Italian Adventure 2014: A Roman Holiday

Venice, Florence, third stop...Rome! 

We arrived in Rome, after an early train ride, to some hot weather. But when you are surrounded by such history you don't seem to notice it as much...kinda. Let's just say it {and my sunburn} was well worth it! The first thing on our agenda was to check in to our hotel...Althea Inn. This little inn was the nicest surprise {more on it and other tips at the end of the post}! After we checked in and grabbed a quick bite we were ready for our Ancient and Old Rome walking tour.

 It was great to get our bearings in this huge city and to see famous and beautiful sites {Coliseum, Roman Forum, Capitoline Hill, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon and Navona Square}. But as far as our tour, it was not the greatest. We were not able to hear our tour guide very well so we were confused for most of it but at the same time mesmerized at all we were seeing.

 {Coliseum, pretty surreal to see}

 {Roman Forum}

Later that night we ended up listening to Rick Steve's Audio Europe Guides on each site we visited and it was the best. We learned so much about what we saw that day. I would recommend these guides and listen to them before you see beautiful sites, it is so informative. It gives you a better appreciation of where you are and what you are looking at. 

 {Trevi Fountain. Very crowded but oh so amazing}

 one of a million gelatos on our trip. When in Rome...

 Pantheon. Rob's favorite site in Rome. It is pretty incredible!

We ended our tour in Navona Square, a fun and beautiful little area. The rest of our evening was spent exploring and eating at one of our favorite restaurants of the whole trip {and definitely in Rome}...Da Francesco. So, so good. 

After the best breakfast, we spent the next day exploring Rome so much more.

 Room Service on our porch every morning. It was as delicious as it looks. So yummy. 

 Exploring our favorite neighborhood, Trastevere. It is such a fun and hip area of Rome.

 Then we stumbled upon the prettiest garden...in the middle of Rome. Lemon Trees? Yes, please. 

After quite the walk, we finally made it to the Spanish Steps! 

Here especially, there are SO many people trying to sell you things. It is way overwhelming and pretty annoying. Tip: Do not take a rose from a seller, they will tell you it is free but it is so not. They will stalk you until you pay. It is ridiculous.So just a heads up for those planning a trip:)

The rest of the day was spent looking at shops and enjoying an early night in with Pizza and wine on our porch.  We were so exhausted and it was one of our best ideas.

 We were up the next morning bright and early. We hopped on a subway and made our way to the Vatican for our early morning tour. We did the art and faith tour and it ended up being incredible. A sweet and hilarious sister guided us and was so informative. We learned so much and saw the art gallery, Sistine Chapel (ah-mazing, I mean ah=mazing) and St. Peter's Basilica.

 The rest of our {last} day was spent revisiting some sites and enjoying a little more of this beautiful culture.

{Love this cutie of mine}

 We visited the Trevi again that night and tossed our pennies in....Rome we will be returning!

Rome is one incredible city. Definitely the most "touristy" of them all, but no less incredible.

And! Before we go...

Where to Stay: 

Althea Inn. We loved this place. It is not the best location, but all the perks made it so worth it. Great service, breakfast brought to you every morning and super clean and cute. Also a subway station is very close by so if you are not up for walking miles and miles, it is very easy to take the subway! We highly recommend this place. 

Where to Eat: 

- Da Francesco. Our favorite {very close to Navona Sqaure}. Pizza and pasta are both outstanding.

- Compagnia del Pane. A wonderful bakery in the Trastevere area.

- Grazia and Graziellla. Great restaurant in Trastevere, really fun to sit outside at night. 

- Giolitti for gelato. The best in Rome by far! We came here way too  many times. 

What to See: 

- Coliseum You want to book some kind of tour, if not you will wait forever in lines. We would not recommend the tour we did, but have heard this tour is great.
- Roman Forum
- Trevi Fountain. Toss in a coin, it means you will come back to Rome! Try to see it at night as well.
- Pantheon
- Navona Square, a really fun area with lots of entertainment. 
- Spanish Steps
- Vatican. Book a tour ahead of time! We did the Vatican Museums and Saint Peter's Basilica- Art and Faith tour. Loved it, so informative. If you want to go with a different tour, this is the site we booked through and it has many options. 
- Via Condotti. Pretty street and lots of shopping! {in front of Spanish Steps}.

*Remember Rome is huge. So this is the place to take the subway. Walk as long as you can to see it all, but then when you get too tired, hop on the subway!

*Listen to Rick Steve's Audio Guides for certain Roman sites! Easily downloaded on your phone and it is so informative and interesting!

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Our time in Rome was wonderful {and tiring}! Truly a city full of so much history. After 3 days in Rome we were ready for the last leg of the trip...the Tuscan countryside! Possibly our favorite part of the trip.

Have any questions? Planning a trip to Italy? Feel free to email me!

Linking up with Home of Malones for Thoughts for Thursday and Treasure Trump.

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