Rome; Saturday, 24 February, 2007

First stop of the morning was the Baths of Caracalla. The baths are located a little way south of the Circus Maximus, and are some of the largest remains in the city. In places the remains still reach to the original roof level, mosaic floors are still intact and you can see from the structure how the baths visitors would have progressed from the hot baths down to the colder pools.

From the baths it's about a 1KM walk down part of the start of the Apennine way to one of the largest gates in the former city walls. The walls have surrounded Rome at this point since the time of the Republic, and the museum which is housed in the gatehouse tells the history of their construction, use and repair over the centuries. The walls were still acting as a line of defence for the city up into the nineteenth century, 2000 years after their original construction. There is also an opportunity to walk along a small section of the wall.

After leaving the wall I caught the bus back into town and over to the Castel St Angelo to go on a cruise down the Tiber, unfortunately, by the time I got there the morning sailing's had all finished, and the next sailing was not until 4, but I was told it would be leaving then and there was no need to book. Instead I wandered back up to the castle and had a bite to eat before catching the bus back to Plaza Venezia and visiting the Vittoriale.

The monument is one of the largest and most visible in Rome, rising to a level above many of the surrounding churches! Originally built to commemorate the unification of Italy in the nineteenth century it was not a particularly loved structure, considered to large and destroying the views. Today, within its walls, the remains of the Unknown soldier are buried and it acts as the countries national war memorial. You can climb the steps to the top to get stunning views over the city, just don't attempt to sit on the steps, I watched a couple being frog-marched off the monument by the guards, and signs all around in multiple languages remind people that it is a memorial.

From the back of the memorial you walk down some steps and arrive at the start of the Forum. With time to spare I had a wander through the parts I had not already visited earlier in the week, and then with the best part of an hour still to spare before the river cruise I wandered over to San Paolo where another of the major gates of the wall, a large white pyramid, and the station for trains to the coast. The latter being the main reason for visiting to check on the times of trains to Ostia for Sunday.

I caught the bus back to the Castel and wandered down to the mooring point 10 minutes before departure, only to see the boat leaving. On enquiring I was told that it was the only sailing of the afternoon, it was scheduled for 15:45, had to be booked in advance and was full by 3pm (given that I asked at a little before midday I was less than impressed.) I walked back up the steps and had a wander through to Piazza Navona to grab an ice cream as compensation before wandering back to the hotel to drop stuff off before heading back out for dinner.