2015 Rome - Italy

Well, we finally did fly out of Paphos after a 4 hour delay and made the 2 hour 50 minute flight into Rome. Our base for our visit was the Giglio del Opera hotel which is situated near the central terminal. After checking in to the hotel we made our way to Ristorante da Alessio for a much need drink and a bite to eat, although we were several hours late for our reservation the staff were very welcoming in what was a very busy restaurant.

We made our was to the Stadio Olimpico for the six nation rugby game between Italy and Wales, just outside the stadium the was the "Peroni tented village" where there was a terrific pre match atmosphere with live bands, performing acts and a huge variety of costumes worn by both sets of fans. 

We then made our way up to our seats in the stadium and watched a highly entertaining game in which Wales ran out winners by 61 points to 20. We then made our way back into the City to watch the England v France game in the Druids rock pub.

The following day we made our way down to the iconic site of the Colosseum where we joined a guided tour around this wonderful piece of Roman history. We then took a bus tour around the City,our first stop was the Vatican with its hugely impressive St Peter's square, the line to go inside the Vatican was several hundred meters long, so we gave that a miss. 

Next stop was the Basilica of Santa Maria, this 16th century church has a small entrance that belies the cavernous interior with its grand decoration and numerous statues. We then wandered around Repubblica and the main shopping street of Nazionale where the Rome marathon was just finishing.