Italy Part 1: Rome
Colin and I started planning our trip to Italy a few years ago, but ended up not taking it because I changed jobs. We didn’t know where we wanted to go this year, so we decided to pull out our old plans and go to Italy! Our original trip was planned for two weeks, so we had to cut a few cities from our list and my mom also joined us.
We flew into Rome at 9:30am and were ready to get exploring. I love taking red eyes and arriving at our destination in the mornings. It allows us to hit the ground running and not mess up our sleep schedules. Thankfully, our hotel room was ready when we arrived and we were able to freshen up before heading out. We stayed a 20 minute walk from the Vatican, a little far from the city center but nice being away from all the crowds. Our first stop in Rome was the Vatican, we spent a majority of our day here. Four hours to be exact. It was a great way to introduce ourself to the city and not do too much.
To end our day we headed up the Avelino hill to see the sunset at the famous Orange Garden. The walk up the hill seemed pretty long and we didn’t pass many people. Once at the top, we took a quick look through the famous keyhole and continued on to the park. We ended up stopping at Giardino Storico di Sant’Alessio before reaching the Orange Garden. There weren’t many people there and it only seemed like locals walking their dogs. We took a few photos and took in the view before continuing. The Orange Garden was PACKED with tourist, every space on the wall was taken up by a person. The view of the city was a little better than the small park, but if you are looking to enjoy the sunset with your family or friend, I suggest Giardino Storico di Sant’Alessio.
Our second day in Rome we woke up at 5am and grabbed an Uber to the Trevi Fountain. Our Uber dropped us five feet from the fountain and there were already photographers there with their cameras set up. We grabbed a few photos and it started to fill up fast with people. Our original plan was to go back to the hotel and grab breakfast. However, Colin suggested we walk around and explore the empty streets for awhile. This was the best time of day to explore Rome. There were only a few people walking the streets and it was so peaceful. We grabbed a couple coffees in a cafe filled with locals and walked over to viewed the Pantheon before the crowds.
After breakfast we arrived back at the Pantheon to view the inside. The streets of Rome were completely different and filled with people. We took a tour at the Colosseum next, which I highly recommend. Just make sure you book months in advance, the tour tickets can be a little tricky to book and we didn’t end up with the one we really wanted. On the tour you have access to different places in the colosseum the regular tickets doesn’t give you. The only downside to visiting the Colosseum? The street vendors, HOLY MOLY there were hundreds of them.
We ended our day with visiting the Roman Forum and getting dinner in the Trastevere neighborhood. I’ve heard Trastevere is the place to visit for food, but for us, it just didn’t do it. I don’t think it was worth catching the long bus ride over and back to our hotel. We stopped at many restaurants before deciding on one, but it was nothing special. Maybe going at lunch had a different feel.
Before we left for Italy, I completely forgot our itinerary I made for us. So, we were making it up as we went along. It’s a bit better this way, but I did forget to make it by some of the main attractions in Rome. Maybe next time…
One Comment
The Furnshop
I simply love these stunning pictures. You are looking beautiful. Much obliged for sharing the post.