Rome, Italy

*As always, all of the pictures from this trip are at the bottom! You can click on the first one to enlarge, and it will become a little slideshow of the pictures with captions that you can click through.

Rome, Italy!!!

Friday, June 13

The beginning of our most exciting adventure yet! We woke up around 7:30am and finalized the items we were taking in our bags before starting the drive to Philadelphia for a wedding. We attended the wedding, enjoyed ice cream in between the wedding and reception, and then went to the reception. While this day was one of the most “simple” travel days, the emotional preparation of getting ready for such a trip made us exhausted. We stayed at The Alloy, a Hilton Hotel, in the greater Philly area. The types of architecture and how the suburban part of the city was organized was quite interesting. You’d drive amongst the most beautiful, massive homes, and on the next street would be small, rundown townhomes. We enjoyed exploring the area briefly and celebrating our friends’ marriage before embarking on our travels!

Saturday, June 14- Sunday, June 15

Since our flight wasn’t until the evening, we slept in before heading to Wayne, PA and eating at a First Watch. We then stopped at an REI to buy silicone water guards for our wide-mouth Nalgene’s (which was such a game changer and made drinking out of these bottles so much more enjoyable). Afterwards, we made a quick stop at Valley Forge and followed the driving tour to see some historical buildings and battle grounds. 

After spending some time exploring, we made the 2 hour drive to the parking garage we had booked. JFK had wanted $600 to park my car for 2 weeks- ridiculous! Instead, Jeff found a local parking garage outside of New York City. It was a bit interesting. It was in the center of a lively neighborhood, awake at all hours. We pulled in, showed our reservation, and the worker had us evacuate my car almost immediately. So we scrambled to repack the few things we had decided to leave behind (our backpacks were heavier than we wanted, and we had plans to reorganize once we got parked to lighten our load a bit. We thought it would be like any other parking garage we had been to where you self park, and we would have a few quiet minutes to reorganize). He kept asking if we were ready yet, and after maybe 5 or 10 minutes, we handed my keys over and watched him speed off with my car in this small parking garage. The floors were painted cement, and you could hear my tires screeching in the distance as he turned a corner. I just stared at Jeff. What had I just done? And what other choice did I have but to leave my car here? While it felt a bit sketchy, there were VERY nice cars parked at every glance- Mercedes, BMWs, Wagoneers. It wasn’t like the cars were trashed or uncared for, but it was definitely a new experience for me. 

We walked out of the parking garage on to the street and stood there for a second. It was kind of surreal to have everything in your backpack that you would use for the entire trip. I definitely felt like I was missing something, even though I wasn’t. Jeff called for an Uber, and we waited along the curb for our car. 

Thankfully, our Uber driver calmed some of the nerves I had after dropping off my car to a complete stranger. His car was clean, he was patient and calm amongst the New York City traffic, and he was confident as he got us where we needed to be. He asked where we were from and if we were returning home, and when we explained that we were actually setting off for Europe, a big smile spread across his face, and he said, “I hope to travel like you two someday.” I felt like a bit of an imposter, as this was our first trip abroad and we were very much winging the entire trip as we went.

He dropped us off at Terminal 4 at JFK, and we walked through the craziness of pickup/drop off. This was the first instance where we were so grateful for packing “light.” (We would feel this often throughout the trip.) We each had one backpack that was the size of a normal carry-on and a crossbody sling/purse. Because we carried everything we needed, we didn’t have to worry about checked bags or waiting in baggage claim. 

We made a quick bathroom break stop before getting in line for security. Security was pretty standard- take your shoes off, remove electronics larger than an iPad, separate your liquids, get scanned by the little machine. It was pretty uneventful. After that, we decided to find dinner at a Buffalo Wild Wings in the airport. It was expensive, but it was good. We found our gate and sat for a while waiting for boarding. Our plane did end up getting delayed by about an hour, but thankfully it didn’t impact our connecting flight in London. 

After waiting a bit longer, we finally boarded the plane and took off. I had been quite anxious about this flight in the weeks leading up to this trip. When we flew to Montana in 2023, we had a super delayed flight that ended up taking off at 10:00pm with thunder and lightning in the distance. As we got into the air, I felt my chest tighten, and it became harder to breathe; I felt like I was beginning to hyperventilate. I focused on my breathing for the entire 2 hour flight to Minneapolis. It was the closest I have ever come to having a panic attack, and it was quite scary. Even though the rest of the flights to and from Montana were fine, that flight still caused a panic in my heart and made me nervous for this flight, to be on a plane over the Atlantic Ocean for 8 hours. Needless to say, I was so grateful that I felt God’s presence and peace through all of our flights and travels for the entirety of our Europe trip. I felt safe, calm, and excited on every flight, train, and gondola. It was a huge answer to prayer.

