After breakfast, we took the free shuttle service from Camp Tiber to Prima Porta train station just about 5 minutes away.
At the station we bought a €4 day ticket (unlimited ride on bus and train all day) and took a 25-minute journey to Flaminio station (the last station).
From there, we took the Metro underground Line A to Octaviano San Pietro (2 stations away) to see The Vatican City. It is a Cathotlic establishment and an independent city headed by the Pope and guarded by Swiss soldiers.
We queued a bit to enter and as most of us tutup aurat, so it wasn't a problem to enter (you'd have to cover up and dress decently to enter a religious place of course).
We did not enter the Vatican museum (it is €15 to enter) so we opted for the free one: St Peters Basilika - free entrance. Take the left lane to enter the church after x-ray security check.
Inside, we can see the works by Michaelangelo and bodies/mould of the previous Popes. Not very sure about that.
After spending about an hour in the Vatican, we walked back into Rome and went to Castel St Angelo - the place of Emperor Hadrian. It was used as a fort to guard the Vatican, located strategically by the river.
After that, we took the bus to Termini (Stazione Centrale Roma Termini). There are three Halal food joints by Bangladeshis there selling kebab, beriyani etc.
After lunch, my friend and I separated from the tour group and made our own way in Rome. We took the Metro and train again to Monte Antenne station. Once there, we can already see Rome's big mosque, said to be the biggest mosque in Europe!
When we got there, however, the main prayer hall is closed and the place is deserted. We found the female prayer room below but unfortunately we couldn't perform our prayers there as the other gates leading to the ablution area is locked. However, the cool interior (because of all the marbles used) made it seem like the air conditioning was on; a welcome break from the sweltering heat outside.
The mosque is probably opened for Muslims in Rome during Friday prayers and special occasions like Eid. Takde rezeki nak solat di sana, cuma zikir sekejap dalam bilik solat.
After that, we made our way to the Colosseo station to see the world famous Roman Coliseum. It was a right outside the Metro exit and it was breathtaking to finally see it with my own eyes!
We wanted to see inside so we paid €12 for the entrance fee and €5 for the English guided tour.
The tour took about 45 minutes and we were brought to 3 prime spots at the Coliseum while the guide talked about the place and its history. Unfortunately, our guide speaks English with a thick Italian accent so I had to put extra effort to listen and understand.
After taking loads of photos inside, we made our way across the road to Foro Romano (previously an administrative area) and Palatino as our Coliseum tickets also includes entrance to these two places. Luck was not on our side as the place was already closed when we reached there close to 7pm.
So we made our way on foot to look for Piazza Di Spagna (Spanish Steps) and Fontana Di Trevi (Fountain of Trevi) - two of the must-sees when coming to Rome.
As seen in travel books and websites, the Spanish Steps is always full of people just sitting down looking at other people. Quite disappointing for me though as it is nothing but just a flight of stairs in the city, haha!
We continued on foot around the city looking for the Fountain of Trevi and that was worth it. It is a beautiful fountain and people throw coins there and make a wish to find romance. Obviously I didn't do it, but nothing wrong in praying that I will come again, possibly with my future husband! ;)
After that, it was almost 9pm, it was getting dark and we made our way to the nearest Metro station to head home. That €4 day pass ticket is really worth it.
We may have covered more places if we followed our tour group like the Pantheon (a church that used to be a temple from Emperor Hadrian's era) and Pinchio Garden that is overlooking the whole Rome and The Vatican. But at least we covered what we think is necessary and took our own pace.
We arrived at our campsite via the free shuttle bus from Prima Porta and had dinner: nasi putih with lamb korma and beef curry!
Guess everyone had a long day and most of us slept immediately afterwards. Our final night in Rome!