If you haven't noticed by the ironic title of this post or the ridiculous number of Colosseum pictures above this sentence, this past weekend in Italy was spent in the beautiful city of Rome. Actually, it was the better part of a week, as my traveling buddy Anita and I decided to skip class Monday (sorry Mom) so that we could enjoy 4 days worth of authentic Italian history.
Let me start of by saying that I have never been so exhausted in my life. I was warned prior to leaving that Rome is a lot of walking, but I didn't really grasp just how much we would be walking until we got there. According to the health app on my iPhone, in the four days that we were in Rome we walked a combined 90,292 steps, which translates to roughly 40 miles. That is more than a marathon. Anyway, I'm going to try to be as to-the-point with this post as possible, but I have a lot of walking to fill you in on and I can already tell that it is going to be a long one, so feel free to skim over the boring parts if you want.
We arrived in Rome early on Friday and immediately took a four hour nap. Once again, we had to sleep in the airport the night before because our flight left too early in the morning for public transit, and believe it or not, airport floors are not entirely conducive to sleeping. When we eventually woke up we were significantly more well rested and decided to go to dinner before heading out to explore some of the city at night. Our first stop was at the Colosseum, and I'm still trying to decide if I like it better during the day or at night. One of the things that I enjoyed most about Rome was that their major tourist attractions were just as amazing, if not more amazing, at night as during the day. After the Colosseum we made our way to the Trevi Fountain, enjoying the sites along the way. The Trevi was hands-down more beautiful at night, so if you're ever in Rome I recommend going after the sun sets. We were also extremely lucky to get to see it, because I guess it had been closed for construction for months and opened 3 days before we got there, so score for that. I honestly might have cried if I didn't get to have my Lizzie McGuire moment (that's making a wish and throwing a coin in the fountain, for those of you who aren't fellow 90's girls).
On Saturday we woke up fairly early to get a start on the day. The place that we stayed included free breakfast tickets at a little cafe down the road, which pleasantly surprised me. I was expecting to get a free espresso and maybe a plain croissant, but they were actually very generous. Anita and I both got lattes, and for once they were made big enough that I didn't feel like I needed three refills to energize for my day. We also got to choose whatever pastry that we wanted, which was a nice bonus considering I'm a sucker for chocolate brioches, of which they had plenty.
After breakfast we made our way to the Vatican Museum, and even first thing in the morning the line to get in was hours long. We decided to pay a little bit of an extra fee to reserve tickets online for a couple of hours later so that we could make the most of our time in the city and do something other than stand in line for two hours. We ended up going to St. Peter's Basilica hoping to take a tour in the mean time, but when we arrived we were surprised to find that it was closed until after our reservation for the museum. We decided to walk around the square anyway, and realized that something was going on because there was a huge crowd. Turns out the Pope was speaking, so we hung around to watch for a little bit which was definitely an unexpected little bonus to our trip.
Afterward we went back to the Vatican Museum for our reservation and spent a few hours enjoying the exhibits. Of course everyone goes to see the Sistine Chapel, but I thought that the rest of the museum was just as enjoyable. There was an entire showroom dedicated to Ancient Egyptian artifacts which I really loved, including a (what I like to think was real) mummy. There were also two long hallways dedicated to old maps of Italy as well as tapestries, both of which were works of art in themselves. Eventually we did make our way to the Sistine Chapel, and it definitely did not disappoint. You're not technically allowed to take pictures inside even though it was super easy to sneak them, but I didn't bother. For me the artistry was less about the final outcome of the paintings and more about how in the hell Michelangelo managed to paint the whole thing by himself without developing severe carpal tunnel, as well as the mere imagination required to come up with the designs. It was probably the most impressive thing I've ever seen.
When we finished with the Vatican Museum we decided to go back to St. Peter's Basilica so that we could finally go inside. It was by far the most elaborate basilica I've seen, and definitely worth the trip back. We also got to see where Pope John Paul II was buried, which I thought was cool in a morbid kind of way.
