I’m sure to truly explore Rome and all it’s rich history and relics you need a week or even more...too bad we had exactly one day! We arrived in Termini train station around 9 PM where we headed straight for the nearest food we could find...McDonalds :o( but we were starving, as they didn’t have food on the train and our snack stash was depleted. After dinner we made the short walk to our hotel and headed straight to bed. Poor Autumn’s sleep schedule is already so out of whack...ah, the challenges of traveling with a toddler. We were determined to see as much of Rome as we could so after a short nights rest and a quick breakfast we were off to explore.
We arrived at the Colosseum right around 9 AM via the metro and luckily the line was still relatively short. We wandered around the magnificent structure listing to Rick Steve’s on our i-pods as we imagined the amazingly horrific things that happened here long ago. I was amazed at the 80 elevator shafts that used to be under the arena floor that could hoist a gladiator or lion or poor helpless slave up in to the arena in a flash...likely to meet it’s gory end. Autumn just liked the fact that animals used to be here and for the rest of the day kept asking where the animals were.
After the Colosseum we headed straight for the Forum across the street. We accidentally entered through a side entrance, so while we listened to our Rick Steve’s podcast we were completely lost and couldn’t find anything he was describing. We should have turned it off until we arrived in the right location, because unfortunately it ruined the Forum a bit for me as I was constantly looking for a clue of where we were and not listening to the information he was providing. There were definitely some amazing things to look at though...even if we didn’t understand exactly what they all were. Guess we’ll have to go back some day and do it again :o)
Next up we hiked up over capital hill where we saw two different bride and groom couples emerging from church. It was a beautiful sunshiny day in Rome, so after a quick water break we kept walking to the Pantheon. It was amazing to see the huge 40 foot columns at the front and the large dome in the back. The most amazing column was definitely that of the sunshine beam that came through the hole at the center of the dome.
We had planned to take a cab from here to Vatican city, but decided it didn’t look too far on the map, so we might as well press on. We passed the Piazza Navona, a lively area with artists galore and exactly what you picture when you think “Italy.” The place was alive with tourists and street performers and I definitely could have lingered here longer if we weren’t already pressed for time.
We grabbed some lunch en route and let Autumn do a quick ride on the merry-go-round and then arrived at Vatican City right around 2 PM. I had taken some shorthand notes from Rick Steves about how best to navigate the Vatican Museum, Sistine chapel, and St. Peter’s Basilica, but my notes weren’t thorough enough and I couldn’t quite remember where we were supposed to enter. We ended up succumbing to one of the many people on the streets offering tours to all three that would get you around the huge lines. It was only $20 per person, so not a bad deal. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable, but a little rough around the edges...he offered a few more opinions that I would generally like, but he did also give us a wealth of information about what we saw. Oh, and he kept me from being thrown out of the Sistine chapel for stealing a few quick photos...I couldn’t help myself...I think it’s ridiculous that they don’t let you take pictures just so you buy their guidebooks...and everyone was taking pictures...so, it was worth being yelled at :o) We visited the vast St. Peter’s Basilica just before a service was staring. We had to take turns inside as no strollers allowed...I have no idea why, but those are the rules :o) Here are my best shots of the Sistine chapel.
Next we headed back to the metro and took the train to the Spanish steps. We ate dinner at a lovely little italian restaurant with the most amazing cheese sticks I have ever had...I mean seriously, I may go back to Rome for these cheese sticks alone...ha! And the waitstaff was so cute with Autumn...bringing her her own special little fork...making her a napkin hat...and making her her own homemade pasta with oil so she could eat it with no worries about the allergies...it was awesome!
After dinner, with bellies full of pasta, Autumn and I hiked the 138 steps up to the top of the Spanish steps where we took in the lovely view of Rome at dusk.
We met Daddy down at the bottom where we all navigated our way to the Trevi fountain. I’m sure this fountain is beautiful during the day, but the way that it glows at night is just beautiful. We found an opening where we could sneak down to the water and take turns throwing our coins in while we made a wish. I’m pretty sure Autumn made about 10 wishes as she through coin after coin in...asking for “more, more!”
We wandered back to the Pantheon, grabbed some gelato and then headed back to the Colosseum for a few more pictures before getting back on the metro and back to our hotel. It was a LONG day...and LOTS of walking, but we saw everything on our list and definitely took advantage of the short time we had in Rome. We got to sleep in a little bit the next morning before we headed back to the train station to hop on a train and head for our big floating hotel where we’ll spend the next 7 nights.
Click here to view the full album from Rome.
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