Short break in Rome

If you are looking for a luxury hotel in central Rome, look away now. On the other hand, if you're looking for clean, adequate accommodation in a good location with friendly staff then Hotel Grifo might be what you want.

We spent five nights in a room on the third floor. (Although we had checked in advance that there was a lift, there were still a few steps to get to the room). First the downsides: the room itself was very 'compact' - so much so that moving around the room had to be co-ordinated between the two of us. The fan in our bathroom made quite a noise - and so did the fan in the next door bathroom. The double glazing was just about up to the task of quietening the noise from the street outside (we didn't need to use the air conditioning). The shower was so small that once you dropped the soap you knew there was no way to get it back! The large double bed was comfortable but consisted of two singles pushed together.

On to the positives: Breakfasts were included in the price and reasonably substantial; the rooms were clean and well maintained; the staff were friendly and helpful.

But... did you come to Rome to spend time in your hotel room? When you leave the hotel you are in the area of Rione Monti, with enough bars and restaurants within comfortable walking distance to keep you busy for a week. Just round the corner from the hotel you can see the Colosseum which is about ten minutes walk away, and the Forum is a little closer. It's only a two minute walk to Cavour metro station, in itself only one stop from the public transport hub at Termini, so you can easily get around the city.

A couple of hints - the hotel offers WiFi access but charges for it, whereas the cafe a few doors down the street offers it for free (even if it is a little intermittent). If you're travelling through Ciampino, don't ask the hotel to organise a transfer as they will charge €50, whereas the (newly introduced) mandatory taxi rate is only €30.

If you are planning your first trip to Rome you are sure to have the Colosseum on you list of "must sees", and you might know to expect queues at the ticket office. You probably also expect to take a walk through the forum, and take in the views from the Palatine Hill. Why not change the order in which you do things and save yourself up to an hour waiting in line?

The ticket you will buy at the Colosseum is also valid for entry to the Palatine archaeological area, hence the joint ticket can be purchased at the entrance to the Palatine as well. Every time I've visited I've seen queues at the entrance to the Colosseum, whilst five minutes walk away you can simply stroll up to the Palatine ticket office. My advice is to buy your ticket there, enjoy the Palatine, and then go back down to the Colosseum where you can walk past the queue and go straight in.

Personally, I'd rather spend the time on the Palatine in any case but that's another matter...

Less than an hour from central Rome by public transport, the scavi (excavations) at Ostia Antica are perhaps second only to Pompeii in giving an impression of what a town was like in imperial Rome.

Take metro line B to EUR Magliana and then change to the overland train to Lido di Ostia, getting off at Ostia Antica. A five minute walk from the station takes you to the entrance to the site. You can buy a guide book at the ticket office but most areas in the site are well signed in Italian and English.

As you walk through the entrance you enter an area of tombs which were placed alongside the road from Rome to Ostia, just outside of the city walls. You then pass through the remains of the gates and into the town itself.

Ostia was the nearest port to ancient Rome (although the coastline has now receded), and many of the buildings in the town were related to this - in particular the Forum delle Corporazioni where the trading corporations in the town identified their offices by mosaics illustrating their function.

The Thermopolium was my favourite building - a small corner trattoria which sold hot food and drink. Built in the 3rd century it is still remarkably intact with wall paintings still visible, an amphora sunk in the floor, and a small courtyard to the rear where you can easily imagine customers enjoying their refreshment.

We spent around three hours wandering (admittedly slowly) through the town and saw about half or it. Some of the mosaics still remaining are quite stunning.There is a small museum, with a new gift shop and snack bar to the rear. I would thoroughly recommend this day trip to anyone visiting Rome for more than a day or two who wants to discover about life in ancient Rome (just bear in mind that the streets are uneven and may present problems for anyone with mobility difficulties).