On Sunday we woke up early, yet again, so that we could grab our free breakfast and get a move-on. We planned to tour the Roman Forum and the Colosseum during the day, and although we managed to do them both I now realize that we were very ambitious in doing so. I have never been so miserably sore from walking in my entire life, and no, I'm not being dramatic. Nonetheless, both sites were absolutely amazing, and probably my favorite part of the entire weekend. The Roman Forum was simply fascinating and the history of the place was mind blowing. We were able to see where Caesar was cremated, which again, my morbid mind thought was the coolest thing ever. The Colosseum was equally unreal, but I think that the history of Ancient Rome is fascinating as a whole so I might be a bit biased.
After doing nothing but walk for a good five or six hours, we grabbed dinner near the Colosseum before heading home to recharge for the night. After napping for a little longer than we planned, we went back to the Trevi Fountain area to do some souvenir shopping and enjoy some of Rome's nightlife. After being on our feet all day it didn't take long for us to wear out, so we rested by getting some gelato and people watching by the fountain. We even got to see a couple get engaged, which was totally adorable, I say as I gag in my mouth (I figure I'm allowed to be cynical for a few more weeks, at least).
Monday was a more relaxed day, which my feet desperately needed. We enjoyed our last free breakfast before setting out to take pictures around the city. Of course we went back to the Colosseum to say goodbye, and then walked around Trajan's Market, which are more ruins in Rome but separate from the Roman Forum. We also went back to the Trevi Fountain for one last wish and to experience it during the day, but like I said before, it's way better at night. For lunch we wanted to get take-away meals and eat them by the Spanish Steps, but when we got to them we were sad to find that they were closed for construction. It ended up working out alright though, because we got pizza at a nearby restaurant which I'm pretty sure hires the most flirty Italian waiters they can find. While this made for a very enjoyable lunch, I was more into the fact that they had crushed red pepper flakes and fountain Coke. Food > Boys.
And after that short novel, I conclude my weekend in Rome. I hope you enjoyed!
Until next week,
Hayli
Let me start of by saying that I have never been so exhausted in my life. I was warned prior to leaving that Rome is a lot of walking, but I didn't really grasp just how much we would be walking until we got there. According to the health app on my iPhone, in the four days that we were in Rome we walked a combined 90,292 steps, which translates to roughly 40 miles. That is more than a marathon. Anyway, I'm going to try to be as to-the-point with this post as possible, but I have a lot of walking to fill you in on and I can already tell that it is going to be a long one, so feel free to skim over the boring parts if you want.
We arrived in Rome early on Friday and immediately took a four hour nap. Once again, we had to sleep in the airport the night before because our flight left too early in the morning for public transit, and believe it or not, airport floors are not entirely conducive to sleeping. When we eventually woke up we were significantly more well rested and decided to go to dinner before heading out to explore some of the city at night. Our first stop was at the Colosseum, and I'm still trying to decide if I like it better during the day or at night. One of the things that I enjoyed most about Rome was that their major tourist attractions were just as amazing, if not more amazing, at night as during the day. After the Colosseum we made our way to the Trevi Fountain, enjoying the sites along the way. The Trevi was hands-down more beautiful at night, so if you're ever in Rome I recommend going after the sun sets. We were also extremely lucky to get to see it, because I guess it had been closed for construction for months and opened 3 days before we got there, so score for that. I honestly might have cried if I didn't get to have my Lizzie McGuire moment (that's making a wish and throwing a coin in the fountain, for those of you who aren't fellow 90's girls).
On Saturday we woke up fairly early to get a start on the day. The place that we stayed included free breakfast tickets at a little cafe down the road, which pleasantly surprised me. I was expecting to get a free espresso and maybe a plain croissant, but they were actually very generous. Anita and I both got lattes, and for once they were made big enough that I didn't feel like I needed three refills to energize for my day. We also got to choose whatever pastry that we wanted, which was a nice bonus considering I'm a sucker for chocolate brioches, of which they had plenty.
