Rome

10.31.2018 - 11.04.2018 63 °F

Ah, Rome, I will miss you despite the bad weather, the crowds, the pick pockets, the traffic and the high cost of enjoying in your breathtaking city.

Weather: Every day there was rain, but that didn’t deter us from seeing everything that was on our list, except for the Forum. That was a bit too much to trapes around in the rain.

Crowds: Once again the crowds were large everywhere! But unlike Florence, they didn’t overwhelm you. The piazzas are large so you had plenty of space to move around without feeling trapped.

Pick Pockets: We didn’t experience this first hand, but we met a couple who told us what happened to them on the metro. A passenger on the train motioned to the wife that there was someone trying to get into her backpack. When all eyes were on her, the pickpocket retrieved the wallet of her husband from his front pocket. The deception of the wife’s backpack was the play that allowed the thief’s to succeed.

Traffic: Just like in Los Angeles, there is traffic everywhere. Unlike Los Angels, the traffic flows onto the sidewalks.

The Cost: It’s no surprise that Rome is expensive so we had planned accordingly, but sometimes when you look back on what you spent, you wonder how much is too much.

Wow! The food is beyond delicious and the sights beyond beautiful. I truly will not be able to enjoy pasta again knowing what homemade pasta taste like. Italy has ruined Italian food for me. 😉

This was our last stop as a family which was bittersweet as we won’t be seeing Cody and Alona for possibly another year. But then again, you never know. 😁

Arrivederci Italy!

Vatican

Being herded through the Vatican Museums on our way to the Sistine chapel - too many people! This after waiting in line for 3 hours

Leaving the Museum

St. Peter’s Square is located in the Vatican City at the feet of St. Peter's Basilica. It is one of the most renowned squares in the world.

The Colosseum is, along with the Vatican City, Rome's greatest tourist attraction. On 7 July 2007 the Colosseum became one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World.

The rain didn’t keep the tourist away

The Arch of Constantine

Trevi Fountain
The myth of the Trevi Fountain
Why are there always people in the fountain throwing coins into the water and taking photos of themselves?
The myth, originating in 1954 with the movie "Three Coins in the Fountain," goes like this:

If you throw one coin: you will return to Rome.
If you throw two coins: you will fall in love with an attractive Italian.
If you throw three coins: you will marry the person that you met.

In order to achieve the desired effect, you should throw the coin with your right hand over your left shoulder.

An interesting statistic is that approximately a million euros worth of coins are taken from the fountain each year. Since 2007 this money has been used to support good causes.

The Spanish Steps were built at the beginning of the eighteenth century connecting Piazza di Spagna and the Church of Trinità dei Monti.

Victor Emmanuel II Monument
The Victor Emmanuel Monument is not exactly known as one of Rome’s most beautiful structures but it is nevertheless well worth the visit, even if only for the great views from the top.

the Pantheon claims to be the best preserved building from ancient Rome. One of the masterpieces of Roman architecture.

Bocca della Verità
The Mouth of Truth marble sculpture, it depicts the sea god Oceanus and was likely originally used as a drain cover, though today it is famous for “biting the hand of liars”. The Mouth of Truth was featured prominently in the 1953 classic Roman Holiday featuring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck.