Destination 6: Roma!

Mom and I in our matching blue in front of the Colosseum

After our long bus ride, we hopped in a taxi to our hotel... our first real hotel-- it actually had an elevator (thought very tiny, and I refused to ride in it with my fear of elevators!) and key cards. We walked to the nearest square, Campo de Fiori, and had the best dinner! It was soo good we even went back there for our last Italian meal!

Night view of Rome from Campo de Fiori with a full moon!

Rome was very busy... lots of smog, cars and people everywhere. It was very neat to see all the history! On our second day in Rome, we did lot's of walking, and felt like all of Rome was uphill! We visited the famous Trevi Fountain, and tossed a coin over our shoulders for good luck, like the tradition says to do!

Trevi Fountain

Next we visited the famous Spanish steps, but they were not near as pretty as they are in the summer when they are lined with flowers. Then we embarked on a 3 hour walking tour... in the rain! It was the kind of tour where you have to wear an earpiece an the guide talks through a microphone... we wouldn't recommend it... especially when the guide is not a native English speaker! But we did visit all the ancient sites... the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, the Roman Forum, and the Pantheon.

Colosseum... Did you know it took only 8 years to build?

Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum

The ceiling of the Pantheon... it is actually a hole at the top!

We ended our tour in Piazza Navona at a cafe with a perfect view of the Four Rivers Fountain.

Four Rivers Fountain

On Day 3, we visited Vatican City! We ended up taking a tour and had a perfect tour guide, from Arizona. We visited the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's. The Vatican museum is gorgeous and there is a Bill Clinton look-a-like statue.

St. Peter's Square

Frescoes on the ceiling of the Vatican Museum


One of Michelangelo's most famous sculptures-- Pieta


Behind the Altar in St. Peter's Basilica

No Pope sitings but we did get to see the Swiss Guards!

After our tour, we climbed more stairs to the top of the dome of St. Peter's. Below is the view from the top!

We had dinner in Piazza Navona, where there was a little excitement.. a fire in the store next to our restaurant... fire trucks, ambulances, and tourists taking pictures!

For our last day, we enjoyed coffee, gelato, a little shopping, and lunch back at our favorite restaurant for one last Italian pasta treat.