We ended up departing a little after 10:00pm Saturday evening, Eastern Time and landed at 10:45am Sunday morning, London time. On the flight, we had a cajun chicken rice bowl, a tomato and pickle salad (we did not eat this haha), a lemon blondie, and a coke. Later in the flight for breakfast we had a ricotta, mozzarella, and egg calzone with orange juice. The rice bowl was decent (especially since it was our first airplane food- I was still in awe of being served on a plane), but looking back on the egg calzone makes me want to gag. At the time it was alright, but it didn’t leave me feeling great. During the flight, we saw an offshore wind turbine farm, which was cool since all of the wind farms we’ve seen have been on land. We saw numerous boats and the Brighton and Hove Albion soccer stadium from the air as well. 

Once we landed, we walked through to security for our connecting flight. They had an interesting walkway to get to security, though. It was like walking through a small IKEA but with salespeople at every little store holding perfumes. It was like a smelly gauntlet stuffed with people to get to the next area. When we did get to security, we just had to put our bags on the belt to be scanned. We also had to walk through the metal detector, but we didn’t have to take liquids out or shoes off. It was the simplest security we had the entire trip. Once past security, we explored a little convenient shop, which had Heinz Ketchup-flavored potato chips on display. As an American, I can’t imagine eating a ketchup flavored potato chip. 

We people watched a little and got some lunch at Pret, a popular little cafe in the airport. We got ham and cheese sandwiches, a fruit cup, a banana, and a coffee. The interesting thing about Gatwick-London Airport is that they don’t release the gate numbers until they start boarding, so it forces you to explore their shops and spend money since you have nothing better to do. There were some seating areas in the public spaces in the middle of the walkway with the stores, but there wasn’t an actual gate you could sit and wait at like American airports. Our gate number was finally released, and we went to get settled and wait. Well, the waiting area was extremely small and packed with people. We weren’t sure there would actually be enough seats with the number of people waiting and the number of seats on the flight.

We boarded the plane with all of the other people (there was room!). It was a bit smaller and older of a plane compared to our previous Delta flight. It was also a bit bumpier since it was a smaller plane, but it wasn’t too bad. 

Finally, we landed in Rome! We even got to depart the plane via steps onto the runway which was so cool. We’d never gotten to do that before. We were then shuttled to the airport where we scanned our passports, a security guard stamped our passports, and we were through! Jeff then located our train, and we boarded it for Rome! We had tickets for this train already pre-booked, but our travel day had gone so smoothly that we were actually quite early. We had purchased the Global Pass that allowed us to travel with a lot of flexibility, so Jeff was able to get us on an earlier train to Roma Termini without costing us a penny. We really appreciated having this Global Pass, expensive it be ($800 for the two of us), because we had such fluid plans. (For reference, to rebook using the other pass- EuroRail- or just rebooking a train ticket in general, it would incur a $30 booking fee every time, so it saved us a good chunk of change throughout our trip). 

Once we arrived in Rome, we walked the 45 minutes (with our 30lb bags!) to our AirBnb. We first came across some “old rocks” (as Jeffrey calls them). It was a temple that was falling apart with a large building off to the side called Chiesa del Santissimo Nome di Maria al Foro Traiano. There were some street “artists” selling “their” watercolor art. We stopped and appreciated the art, keeping it in mind as something we might like to purchase. A few streets later, we saw the another “artist” selling the same “original” pieces! We were very glad we didn’t purchase anything prematurely and were a lot more cautious looking at any artwork, especially without a signature. 

On the way to the apartment, we stopped for our first gelato and sorbet! It was good! This was the only time I got the gelato/sorbet in a cone because it melted SO quickly! We tried strawberry sorbet, chocolate gelato, and hazelnut gelato.

The roads were much more crowded and city-like than I expected. I know Rome is a city, but in my mind, Italy had a slower pace and would feel less busy. I was expecting the area and streets to feel a bit more quaint than they did. 

After making it to our AirBnb, we blasted the AC and rested for a bit. I took a nap on the couch and cooled down from the 95 degrees we hiked through. Near the end of the nap, I jolted awake to THE worst double charlie horses I have EVER felt in my ENTIRE life. I had tried to stay hydrated during our travels, but obviously I had failed since my calves seized up SO bad. I know that all charlie horses are horrendous, but when I tell you this HURT, I mean 10/10, writhing pain. It was so bad that I couldn’t stand up straight after the muscles released and had to take a few minutes to stretch them vertically to even be able to walk. They were sore for the following 5 days and would take me a few minutes each morning to stretch them out enough to walk. Even now, if I stretch my legs, I can feel the hint of a charlie horse threatening to return if I push it. It was wild. 

