Rome

FCO- Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport,Winter 2018

Rome was the 3rd leg of our 2018 Anniversary trip. 


How did we get there?

We booked our flight on Royal Air Maroc out of Marrakech, Morocco. We had a short layover in Casablanca. Quite literally had the best in flight experience I've ever had with Royal Maroc.

Shuttle:

We set up transportation through our AirBnb. Notice a theme here? haha We typically do things last minute and usually book our transport with our accommodations to help simplify things.

We were picked up via a private driver in a black sedan. It was 50 Euro's one way and our host paid this and we paid him upon arrival.
Taxi costs are 48 Euros one way to or from the airport no matter what. 
Quick Note, Rome only has Uber Black.

Where did we sleep?:

If you haven't already stayed in an AirBNB, I encourage you to do so, you get all of the comforts of home away from home. And if you haven't already signed up for AirBnB Click here to use my code to receive $40 in travel credit .
We booked Appartamento elegante nel quartiere Monti, a super cute, modern 1 bedroom condo in the Monti District. Salvatore was our host and offered a wealth of information. He made himself readily available via WhatsApp. There is also a binder inside of the apartment with all kinds of information about the area and local recommendations. The apartment is equipped with bikes for your convenience, television with Netflix, table, small kitchen and a modern
shower.

 The apartment sits on a narrow street with several restaurants, coffee shops, candy shops, organic juice bars and miscellaneous shops. Super convenient for a quick bite to eat  or a full meal.

What did we do?
The Colosseum:
This is the cool part. We walked outside of the apartment a little late in the afternoon around 3:30pm. We got into Rome about 1130 am and took naps. We woke up extremely hungry and ventured outside with intentions on walking over to the Coliseum. Grabbed a couple of personal pizzas from the pizza place about 3 doors down. Once we got to the corner/the intersection I said Babe and he was like "what? and I pointed ahead and there sat the Colosseum. Literally a 10-15 minute walk away. It was completely surreal and unexpected to see it there. We walked about 10 more minutes and we had reached our destination. Upon arrival we purchased tickets and walked right in as part of the last group for the day. Because we arrived so late we were able to skip a lot of the madness and it was completely calm.

 The Colosseum was built in 1970 with stone and concrete. It is the largest amphitheater in the world. It once boasted over 80 entrances and could hold 50,000 spectators. And there was no fee for entrance. Even food was sometimes included as a way for Emperors to gain favor with the public. Unfortunately over 2/3rds of the Colosseum has been destroyed over time due to fires, vandalism and earthquakes. But the damage doesn't detract from its beauty.


 You have probably seen photos or seen the Colosseum on tv, but it is absolutely nothing like seeing it in person. It is truly magnificent. Touching stone from 70 AD. Walking on flooring put in over 2000 years ago. Way before technology, where everything was done with just your hands. The architecture, the craftsmanship. I was and still am in utter awe. 



 I just cannot express how amazing this place is. You are able to walk around the structure, and even climb the steps to the top. The steps can be a bit steep and slick so be careful. The 2nd floor has lots of information, history and various artifacts including replicas.


We make friends everywhere we go.
Vatican City:
We awoke the next morning with the Vatican on the brain. So we looked up the best way to get there and realized that we could get there in about 15 minutes or so via the subway/train. The train station was about a half a block away from the condo and from there  it was only about 4-6 stops away on the train. After exiting the train Vatican city is a quick 10 minutes away via foot.

Entrance to St Peters Square
Vatican City is the smallest country in the world. It is an independent city state which covers around 100 acres within a 2 mile border.
    At the mouth of Vatican city there are several souvenir carts where you can make some fairly cheap purchases. This is where we bought all of our magnets ($1), shot glasses($2) and rosaries.

     There is no fee to enter Vatican city. Upon entry you will find yourself directly in the middle of St.Peters Square. and in front of St Peters Basilica.


St.Peters Square has 284 columns, 88 pilasters and 140 statues of saints. The square measures 320 meters long and 240 meters wide. Construction began in 1656 and ended in 1667.

The obelisk fountain was moved from Egypt to St.Peters Square in 1586 at the behest of Pope Sixtus V.


The Pantheon:
We walked from the Vatican over to the Pantheon. It was maybe a 30 minute walk or so. I've realized that we get so much exercise when we travel. Its so invigorating and we never complain, but get us back in the US and we don't/can't/won't walk anywhere. Interesting.










"Pantheon" is a Greek adjective meaning Honor all gods. It was once a pagan and is now a church. The church label is what saved it from being destroyed during the middle ages. The building was fabricated out of what is now modern day concrete and was built in 120 AD. It is topped with an enormous dome with a giant "eye" in the center.
 It now contains the tombs of Raphael Sanzio da Urbino and several other Italian Kings and poets. 

