do.

The main advice is to make sure you understand the rate before driving off. Ask the taxi driver. Most of them speak English, and if not then they are obliged to have the prices in the car. Please follow this advice. It sounds simple but none of my customers ever seem to listen to me, and then ring later in tears.

I had a customer just the other day who called me to ask how much a taxi would cost him from FCO to the hotel. I told him to pay no more then 60 euro. He called me when he got to the hotel to advise he had been charged (and worse he stupidly paid) 120 euro. I had a single woman who I told to pay no more then 40 from CIA to a city hotel, and she paid 100 euro... Taxi drivers are sly, they are like this world wide so read the above, ask the driver and if they try to charge you more refuse to pay. Simple as that.

Does anyone have any questions that I could answer? Anything about Rome you always wanted to know?

A shopping tip for Rome

Ever wondered where to shop in Rome? Probably not as there are hundreds of shops ranging from Dolce & Gabana to the down right dodgy. You've got the glitz and glamour of Via Condotti with all your designer names, Via del Corso which is the equivalent of the high street with your main line and 'normal' priced shops and Via Nazionale which has a good collection of clothes and shoes shops more mid range. If you need to buy something you can find it in Rome...we are the capital of Italy after all.

Hang on a minute though. Is this post not meant to give you tips of places to go a little off the tourist track? Yes, tour guide Leanne is here to inform you of a market which happens to be biggest flea market in Rome. Locals and tourists a like flock here, but before actually living here in Rome I never knew it existed...it was never mentioned in any of my guide books. If you like markets, big, crazy markets where there is a lot of trash or treasure depending on your taste then the Porta Portese Market is for you.

The Porta Portese Market is a famous market held every Sunday without exception. Regardless of whether it's Easter or Christmas, if it's a Sunday this market is open for business. You can find anything and everything ranging from second hand antiques, new and used books, clothes, shoes, hand bags, kitchen goods, jewellery...even a bit of fruit and vegetables. I used to live up the road from the market and used to go every Sunday morning with 10 euro and see how much I could buy! My favourite part of the market used to be the massive tables of second hand clothes all thrown in a pile while people (like me) over come with the smell of a bargain would dive wildly into the stock. Each item was 1 euro and I swear there was a girl my exact size who seemed to be throwing away great articles of clothing every week.

The market is not for the faint hearted. It can be loud, busy, hot in the summer and wet in the winter...but if you like bargain hunting, if you like markets then it is worth it.

When: Every Sunday from 7-1 (approximate times)
Where: Porta Portese
How to get there: There are many ways to get there and it is not far from the ancient centre of Rome. From the Termini Station take bus H and get off on Viale Trastevere - you'll know where to get off as all the stalls will be on the left hand side. Another option is to take the Tram number 8 from Largo di Torre Argentina. The tram goes on Viale Trastevere as above.

One word of warning is to beware of pick pockets.