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Our Journey

Our journey from Greece to Italy was nerve-racking but thankfully quite painless. We had an afternoon flight so were able to leave our final accommodation in Ampelokipi at a reasonable time and take the ten-minute walk to the metro station. From here, at a cost of €9 per person, we took the half-hour metro journey directly to the airport.

We had with us our covid-negative certificates and passenger locator forms filled in to the best of our ability. The Italian one was much more difficult than the Greek one. There were not too many questions to answer but they were not all particularly clear so we did the best we could in the hope any mistakes or omissions could be corrected when asked. As it turned out we were never asked to produce the locator form so it was not an issue for us.

Our total baggage consists of one suitcase that has to be checked in plus one small suitcase and a rucksack that we can take on board with us. The packing of these is my responsibility and I have it down to fine detail. Budget airlines tend to allow 20k in your large suitcase and 10k in your small suitcase. I now know what to pack where to keep within the rules and avoid any excess baggage costs. By wearing our heavier shoes, jumpers and coats, carrying any book we may have and with careful packing, the large suitcase comes in at 19.7kg. The smaller suitcase takes heavier clothes and we put our laptops wrapped in towels in the rucksack.

Even though I know all this its always a nervy moment putting the case on the scales at check-in. My eyes are fixed on the digital display until it comes to a smugly satisfyingly stop at 19.7. This time we had the added stress of the covid certificate to be examined, then cross-examined with the representatives’ colleague before we got the ok to pass through to security. The Covid test rule is that it has to be done within 48 hours of travel. We travelled on the 20th so why our representative felt the need to question whether the 18th was acceptable I will never know! Maybe it is a game they play with each other to relieve them of the boredom of so few travellers?

From there, after a short wait at the gate before we boarded our 3/4 full, hour and a half Ryanair flight to Ciampino airport in Rome.

We had booked accommodation in a suburb of Rome called Garbatella. This was really easy to get to from the airport. We took a €1.50 per person bus ride to the Laurentina metro station at the end of the ‘B’ line. then from there a €1.50 per person six-stop journey to Garbatella. Then finally our host was kind enough to meet us and walk with us the short distance to our apartment.

Rome Metro

As you can see by the above diagram the underground metro system in Rome is very small so very easy to navigate. In fact, it is the smallest metro system in Europe. The main reason for this is the amount of still undiscovered archaeological sites and treasures underground. This makes it extremely difficult to do any excavation for an extension of the lines as work grinds to a halt each time anything of interest is discovered.

Having said this, Rome is not a huge city and most big tourist destinations are easily reachable on foot. Should you decide the metro is best for you some tips of which stations get you where include –

• The Vatican – ‘A’ Line – Cipro
• The Sistine Chapel -‘A’ Line – Cipro
• St Peters Basilica – ‘A’ Line – Cipro
• Villa Borghese – ‘A’ Line – Spagna
• Trevi Fountain – ‘A’ Line – Barberini
• Fiumicino airport – ‘A or ‘B’ Line – Termini ( then train )
• Ciampino airport – ‘B’ Line – Laurentina ( then bus )
• Colosseum – ‘B’ Line – Colosseo

If you intend using the metro regularly there are day/week/month cards that offer discounts and can be purchased at many corner shops as well as metro stations. If however, as we did, you just use it occasionally then there is no need to purchase a ticket – just tap your debit card at the entrance and it will be charged €1.50 ( correct Jan 2021) per single journey.

Garbatella

The area of Garbatella is a suburb of Rome just a 25-minute walk (or three stops on the metro) to the Colleseum. The distance is just far enough away from the main tourist attractions to be able to experience the ‘real’ Rome without any of the noise and tourist expense of the city centre

This neighbourhood was built 1920’s as a housing project and social experiment providing accommodation for the working class based on the English ‘city garden’ style. The old, original area consists of an estate of low rise blocks of flats that each face a central social square. They were built in this way to encourage a community spirit of play, garden and general social gathering for the residents. Today, the area looks a little run-down but definitely retains an authentic neighbourhood charm that is sadly now lost in most big cities.

We really like this district. It has been the backdrop to many Italian films and TV series due to its ‘traditional architecture yet is surrounded by cafes, restaurants and shops making it a really popular area to visit for Romans of all ages from surrounding areas

Our Accommodation

The accommodation we chose in Garbatalla is a couple of streets away from the old district. It is on the 6th floor of an 8 storey building. The close proximity to the metro station makes this an ideal location.

The apartment is a family run Airbnb and it shows with personal touches here and there. As always for us, two bedrooms and fully equipped to make our stay as practical and comfortable as possible.

The host, Francesca has been really lovely. She was working when we arrived so her father met us but Francesca came to personally meet us later that evening to answer any questions we may have . This is another Airbnb that we are happy to recommend to anyone visiting Rome.

www.airbnb.co.uk/rooms/10227427