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Monday, July 15, 2013

Italy Part I {Rome}

Today, I am beginning my 3-part recap of our wonderful Italian vacay! These will probably be very long and picture-heavy posts, so you've been warned!

We landed in Rome on June 29 after a very long plane ride (but thankful we had a direct flight from Charlotte)! We had a {crazy} driver take us to our hotel, and once we got settled, we started exploring!

The Pantheon was right outside of our hotel, so we stopped there first. 



Then we walked over to Piazza Navona, which is a pretty plaza with a bunch of artists and restaurants...


...and then Campo de Fiori (basically just a big flea market).


After lunch, we saw the Trevi Fountain...


...and the Spanish Steps (where I couldn't stop thinking about Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday!).


Also, we walked down Via dei Condotti, where all of the fancy stores are (Louis, Jimmy, Gucci, Prada...)


For dinner, we had the most amazing pizza at Pizzeria da Buffeto...seriously, if you are in Rome, you need to go eat here!!


We finished our evening with a walk down by the Tiber River...which, surprise! There were a ton of people there waiting for a firework show! It was a holiday in Rome, but I like to think they were just celebrating Travis and I being there. :) 
Unfortunately, we got stuck behind a big tree, and I couldn't get any good pics of the fireworks.


For Day 2 in Rome, we decided to take on the Vatican. Since it was the last Sunday on the month, admission was free (yay!) which meant it was insanely crowded (boo). 


We waited in the longest line ever (it had to be at least a mile long, and I'm not even exaggerating), but luckily, it moved quickly and we were in the museum in an hour and 15 minutes. 


Inside the museum was very cool...there was a lot of art...


...and great views of the basilica.


We also saw the Sistine Chapel (of course), but you aren't allowed to take pictures in there!
We got lost leaving the museum, but got out in time to see the Pope giving his weekly blessing!

{Can you see him?! He was so far away! Look in the top right corner, by the red flag}

After lunch, we went to Castel Sant'Angelo, which is an old castle/mausoleum/jail/fortress where you can see great views of Rome from the top!


The views from above were nothing short of spectacular...



For dinner, we ate at a cute little restaurant in the Trastevere neighborhood, which is just across the river. 


If you go to Rome, eat over there! The food is so much cheaper and just as delicious!!


For our last day in Rome, we toured the Colosseum. 




The Colosseum was absolutely amazing, and I'm glad we got a tour so I could learn more about it!

After our tour, we went and walked around Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum. Lots of ruins.
We didn't have a tour guide for this part, so I didn't really know what was what. It was still very interesting to see and walk around though!



I do know that this is Circus Maximus...


...and this is where Julius Caesar is buried.


More of the Forum...



That's it for our fun time in Rome!

Next stop: Venice!!!

4 comments:

  1. I'm bookmarking this so I have it for our trip (very soon!). Great recap!

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  2. Love! Rome is so overwhelming but magical

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  3. So jealous! Italy is at the top of my list of places to visit!!

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  4. I'm going to save this, it has great tips for my trip! How much would you say that most of the tours cost?

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