Viva Roma!

A few weekends ago, we went to Rome for the weekend.  We had both been to Rome before -- Ryan lived in Rome for 6 months when he studied abroad there and I went for a week vacation with my family when I was in college. Ryan and I had always said that we wanted to go back to Rome together, so that Ryan could show me all of his favorite places and we could experience the city together.

On our first full day in Rome, we took a free walking tour. It went from the Spanish steps, to the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Castello San Angelo, and Vatican City. I love doing free walking tours when you first visit a city, its a great way to get acquainted with the surroundings and history.

Pantheon

Pantheon

Piazza Navona 

Pantheon

During our walking tour we also came across a ceremony occurring in Vatican City. This was really special to experience because it is not every day you get to hear the Pope speak in person!

After our walking tour, we wandered to the Travestere area where Ryan went to school and had a leisurely lunch.

Lunch time feast

After feeling particularly full from lunch, we decided to walk it off by meandering all the way down to the Roman Forum where we listened to a Rick Steve's podcast walking tour while exploring the area (more on these awesome podcasts in a later blog post).

Overlooking the Coliseum

Touring the Roman Forum area

Roman Forum

Via Sacra of the Roman Forum

Listening to the podcast

The wedding cake

Viva Italia!

On our second full day in Rome, the weather was gorgeous and so we again walked all the way down to the Coliseum.

A tip for future visitors: buy your tickets ahead of time but wait in the "without" tickets security line. The "with" tickets security line is huge and artificially created by fake tour guides who try and use it to incentivize you to purchase EUR 20 "skip the line" tours which are apparently really bad quality.

Coliseum on day 2

Rome is definitely in my top 5 list of European cities, with rich history, great culture, and delicious food!

EAT: Da Gino for authentic, local Italian food
STAY: Gens Luxury Suites is in a great location near Piazza Navona
PLAY: So many!  Check out the main highlights (Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Coliseum, Vatican City). Rome Free Walking Tours is a great way to see the main sights.