Our last stop for our vacation was Rome. I've been to Rome once before and loved it. Unfortunately the last time I was there we were only there for a day and a half and half my pictures got corrupted on my computer. So..this time around I was determined to see more of Rome.
We stayed in a hostel in Rome and I would not recommend the place we stayed. It was called the Funny Palace Hostel. Although the owner was nice, he gave off a very shady vibe and the room we stayed in was badly in need of a coat of paint. On the postive side it was very close to Termini Train Station, so we were close to the metro as well as the bus.
One of my main tips for Rome (if you're going to be there for more than a day) is to buy the Roma Pass. They cost 25 Euro and you get in the first two sights for free and get to skip the line and the other sights you go to (that are covered by the card) are discounted. It's also good for 3 days of transportation which includes both the metro and the bus. It's worth it just to skip the line for the Coliseum. Trust me.
The first day we were in Rome we visited the National Museum.
One of the many statues at the National Museum
Some old Roman coins in the National Museum. They literally had tons of coins from almost every era, they were amazing!
Inside the Pantheon. I missed seeing it on my last trip and so I was determined to see it this trip. I was not disappointed!
Down below the bridge in Trastevere. Trastevere is more the working class section of Rome. There are some great family-owned restaurants there and we had a few drinks in one of the bars. The little family restaurant we ate at was AMAZING. I've eaten a lot of Italian food in the last two years and this was probably the best I've ever eaten. It was so simple, yet so delicious. I had Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe (pasta with cheese and pepper) So, so good!
Afterwards we stopped to take some pictures from the bridge of St. Peter's Basillica dome and the Tiber River
The next day we decided to do the ancient sites of Rome. I do have copious amounts of pictures of the Coliseum, but my night pictures are much better. So I'm going to skip the day pics I took. Instead, I'm including a picture of the Arch of Constantine, which is located right next to the Coliseum.
Palantine Hill was our next stop, which is where the Emperor's are thought to have lived. Pictured above are the frescos in what is thought to have been Emperor Octavian Augustus' home.
Blooms on Palantine Hill
Looking at the Arch of Titus from inside the Roman Forum
Next up was the Vatican. Specifically the Basilica, as I'd already seen the Vatican Museum and Sean wasn't interested in touring it.
One of the guards. Love their outfits!
The infamous, Pieta.
At this time of day, with the sunlight coming in the basilica, it was just gorgeous!
On Valentine's Day, Sean and I took a night walk around Rome. The main purpose was to get night shots of some of the fountains and sights of Rome.
The Spanish Steps
The outside of the Pantheon at night. Complete with full moon.
The Fountain of Four Rivers. Probably my favorite fountain in Rome.
Day 3 was spent looking for the ancient aqueducts, which we finally found (with no help from Rick Steves)
We also walked part of the Appian Way and stopped in the Catacombs of San Sebastian. Unfortunately we couldn't take pictures in the catacombs, but they were incredibly cool. If you get a chance, take a tour of one of the catacombs in Rome.
This was a hand-carved wooden ceiling in the chapel over the catacombs. It was breathtaking.
That night I was determined to get a few night shots of the Coliseum. They turned out to be my favorite shots of Rome and perhaps the entire trip!
