When in Rome...(November 10-13)

Mommy and me at the Colosseum

We're catching up! So three weekends ago I headed off to Roma to meet my Mom for a fantastic Italian weekend. This weekend was JAM PACKED so if I leave things out, it's just cus I'm trying to get the main highlights in.

I got to Rome late Thursday night and met my mama in the hotel. After throwing down my things, we walked around the corner to the Pantheon and had some delicious food right in the piazza. We split a delicious caprese salad (the first of about a million that weekend) and a pasta dish with alfredo sauce and ham. And the view was spectacular! On the way home we stopped for some gelato and then it was sleepytime for us.

Roman Forum

We woke up bright and early the next day and headed to the Colosseum. It really was amazing, just as awe-inspiring as I always imagined it was. Just to think about the fact that it was built so long ago, and yet still stands today...unbelievable.

After the Colosseum and a quick bite to eat right next to it, we were off to the Roman Forum. While this was also unbelievable, it was incredibly confusing. There are very few signs and so thank god we had a guide book that kinda walked us through for most of the sights, although we were definitely lost at some point. The ruins really are amazing though, and it blew my mind how much of these buildings built so long ago were still standing. How much of what we build today could possibly last so long?

View from the top of the Vittorio Emannuelle Monument

Vittorio Emmanuelle Monument

After the ruins we went to the Vittorio Emmanuelle Monument. The monument was built to honor the first king of the unified Italy, Victor Emmanuel. I can't explain why, but I really liked this monument, and was glad that we had to pass it so many times on the way back and forth from our hotel. It also holds the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and has a changing of the guards every hour. The view from the top is amazing!

Then it was off to the Piazza del Campidoglio. You walk up the huge ramp and are greeted by a huge statue of Marcus Aurelius, but the real one is even more impressive, and is held inside the Museum in the piazza, which we went to. The museum was cool, but the piazza at sunset was absolutely beautiful. After the museum we walked over to the little overlook area next to the piazza and looked at Rome all lit up at night.

After the Campidoglio we went back to the hotel to change for dinner. Now, here's my quick little rant on our hotel in Rome. The location was phenomenal, and the hotel itself was very nice. But the staff were unhelpful and rude and as a result, we got lost EVERY TIME we went somewhere using their directions. So of course, we got lost going to dinner the first night. We went to a delicious little restaurant on a side street by the Roman Forum (a recommendation from Ata) and the food was amazing. We had pasta, prawns, and artichokes. Yum! The dessert was delicious as well, and we went to bed quite satisfied with the day.

The next morning we woke up and headed off to Vatican City. It still confuses me how the Vatican is it's own country, but we got there with no problem and headed off to the Vatican Museum. While all of the artwork is beautiful, of course the Sistine Chapel takes the cake. I must say, I have NO IDEA how Michelangelo did it, because I got so dizzy just LOOKING at the thing. Here are a few of the illegal photos I snapped of the ceiling and also of Raphael's "School of Athens" which I really loved.

After the Sistine Chapel it was off to St. Peter's. We did the church first before climbing to the top. The inside of the church was truly spectacular. Once again I found my AP Art History knowledge creeping back into my brain and it was really cool getting to see some of the stuff I learned about so long ago. After the church we waited on the very long line to climb to the top of St. Peter's, and then climbed the long and extremely claustrophobia-inducing stairway to the top. I gotta say, it was totally worth it. An incredible view! After taking in enough of the view, we headed back down and rested on the lower part of the roof of the Vatican for awhile, where I wrote a postcard to Mike before we headed back down to the street.

The basilica itself is architecturally amazing. I could've stayed there for awhile, but both Mommy and my tummy's were rumbling and it was time for yet another delicious Roman meal. We stopped at a cute little street cafe in the Vatican city and had more yummy mozzarella and other such Italian food before heading back to Rome.

After the Vatican we headed back to the hotel and were greeted by a HUGE celebration outside our hotel. Our hotel was located in the same piazza as the Italian parliament and Saturday night was the night Berlusconi resigned, and there were camera crews, celebrations, and lots of Italian songs being sung. The gov nerd in me LOVED every minute of it, and insisted we keep our windows open while we got ready for dinner. After a nap, we we headed out to dinner, which of course we got lost on the way to. Our dinner was in Trastevere, a cute little neighborhood further away from downtown Rome. Dinner was delicious yet again, and then we wandered the streets of Trastevere and stopped in some little shops and bought some gifts for ourselves before heading back.

On the way home we finally stopped at the Trevi Fountain. I'd been waiting for this the whole time in Rome, and it did not disappoint. The fountain is truly breathtaking, and of course Mommy and I took our coins and made wishes into the fountain. We sat there for awhile before turning back to the hotel and calling it another fantastic night.

The next day we headed out early again to go see the Moses sculpture at St. Peters in Chains. I wasn't looking forward to this anywhere near as much as my mom, but the statue was really impressive, and knowing the whole story behind Moses having horns made it a lot more interesting. So a worthwhile little trip. 

Then it was off to the Piazza Navona to see Bernini's Fontana dei Quattro Fiume. This was really cool and I loved how walking around the entire fountain had so many different angles and different things to look at. A really impressive masterpiece. We sat down and had a really yummy lunch at a small cafe outside in the piazza and watched all the street performers and people wandering around. A great last meal in Italy!

As our last stop in Rome we headed off to the Spanish Steps. This was yet another time when I was really glad we weren't there during the height of tourist season. The steps weren't mobbed and we were able to sit towards the bottom and people watch and just enjoy the piazza. Along with the steps, that piazza has the fountain which is rumored to have the sweetest water in Rome. Of course, we tried it. (To be honest, couldn't tell the difference, but it was fun to try!)

Then it was off for one more delicious gelato before heading home to Prague! A wonderful weekend!