Italy vol 1: Rome and Vatican

August 2019

Rome is wonderful, it's basically a giant open-air museum with thousands of years of history, picturesque sights on every turn, too many photos to take, too much delicious food to eat.

Our first sight to see right after exiting the bus from airport was the Pyramid of Cestius - a burial tomb for the Roman praetor, Caius Cestius.

Piazza Venezia and Altare della Patria - the Victor Emmanuel II National Monument or Vittoriano - great first views over the Roman Forum and surrounding areas.

Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. Palatine Hill is well-known for being the site of the first settlement in Rome, dating all the way back to the 8th century BC. The Roman Forum is a plaza beneath the hill which was once the centre of daily life in Rome and housed some of the city’s most important buildings and structures. There are bits and pieces left today, but it's still fascinating to see.

The Pantheon - a former Roman temple, now a church. It was completed by the emperor Hadrian around 126 AD. The pantheon was first built as a temple to all gods. It is said to be the best preserved Ancient Roman monument.

The beautiful Trevi Fountain. There were so so so many people I m surprised we got pictures that good, and empty of other people. Rumour has it if you toss a coin in the water you're destined to return to Rome one day. Because of the heat (35-ish degrees and eternal sunshine, so thankful for the public drinking water fountains that are on every other corner in the city) and crowds we kind of forgot to do that, but I'm quite sure I'll return nonetheless. To throw that coin, or three.. as other stories say, first coin ensuring return to Rome, another promising you’ll find love, and the third that your love will lead to marriage.

Around 3000 EUR is collected from the fountain every evening and donated to a non-profit providing food to the homeless in Rome.

We stumbled upon this hidden gem: Art Nouveau courtyard on our way to the Trevi Fountain. Galleria Sciarra was built in the late 19th century for the wealthy Sciarra family. It was originally to be a shopping mall but in the end became the headquarters of a magazine.

Spanish steps. Located in the heart of the city, the 135 steps connect the Piazza di Spagna below with the Piazza Trinità dei Monti.

We didn't go for a traditional hostel but got a small room/apartment on the edge of Trastevere. The area is great. What looks like a quiet area at daytime wakes up as the weather gets more tolerable (in the summer anyway) and gets real lively in the evening. Our place had a small balcony looking right at the scene of things so one evening after many many kilometres we decided to stay in, people-watch and enjoy home-made limoncello-sprits. When in Rome.

A morning walk towards Vatican. It's easily reachable on foot from Trastevere.

The views from Janiculum Hill over Rome.

Piazza Bocca della Verità square, parks and archeological sites.

The Mouth of truth aka Bocca della Verità, a marble mask in the portico of the Santa Maria in Cosmedin church.

According to legend a husband who did not trust his wife took her to the Mouth of Truth to test her faithfulness. The woman reacted by pretending to swoon and he caught her in his arms. The woman swore before the Mouth of Truth that she had only been in the arms of her husband, the man that had just caught her.

There are happy hours happening each night. Most offer great deals of Aperol, or other cocktails. When in very central areas, there might be quite big service fees on busy terraces. Then again there are so many coy bars and cafeterias everywhere it is easy to find a place.

Vatican - the world’s smallest independent state and the home of the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope. Also home for some of the most famous landmarks - Vatican Museums including Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica, the works of Michelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci etc etc. The lines are always endless. I didn't go inside this time, but when I'm gonna go next time, I'm most certainly buying a ticket in advance. It does not skip the lines completely but helps a great deal.

Approximately 19 000 people visit the Vatican every day.

Tripadvisor offers quite an unique tour option: Waking Up the Vatican: VIP tour for maximum of 20 people every day at 6 am to go inside before museums open and follow a keyholder to unlock the Vatican doors.

Dinner at a small homey restaurant in Trastevere. The terraces fill quickly and pasta Carbonara is a must! I may not be the biggest pasta eater in general, but in Italy it was oh so delicious!

On our last afternoon we headed towards Ostiense to check out their street art. Local art scene is always one of my favorite parts of exploring a city.