   
30 Seconds inside the Pantheon:

The Trevi Fountain:

 "Trevi" means 3 ways. The Trevi fountain sits at the junction of 3 ancient roads. The fountain is also named after a Greek Goddess named Trevia who protected the streets of Rome with her 3 heads. She could always be found on the corner where the 3 streets met. The fountain is 86 feet high and 65 feet wide and pumps  2,824,800 cubic feet of water everyday. The original structure took 30 years to construct. The backdrop to the fountain is Palazo Poli a Roman palace, which has since been mostly demolished to accommodate the fountain. The sea God seen in the middle of the Fountain isn't Neptune but the Greek Sea God Oceanus. This can 
      In the late 19th century people believed that a sip from the water ensured a safe return to Rome. Now you should throw a coin with your right hand over your left shoulder to ensure your return to Rome. The fountain now generates 3,000 Euros a day in "donations". Which in turn they donate to a Supermarket program providing food assistance to needy Romans.
     There were so many people at Trevi once we arrived, that we left and came back again after dinner in hopes that the crowd would have calmed a bit. Needless to say it hadn't. It is so beautiful and majestic; people are just naturally just drawn to it. fyi, there's a water fountain on the side of it if you get thirsty.
The Spanish Steps:
Construction began in 1723 on the steps and
took 2 years to complete. With 135 steps the Spanish steps are the widest set of steps in all of Europe. And were built in order to connect Trinita dei monti church with the Spanish square down below. The Spanish steps quickly became the best place to people watch. Artists would flock there for inspiration, which would attract Beautiful Women who had hopes of becoming models, The beautiful women attracted rich and powerful men, and before you knew it the steps were crowded with people of all backgrounds and walks of life. 


The Spanish Square



We arrived at the bottom of the Spanish steps rather quickly once we left the Trevi Fountain. And there were so many people seated. Students, Tourists, Older couples, Kids. It was beautiful seeing so many people in one place smiling and happy. We didn't climb to the top but sat near the bottom for a couple of minutes and I stole a few kisses before leaving and heading into the shopping district.





Shopping District:

Directly across from the Spanish Steps is the shopping area. There you will find Luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Prada etc. As well as the likes of Nike, H&M, Zara. This area is pretty similar to Champs Elysee in Paris.

We bought the kids Roma Soccer jerseys in the Nike store as souvenirs. And that concluded our shopping in Rome.
 



Where did we eat?



We wandered here our first day in Rome as we were walking to the Colosseum. It was literally 3-4 doors down from the AirBnb. Trieste has an assortment of personal sized pizzas that you can order. The pizzas take about 5-7 minutes to prepare and bake. They were perfectly cheesy and crispy. They also have several bottled beer and individual wine options.        



  • Tentazioni Urbane - Urban Temptation We stopped here for brunch before catching the train to Vatican City. They offer Smoothies, Gelato, Crepes, Macaroons, Cappucinos and other Coffee drinks, Wines and Waffles. Everyone inside was friendly and our Crepes and Waffles were prepared fresh, so it did take a few minutes to prepare. Mr.C had a nutella crepe and I had a powdered sugar waffle. The cappuccino was perfect and Mr.C enjoyed his smoothie. No complaints and perfect for a quick bite to eat on the run.

  • Doppio Malto 


    Mr.C picked this place based on the tripadvisor reviews. It is very near the Trevi Fountain and we came here after a long day of walking around Rome. The restaurant was fairly new when we visited. So it was in excellent condition. The food was decent and to be honest my food looked a whole lot better than it actually tasted. The steak was fairly bland; I asked for butter added some salt to it and I made it work. Mr.C loved his and it was definitely much tastier than my meal. So maybe I just ordered wrong.  It has more of tavern/pub type of feel than a true restaurant. Which makes since because the Mr is into craft beers, which is probably why he picked this place. We had cappuccinos after our meal and I didn't like it at all it almost tasted sour. We tend to have different palates when it comes to coffee. He likes his a bit stronger and I tend to like it lighter and more aromatic. Needless to say I wasn't impressed. Maybe now that they have been opened a bit longer they have made some changes. We will definitely try again on our next visit to Rome.
Bar Monti was right down the street from the AirBnb we stayed in. We popped in for an espresso fix after the Colosseum. As I write this I realize how addicted to espresso I became while in Europe. And I'm quite sure I drove the Mr crazy with my obsession to try espresso at every place we passed.   The atmosphere was really nice at Bar Monti, they have both indoor and outdoor seating. We chose to sit inside and enjoy our drinks.  It felt very much like a traditional coffee shop. We ordered dulce cappuccinos and croissants. The cappuccinos were delicious with soft, fluffy foam. And the croissants were perfectly flaky and soft. Service was prompt and they were very helpful with suggestions.

             We went out late for dinner around maybe 10:00 pm or so and walked up to a restaurant that was closed but per google they should have been open until midnight. That's when we realized it was permanently closed. So we turned back toward the AirBNB in hopes that we would find something else. While walking we ran into a guy who happened to be outside smoking a cigarette. And he struck up a conversation by asking us if we were British and from there we asked him if he knew of any good places to eat. Turns out we were standing right outside of one. He told us the food was really good and we should ty them out. 
    We stepped inside and were greeted immediately. We ordered a bottle of Chianti which cost us 7 Euros and a bottle of water to share. Mr.C ordered a salad and pasta with bacon and parmesan cheese. I had a four cheese pasta. The food was good and plated decently. The server never made us feel rushed even though they were past closing time. The plates were around 10 euros each, so relatively inexpensive for a sit down restaurant.  

 Gelato Siciliy 
   We had to try some authentic Italian Gelato while in Rome. We passed lots of Gelato places and somehow decided on this one en route to the Pantheon from Vatican city. It was a very clean shop and smelled delicious and fresh. Besides gelato there are an assortment of other deserts. We were assisted by an older gentleman who told us he was the owner. He was very sweet and kind and allowed us to sample a few of the flavors.  You could tell he took great pride in his store and product. The gelato was delicious and I think we made a great choice. 




We didn't eat at McDonalds, but we always find it interesting how different the fast food menus are by country. If the menu was this good in the USA we would consider eating at McDonalds again.

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