Upon waking up from that horrible experience, we got ourselves ready to go out to dinner. We decided on Marriucia Cucina Pizza E Sfizi, a pizza place that had a decent line and completely filled seating. We met a couple from London as we waited who told us some of their favorite things to do in London and to watch for pickpockets. 

We then got seated at a small table inside where I got to watch the chef hand-make dishes. Jeff got the marinara pizza and I got the margarita pizza, along with a Pepsi each. We learned very quickly that a marinara pizza has no cheese, just sauce and some herbs! The margarita is the typical “cheese pizza” we have in America. This first restaurant was our favorite pizza we ate in all of Italy.

After dinner, we decided to take a walk and explore a bit. It was also very interesting to see massive monuments in the middle of the city as well. I imagined that these historical buildings would kind of be set off to the side, kind of like a national park that’s set aside and protected. Well, that was not the case. You’d be walking back a street with apartments and little bistros, and then BOOM- the Pantheon. We were walking down a little street, turned the corner, and there it was! It was quite pretty in the evening dimness, sitting proudly in a little square with lots of people mingling.

We then toured the Sant’Ignazio of Loyola Church. The church was dimly lit, and you could pay a euro or two to light different sections of the church to view it. As the first “old church” we saw on this trip, it was spectacular. After that, we stopped at one of my bucket list locations- the Trevi Fountain. As a Lizzie McGuire lover, I had the dream to toss my little penny in this fountain since Lizzie did in the Lizzie McGuire movie. And I got my moment! I may not have had the European style in my bright, homemade tie dye shirt and multiple layers of sweat from a 24 hour travel day, but I savored this moment regardless. It was gorgeous, crowded, and majestic in the evening with its lights. 

We decided we were ready to close the chapter on day 1 in Rome, so we headed back to our apartment, Facetimed our families, showered, and went to bed (but only with a sheet! It was so hot- even with the ac- they didn’t even provide a comforter or quilt!).

6/14 Total Miles: 5.92

6/14 Total Steps: 12,933

6/15 Total Miles: 9.76

6/15 Total steps: 22,161

Monday, June 16

After such a big travel day, we decided to sleep in a little so we weren’t completely burning the candle at both ends. We got up at 9:00am and walked through Mercato Campo Dei Fiori to Giordi, a Roman cuisine restaurant right beside the market. Jeffrey got chocolate pancakes, and I got strawberry crepes (I’m still dreaming of them) and a “cafe macchiato” (espresso with milk). 

After breakfast, we stopped at Farmacia Giordani and got some sunscreen. We bought a milk sunscreen for babies, and it was so much better than the thick sunscreen lotion we have in the States. It was still slimy, but it would rinse off with normal soap unlike most lotions I’ve experienced in the US.

On this day, we had tickets to see the Forum and the Colosseum, so we wandered a bit after we ate before redeeming our tickets.

The first thing we came across was what I dubbed “the fake Colosseum.” It was much smaller but had a similar structure. This area was called the Temples of Apollo Sosiano and Bellona. It was a theater with surrounding structures devoted to gods and goddesses, including the Portico di Ottavia. While walking in pathways through ruins and construction to improve what was left of the ancient temples, we came across a “water fountain.” It was basically a spigot with spring water. At the top of the arch of the spigot was a hole. You’d plug the water at the base of the spigot and then water would come out of this small hole so you could get a drink if you didn’t have a bottle or cup to fill up. It was quite fun to use, and it provided nice cold, fresh water. 

We then walked to a church called Chiesa di Santa Maria in Portico in Campitelli. Afterwards, we crossed a street to hike up NUMEROUS steps to see the Basilica of Santa Maria in Aracoeli. We then walked down steps out a backdoor to Capitoline Hill. What was interesting about this steps was that they were pretty shallow and slanted forward for water drain off and also so that cars could drive up and down the steps if needed. We walked around Capitoline Hill and pondered about going into the museum but decided against it. 

We decided we should probably get a snack and a bathroom break before starting our Forum walk through, but naturally, we found a back entrance to the Forum and figured there would be bathrooms inside, so we entered a bit prematurely. We definitely should have found a snack first. Bathrooms were such a unique experience, too, because you never knew where the next one would be. I wanted to drink plenty of water (it was so hot, we were expending so much energy, and we were traveling so often), but I was also afraid to drink too much water because bathrooms were fairly hard to come by unless you were at a restaurant, and if you did find one, you’d have to pay at least a euro to use it.

Once inside the Forum, we made our way to the museum (with bathrooms) at the completely opposite end of where we had entered. There, we waited in a stupid long (and hot) line for the bathroom. Jeff found a vending machine where we had short-lived hope of getting a snack. For whatever reason, it wouldn’t accept any of our credit cards and wouldn’t give change for the large-bill euros we had. We figured we could make it through the Forum and find something afterwards.

