Day Seven and Eight: Rome

We woke up Friday morning with plans to catch the train from Vernazza back to La Spezia and then on to Rome. Wouldn't you know that the one day we have to depend on the train for transportation there's a train strike in Italy? Seriously. Luckily for us it didn't affect either of our routes, so we were fine.

The trains over there are really nice! It was a very peaceful three hour ride to Rome. I napped most of the way while Derek studied the guidebook for tips on touring Rome. We did most of our research for the Country-Coastal-City tour of Italy just before we got to each stop. That's what happens when you only have two weeks to plan an international trip, I suppose. It worked though.

WARNING: This will be a long post with lots and lots of pics. Just be patient. This is the last one, I promise. :)

We arrived in Rome around 4:30 on Friday afternoon. We took a cab from the Termini train station to our hotel, Hotel Boccaccio, which was in the Barberini area of Rome. The first thing we learned was HOW BIG Rome is. It's huge. We dropped off our luggage, picked up a city map, and set out to see what we could while it was still daylight. We were only going to be in Rome for a day and a half, so we had a lot to see in a short amount of time.

First stop: the Trevi Fountain. This was only a couple of blocks from our hotel, so we figured it would be easy to visit. WRONG. It was easy to find, but so incredibly packed with tourists you could barely see the fountain. We took a few pictures and Derek made his way through the massive crowd to throw in some coins (to ensure we'll one day return to Rome, of course) backwards, then we were done. Beautiful sight, but entirely too crowded.

Second stop: the Pantheon. This place was cool. We couldn't go inside because it was reserved for prayer time, but the piazza in front of the building was full of street performers and tourists. It was neat just to step back and realize exactly how old a building like this is. And then to realize exactly how old this city is. It was a pretty overwhelming feeling of pure awe.
Third stop: the Colosseum. I told you we were on a mission to see all that we could in the short time we were there. We kept walking and walking and walking and when we finally found where we were on the map, we realized we were nowhere near the Colosseum. We had been walking in the wrong direction. And then it started to rain. So... we gave up, grabbed a bite to eat and took a cab back to the hotel. Our blockbuster sight-seeing plan was on hold for now.

After regrouping, getting showered and getting a little more advice from Rick Steves, we were back at it just as the sun was setting. We took the suggested "night tour of Rome" starting at the Spanish Steps then on to the Villa Borghese Gardens and the Piazza di Popolo. Most of the night photos didn't turn out so well because of the flash, but trust me when I say it was beautiful, even in the misty rain.

Here's the Spanish Steps and Derek reading our trusty city map...

It was a lovely evening walk through the streets of Rome, and when we made it back to the hotel for the night, we were ready for a good night's sleep and another full day of sight-seeing.

Saturday morning we hit the Colosseum bright and early, hoping to beat most of the crowds. We got lucky in the fact that it was National Heritage Day so our tickets into the Colosseum were free. We actually only waited in line like 10 minutes. This was one of my favorite things to see in Rome. It was absolutely breathtaking to see how big and historic this structure was, and you could really feel the history of all the gladiator battles fought here years ago. It was amazing.

After the Colosseum we walked around Ancient Rome for a little while before catching the Metro subway back towards our hotel (we mastered the Roman subway system - be proud) and then on to the Vatican. The subway was actually very easy. I would definitely recommend it.

We actually made museum reservations at the Vatican because we didn't want to miss out on anything there. With it being the day before Palm Sunday, we figured it would be packed.

It took us nearly three hours to walk through all four miles of this magnificent museum. It was incredible. Just hallway after hallway of sculptures, tapestries, paintings, maps, ANY kind of classic artwork you could imagine. Here are a few pics...

When we finally made it into the Sistine Chapel, it was just unbelievable. Not a single inch of the walls or ceiling wasn't painted with some intricate design. It was just gorgeous. We even snuck a quick photo before making our exit even though we weren't supposed to do it. We couldn't help it. Derek just pointed the camera up not really knowing what he was shooting and look at the scene we ended up with in the center of the pic. Amazing.

After the Vatican Museum we headed to St. Peter's Square. This square was totally packed with workers setting up for the Palm Sunday service the next morning and devout Catholic tourists hoping for a glimpse of the Pope. No Pope-sightings, but it was still really cool to actually be there the day before such a religious celebration.

We made it back to the Barberini area of Rome just in time to catch the last 15 open minutes of the Cappucin Crypt. We couldn't take any photos, but this crypt was exquisitely decorated with the skeletons and bones of 4,000 Franciscan friars. There were even chandeliers made out of bones. Very interesting to see, but you wouldn't catch me in there after dark. Creepy for sure.

At this point I think we were both about to collapse from exhaustion, so we decided it was time for our last real dinner in Italy. Guess where we ate? The Hard Rock Cafe Rome. Don't judge. After a full seven days of authentic Italian food, we wanted some nachos, hamburgers and sweet tea. Delish.

But if you're disappointed in us, it should make you feel better that we did stop in at a corner restaurant on our way back to the hotel for some cappucino and tiramisu for dessert. So THAT, my friends, was technically the last thing we ate in Italy.

We were in the bed at 9:00 with blisters on our feet and achy muscles, but it was totally worth the pain. We successfully completed our Country-Coastal-City tour of Italy, which we planned in 16 days. It was amazing.

We said "arrivederci" to Rome at 6:45 the next morning as we left for the airport for our nearly 11-hour flight back to Atlanta.

It was truly the trip of a lifetime. I apologize if I bored you silly, but I really want to remember every little detail. And if, by chance, you're still interested in more details, there are plenty more pics on Facebook or feel free to drop by for a look at our scrapbook. :)

Ciao.