If I were to say Rome is amazing, it would be the understatement of the year. Words can not describe the aesthetic pleasure of this city (not to mention the great food & vino). It is easy to get turned around on the narrow streets, but something beautiful is lurking around every corner.
We arrived late Sunday evening and had just enough time for a quick slice of pizza and bed. We knew we had 2 busy days of sight seeing ahead and wanted to make sure we were ready, especially since we had just finished our 120 mile bike trip in the Netherlands that afternoon.
Monday morning we were up bright and early. It seemed the day may be dreary but despite bad forecasts we were blessed with a day of warm sunshine. We made our way to the Colosseum. It was great to see it in person after seeing it on the big screen for years. We took a guided tour and Danny proudly told me how he already knew much of the information provided (mostly from brutal movies I won't watch, I'm sure). At any rate, our guide was very informative and it was cool to see the famous arena first hand. The Arch of Constantine and Paletine Hill were very close in proximity so we were able to see those and a few other sites immediately after.
After a quick break to rehydrate at the hotel, we walked to the Spanish Steps to meet our friends Lisa & Brian for an afternoon of fun. After seeing the Spanish Steps, we all stayed together and checked out Trevi Fountain and the Pantheon. We stopped at a few of the piazzas within the city for beer/vino, espresso, and I tried gellato for the first time. Of our stops, Trevi Fountain was my favorite. It is so massive you can hear the water almost a block away as you approach. It is said that if you toss a coin into the fountain you will one day return to Rome. I personally tossed in two just to make sure! We ended our day with Lisa & Brian at dinner around Piazza Navona, and the predicted rain showed up. I was glad it waited until the end of our day. Danny and I strolled back to our hotel room in the rain and passed by Trevi Fountain one more time to see it lit up at night. It was just as beautiful as it had been during the day!
Today's goal was to wake up early to get to the Vatican before the lines were ridiculous. Unfortunately, there was a lot of rain so we instead chose to get a couple more hours of sleep. once we woke up there was a short break in the rain and we hopped on the intercity train to go to St. Peter's Basilica & the Vatican Museum. The line outside St. Peter's seemed long but moved very quickly. Luckily, we were able to make it inside before the rain started again. The sculptures inside the basilica are beautiful and too numerous to count! The intricate work on the ceilings is amazing. The Vatican Museum proved to be just as beautiful. My favorite part of that building was the gallery of maps, essentially a long hallway of geographical paintings of Italy. Again, the intricate artwork on the ceiling was breathtaking. The Sistine Chapel was the last stop at the Vatican Museum. Walking in was yet another "wow" moment. It's hard to believe one man, Michelangelo, is responsible for painting all of this beauty, and it's even harder to believe this was not his proudest project!
Tonight will be our last dinner in Rome as tomorrow we head to Venice for the day (we'll return to the hotel in Rome but it will be late). I'm excited to see the city built on water and of course to take a gondola ride!
This is awesome. I can't wait to see more pictures and hear about your other adventures!
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