two backpacks and a diaper bag

Wednesday, April 25th. Rome. Can you visit the Colosseum with a stroller? Yes. It was quite easy, actually, and we were able to get around fine. The Roman Forum and Palatino? Yes, as well, but the pathway made it difficult for the one who pushed the stroller and the one who rode it. I ended up carrying Arthur on the carrier while Sean handled the stroller. The heat and the sun, and being outdoor made things more challenging as we needed to do more stop to feed Arthur and it was difficult to find a quiet and somewhat dark place to put him to sleep.

It all started with us leaving home at about 9:30. We dropped by the Tourist Center on Via dei Fori Imperiali to pick up our Roma Pass. Then we headed straight to the Colosseum which was about 450 meters away. Having a Roma Pass meant that we could go straight in without buying a ticket using the dedicated line by the Tour Group Admission. It wasn’t hard to find the entrance for Roma Pass holders. As soon as we got it, we had to wait in line for the security check. The officer looked at our stroller and called us over. We bypassed the line and practically went straight to the x-ray machines. We were basically inside the Colosseum in less than 5 minutes from the time we entered through the Roma Pass line. Arthur was just sitting calmly on the stroller. (We didn’t bring the car seat.)

After the security check, there were no clear sign to which line we should use for Roma Pass, so we used the line all the way to the left. When we got to the front of the line, which took about a minute, it turned out, the Roma Pass line was to the right. We were in the “tour group” line. It was all right, though, because the wheelchair access was all the way to the left, so the officer just tapped on her colleague’s shoulder, asked her to tap our cards, and then let us in from the wheelchair access. Essentially, we had just, accidentally, skipped the line.

After the ticket check, we went straight for the lift, which was at the end of the downstairs walkway. There was a line, but it went pretty quickly. Interestingly, there were two lifts. One for going up, the other for going down. This meant that the down-only lift would be empty as it goes up, and the same goes for the up-only lift. Sean and I thought it wasn’t efficient nor effectively, but what can we do?

Once we got to the second floor, we circled the whole Colosseum.

Then, we went back down on the elevator to walk around the ground level.

As we headed for the exit, Arthur got cranky. We stopped at the side to feed him and Sean used the car seat to put him to sleep.

As soon as we got outside, we had to maneuver our way through the crowd of tourists, tour guides touting their services, and street vendors shoving their merchandise up close. From scarves to selfie sticks to hats and other things we don’t need.

We stopped for another obligatory selfie.

Then we walked towards the Roman Forum and Palatino. The line to get inside wasn’t long but it took a good 15 minutes of waiting in line for the security.

Once inside, Arthur woke up, so we put him on the carrier. After wandering around for a bit in the sun, we found a shaded place to sit down and feed him.

Then we walked up the stairs toward the grotto. That was cool. Then another set of stairs to Palatine Hill.

At one point after walking through the garden, we changed Arthur’s diapers.

Then we walked back down towards the exit. We stopped again for a while to feed him.

Then, just as we were about to exit, Arthur showed his discontent. It was difficult to put him to sleep, especially since we were outdoors. It was bright, hot, and it wasn’t the quietest place. We found a shaded place nevertheless and put him to sleep.

Then we exited the area and walked towards our Airbnb to get something to eat. There was a really good panini place along the way (according to TripAdvisor). Before we got to the panini place, we stopped by La Dolce Vita on Via Cavour to get gelato.

The panini place was small. It is considered a street food, not a restaurant. The food was good nevertheless. Simple, easy, delicious.

Arthur woke up halfway through our meal, but he wasn’t in a good mood. We decided to go home first, give him a proper nap, and then go out again after his nap.

On our way home, we stopped by Fatamorgana to get some ice cream.

Going home for an afternoon break worked out quite well, actually. After his nap, we went out again. This time, the temperature was cooler and the sun was almost setting. The colors were just beautiful.

We walked towards Piazza Venezia. There were practically no cars on Via de Fori Imperiali. We found out later that only taxis or special vehicles were allowed on this road due to security reasons. Oh, and uber is illegal in Italy. I saw a sign saying that it would be 6000 Euro fine for the customer. Six thousand.

Anyway, the walk was nice. The place was so lively and not in an annoying way like this morning at the Colosseum. There were people playing music, magicians doing their thing, spray painters… it was quite nice!

We really took our time walking down the road.

Once we got to Piazza Venezia, we took a picture with Vittorio Emanuele monument and then walked back. It was 7pm after all.

We made a stop at Capitoline Hill first, though.

Sean had to take a picture mimicking the statue’s post. Sean looked so small compared to the statue. The idea was for Sean to lounge like the statue with a cellphone in his hand.

When we got home, we did some cooking, had dinner, and called it a night. It was a good first full day in Rome. I was so proud of Arthur, especially with the heat and being outdoor for a while.