The train ride from Florence on Wednesday only took about an hour and a half so Sarah and I arrived in downtown Rome right at mid-day. This was convenient because we still had most of the day to explore the city; this was inconvenient because it meant doing the 15 minute walk to our hotel during the hottest part of the day. Some locals were complaining about the heat while we were here – apparently it’s been hotter here in the last few days than it normally is during the summer – so we felt better about our own whining.
Anyway, after settling into our hotel Sarah found a great salad place right next door, Green & Go, which was a great change from all the heavy Italian food we’ve been eating. After lunch, she walked around the city for a few hours to see some of the main sights and get the lay of the land; I was too hot so I stayed home in the air conditioned room and strategized about how we could beat the heat and still see everything we wanted to see over the next two days.
The Trevi Fountain is under construction currently. All the water is drained and there is scaffolding everywhere…
…but that didn’t stop tourists from lining up to get a picture!
A more peaceful garden Sarah found on her walk.
Some ancient ruins with the Altare della Patria in the background.
More ruins scattered among the more developed city streets.
After Sarah cooled down for an hour or so back in the room, we went out together to brave the heat once more. Given the light lunch we had earlier, we figured we’d return to the rich Italian cuisine we’ve gotten used to over the last week for dinner. We went to Osteria Barberini, a restaurant known for including truffles in most dishes and recommended to us by our friends Oya and Can. We each had a delicious pasta covered in truffles, then walked home – by way of the gelateria, of course! – and called it a night early.
One of the quiet streets near our hotel on our walk to dinner.
Our plan for Thursday and Friday was to start sightseeing early, then siesta during the peak heat of the day, then re-emerge from the hotel in the late afternoon. I think the plan worked pretty well – we got to see many sights with only a few tourists around and managed not to completely sweat through all our clothes!
We parted ways on Thursday morning. I went to St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican; Sarah decided to take a pass because she’d been twice before. St. Peter’s opens at 7am (and is free) and I ordered 9am Vatican tickets online so I was able to wander around St. Peter’s without a big crowd for a couple hours, then stroll right to the front of the Vatican line and see the exhibits at my own pace for a couple more hours. The Vatican gets extremely crowded (even more so than the Louvre) so you need to be in the right frame of mind to get through the experience but it was definitely “worth it.” (That said, I completely understand why Sarah took a pass and I can’t really think of a reason why I’d ever go back…)
The entrance to St. Peter’s Basilica.
St. Peter's.
The altar at St. Peter’s.
One of the many beautifully pained domes in St. Peter’s.
In St. Peter’s Square looking back at the Basilica.
The Sphere Within Sphere sculpture in the Cortile della Pigna.
Some of the many busts in the Galleria Chiaramonti.
Perseus with the head of Medusa in the Museo Pio Clementino.
Arguably the most famous statue in the Museo Pio Clementino: Laocoön and His Sons.
Looking up at the spiral staircase that leads out of the museum.
There is no photography allowed in the Sistine Chapel, but trust me, it’s amazing. Hard to imagine how someone could paint something so grand – it is deservedly the highlight of the Vatican!
I met Sarah at noon at La Boccaccia, a small pizzeria that her friends who studied abroad here introduced her to years ago. It is some of the best pizza we’ve ever eaten…and it’s incredibly cheap! Definitely worth a stop when in Rome!
Our delicious spread from La Boccaccia.
After lunch we stuck to our siesta plan so we walked back to the hotel and took a rest for a couple hours.
We passed this Fiat on the way back to our hotel. Sarah thinks they look cute; all I can think about is how little leg room there is in there!
By the time we roused ourselves from our siesta, neither of us had much more energy for exploring the city. So we went to Ai Tre Scalini, a bar and restaurant right across from our hotel that is well known to the locals (and not well known to any tourists). We had a few local beers and wines (the Menabrea Amber was a standout!), then munched on some great small plates. Not a very eventful end to the day, but it was exactly what we both wanted after such an early start.
Another reason we had a low-key night on Thursday was that we planned to get up to see the sunrise on Friday. The 5am wake-up call was a tough pill to swallow, but the views were definitely worth it (and at that hour, it’s practically cool outside!).
Just as the sun began to peek out over Rome.
Sunrise in Rome.
A key benefit of the early rise was also that we could explore some of Rome’s most famous tourist sights without the hordes of people pushing each other out of the way for a picture. We booked 8:30am tickets at the Colosseum so we made our way there and snapped took in the views along the way.
The Altare della Patrica (a.k.a. "The Wedding Cake").
The Roman Forum.
The Colosseum.
We made it in the Colosseum before the rest of the crowds.
Even got someone else there to take a picture of us.
One more inside the Colosseum – what an incredible structure.
Another shot of the Roman Forum.
Sticking to our original plan, we headed back to our hotel to rest for a few hours. There were still some other sights we wanted to see though, so we rallied much better today once the heat died down a bit.
On our walk to the Pantheon, we stumbled across the Sant'Ignazio Church. The outside of the church is nondescript, but the inside is beautiful – glad we stopped in!
The Pantheon.
The dome of the Pantheon.
The Piazza Navona.
One of the fountains in the Piazza Navona.
We had a well-timed stop for a drink in the Piazza Navona. We’d planned to stay for only a few minutes, but after we sat down the skies opened up with rain for half an hour or so. Once the rain passed, we continued walking toward dinner at Il Gabriello, a last-minute recommendation from a friend. This place was great (thanks Cam!) and we had an excellent meal to wrap up our time in Rome.
Tomorrow we’ll take a train to Naples, then another train to Sorrento where we’ll spend a few days relaxing near the famous Amalfi Coast. After a hectic week exploring Florence and Rome, we’re both looking forward to a slower schedule in Sorrento!
Sant'Angelo Castle, as seen on our walk to Il Gabriello.