Rome, Italy

My mom and I decided to take a girl's trip together, so we headed to one of my favorite places in the world - Italy!

We arrived in Rome a little jet-lagged, but hungry. Our first stop was Campo di Fiore to find a restaurant for some lunch. We definitely indulged a bit - it was our first meal in Italy after all! Cheese and spinach ravioli, bruschetta, and house wine were all on the table.

To help us push through the first day slump, I actually booked us a free walking tour of Rome! It ended up being fabulous as our guide Matteo was very engaging. He took us from the Spanish Steps to the Pantheon to St. Ignatius church and everywhere in between. It was a good intro history lesson into Rome and kept us moving.

We ended the evening at the Trevi fountain, made a pit stop for gelato at Fatamorgana (a favorite!) and pizza at Antico Forno (a NEW favorite!).

The next day, we had a Vatican tour booked bright and early, so we made our way there. The Vatican was absolutely bonkers. We were happy to have booked a tour, but there were honestly just far too many people in there with little to no A/C. 

I hadn't mentioned yet, but the weather was in the mid/upper 90s our whole time in Rome. It was pretty unbearable in the mid-day heat, but we took our time and stopped for gelato or went back to the room to cool off periodically.

Back to the Vatican! We explore the museums, moved on to the Sistine Chapel and finally, saw St. Peter's as well. It was a jam-packed morning for sure!

We stopped at a place called La Zanzara for lunch, which was great! We got a spot in the shade outside, I had an Aperol spritz, and we got 4 small plates to split between us.

After a rest in our room, we actually went back for a small dinner at the same pizza by the slice (pizza al taglio) place we had been the night before. Followed up by another gelato at Fatamorgana next door!

The next morning, we had breakfast at our hotel and then wandered around the Jewish Quarter. It was a very good place to get away from the hustle and bustle of Rome as well. It's the oldest area in Rome that has been continuously inhabited and you definitely get a sense of the history as you walk around seeing the ruins everywhere.

So, the next part of the day was a bit of a mess, but we got through it! Between bus mishaps, routings due to protests, and not being able to find the entrance to the Colosseum because of said protests - we FINALLY made it inside.

We had an audio guide, so we spent the next few hours exploring the exhibits and the Colosseum itself. Also included in our tickets were passes to the Roman Forum, so we checked that out as well.

That evening, I booked a food tour for us with Eating Europe. Jason and I have done 3 tours with them and enjoyed them all immensely! This tour of Testaccio was no different!

We started with a spritz and some small bites, got meat and cheese (and wine) at the next stop, discovered my new favorite dish (grecia), ate trappazinos, and finally, gelato. It was way too much food, but totally worth it!

Testaccio is a neighborhood that's far more local. It's right below where the typical "tourist" maps of Rome end, so it's remained off the grid so to speak. It's a great area to come and enjoy "aperativo" which means drinks and FREE food. 

Some places just have snacks, but others go all out. I would totally suggest looking into this if you're coming to Rome!

Our last morning in Rome, we had time to grab a cornetti and a cappucino, see the inside of the Pantheon (it was closed on our first visit because it was a Sunday), and see Bernini's fountain at Piazza Navona.

Then we caught a bus to the train station to head to our next stop - Florence!

Rome was beautiful, but I definitely don't recommend coming the time of year we did.

Rome is one of my favorite cities, but I told my mom that I can understand why you wouldn't like it if you'd never been before. It's a "difficult" city. Public transit is completely unreliable, the heat is overwhelming, and the main sights are WAY too crowded.

That bring said, Rome is still incredibly charming. I just think it's easier to see the charm when it's not peak tourist season.

Up Next: Florence and Cortona!

Piazza Navona, Borghese and the Vatican {Italy, Part 6}

We stayed a few blocks away from Piazza Navona at BdB Luxury Rooms Navona and absolutely loved our neighborhood. There were so many restaurants and bars with locals enjoying aperitifs and intense games of chess - so different from the crowds at Piazza Navona/Pantheon just a few steps further.

