When in Rome...

Rome - Sunday PM

Hello Rome! Hello Italy! Our first site (after a LONG journey to the hotel, a shower, and change of clothes to hit the ground running) was Capitol Hill followed by a walk along the Via del Corso until we found our first ristorante and enjoyed our first (of many) pizzas and Chianti. It was absolute heaven. We continued our random stroll along the shops until we decided to see a few things on the map.

Fontana di Trevi was our first stop, after, of course, some gelato! Italians love their gelato and we can't believe how many cute gelato shops their are per block. Trevi Fountain was gorgeous and huge! Large marble sculptures and the place was ridiculously packed with other onlookers.

After the fountain we went in search of the Spanish Steps and found ourselves to be quite exhausted at this point. We climbed to the top for another great view before plopping ourselves down to take in the scene.

Now we are really tired (our body is telling us it is 1pm and yet is it 9pm, but we haven't really slept in 30 hours). We are determined to beat our jet lag and begin our trek to catch the shuttle to our hotel. But on our way we stumble upon the magnificent Colosseo! I had been dying to see it for years and it was just as impressive as I'd imagined. Especially at night all lit up. And it was perfect because there weren't many other people around we sat there for awhile killing time before our ride. I almost wept a tear at the Colosseo and am so glad we spent time there at night.Rome- Monday

Sleeping in was heavenly. Truly. We checked out of the hotel (we only stayed there one night - compliments of Sonya's boyfriend's hotel points to ensure we had a safe place to sleep our first night in Italy) and loaded our bags to catch the shuttle to the subway so we could ride to Termini Station and grab our prepaid Roma Pass (a ticket good at multiple sites) and then head to Frank's House to drop of our stuff for the next two nights.

Frank's House isn't too shabby. It's in a neighborhood that is not my favorite, but could be worse. We are close to a great park and plenty of cafes, not to mention walking distance to everything. Our morning was off to a quick start and we grabbed some bread and ate along the walk-way leading up to the Coliseum. We began our tour and oddly found the outside sight at night more breath-taking then inside the ruins. We read a lot of info that unfortunately went in one ear and out the other, but it was interesting how much of the Coliseum was destroyed and not preserved.

We then walked over to The Forum (more of Ancient Rome). While it was impressive, it would have been helpful to have had a guide to make things come to life and give meaning to what we saw. Our energy was depleted and we left without seeing everything so we could grab food. Of course we chose the longest way ever to hunt down a cafe and finally eat.

We ate just a few blocks from Capitol Hill and enjoyed glasses of Presecco and some unfortunate pizza. But the gelato made up for it! Our next walk took us to the Pantheon and it was something else. The pillars and architecture were incredible!

Sonya read about this great, hip neighborhood called Campo di Fiori so we sought out a good place to eat on the piazza with a fun view of fountains, statues, and people enjoying this busy spot. This was our first full menu restaurant and the food hit the spot. I enjoyed more gelato (are you noticing a theme?) We stopped at a wine bar on our way back for more wine and a chance to just sit for a second. We passed the Colosseo on our way back home through the dark streets and that was the last time I saw it.

Vatican City - Tuesday

We ventured to Vatican City around noon and got a tad lost trying to find the Vatican Museum, which was conveniently hiding behind the wall towards the back. We opted to follow the signs to go straight to the Sistine Chapel hoping to see it first, however, it proved to be a long walk and took us about 1.5 hours to finally arrive there. I kept thinking we were getting closer as we continued down amazing corridors and other painted ceilings. Finally we arrived with guards hushing everyone and yelling "no cameras" in a big deep voice. The Sistine Chapel was even more over-whelming and beautiful than I expected. It was a long room with an extremely tall ceiling. What a blessing to see a creation so incredible. It was a once in a lifetime experience I won't soon forgot.We went inside St. Peter's Basillica and it was equisite (under statement of the year). Its marvelous beauty, ornate details, and incredible ceilings were beyond words. We walked around inside and saw St. Peter's tomb and then migrated towards the dome to begin our 537 stair climb to the top.

After our aerobic workout we grabbed gelato and walked around the market, and then went back to the square to sit and people watch while watching the sun dip behind St Peter's. Our next hike took us to Trastevere by Piazza Trilussa and had the most delicious dinner at one of the cafes. We sat right next to a couple from the states and it turns out they used to live in Denver, so we chatted it up with them for a bit and got a great recommendation to try some gelato at Piazza Navona. More walking (we had to earn our treats) lead us to the next piazza and then we decided to call it a night.