Literally planes, trains, and automobiles. We arrived in FCO on Thursday morning, and took a direct train to Rome Termini.
Once in Rome Termini, we walked around and down until we got to the Metro station underneath the main train lines. This was very confusing to us both; even though there are only two Metro lines (A and B), it was hard to find a map, and just as hard to identify where the stops actually were.
For example, the Spanish Steps stop on the Metro is labeled “Spagna,” which maybe is enough info for some, but I had to double check.
I originally thought our AirBnB in Rome was near the Metro and the Spanish Steps, but looking at this map, it was too far to walk with our luggage.
We left the terminal and went outside to find a taxi. Toward the end of our trip, this got much easier, but right at the beginning, it was a challenge. We’re used to NYC taxis, where if you see an empty one, you holler and get in.
In Rome, you’re supposed to go to the taxi stand and take the one who has been waiting in line for a customer (or call ahead–but really, who’s doing that?!). Right out of Termini I did not see a taxi stand, so we started walking toward a plaza where some busses were parked, assuming there would be taxis there as well.
On the way to the plaza, an empty taxi drove by slowly enough (because we were in the way) that I could ask if we could get a ride. Eventually, we’ll hit a taxi stand, but at this point, we were both frustrated and it was an easy victory.
Fortunately for us, our driver spoke good English and had a really good GPS that was able to find our street (street is generous, though it does have a name, it’s basically an alley with four apartment doors). He dropped us off in a nearby square, the alley being a bit too tight for a car.
Because it was such an off-beat area, I took pictures of both sides of the road, in case we couldn’t find it later (don’t judge me; Peter does not have a great sense of direction and I work exclusively off landmarks).
We somehow always manage to be at the top of a walk up, which is one of the main reasons we try to only travel with out backpacks. This one was a meandering, hodgepodge of a building with three doors to unlock before we ever made it to our own front door.
The views from our balcony included a lovely collection of potted lemon trees and a little dome. While we never found what this done was, I did often use the lemon trees as a sign that we were close to our place.
Twice we tried to use Uber inside the city. The first time, no issue, the driver called me and parked in the same square where we had been dropped off. The second time, every driver canceled the ride and that’s when we first had to go looking for a taxi stand (btw: Uber Black is the first tier available that I saw every time I was in the app).
For taxis driving us home, it was hit or miss how close they got. I had dropped a pin on my own map for our own use, and that proved to be helpful for our drivers too, as the address and street name meant nothing.
For the most part, we walked everywhere and got used to the windy streets pretty quickly.
Love,
PD
making life an adventure 