Rome in a Day

My limited travel days and the limited availability of train tickets gave me no choice but to see Rome in a day **insert Rome being built in a day pun here**.

Rachel and I arrived in Rome just in time for dinner, one of the activities I was looking most forward to in Italy. In the 40 minutes we had between trains in Milan, we had already managed to find some delicious Margharita Pizza. So, it was time for pasta when dinner came around. And, of course, it was delicious.

Afterward, we walked from our hostel to the Collosseum. It was "I can't believe I'm here" moment.

me at the Collosseum

The next morning, we formed our "Rome in a day" plan of attack and decided to take the metro to Vatican City (all the way west in Rome) and work our way back. Not being Catholic, I don't think going to Vatican City was as exciting for me as it is for others. But, it was still very cool to see. I was most excited to see the Pieta. I would have loved to have seen the Sistine Chapel, but it's closed on Sundays. Luckily, we ended up semi-accidentally getting in line to climb up into the dome of St. Peter's Basilica. It was an amazing view of Rome and an excellent workout (520 steps!)

Rome from the dome

Piazza San Pietro

(Vatican City)

me in Roma!

Michelangelo's Pieta

Inside the Basilica

On our way out of Vatican City, there were masses of people in the Piazza San Pietro listening to someone who was clearly important speak in Italian. I did not think much about it at the time because I could not figure out where the voice was coming from. At the end of the speech, I noticed that someone took a red flag out of the windows of one of the buildings and closed the window (which looked kind of familiar...). That afternoon, I heard some Americans talking about how they had heard the Pope speak while at Vatican City that morning. So, maybe, I heard the Pope speak without realizing it. Cool?

Anyway...

Next, we made our way over to the Pantheon, followed by the Roman ruins. This was absolutely my favorite part of the trip. Walking down one street and seeing the ruins of an empire that existed so many hundreds of years ago was incredible. I can hardly find words to express it. Luckily, I have TONS of pictures!

Piazza della Rotonda

(area in front of the Pantheon)

The Pantheon

Roman ruins

Via dei Fori Imperiali

(my favorite street in Rome)

Collosseum

I had wanted to go into the Collosseum, but it was at least 12 euro per person and ended up closing around the same time we got there. Instead, we went as far as we could go into the Collosseum and took photos at awkward angles through small windows that looked into the Collosseum. It was definitely one of our classiest tourism moments yet.

Colloseeum from the back

With a few more hours to kill before dinner, we decided to walk along the river that runs through Rome. It led us to some beautiful sights and a castle (Saint Angelo!).

Ponte Cestio to an Isola

(over Fiume Tevere)

Area that was a Jewish Ghetto during WWII

(now a cute area with lots of restaurants)

Ponte Vittorio Emanuele II

(dome of St. Peter's Basilica in the background)

Castel Sant Angelo

After covering the expanse of Rome largely by foot (only 3 metro rides in almost 12 hours of touring!), we felt we deserved a delicious Italian dinner that included pasta, pizza, and canoles. We also added tiramasu later in the meal.

In a cute area called Trastevere, we stumbled upon a tiny restaurant with a cheap menu that was already FULL of people at no later than 6pm. We assumed it was fate that they had just one table for two left and took it. It didn't take long to figure out that the restaurant was not full of hungry locals, as we had originally assumed; it was full of a tour group. So, we spent our last dinner in Italy with a bunch of old English speakers. At least the food was good.

Canoles!!

Overall, Rome was fantastic and I wish I could have spent more time there. The food was delicious and the city was beautiful and so rich with history. Hopefully I'll go back one day!