Day 37 - Sat 4 Oct 25: Rome

October 04, 2025

Sat 4 Oct 25: Rome

We finally had a bit of a sleep-in this morning - Noel woke feeling a bit better than yesterday, and I woke feeling a little worse than yesterday. I put it down to the few glasses of red wine I had last night, but by end of the day I realised I may have actually picked up a bug as well. The plan was to have a bit of a quiet day, and that we did. After a later than normal breakfast we went back to our room to pack and move to another room higher up on level 8 (of 10 levels). Apparently because we paid a premium price for our extra four nights, the hotel management offered us one of their superior rooms, and wow, we were surprised and very happy. Almost 3 times larger than any other room we've had this trip, with a huge bathroom and balcony, a large walk-in robe and the bedroom has a king size bed and day chairs, and another balcony. Very nice indeed. After our move, we went out for a morning cuppa, then I bumped into a couple from the tour who had a Hop On - Hop Off Day Pass (It cost €58 / $103) they no longer needed and were going to throw it out, as they only bought it to do a quick lap of Rome before they caught a train to Bologna. Noel and I made good use of the ticket, and walked across the road from the hotel to catch the bus for a reccy lap (1h 45m) of Rome. Both feeling a bit ordinary today, it turned out to be a great way to orientate ourselves and still take it easy. Our lasting impressions of today are the endless historical sites and ruins scattered around this city, with something interesting at every turn. Rome is unbelievably busy with huge crowds. There have been ongoing Free Gaza / Anti Israel protests all day and a constant stream of police riot squad in armoured vehicles moving about the city, heavily armed police standing on street corners, and the constant sound of police sirens and helicopters flying above. While at dinner about 100m from the hotel, we heard 3 explosions nearby, followed by what smelt like tear gas. The young waitress seemed unconcerned and commented that it happens all the time. After dinner, we returned to the comfort of our room for an earlier night, albeit with the sound of sirens and helicopters outside.

Entrance to our Hotel - The Hotel Bettojo Mediterraneo

Inside our hotel

Hotel Foyer

Our Suite

Balcony view

Balcony View

It's hard taking photos from a moving vehicle, so only a few snaps from today as we did a lap of Hop On Hop Off bus route. We plan to buy a multi-day pass tomorrow and get off at some major attractions, so expect a few photos tomorrow. We also have two tours booked in Rome (so far); The Vatican, Sistine Chapel and St Peter's Basilica on Monday, and the Coloseum, Roman Forum and Palatine Hill on Tuesday, both 3 hour guided tours.