Rome

When in Rome (Italy Pt.1)

While deciding how to start my blog, I took some time to think about all my trips. I thought about my favorite things, the most delicious food, and the trip that included the most memorable sights. I thought about my answer to the question "Where is your favorite place you have been" and only one place comes to mind every single time: Italy. I dream about the food, the wine was cheaper than water, the city is perfect for people who like to walk and explore, and the sights are unbelievable. It is an outdoor museum, where every corner you turn is truly breathtaking.

We took an overnight flight from Baltimore, MD into Rome with a short layover in Paris (Charles de Gaulle Airport). With taking an overnight flight, there are pros and cons... the pro: you get in early in the morning and have the entire day to explore, and the con: you're completely exhausted from the traveling, excitement, and lack of sleep overnight. Being optimistic, I booked a tour of the Sistine Chapel for the early afternoon on the day we arrived, thinking we would push through, explore, and hit the sack early that night. Boy, did I learn my lesson. Our trip started out with us taking a nap, not waking up to our alarm, and having to get a taxi and book it to the Sistine Chapel. Luckily we made it right on time and the Taxi was able to drop us off right where we needed to be, but the plan of us walking to the Vatican City ended up not happening.

After spending time inside the Sistine Chapel we spend the rest of the afternoon exploring the Vatican City. TRAVEL TIP: Stop into the Vatican City Post Office and send yourself a fun postcard with a Vatican City stamp! St. Peters Basilica & St. Peters Square were also beautiful places to visit while we were in the area. It's crazy to think about how many people fill up this area when the Pope is leading mass.

After a long day, we grabbed some pizza off the street and headed back to our hotel to finally go to sleep.

The next day we got up and headed to the Colosseum. We were lucky that our hotel was so close, so it was a quick walk to get there. What an impressive structure! To think about how long ago it was built, and while taking the tour, learning about the history in this huge place just blew my mind. We took a tour that allowed us to go down to the bottom of the Colosseum as well as go up to the 3rd floor (something that is not included with a general admission ticket) and I highly recommend this tour (you can find it on Viatour HERE)

Travel tip: purchase your tickets BEFORE you plan to go to the Colosseum. I bought our tickets online before we got to Rome and I was super glad I did, the ticket line was wrapped around the Colosseum!

After the Colosseum, with no set plan, we wandered the streets looking for historic sights (which were everywhere) and smelling out the best places for pasta. We were on a hunt to find a restaurant in the Trastevere area that was recommended by a friend that had a lobster tank in the front but a forgotten name, as it was supposed to have the best lasagna. I don't know how many times we stopped to ask if anyone had seen this mystery restaurant but we never found it ☹️. After walking for hours we decided to stop at a restaurant that had many different selections of pasta. I ordered the Penne Alla Vodka and OMG it was delicious, as I'm typing this I can still remember how it tasted. If your a foodie I highly recommend Rome being on the top of your "To Do" list because of how good the food is.

After walking around all afternoon we stumbled upon a restaurant called Bir & Fud. It was a cute and cozy little restaurant that served delicious pizza and had lots of really good beer on tap. The food was good, the beer was yum, and the price was right! (Sadly Bir & Fud has closed) To finish the night off we started making our way back to our hotel and ran into this bookshop/piano bar/bar that served fancy shots in edible chocolate shot glasses (Rivendita Libri Cioccolata e Vino). We each tried a few (the names of the shots are silly) paid our tab (they were around 3-5 euros/shot) and headed home, to pack up and prepare for the next leg of our trip. 

Rome brought lots of great memories, history, and food. Some of the big takeaways from this trip:

DO limit your set plans to 1-2 big things a day. Your schedule will fill up with many little things as your day goes on so you will want time to explore the shops and piazzas.

DO eat as much pasta as you can: spaghetti, lasagna, tortellini, ravioli, gnocchi; its all good! 

DON'T go paying crazy amounts of $ on a hotel. Stay somewhere that is reasonable and spend your money on the delicious pasta and wine!

DO go see the Colosseum. Plan ahead and purchase tickets BEFORE you plan to go!

DO go to the Vatican City. Its fun to say you have been in the smallest country in the world!

DON'T take a taxi everywhere. Wander the alleyways! Walk as much as possible, there are hidden gems around every corner that you might not see if you took a taxi.

DO drink the wine! Wine is cheaper than water so why not have a glass/bottle with lunch and/or dinner!

DO ask for recommendations from the locals. No matter how much planning I do the first thing when I get to the hotel is ask the front desk staff/concierge for recommendations.

#rome #italy #getoutandexolore #travelingdiaries #travel #wineandpizza #tiamo #allthecarbs