When in Rome...

Roma was not one of my favorite cities in Italy. I enjoyed seeing all of the cool sites, but I'm not sure if I'll ever go back. It was just very crowded and a little dirty. I am also not a tour person. I like to wander around on my own and go at my own pace, which is usually faster than tour guides. Sometimes I get bored staring at a picture for 20 minutes learning about the history. I have to say that the night life in Rome was very alive. Every piazza was full of locals and tourists each night. One night we sat at the Trevi Fountain for a couple of hours just taking pictures and enjoying our surroundings.Those couple of hours were my favorite hours spent in Rome.

Day 1:
We went to Vatican City the first day. We visited the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Square and Basilica. Vatican City felt the Disney world. It was packed! It was cool to visit one of the smallest countries in the world. At one point I took off my sweater because it was so hot and I got yelled at by one of the guards because I was showing my shoulders. I had high expectations for the Sistine Chapel, but once we got inside it was so loud and everyone was taking illegal pictures. The police had to get on the microphone twice to tell everyone to stop being disrespectful. It kind of took away from the experience of seeing one of the prettiest chapels in the world.Walking around St. Peter's Square was very pretty and the Basilica was one of the prettiest churches I have been in (lets be real, all of the churches in Italy are pretty).

 

Day 2:

Another morning full of tours, but I guess that's what you get when you go to a touristy city with a lot of sites that need to be seen. Today we visited the Coliseum, Roman and Imperial Forums, Capitol Hill, and Piazza Venezia. The Coliseum was by far my favorite place of the day. I have seen so many pictures online and in movies and it was so cool to finally see it in real life. It was incredible to think that the gladiators fought in it so long ago. Also, I learned that gladiators were slaves, which I had no idea about. The tour ended around 1:30 and then we had free time for the rest of the day. Free time consisted of wandering Rome, taking a nap, and getting ready for the rest of the night.

Day 3:

My favorite day in Rome! Today was less touristy and more walking around the city and seeing places I really wanted to see. We visited Piazza del Popolo, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Piazza Pantheon, and Piazza Navona. The Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain were my favorite places in Rome. The Spanish Steps are so pretty and surrounded by colorful flowers. The Trevi Fountain is an incredible work of art that also grants wishes. If you toss one coin with your right hand over your left shoulder you will return to Rome. The money thrown into the fountain is collected daily and is donated to an Italian charity.