Global Traveller Blog

The ferry from Civitavecchia to Cagliari was 15 1/2 hours but comfortable and pleasant, especially since I splurged on a reasonably-priced cabin. Here’s the first look at Cagliari:

I checked into the delightful Palazzo Fulgher, a beautifully restored and decorated old villa right in the center of town. While waiting for my travel companion, Chiew, to arrive I ambled around the old streets. It was a lot easier to get my bearings than in Rome.

The following day, we set out to explore the Castello district, high over the city with medieval streets winding around towers and walls, opening on to sweeping views of the city.

View from Castello

That night I discovered the Sardinian pasta known as fregula, often served with seafood and bottarga. Yum!

Ostia Antica was a great way to get out of the bustling Eternal City and step back to the Roman days. The ruins were far more extensive than I had expected and presented an evocative display of how upper middle-class Romans lived. The transport connections were far more straightforward than the rats nest of buses connecting Rome’s sprawling neighborhoods.

Mosaic floor of Roman baths in Ostia Antica

Every day was spa day in ancient Rome. Why don’t we have public baths? Why are we relegated to lonely showers? Bathing should be an enjoyable public ritual.

Amphitheater in Ostia Antica.

Decorative masks outside the theater.

Free baths, free public entertainment: life could be good in ancient Rome.

Mithras slaying a bull in underground shrine

Altar of the Twins Romulus and Remus. Relief depicting
Cupid carrying the chariot of Mars (left); Romulus and Remus suckled by wolf.

Temples, tombs, shops, villas, warehouses–and very few tourists.

I poked around most of the day and then headed to the trendy Monti neighborhood, northeast of the Forum for a Prosecco and–more shopping! This time it was fun. Monti is the hipster neighborhood with vintage and used-clothing shops lining the cobblestone streets. It was the perfect place to round out my little wardrobe.

First order of business–a toothbrush! Then, the local polizia. I got out of the hotel early with instructions on how to find the police station. The Casa S. Giuseppe di Cluny was in the Monti neighborhood, convenient to the train station, the historic center and the Basilica Papale di Santa Maria Maggiore.

The majestic basilica fortified me for the coming day. The police report duly filed, I headed to the Trenitalia office to tackle the paperwork there. The reimbursement should happen in one to three months. As one of the kindly Cluny Sisters remarked “Always quick to take the money. Very slow to give the money”. Along the way, I picked up some socks, underwear, toiletries and a down jacket. Rome was chilly!

Although rattled, I had already booked a tour of the Forum, Colosseum and Palatine Hill for mid-afternoon and was determined to concentrate on the Roman story.

Temple of Antoninus Pius

Temple of Vesta

Colosseum

Dinner was at a local joint, Pescetto Fish Ristorante, which served up imaginative fish balls and fish lasagna at a reasonable price.