After breakfast we made our way to the Vatican Museum, and even first thing in the morning the line to get in was hours long. We decided to pay a little bit of an extra fee to reserve tickets online for a couple of hours later so that we could make the most of our time in the city and do something other than stand in line for two hours. We ended up going to St. Peter's Basilica hoping to take a tour in the mean time, but when we arrived we were surprised to find that it was closed until after our reservation for the museum. We decided to walk around the square anyway, and realized that something was going on because there was a huge crowd. Turns out the Pope was speaking, so we hung around to watch for a little bit which was definitely an unexpected little bonus to our trip.
Afterward we went back to the Vatican Museum for our reservation and spent a few hours enjoying the exhibits. Of course everyone goes to see the Sistine Chapel, but I thought that the rest of the museum was just as enjoyable. There was an entire showroom dedicated to Ancient Egyptian artifacts which I really loved, including a (what I like to think was real) mummy. There were also two long hallways dedicated to old maps of Italy as well as tapestries, both of which were works of art in themselves. Eventually we did make our way to the Sistine Chapel, and it definitely did not disappoint. You're not technically allowed to take pictures inside even though it was super easy to sneak them, but I didn't bother. For me the artistry was less about the final outcome of the paintings and more about how in the hell Michelangelo managed to paint the whole thing by himself without developing severe carpal tunnel, as well as the mere imagination required to come up with the designs. It was probably the most impressive thing I've ever seen.
When we finished with the Vatican Museum we decided to go back to St. Peter's Basilica so that we could finally go inside. It was by far the most elaborate basilica I've seen, and definitely worth the trip back. We also got to see where Pope John Paul II was buried, which I thought was cool in a morbid kind of way.
On Sunday we woke up early, yet again, so that we could grab our free breakfast and get a move-on. We planned to tour the Roman Forum and the Colosseum during the day, and although we managed to do them both I now realize that we were very ambitious in doing so. I have never been so miserably sore from walking in my entire life, and no, I'm not being dramatic. Nonetheless, both sites were absolutely amazing, and probably my favorite part of the entire weekend. The Roman Forum was simply fascinating and the history of the place was mind blowing. We were able to see where Caesar was cremated, which again, my morbid mind thought was the coolest thing ever. The Colosseum was equally unreal, but I think that the history of Ancient Rome is fascinating as a whole so I might be a bit biased.
After doing nothing but walk for a good five or six hours, we grabbed dinner near the Colosseum before heading home to recharge for the night. After napping for a little longer than we planned, we went back to the Trevi Fountain area to do some souvenir shopping and enjoy some of Rome's nightlife. After being on our feet all day it didn't take long for us to wear out, so we rested by getting some gelato and people watching by the fountain. We even got to see a couple get engaged, which was totally adorable, I say as I gag in my mouth (I figure I'm allowed to be cynical for a few more weeks, at least).
Monday was a more relaxed day, which my feet desperately needed. We enjoyed our last free breakfast before setting out to take pictures around the city. Of course we went back to the Colosseum to say goodbye, and then walked around Trajan's Market, which are more ruins in Rome but separate from the Roman Forum. We also went back to the Trevi Fountain for one last wish and to experience it during the day, but like I said before, it's way better at night. For lunch we wanted to get take-away meals and eat them by the Spanish Steps, but when we got to them we were sad to find that they were closed for construction. It ended up working out alright though, because we got pizza at a nearby restaurant which I'm pretty sure hires the most flirty Italian waiters they can find. While this made for a very enjoyable lunch, I was more into the fact that they had crushed red pepper flakes and fountain Coke. Food > Boys.
And after that short novel, I conclude my weekend in Rome. I hope you enjoyed!
Until next week,
Hayli