I
went to Rome with my children in mid August because of the school holidays. I
knew the place would be crowded and hot, but I went with it because I wanted to
take them somewhere special.
Every
day, the temperatures soared above 30 degrees.
Rome
is carved from stone. The monuments are like storage heaters and the body feels
like it is in a physio-therm. Thank god for my sun cream, hat and sunglasses. But
the air was so dry and hot my daughter had nose bleeds and I got chapped lips.
The
busy streets are narrow and the crowds will commander the shaded side. Rome's ruins such as the Roman Forum has little shade. Keeping
out of the sun isn’t always easy.
To
make matters worse, I had to stay longer than was arranged due to a terrible mishap
(covered in another article). I had packed enough clothes for a week.
This is how I Survived
the Heat of Rome in August.
There
are plenty of water fountains in Rome. The water is safe to drink. All you need
is a bottle and keep filling whenever you can. Water sellers mill around
tourist sites. You don’t need to buy water in Rome.
I
kept my bottle in my side pocket where the cool water offered relief against my
thigh. It was also handy for quick sips.
(Read
all my articles on Rome on my Rome
a Survival Kit)
Cure Chapped Lips
Even
after drinking liters of water and plying on the sun cream, my lips got chapped. To help with this, whenever I took gulps of my water, I would apply a
little lipstick. Mine was everyday lipstick from Boots that I kept in my side
pocket. So I will swig the water and apply the lipstick. Lip-sil or Vaseline
can be used otherwise. My chapped lips were gone within a day.
My
daughter’s nose bleeds eased when she kept drinking water and having frequent
rests.
When
caught out, we could sit on one of the beautiful churches in Rome. They are
dark, quiet and relatively tourist-free. Some have beautiful frescoes and
altarpieces. Ones worth visiting are:
Churches in Rome
San
Giovanni in Laterano
San
Paulo Fuori le Mura
San
Clemente
San
Petro in Vincoli
Church
of San Marcello al Corso
The
Church of San Luigi Dei Francesi
Church
of Sant’ Agnese in Agone
Parrocchia
S. Maria in Portico in Campitelli
The
Gesu
Sant’
Ignazio (near the Gesu)
Keep Clean in
Sweltering Heat in Rome
For
reasons explained in another article, we had to stay ten days in Rome instead
of seven. After running out of clothes to wear, I would place my blouses and
underwear in the shower basin while I washed. I will then let the soap cascade
over them as I washed and wring them out when done.
I
had no pegs to drape my clothes, so I used socks. I hung my wet clothes on the hotel
balcony and by morning, they were dry and fresh.
So
I was able to keep clean beyond the stay planned at my hotel in Rome.
Lessons Learnt
Keep
your water bottle filled in Rome from any water fountain.
Apply
a little lipstick or Vaseline after drinking the water to prevent chapped lips
Wash
your used clothes in the shower basin at the end of the day and drape on the
hotel balcony via socks.
Sunhat,
sunglasses and sun cream are a given!
A
quiet church is a good place to take shade on a hot day to admire the beautiful
paintings and frescoes.
Read
all my articles on Rome on my Rome
a Survival Kit
 |
| The Roman Forum has little shade |
 |
| Rome has plenty of water fountains |
 |
Church
of San Marcello al Corso
|
 |
| The blistering skyline of Rome |
 |
| Keep your clothes fresh in Rome |
