I Traveled To 10 Countries With Only $4600 | Volume I: Rome, Italy

Trip Statistics | Countries Visited: 10 | The List: Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, France, Egypt, Jordan, Greece, UK, USA, Iceland | Total: $4600 including flights.

Below: The Royal House

Rome Statistics | Accommodation: $84/Night

It was 2017, and as my flight took off from MIA, Lana Del Rey was cooing All the lights in Miami begin to gleam, ruby, blue, and green, neon too. Everything looks better from above, my king, like aquamarine, ocean’s blue into my ears with the voice of a siren that was calling me from across the depths of the Atlantic as I listened to her Honeymoon album.

I was flying TAPP Portugal to Rome because they seemed to have the best prices to get over to Europe. The flight was going to be the longest I had ever been on, clocking in at over 8 hours.

Compare current flight prices and itineraries here.

As I voyaged across the ocean for the first time in my life, I found the seats to be rather comfortable- much more than I expected, having only ever flown domestically. I got another pleasant surprise when I learned that one free meal is the standard on international flights. I remember the fare being pretty good, and each seat on the plane having its own private, mini tv screen (which our returning flights on a different airline did not have).

Lisbon, Portugal

We landed in the dark. It was about 4 am in the early hours before dawn’s shining light. After exiting the plane, we waited in customs for hours. The weavers of destiny have formed an intricate tapestry when it comes to LIS. Except for the dysfunction of customs, The Fates created a beautiful airport in the capital of Portugal- grand in structure with long hallways, innumerable tinted panes of glass fitted into large picture windows, and many individual waiting rooms connected together by squared architecture. With my lack of sleep on the flight over, and the hours I had to spend in a line that felt like a slow and arduous journey down the Lethe River into the Underworld, I found myself inside the half-dream of oblivion and forgetting as I wandered the corridors of Lisbon Airport. The morning sun coming in through the tinted windows created a colorful red hue in my vision. From the perspective of my artist’s mind, it felt like I was inside of a rubix cube or some oversized children’s playground with boxy walls made of primary colors that I had to pass through on my climb up to reach the top of the proverbial slide. This was the beginning point to my proceedings in Europe. I went down that slide, giddy as a child, as I descended the jet bridge towards my connecting flight.

Rome, Italy

After a much shorter flight from Portugal to Italy- we landed in Rome. The airport was unremarkable on the surface. As aviation aficionados, my travel partner and I were a bit disappointed. Yet like the one before it, their were secrets waiting for us, brimming just beneath the surface. We made our way through that nondescript airport and into the subterranean train station lingering beneath its floors. We found people of every kind there- all rushing around like a colony of ants living inside a sandbank of constant motion.

After figuring our way out of the Minotaur’s labyrinth, I ascended into the cobble stone streets of Rome like Alice in Wonderland coming up from her adventure’s underground. As the only one with a working phone in this foreign country, we followed my GPS like a white rabbit or a gift sent down from the messenger god, Hermes. (Or from my beautiful goddess Mother who was paying for my data.)

In more recent years, my favorite way to access data while traveling is with DrimSim.

It was passed 22:00 by the time we finished following the brick laid path to our Airbnb destination. Confusing sign posts and graffiti-covered walls led the way, just like they would to the Queen of Hearts’ Rose Garden.

The best part of our Airbnb was the access we had to the rooftops of Rome. As a visual artist, I love the various perspectives different vantage points can give you about a city. If you want your tastebuds to sing from the heavens like an angelic chorus, I recommend the rooftop bar at Hotel Raphael. The exterior of the hotel is absolutely breathtaking with mature green ivy and purple wisteria growing all along its surfaces.

The other most amazing rooftop views to indulge all of your senses at include the skybar restaurants at Hotel Splendide Royale, Hotel Forum, and Palazzo Manfredi.

The other highlight of my accomodation was being just a short walk to the Colosseum. Being so close to our main destination allowed us to tour the Colosseum at night, which I completely recommend. In the years since I went to Rome, this tour has gotten a bit more expensive, but life is constantly in flux so you never know when it will go down again.

The tours by moonlight are much more intimate than the crowds of daytime. The moon goddess, Nuit, will urge you to follow your darker impulses to get lost inside of the ancient architectural theatre. She will use her night winds to whisper across your neck and command you when it is time to slip away from the unwatchful gaze of your tour guide so that you can find yourself alone with the ghosts of gladiators or alone in the arms of your lover.

During the daytime, you can go to Colle Oppio Park to find a little-known panoramic viewpoint of the Colosseum. The terrace lies at the cross of Via Nicola Salvi and Via Degli Annibaliani, and you can access it after climbing a few steps from the gate of the Colosseo Metro station.

As you explore the classical city of Rome, don't forget to see the Trevi Fountain and the Villa Borghese Gardens.

A stroll along the River Tiber would not be complete without stopping at Cuccurucu or the La Baja houseboat restaurant for a bite to eat.

In Another Time

The one thing I wish I would have done more of in Rome is explore the beautiful art and sacred cathedrals.

When I was 19 my main focus was conserving money, because I was unaware that it could actually be affordable (and even more relaxing and enjoyable) to take tours where someone else plans everything for you. So when I went to Rome, I only ended up taking two.

But I wish I would have explored more of the surrounding areas with some stunning and conveniently planned day-trips, like this one to Ponza Island.

My bestie was also in Italy the same summer that I was, and she's always said that Capri was one of the absolute highlights of her trip. This tour not only takes you there, but it also goes to Pompeii.

Pompeii

The next time I go to Italy I plan to hit all of the beautiful sights mentioned above. I will also make my way to Pompeii. Sites of ancient and natural disasters call to me like a moth to a flame. Our spiritual senses seem to heighten in these spaces, souls displaced by devastation yearn to connect and share their power. My moods are ever-changing like the storms and phenomena of the Earth, yet seeing ruins turn to dust helps me know that this too shall pass.

In Pompeii I will wander towards the Atrium of the House of Pinarius, the same way I have in my dreams. A photographer, or maybe a lover, with an eye for design will take snapshots of me in front of the graffiti scrawled there in Latin, which translates to “If anyone does not believe in Venus, they should gaze at my girlfriend.”

Then we would meander to the House of Maius Castricius, where we could find remnants of a poem written by the staircase in Latin,

vasia quae rapui, quaeris formosa puella / accipe quae rapui non ego solus; ama / quisquis amat valeat

beautiful girl, you seek the kisses that I stole / recieve what I was not alone in taking; love / whoever loves, may she fare well

Eventually, we would discover all the most devastating and passionate written forms of art and ardor inscribed onto the collapsing buildings and tenacious architecture strong enough to outlast the volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D.

Love is everlasting.

Conclusion

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If you enjoyed my first travel blog, you might enjoy this blog post about my inner child artwork as well.

If you want to go a little deeper down the rabbit hole with me, you might find my most-read article about alternative timelines interesting.

Next up on Volume II will be Venice, Italy. Hope to see you there!