Roman Holiday

Since I was raised Catholic, the Vatican has always been of interest.  Not to mention that Latin course I took in 6th grade which piqued my desire to travel to Rome. When I was younger, I would dream of walking the streets of Italy, gelato in hand, and being swept back in time to the greatness of the Roman era. Even as I type, I'm getting chills at the thought of being back in Rome in a few short months.

Shortly after buying our first home and living on meager meals for weeks, Hubs and I had had enough. Finally, it was time for another adventure and this time we were ready to knock one off my bucket list - you guessed it, Rome. SCORE! Being the night before we were to leave, we hurriedly threw some clothes together and booked what looked to be a rather cozy B&B called Domus Liberius.  With that, we were all set for what I think has been the best trip we've done to date.

Upon landing in Italy and catching our train into the city, I was already captivated by the beautiful Italian countryside. Finally, we made it to the city and found our B&B. The owner checked us in and even had maps of the city which she used to chart out the best way for us to maximize our three short days.

As per usual, once officially checked into our room, exhaustion set in and we settled in for a short nap before setting out to see the sites. Afterwards, we felt refreshed and in search of espresso and sandwiches. First stop though was Piazza Venezia and spent some time soaking in it's amazing architecture before setting off towards the Pantheon. En route, we found a cozy cafe for lunch to fuel  our escapades.

Beautiful pano of the view from the top of the steps at the Piazza Venezia

It was a bit windy but we were loving it

Finally, we were back to almost normal and Pantheon bound. Pro-tip: access to the Pantheon is free but there's tons of people promising a cheap tour. Sure some of them may have interesting information but don't waste the euros thinking you're getting a deal. Once we had our fill at the Pantheon, we walked towards Trevi Fountain. The pictures truly don't do it justice. In fact, all the sculptures and architecture throughout Rome blew me away. It is crazy to think of ancient Romans doing all of it without any of the modern conveniences.

Inside the Pantheon

Still a bit jet lagged, you may notice..

After the fountain, we decided we wanted to see the Spanish steps but sadly they were closed for renovation - I am really excited to see them later this year! Bummed but still on our site-seeing mission,  we headed up to a park - Parcheggio Villa Borghese. If ever in Rome - this was one of my favorite places we visited. When you get to the top perch, there's an amazing panoramic view of the city and bonus, the park itself is incredible. By this point, we'd been walking for a few hours and were ready for a breather. Luckily, we stumbled on an adorable cafe where we indulged in some Prosecco and dessert pastries.

Pano from the top balcony of the park

On our way back towards the hotel, I was able to convince Hubs to let me shop in a few of stores (which if you know him - this is no small feat) and we found a few deals, even got a few gifts for my family! Well, it was nearing dinner time and we happened to stumble upon one of the suggestions from our hostess for dinner - Hosteria La Vacca M'briaca. This was hands down the best meal of the trip, but to be fair all the Italian fare was incredible. On our way back to the B&B, we purchased a bottle of wine for the evening and then turned in for the night.

We were up and at 'em early the next morning and opted to take the scenic route cutting through Piazza Navona and Campo de Fiori on our way to Vatican City. Before heading out on our journey, we had purchased tickets to the Vatican Museum online- Pro tip: even in February the line for purchasing tickets was insane whereas we were able to walk straight in. I thoroughly enjoyed the museum, the amount of history was unbelievable and I got some great photos.

Piazza Navona

Crossing the Tiber to Vatican City

Castel Sant'Angelo

Finally, we walked through the Sistine Chapel, out the exit and on to Saint Peter's to walk to the top. Warning - this isn't for the faint of heart. I have a few issues with heights (the Eiffel Tower nearly did me in) but I was dead set on making it to the top. Boy was it worth it. The weather was perfect and we could see for miles. After soaking up the scenery, we headed back down and toured the basilica. I decided to wait in line for the dedicated prayer room. There was no photography allowed (which is a shame because it was stunning) but I was so thankful I decided to wait. Words cannot describe how beautiful it was or even what I was feeling as I was praying. I was moved to tears.

Waiting to go into St. Peter's

The dome of St. Peter's

The statues on top of Saint Peter's Square are over 10ft fall!

Afterwards, I managed to convince Hubs I needed a new rosary from the shop across from the Vatican (I'm convinced that means it's "blessed" by the Pope) before our hunger pains led us to a pizzeria nearby. Best pizza of the trip - Ristorante dei Musei. Once we felt satiated, I tried to convince Hubs we should see the Castel Sant'Angelo but we had already walked approximately 7 miles (Hubs doesn't believe in taxis/public transit so we walk everywhere) instead, since it was early afternoon we settled on vino. We were fairly close to the Trastevere (literally translates to 'beyond the Tiber') so we headed that way in search of our wine.

The remainder of the afternoon was spent people watching, wine in hand and soon enough... you guessed it... we were ready for dinner. There are so many amazing choices so we had our pick. After we finished dinner and tiramisu (duh), we decided to continue our walking tour to include the Colosseum and Roman ruins. Even though it was too late to tour the sites as they were now closed, it was incredible to see them all lit up at night. And not surprisingly, on our way back we stopped in for another bottle of wine and called it a night.

The next morning we were up early once more. Having purchased our tickets to the Colosseum the previous evening (these tickets also include the Roman ruins, FYI), we hurried to eat breakfast and were on our way. We were in the Colosseum by 10am local and immediately I was blown away. The sheer scale of it was beyond my imagination.

View of the ruins from the Colosseum

Just for reference - I'm 5'8"

An aqueduct

View of the ruins from a park across the street

We walked around for a while and decided to head into the Roman ruins. Again, it was insanely impressive. The photos really don't do it justice. It's so crazy to think how long these structures have been around and the history they've seen. We walked around for a few hours and still didn't see everything! It was nearly early afternoon and the Trastevere was so beautiful so we headed back that way for a late lunch.

Yet again, our trip was coming to an end. We walked back to the B&B, stopping for gelato before heading to our room to pack up before dinner and booking a room for the final leg our journey - Brussels (more on this next time).  One last dinner in Rome before we left, so we relied on our host once more and ended up at La Mucca Biricchina.  As always, it exquisite and left us extremely satisfied.

Despite this being the end of this Roman holiday, you may recall me mentioning earlier that we are nearing another this spring. Somehow we talked my whole family into a Mediterranean cruise leaving from none other than Rome! Be on the lookout for more from Rome as well as many other cities in Italy, Spain and even one in France! Ta ta for now my friends or as the Italian say - arrivederchi!  

Basilica de Santa Maria Maggiore near the Domus Liberius. Photo taken on our way to the airport.