Wow it’s hot in Rome
Rome in summer is much hotter than I realised so found myself heading out early in the day, taking a break over the midday heat (now I understand why the Italians have a siesta time) and then exploring again in the afternoon and early evening. I also ended up wearing a hat a lot and was quite amused at the many people who were caring umbrellas to keep the sun off them.
I was outside a lot of the time in places such as the Colosseum, in the Forum (really no shade hardly to be found at all) and around the city centre. What I did find though was fantastic clean water from the many fountains. I had a bus tour booked and my guide on the tour told me to buy my 1st bottle of water and then just keep filling it up at the fountains and it is totally free! The water was probably the cleanest water I have ever seen or tasted and it was lovely and cold and saved me lots of money!. She also told me that if I forgot my bottle of water, I could put my finger over the spout and get a refreshing spray of cold water squirting up that way.
I had booked a Rome Vatican tour and I told my guide that I had read about a fantastic Italian summer treat called grattachecca ( hand shaven ice and fruit syrup).
So we walked from the Vatican along the Tiber River and she took me to Rome’s oldest Grattachecca stands along the Tiber River. I was absolutely amazed at the incredible combinations available. Ended up eating it a little too quickly and got “brain freeze”.
Another way I found to beat the heat of summer was of course having a , what Italy is so famous for, a gelato! I must have tried just about every gelato shop in the city and there was not a bad one to be had! . Be totally amazed at the mounds of icecream that will confront you and spend ages making your choice. I was absolutely in awe of the size of the scoops!!
Italians are not very keen on airconditioning. So you will find that in many restaurants and in taxi cabs etc that they don’t have the airconditioning on. They think it makes you ill and so very rarely use it, preferring instead to just have the window open and rely on fresh air. Don’t be afraid to ask them to turn it on! You will need it! Shops often have fans in them standing idle. Once again don’t be embarrassed to ask them to turn it on while you are trying things on.
In the early evening I strolled along Rome’s Tiber River where there are lots of stalls, bars, shops, restaurants and cafes. It’s fantastic too as in the evening you can see the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City lit up in the distance, quite an amazing sight!
Worth considering also if you have a spare day is a trip to the beach at Ostia. It is only a 30 minute train ride and a nice break from walking around the city centre with all the traffic. However be prepared for the fact that the beach front is occupied by “stabilimenti” or private beach clubs. Access to the clubs, along with a beach chair and an umbrella usually costs between 10 and 15 euro per person. Do not consider going to the “spiaggia libera” or public beach, which whilst it is free, is so crowded it is hard to find a spot to put your towel down. I loved sitting on my beach chair and watching the myriad of vendors wandering by selling anything from copy CDs & DVDs, clothes and bikinis and icecream. The best thing about the private beaches in Rome is that you have toilet/shower facilities, a café bar, music, lounge chairs and it is a great place to see how the Italians dress up even to go to the beach.
At night during the summer, many of these private beach clubs turn into dance/disco clubs and are crowded with the Italians who all holiday along the coast. Quite a fun thing to do and experience.
If you don’t book a hotel with a pool (there are not many with pools in central Rome and most of them are a little further out of the centre) you can still use their swimming pool and pay a day charge which is generally around Euro 20 per person.
Of course doing Rome tours meant that I was able to see everything I wanted to see and still have time left over to enjoy all that the summer brings to a city like Rome and to stay cool!
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