Once we were relieved, we each put an Airpod in and listened to the Rick Steves’ free audio tour of the Forum. We learned about the multiple temples built, the virgins who were murdered if they didn’t uphold their 30 years of virginity, the layers of building materials on top of ancient ruins to create the “eternal city,” and the pathways that branched from the ancient main street. It was crazy to just see how advanced the engineering was for not having the machinery we have today. It was insane. The detail in the carvings and the expansive hallways made through the homemade brick building was just crazy. 

After our self-guided tour, we stopped at Iari The Vino where we each got a margarita pizza and a Coke. It was the 2nd best pizza we ate, but it did the trick and gave us the energy for our Colosseum tour.

We then made our way over to the Colosseum for our 4:00pm tour. There were lots of people, and it was a bit confusing as to which line we were to be in. After figuring that out, we started another Rick Steves tour as we walked through the Colosseum. We learned of the gladiators, the underground passageways for animals and humans that served as a “backstage,” the battleship reenactments when they would flood the Colosseum, the marble bleachers that would sit thousands, and the different classes of people and where they would sit.

We also learned how the Colosseum changed roles as people evolved and came in contact with other nations, and their leadership and power changes affected the usage also. In the end, the Colosseum became the recycling bin where people would come and take whatever materials they needed for other projects, essentially dismantling the Colosseum to fund other buildings. You’d notice holes on portions of the Colosseum where the Romans knew of metal supports, so when they needed metal for another project, they’d start excavating at those spots and take it. They would also just build on top of other buildings or add on to buildings that were falling apart making for unique structures with bases that were ancient and then more modern portions literally sitting on top. It was fun to see the Forum and the Colosseum. 

We left the Colosseum and immediately were faced with hagglers looking for a quick buck. This was quite often in the touristy areas we visited across all of Europe. They would put a bracelet on your wrist, ask where you were from, and then explain what country in Africa they were from and how their family back home needed money. They would then aggressively guilt you into giving them money and make a scene if you didn’t. Thankfully, Jeffrey had seen this type of haggling before and knew to ignore it.

After the Colosseum, we went to a town called Trastevere to explore. It was supposedly a bit less populated and had more of the relaxed Italian feel, and it did overall. It definitely was a bit more touristy, but not as bad as Rome. On that walk, we watched a dog walk right up to one of the public water fountains and drink from it as we waited to fill our bottles. It was so fun to see his little routine of getting a drink on his daily walk.

After seeing the cute buildings in Trastevere, we went to the Vatican. Even though it had closed by the time we got there, there were still a lot of people, and a much higher police presence than in Rome. (Italian police would stand in groups of 2 or 3 and walk around before congregating back at the police van and hanging out with the other officers. It was like a club, with all the officers laughing and hanging out. It was kind of funny compared to the intimidating front a lot of other police officers wear.) We saw a statue of impoverished people on a boat sailing toward the Vatican, one person being a slave. His hand reached out, and tourists would hold his hand, making it a shiny silver compared to the rest of the tarnished statue. The only other shiny spot on the statue was that of the little dog’s nose.

We were quite tired from all the walking and sightseeing, so we made our way back to our AirBnb to relax a little before heading back to dinner. I enjoyed sitting on our little balcony, where I met a little cat friend in the window across from our balcony. He enjoyed watching the birds. Many apartments didn’t have ac, and they’d have their windows open to try and get a little fresh air. Most balconies also has so many plants which created such a welcoming view of every building. They were so inspiring to me throughout the entire trip. As we traveled north back to London, the flowers and plants on balconies became fewer, but they were still present through most of the cities we visited.

For dinner, we went to Baccanale where Jeff got a lager and spaghetti bolognese. I got prosecco and my first carbonara dish (which I had always dreamed of getting, and it did not disappoint). We enjoyed watching all the activity in the plaza, including a golden retriever! We were surprised at just how many dogs we saw, all EXTREMELY well behaved, walking on a loose leash (except a mini black poodle who jumped out from a table, barking at us, which scared us half to death).

After dinner, we got gelato (we tried fig, hazelnut, and chocolate) and visited some local artist booths set up around the square, where there were 3 different fountains. We found a watercolor artist named Igor Sava, and we really liked his work. Jeff and I have started the slow process of collecting local artwork as we travel to update the art we currently have hanging on our home, so we decided to get 2 of his watercolor paintings for our wall. We feel they really represent our time in Rome well, reflecting our time at two monuments, the colors, and general feel of the area as well.

After purchasing our new art, we went back to our AirBnb for showers and bed.

6/16 total miles: 15.03 miles

6/16 total steps: 33,680

**Click on the photos below to enlarge, and they will become clearer 🙂