Basically right below our hotel was the yummy Gelateria del Teatro, so we grabbed a few scoops here and wandered over to Piazza Navona. Bernini and his Four Rivers fountain are the focal point here. We also stepped into the Pantheon as well before we had to head back to Piazza Navona. Jason's aunt, uncle and cousins were in Rome, so met up with them for an apertif at Cafe Bernini. So fun to meet up with family abroad! This post could also be entitled - all things Bernini for all the amazing things we saw by him all over the city. 

That night, we walked to another country - Vatican City! It was drizzling out, so the crowds were sparse. It was nice to just wander without being harassed to buy something for once! While we didn't go inside St. Peter's this trip, it was still amazing to see the place all lit up at night. We grabbed some delicious pizza al taglio (by the slice) directly below our hotel at Pizza del Teatro to round out the night.

One of the favorite things I did last time I was in Rome was visit the Borghese Gallery because of the amazing sculptures by...you guessed it - Bernini! We had scheduled our time months in advance and it ended up being free because it was the first Sunday of the month. Thankfully we did, because it was booked up for days! 

Bernini's first masterpieces, Pluto and Persephone, Apollo and Daphne (a personal favorite) and David were all commissioned to sit at the Borghese's suburban villa. The level of detail in these sculptures is just mind-blowing, especially considering they are carved out of one piece of marble. I was also excited to see a special exhibition of couture sculptural fashions by Azzedine Alaia. It was a perfect way to spend a few hours and because tickets are timed, it meant that we could wander around without too many crowds. So glad that pictures are now allowed because I think I was able to get some great shots.

After a stroll around the gallery and the gardens, we walked to Come il Latte for the BEST gelato of our trip. I love that even the very best gelato is 3 Euro or less - such a fun way to treat yourself each and every day (and we most definitely did). On our way back to our hotel, we passed through Piazza Barbarini where we saw another fountain by Bernini! I loved all the fountains in Rome. The best part is the ice-cold, free, drinkable!, water. 

We ended our day walking down the (in repair) Spanish Steps and seeing the (in repair) Trevi Fountain. I know it's been 10 years, but last time I was here, the church behind the Spanish Steps were being repaired too! I guess that's necessary for a city that is as old and as frequented as Rome.

We had a super early flight, so we took it easy that night, having a relaxed dinner at Da Francesco. This was truly Roman dining at it's finest - outside, seated family-style! We had a delicious bruschetta along with cacio e pepe and spaghetti carbonara. When we got back to our hotel, we drank the wine we had bought in Chianti and may or may not have broken our room key trying to open the bottle...worth it. Ha.  We made it home early (thanks to a little run through the Amsterdam airport...) and our bags made it home 2 days later. 

All over Italy (though Naples and Rome were the worst), there are scams.  In the Naples train station, there was a pickpocket who was trying to "help me" purchase my train tickets. What he was really doing was trying to distract me by selecting the wrong train station/price/etc. so he could nab my bag. Just being aware is usually good enough, but in this case a good strong 'no' was necessary. On a smaller scale, there are people pressuring you to buy everything, but roses were the most common. We saw so many people just take a rose out of frustration, and then of course you get harassed further until you pay for the rose. Just keep walking. I had someone literally put a rose on my arm and I just let it drop to the ground. 

While those things were annoying, it didn't take anything away from the experience. Italy is amazing and beautiful. I'm absolutely sure we will be back. It is one of those magical places for me and I'm so glad I got to bring Jason with me this time. My favorite place was Rome and Jason's was the Amalfi Coast, but I think our favorite times were wandering (walking or driving) with no real plans. Dolce far niente (the sweetness of doing nothing) for sure! Basically, while we may not be the biggest lovers of Europe (we much prefer Asia), we are now both huge fans of Italy.

Up next: A Puerto Rican Thanksgiving in a month!