Italy Day 5 - The Forum and tips for a walking vacation

Today was all about The Forum and Palatine Hill. We headed out from our hotel and decided to take back streets to walk to the Forum. I wanted to stop by the touristy clothing stalls at the Campo de Fiori market to replace my AWOL hat, but alas, they hadn't set up for the day yet. On we went, wending our way through the tiny streets until we popped out by the humongous Vittorio Emanuele monument.

We worked our way between the monument and the Capital Museum and were treated to a nice view of the back of the Forum. We worked our way to the ticket counter and stood in a fairly short line. Now, we had purchased (But not activated) our Roma Passes two days before, but it was a bit unclear how to use them. It turns out that we needn't have waited in line at all. We could have just walked over to the turnstiles and gone straight in. It worked out just fine, however, because you rent the audio guides from the same booth.

We each got our own audio guide and I lucked out because I still had the headphones from one of our other guides tucked away in a pocket. Poor Kris was stuck holding the phone to his head the entire day. This brings me to tip number 2 for the day: Bring comfortable, wired headphones with you. The guided tours all give you receivers for the guides and provide terrible ear buds to go with. With the various rentable audio guides at historic sites like the Forum, Pompeii, etc, it's a bit hit or miss if headphones are included in the rental. And even if they are, they aren't necessarily that comfortable for extended use.

Anyway, we head into the Forum armed with our audio guide where we had the choice of a long or short tour. The short tour was listed at an hour and change and the long tour was billed at 2 hours and 15 minutes. We opted for the longer version. We found the sign for the 1st stop and started listening to the excellent audio tour. However, when the first one ended, it was totally unclear where stop 2 was, so we listened a bit, wandered a bit and stumbled upon where we were supposed to be. It wasn't until almost 2.5 hours and more than 30 stops that Kris realized that there was a map with a GPS dot showing where you were that also had pins for the various audio stops. Gah!

The Forum was amazing. I think I was most struck by the Temple of the Vestal Virgins. In my head this was a huge temple, but the reality is that you could fit the temple foot print in my living room. The living quarters for the Virgins on the other hand was huge!

Conversely, I was blown away by how huge the Basilica of Maxentius was. Built 1700 years ago, it dwarfs many modern buildings. The view of the city from the top of Palatine Hill is spectacular!

View from Palatine Hill

I'll admit, I hit the historical wall pretty shortly after seeing the excavation of the first huts of Rome. By this point we were a solid three hours in and the crowds were impressively thick. A surprising number of tours bore cruise ship logos and people who were clearly not prepared for a long city walking tour. Of special note was a woman in black wedges who was clearly in so much pain from ill fitting shoes it made my feet hurt to watch her. Which brings me to my tips for a walking vacation.

Now you're probably aware that both Kris and I are desk jockeys, i.e. we sit for a living. Going on vacation where you're suddenly standing or walking day in and day out for two or three weeks can be a jolt to the system if you aren't prepared. Hence, after many trips, some good, some absolutely miserable, here are the things we do stay happy, healthy, and sane.

First, good shoes, well broken in, are a must. I have long ago given up on 'cute' shoes for my main shoes when doing a trip like this one. I prefer a low ankle hiking boot; I'm currently using these Keen Voyagers. I highly recommend Smart Wool socks and while Kris also uses liners with his, I usually skip them for urban trips. I also really like having a pair of 'evening' walking shoes to change into. Right now I'm travelling with a very worn in pair of running shoes. Something about a different footbed profile for evening makes a world of difference. Now, this doesn't mean that I don't keep something cute stowed for a night out...it's just not the mainstay of my travelling shoe wardrobe.

Second, hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. I am using a Camelback on this trip, and while I felt very self conscious about it at first, I firmly believe that Pompeii and the Forum both would have been miserable without it. I have come to believe that 'travelers tummy' is half due to getting dehydrated and half eating weird things at weird times. Even with the constant, simple supply of water a Camelback provides, I still find myself a bit parched at the end of the day.

Finally, make sure you have a tested travel system. By system I mean inner, main, and outer clothing and a way to transport necessities on a day to day basis and on a major destination to major destination basis. A big trip is not the time to break in a new pair of shoes, new shorts, or a backpack that looks 'fun'. Blisters, hot spots from a seam that rubs the wrong way, or a frustrating closure on a bag will be amplified significantly when you are tired and far from home with no ready replacement. Go for a long city hike (half a day minimum) with type of outfit you're thinking of. Do you still feel comfortable at the end? Good! Do you hate life when you're done? Better to find out now. Layers will be your friend! In Rome right now it's been in the 50s in the morning and in the mid-70s by evening. Unless you want to head back and forth to your room all day, there is no single outfit that will suit that temperature range. However, a couple of well planned layers will keep you covered in any situation. Also keep in mind that you may need to pack a bag in your bag. The suitcase you use to get across the pond probably won't help you much as you explore the city. I would recommend a small day pack or a Camelback with a small amount of storage.