We were very excited to arrive in Rome. After three weeks in Morocco we were ready to be back in Europe and in a country less foreign to us. In particular, we were really looking forward to the food. So, on our first night in the city, we made food our top priority with dinner at Pizzeria da Baffetto followed by gelato at San Crispino – the places listed in our guidebook as some of the best pizza and best gelato that Rome has to offer. Neither disappointed and afterward we knew we would be eating well in Italy.
We spent our first full day in Rome visiting the Vatican. The Vatican Museum houses a staggeringly large and impressive collection that includes works by Raphael and, of course, the Sistine Chapel. At times it was hard not to feel overwhelmed by the large crowds or that the collection was a bit ostentatious. After passing through the Sistine Chapel, however, the crowds dissipated and we were able to enjoy the collection of modern art – including works by Van Gogh and Dali – at our own pace. The Vatican’s basilica, St. Peter’s, was beautiful (and opulent), but at times felt more like a museum than a peaceful place of quiet prayer or worship.
Our second, and sadly last, full day in Rome was set aside for the Roman ruins: the Colosseum, Palatine, and Forum. All three were as spectacular as we imagined. In the Colosseum, our guide painted a detailed picture of the extravagance and excess that occurred there. The full- or multi-day affairs, often sponsored by politicians, included exotic wild animals (many from northern Africa, including Volubilis, which we described in an earlier post), extravagant props and stage effects or convicts being publicly executed in gruesome ways, all before the gladiators took the stage and fought for their lives (and sometimes their freedom). On the hill overlooking the Colosseum sit the ruins of the Palatine, ancient Rome’s most upscale neighborhood, and home to Nero and before that Romulus. Though much of this area was buried, built over, or plundered, the intricate granite and tile floors and walls of many of the buildings still suggest the neighborhood’s former elegance and wealth. Back down the hill, adjacent to the Colosseum sit the ruins of the Forum, the public center of Ancient Rome. Here we walked down the cobbled streets, past former markets and shops, churches, and civic buildings. Looking up to the Palatine and down toward the Colosseum, you have a clear sense of the extravagant, bustling city Ancient Rome must have been.
Our stay in Rome also included a visit to the Pantheon, the city’s best preserved ruin (still in use after nearly 2,000 years), and the Trevi Fountain, where we threw coins to ensure our return, not to mention a lot of pizza and gelato. Two of our favorite places were Pizzarium and Old Bridge – both worth a stop if you visit!
Click the photo below for our Rome photo album.
We spent our first full day in Rome visiting the Vatican. The Vatican Museum houses a staggeringly large and impressive collection that includes works by Raphael and, of course, the Sistine Chapel. At times it was hard not to feel overwhelmed by the large crowds or that the collection was a bit ostentatious. After passing through the Sistine Chapel, however, the crowds dissipated and we were able to enjoy the collection of modern art – including works by Van Gogh and Dali – at our own pace. The Vatican’s basilica, St. Peter’s, was beautiful (and opulent), but at times felt more like a museum than a peaceful place of quiet prayer or worship.
Our second, and sadly last, full day in Rome was set aside for the Roman ruins: the Colosseum, Palatine, and Forum. All three were as spectacular as we imagined. In the Colosseum, our guide painted a detailed picture of the extravagance and excess that occurred there. The full- or multi-day affairs, often sponsored by politicians, included exotic wild animals (many from northern Africa, including Volubilis, which we described in an earlier post), extravagant props and stage effects or convicts being publicly executed in gruesome ways, all before the gladiators took the stage and fought for their lives (and sometimes their freedom). On the hill overlooking the Colosseum sit the ruins of the Palatine, ancient Rome’s most upscale neighborhood, and home to Nero and before that Romulus. Though much of this area was buried, built over, or plundered, the intricate granite and tile floors and walls of many of the buildings still suggest the neighborhood’s former elegance and wealth. Back down the hill, adjacent to the Colosseum sit the ruins of the Forum, the public center of Ancient Rome. Here we walked down the cobbled streets, past former markets and shops, churches, and civic buildings. Looking up to the Palatine and down toward the Colosseum, you have a clear sense of the extravagant, bustling city Ancient Rome must have been.
Our stay in Rome also included a visit to the Pantheon, the city’s best preserved ruin (still in use after nearly 2,000 years), and the Trevi Fountain, where we threw coins to ensure our return, not to mention a lot of pizza and gelato. Two of our favorite places were Pizzarium and Old Bridge – both worth a stop if you visit!
Click the photo below for our Rome photo album.
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