I've struggled with how I should format this post, but decided to stick with just a day-by-day breakdown of everything that I did. I'm going to split my trip into two posts, one for Rome and one for Florence. Sorry that this post is super long and photo-heavy, but I really wanted to virtually take you along on my trip. Let's get started!
Day One // I'm skipping our (essentially) two days of traveling, because most of those days were quite boring. We took four flights to get to Italy so by the time we got there on Saturday, everyone was extremely jetlagged and exhausted. We had a delicious dinner at a restaurant across the street from our hotel and then collapsed.
For our first full day in Rome, a few of my friends and I went exploring in the morning. We ended up walking around and seeing a ton of amazing shopping and beautiful sights. In Rome it seems that no matter where you look, there's something ancient and beautiful to see. We stumbled into a church at one point and it was just stunning - places like that just don't exist in America.
Then we embarked on a tour of the Colosseum and Roman Forum with our trusty guide, Franca. She was the cutest little Italian woman with her matching lip and nail color! So chic and sassy. She showed us around the sights and it was really nice to have a guide because otherwise I wouldn't have known what I was looking at! Everything was so old and amazing, I just couldn't get over it.
For dinner, we headed to this restaurant in Campo dei' Fiori called Pizzeria da Baffetto. The pizza was so delicious! The whole thing was probably bigger than my head and you bet I ate the whole thing! After that we finished off an amazing day with the most delicious gelato at Frigidarium. I'm still dreaming about it now! Delish.
Just another church we stumbled into
Monumento a Vittorio Emanuele II
Italy left me with a new appreciation for ceilings
Piazza del Popolo
Just some casual shopping
Inside the Colosseum
Isn't Franca the cutest thing?
Outside the Colosseum
I quickly fell in love with Roma
Can I have this for every meal?
Literally life changing!
Day Two // We started our second day in Rome with an agency visit. I traveled to Italy with a journalism class (you can read some of our blogs from the trip here) about tourism communications. As part of the class, we are learning about how Italy markets itself to tourists. The different regions in Italy are in charge of promoting themselves to tourists across the world. We went to an agency that promotes the Lazio region, which is where Rome is. It was really interesting to learn more about tourism marketing, especially from a place that clearly knows how to attract tourists.
After we grabbed a quick lunch, we met up with Franca again at the Vatican for our tour. It was so beautiful, I could not get over it. Franca took us around to the different gardens and through the different galleries. Everything was so incredible! We walked through the Sistine Chapel as well. I couldn't imagine someone painting that all by hand - so remarkable! What really got to me was St. Peter's Basilica. With the sunlight streaming through the dome and the choir singing in the background, it was just an amazing spiritual experience and I'm not even Catholic! The whole tour was so informative and interesting.
That night we had another group dinner at the restaurant across from our hotel. Later that night, we celebrated my friend, Eliza's, 21st birthday. Can you think of a better place to celebrate a birthday than Rome?!
Gnocchi for lunch
Garden in the Vatican
The PietÃ
Inside St. Peter's
Isn't the sunlight stunning?
In St. Peter's Square
St. Peter's Square
Day Three // Our last day in Rome was complete with a Baroque tour of the city. We saw the Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and Piazza Navona. My favorite part of the tour had to be the Trevi Fountain. It's one of those sights that you see in movies (ahem, the Lizzie McGuire Movie) and pictures, but you can't seem to truly grasp its size until you are standing in front of it. Truly amazing! We first saw it in the afternoon, and it was packed with tourists. We still managed to get a few of the classic coin-throwing photos, though! We also had time to grab a gelato, which made for an true Italian experience.
After the tour, we grabbed dinner and headed back to see the Trevi Fountain at night. It was a little less crowded then which was much more enjoyable. Surprisingly enough, it was even more beautiful at night. My friends and I just sat there watching the water and soaking up the fact that we were in Rome. It was definitely a "pinch me" kind of experience.
Trevi Fountain
One coin to come back to Rome, two coins to find love
A Trevi experience would not be complete without gelato
Outside the Pantheon
Piazza Navona
My friends and I taking on the Trevi at night (Photo credit: Maggie Bakle)
Rome quickly became one of my favorite cities. Although it was jam-packed with tourists the whole time, I loved that no matter where you went there was always something beautiful to see! The food was amazing and made for an awesome first Italian experience. While I was sad to leave Rome, I was very excited for the next part of my adventure, Florence. Stay tuned for more!
Have you been to Rome? What were some of your favorite sights?
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