Jes Travelogue: Italy - Rome & Napoli

7 Oct (Tue)
Sunrise on the ferry to Bari...

Arrived in Bari port at 8.30am Italy time which is an hour behind Greece. We asked around and realized we have to take a short bus ride to Bari Centrale train station. The train from Bari to Rome (Roma) departs at 1342 hours so we found a cafe for breakfast.

Watched the locals pop in for a quick espresso shot before heading for school/office.

"Friendly" Italian men...

Also used this time to learn a few Italian words on my iphone, "Grazie" for Thank You, "Si" for Yes, "Parla Inglese" for Do you speak english?, "Non Capisco" for I don't understand, "Aiuto" for Help! and "Ti Amo" for I Love you. Another reason to love my iphone. :)

Roaming around in Bari

We shared a pizza for lunch which was yummy esp since I'm a pizza lover.

Bari Train Station

Happily arriving in Rome

Our accomodation in Rome for the next 3 nights is Angela Bed & Breakfast along Vittorio Emanuele II. Realized it's a doggery area with old buildings covered with graffati and lined with Chinese shops. Our Bed & Breakfast is housed on the 3rd floor of an old building with a super rundown frontage. *jaw drop*

It was operated by Chinese as well and the place though very clean is rather scary, reminds me of the Adam's family Chinese edition!

8 Oct (Wed)
We had breakfast at a cafe in Roma Termini. I had yummy chocolate muffin & cappuccino.

As Gerald didn't feel well (he had heartache since early morning), we went to the pharmacy (farmica) hoping to get medicine. The pharmacist had such a bad attitude!
Thereafter we approached the tourist information counter who advised us to go to the emergency service at Platform 1. We went around looking for it and when we finally found it, we met this big fat man dressed in a white gown, I.e. presumably a doctor who turned us away saying the medical station is only for staff and when I told him we were referred here, he replied in ENGLISH saying "I don't understand". What an idiot! Met 2 unhelpful idiots so far. The rest of the Italians we met were very nice.

Feeling desperate and angry, we found another pharmacy with a nice pharmacist. He recommended a medicine and helped to take Gerald's blood pressure reading for Eur 1. The results were good so we walked to our first destination, Piazza della Repubblica.

Walked passed another pharmacy and met our nicest pharmacist who recommended a clinic nearby. An English speaking *super charismatic* doctor came shortly and after the diagnosis, he gave Gerald a jab & a prescription. More importantly we got peace of mind. Luckily we bought travel insurance as the bill add up to about Eur 190!

Thereafter we took the Metro to the Vatican City.

Plenty of tourist in the area.

Yummy fettucini for lunch, Gerald's fav in Italy.

Us on the Piazza di San Pietro. Very nice.

Queuing to go into St Peter's Basilica.

We then walked to Castel Saint Angelo before crossing the Tiber River.

Yummy snack

Next stop is Piazza Nuovo which was bustling with artists and buskers.

Pantheon

Trevi Fountain, my favourite place in Rome so far. Following the description on the Lonely Planet book, the custom is to throw a coin into the fountain (over the shoulders while facing away) to ensure return to Rome & a second coin grants a wish. :)

Pizza di Spagna & Spanish Steps, a popular meeting place for the locals.

Found a nice restuarant about 10 mins walk from the Roma Termini train station. I like the fettucine from this restuarant the best!! My Eur 10.50 steak was yummy and consist of 3 huge pieces. 1/4 litre wine which is equivalent to 3 glasses for only Eur 3.

9 Oct (Thur)
After breakfast, we head to Colosseum & Arch of Constantine.

The underpass leading to the subway station reminds us of "Irreversible"!

Since we still have 1 day before heading to Florence, we decided to head to Napoli via train.
Had lunch at Da Michele, recommended by the Lonely Planet to be a contender for world's best pizza. Long queue outside the pizzaria.

Yummy pizza at half the price compared to Rome. I tried a classic Margherita (with fresh mozzarella, tomato sauce, olive oil and sea salt). Truly delicious soft crust pizza, my fav pizza in Italy. Pizza was actually created in Naples during the 18th century!