CAMPING TIBER ~ ROMA

June 23.09 – arrived at Camping Tiber just outside Roma 10:30am

Fabulous campsite along the Tiber river – http://www.campingtiber.com
Large swimming pool and lounging area (Meg will love this, she can get her laps in) free internet at the bar (Bren will be there all day) and a large outdoor restaurant area. Off to Roma for our 1st day of exploring. To eventually caught the free bus to the train/subway in Porta Prima, 1 mile away, bought our tickets for 1euro and got on. Takes about 25minutes to get to the subway stop-Flaminio-Piazza del Popolo. From here we got onto the metro for 2 stops and got off at the Collosseo. Stepped outside to the grand Collosseo. Walked around the outside and then decided to walk up the Via dei Fori Imperiali towards Palazzo Nuovo and then onto the Pantheon. Wound our way through narrow streets lined with side cafes and pizarrias until we found the famous Fontana di Trevi. A bit of a mob scene here jam packed with bodies all sitting around the fountain steps. Gams was on her eternal search for true Italian salami and finally found some in a small store while we tried to inch our way in front of the fountain for a photo. Pizza is everywhere in this country, but to sit and actually rest while eating some pizza and enjoying a cappuccino is pricy, so everyone stands at the standup bar which is usually half the price of a table price. We bought some pizza by weight and ate as we walked. You can quite easily live off fresh pizza, pasta, gelato, and café for a reasonable price.
From the Trevi fountain we made our way to the famous Spanish Steps or Palazzo Spagna. Although flowing with people, there were quite a few spots to rest on the steps and this is just what we did. Having a drink in the hot sun and gathering some energy to make the journey back to our campsite, we choose the closest metro, Spagna and made perfect connections all the way home.
Dinner was a combination of pasta, pizza, G&T’s , beer, salami and brie. Our set up is quite comfortable sitting under the awning.
Brendan put in his city time this afternoon and has decided that’s it for him. We’ve convinced Megin that catching the 9am bus to the metro is a good time to start tomorrow. Off to bed knowing we will have a full day of the Vatican and whatever else we can fit in.

June 24.09 – Roma day 2 – Musee Vaticani, Castel Sant’ Angela, Campo di Fiori, Circo Massimo, and ended at Collosseo.

Crossed over onto Isola Tiberina via Ponte Fabricio and then off by Ponte Cestio. Back onto the other side of the river via Ponte Palatino to the Circo Massimo and up the main cobbled street, Via di S. Gregorio.

Headed back home at 6:30pm with just enough energy for a pickmeup summer drink, some yoga stretching, scenes from Gladiator. Believe it or not, this campground supplies live music and their restaurant. From our campsite we can hear tunes from Dylan, the Stones, Beatles…I take a walk up and while the place is mainly filled with 20somethings in major party mode, the band itself is made up of players from the 60’s. Mom, Geoff, and I take over the dance floor and stretch out the other muscles that didn’t get a work out today. Dancing and singing away till 11pm we finish our day in Roma. The party doesn’t stop here though, the music still plays well into the night. While this campsite is perfectly suited to traveling twenties, it is also great for families as there’s so much room you can easily camp far enough away from the action to still enjoy peace and quiet.