When in Rome....

My people!

Just a little bit of rain on our
first day in Rome

Mike and I have just returned from an unbelievable trip to Italy.  I've been a little stressed about how to describe the amazing time we had and how to articulate what I think is a trip of a lifetime.  So I've decided to break up our trip into 3 separate entries, one for each of the different cities we visited.  This will ensure that I spare you all from a FAR too wordy blog post with an over load of pictures (I took a total of 288 over the 9 days that we were in Italy), most of which include self-taken "arm shots", and photos of gorgeous monuments with a tiny figure of myself or Mike in the foreground.  I'd like to retain the 15 readers I do have, so I won't subject you to that nonsense.

I've also decided that I wont be detailing our hourly, daily accounts of what we did every step of the way.  I can illustrate that through my pictures.  Rather, I've decided that my unforgettable experiences would best be documented by sharing with you some of the highlights and some of my favorite moments, restaurants, and sightings in each of the cities that we saw.  I'd also like to thank the members of our family, our friends, co-workers and our outstanding travel agent for all the recommendations, warnings, and advice that was shared with us prior to our trip.  I'm convinced that without all of the input (although overwhelming at times) and assistance in planning, we might have had a different experience.  So thank you to everyone, we were thinking of you all on our adventure.

Trevi Fountain

The gardens of the Vatican

St. Peter's Square

The first stop on our Italian tour was Rome.  Regardless of the fact that we slept for less than 3 hours, we were both anxious to get out and about and roam (pun intended) around one of the oldest cities in the world.  We only had 2 days in Rome, and there was quite a bit to see if this is your first time there, so after a quick shower @ the hotel & a bottle of "welcome Prosecco", we were off to the sights.  Since Rome is a relatively large city, we decided that the best way to see everything was to do the hop on/hop off double-decker bus....touristy, I know...but "when in Rome".  Honestly, it turned out to be one of the best decisions we made, and I'd highly recommend it to any future travelers, if you want to avoid ruining good shoes and/or getting blisters.  We also had a little bit of rain on our first day in Rome, so it was nice to have some cozy shelter and not have to deal with getting around a wet & soggy city.  They literally touch almost all of this churches and ruins in Rome that you could have on your "list"!

Another major highlight for us was our tour of the Vatican.   As a Catholic, this was something I wanted to invest the time in, and it was worth the money to get a tour guide.  Thankfully we were not among the seas of guides that are 30+ people all struggling to stay together as they follow a guide carrying some colored flag or pole through the Vatican.  We weren't required to wear headphones so that we could hear everything our docent explained.  Our group was an intimate team of only 6 people with the sweetest guide who was a wealth of knowledge and provided us with 4 hours of entertainment and history as we ventured through the grounds and museums of the holiest city on the planet.  She told us little nuggets of information that I'm sure you can't read in any history book.  It was absolutely awe inspiring to tour the works of some of the greatest artists in the history of the world (I usually use this phrase in jest or to exaggerate, but this time, it's relevant)!  The high school humanities and USC art history student in me was in heaven!

At the Pantheon - the stranger we asked to take this  obviously didn't appreciate the significance of getting
the actual building in the shot 

The Sistine Chapel was absolutely a sight to be seen....and more vibrant and beautiful than anything I could have ever imagined or any pictures I studied in art history books.  It was disconcerting that people violated a few of the rules intended to keep the Sistine Chapel a spiritual experience for all, so you'll notice I did not take any pictures of the ceiling. Luckily, Mike and I took our tour on a day that wasn't too crowded with fellow tourists, but the chapel was absolutely packed, and not anything like the silent, more holy experience that I was expecting. But that didn't make it any less special or any less breath-taking.

It's pretty amazing that Mike managed
to take a picture of me @ the Spanish
steps with NO ONE else in it!

Since Rome was so huge and we were there for only 2 days, we had a pretty packed agenda.  It left little time for us to fit anything in outside of the famous ruins and churches.  But on our walks in between the sights, there were monuments, ruins, churches and piazzas at what seemed like every turn.  My favorite thing about Rome was that it is so old that it feels as though everything has historical significance.  We tried navigating through the streets with a map, but ended up stumbling upon other city sights instead.  Even the most mundane buildings in Rome, like a bank, are centuries older than even the oldest stuff we have in America.  And the Forum, these are ruins from before the birth of Christ, and the ruins are just nestled in between other buildings for people to walk by every day...just like I walk past Macy's in Herald Square!  It's unlike anything I've ever experienced before in my life.  To think of all the wars, weather and time, and you can still see remnants of the Colosseum...just WOW!

Wine glasses the size of my head!

I've saved my favorite highlight for last, and I hope I can provide some recommendations for any of you who may go to Rome in the future.   Italy did not disappoint when it comes to food...I'm not exaggerating when I say that I have never been to a foreign country where I was 100% satisfied with everything I ate, but the food was unbelievable.  Everything from the little cafes with the most delicious coffee, to the piadinas you can get from a food cart in front of the Vatican, to the gourmet Italian restaurants we went to; everything was a culinary celebration.  I'm sure that it's impossible to have bad food when you're in Italy, but we ate two dinners in Rome that I think are worth sharing.

And this one was even bigger!

The first night we ate at L'Asino D'Oro, which was not too far from our Rome hotel, Rose Garden Palace.  Of the entire trip, Mike and I decided that this restaurant had the best tiramisu, which is huge for someone who rarely skips dessert, and on our first night too!  It was also the place where our love affair with Brunello wine from Montalcino started.  It wasn't traditional Italian spot, so if you're looking for pizza or a heaping plate of bolognese, I wouldn't suggest this place.  But it was a foodie's dream with unlikely pairings and unconventional dishes that left us practically licking our plates.

We opted for more traditional Italian on our last night in Rome, so we went to Casa Bleve.  After arriving, we were immediately treated to a wonderful selection of wine & complimentary snacks during our 5 minute wait for a table.  This restaurant was particular worth noting because it was here that we had probably the best buffalo mozzarella in the entire state of Italy.  If I were a more talented writer, I could go on for pages about the freshness and buttery texture, but it's making me hungry.  We were stuffed and quite tired after our meal, but if you're up for it, you should take a look at the first-century foundation below the dining room to see their wine vault!

We were so happy to start our trip in Rome, but it was definitely a trip that left our calves and feet a little achy as we did not rest until about dinner time both nights. But the introduction to Italian culture and the historical journey we experienced in Rome was something we'll never forget.  Our next adventure took us to Florence and into the countryside of Tuscany.  I can't wait to share more of our adventures, highlights and meals with you next week.  Ciao!