I used to live in Italy. I worked in Florence and, from time to time, I had to visit Rome on business. Normally this would just be a one day visit or at most an overnight. As a result I didn’t get to see much of the city. It’s only since leaving Italy and returning to live and work in the UK that I’ve had the chance to go back to Rome and visit it properly.
The centre of town is relatively easy to walk around – say, roughly a triangle from Roma Termini, the main station, to the Vatican, through Trastevere and down to the Terme di Caracalla – do you remember the Three Tenors’ concert there just before the 1990 World Cup final? There’s a whole pedestrian area where historic buildings with household names just keep on coming.
Of course, there were the ancient Romans, whose Empire stretched from the wilds of northern Britain all the way to Egypt. Roman ruins are everywhere, from the Forum and the Colosseum to the totally amazing Pantheon, which looks as if it was built yesterday, but is 2000 years old. But what I’ve always loved about Rome are not the big name places but the more everyday Roman structures that crop up all over the place, ranging from aqueducts to bath houses, walls to watchtowers. They’re certainly built to last.
But of course, there’s much more to Rome than the ancient Romans. Everywhere you look, there are Medieval and Renaissance buildings ranging from Saint Peter’s cathedral and the whole Vatican complex to narrow streets lined with tiny workshops where you can still see artisans, making everything from picture frames to leather shoes.
It’s a wonderful place to eat – but just check the menu before you go in. Rome can be expensive! I also read an article indicating that Rome is now the number one European city for pickpockets, so look after your valuables. A friend of mine lost her wallet, taken from her backpack while she was looking at the Trevi Fountain.
You may be surprised to see that Murder in Rome is actually set a short way outside the city, rather than in the city centre itself. This was partly because I love the area I describe and partly for practical reasons – Dan Armstrong is joined at the hip to his faithful Labrador, Oscar, and Rome isn’t great for dogs. Yes, there are parks, but there’s also a lot of traffic and hundreds and thousands of people. Anyway, i hope you will agree with me that the area of Castelli Romani is beautiful in itself.
A final word of warning: if you can possibly help it, don’t go in July or August. Like so many wonderful cities, it is overrun with tourists at that time so try and plan your visit for the autumn, winter or spring. Rome is certainly well worth a visit – they don’t call it the Eternal City for nothing.
Read Murder in Rome now!