Quando a Roma

Cliche title, but at least it's in Italian.

So, this past weekend I traveled to Rome! In my head I think I expected amazing ruins everywhere and a really cool, trendy city mixed in. Something even more amazing than Florence. And while it was amazing, it wasn't the city I was expecting.

On Saturday we left for the station, as usual, in a rush and fear we're going to miss the train. But we made it with no major problems, and as soon as we found a seat and were settled I was out for the rest of the ride. Once in Rome we wondered around looking for our hotel, which was a little bit of an adventure in itself. Tara and I gladly sat around and relaxed for an hour before the site-seeing began. While we were waiting I had the best panini I have ever had in my life. Prusciutto with a fried egg and basil... oh my gosh.

And then we were off to see all that Roma had to offer - starting with the Vatican City.

Entrance to the city

Awkward tourist fountain picture

It was pretty cool. Not the jaw-dropping historical beauty I was expecting, but it was still very pretty. As we entered the museum, it was similar to the art museums we've seen before with busts, sculptures, frescoes, and beautiful pieces of art. They even had collections of more modern artists.

And then...

Sorry it's blurry! You should know what this is :)

You weren't allowed to take pictures, but I snuck a few in.

After we saw the Sistine Chapel we made our way into St. Peter's Basilica.

It was beautiful!

Swiss guards

Papa!

The basilica was amazing! And it really is so much more beautiful than the interior of the Duomo here in Florence.

After the Vatican City, we headed back to the hotel and Tara and I ventured out to find food and maybe a fun pub. It took us a while to search, but we ended up going back to the cafe that I had gotten my sandwich from earlier. So good. After dinner, we walked and found a little pub with no other Americans, which was totally weird since we're used to seeing tons in the pubs in Florence. But then again, we were not in the central part of Rome. It felt like we were a little bit on the outskirts in more residential areas, so it was a different experience. I was really looking forward to Sunday since my mom and my aunt would be meeting us, so after a beer we both headed back and passed right out.

Before leaving my mom had told me that her plane lands at 10 and they would probably meet us at the hotel by noon. And by 12:30 they were there! All of us headed to the Colosseum. It was amazing, and as soon as you walk out of the metro station, bam! There it was!

It was a beautiful, perfect day!

This was the most amazing part.
I didn't know they even had Roman Gladiators
so well preserved!

Family picture time!

This was really amazing. I wish you could have walked around the bottom. It's such a strange feeling when you're standing in a place that has been there since, what, 80 A.D.? Crazy!

After the Colosseum we were ready to just sit and enjoy Rome and the food. So we did! And then we finished our day with the Trevi fountain and the Pantheon -- both were amazing.

So glad my mom is here!

Trevi Fountain

That was a very long weekend. And it made Tara and I appreciate our art history professor so much! We were wishing she could be there to lead us around and tell us what everything we were looking at was. The trip was absolutely amazing, but having that knowledge would have probably made it even better. And yes, I know, you can always pay for those listening guides or head-sets, but I was not about to be caught dead with one of those. I've been living in Italy for three weeks now, I refuse to be a tourist :).

So, were my expectations of the Eternal City met? No. But I think you need more than just one night's stay to really be able to explore and find what you're looking for. A trip back would be nice, but I love Florence so much I'm happy to stay right here!

As for the rest of this week, I'll be enjoying the company of my family! I do wish my brother and dad were here as well. I know my dad would have lapped up the history, and would be getting full use of his fanny-pack :) I think that one day, my mom, dad, brother and myself need to make a trip back. Maybe even do some digging on our family and visit Calabria. I've been trying to look into a few online records, but I haven't been able to find anything too interesting just yet.

Well, it's time for me to get ready for class. Today we're going to Pitti Palace! Hopefully I can take pictures!


Oh, by the way, this was probably the highlight of the trip...

Ciao!