Sunday 7 February 2016

The Italian Diaries; Chapter Two

Rome 

The next stop on our Italian adventure was Rome. I have always been fascinated by Rome, especially after watching The Lizzie McGuire movie when I was younger. 


The drive from Gualdo to Rome felt shorter than the initial drive from Rome to Gualdo; and in no time we had arrived. As they say, all roads lead to Rome!

Driving past the Colosseum on our way to the hotel was such a wonderful experience, yet it felt so surreal. Our hotel was in a central location which made it very easy to get to places by walking. I'm not really a big walker, I am rather lazy sometimes however in saying that I do like walking around and exploring places I haven't been before. So after arriving at the hotel and leaving our luggage, we went for a wander around the eternal city.

Our first stop was the Colosseum for a proper tourist visit before dinner.








The next day was our walking tour of Rome, and we walked from about 9am until 5:30pm when we reached our hotel. Our walking tour was probably the most exercise I have ever done in one day, which was good considering all of the food I consumed...
Highlights included the Roman Forum, Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain (though it was covered up because of construction) and the Spanish Steps.
It felt so incredible to walk around in Rome because all of the ancient ruins are fascinating, and I find it so interesting how Ancient Rome has been preserved (to some extents) and integrated into the more modern architecture of the city.







Not seeing the Trevi Fountain was one of the most disappointing experiences of my life so far, as it was number one on my 'to see' list. I decided to drown my sorrows at the nearest gelateria, yet this lead to more disappointment because the (first one) I went to was terrible. There are three gelaterias next to the Trevi Fountain and I went to all of them- and I was disappointed each time.
Towards the end of our walking tour of Rome, we went to Giolitti. This gelato changed my life. It was hands down one of the best gelatos I have ever tasted- raspberry and caramelized fig.
One of my travel tips would be don't go to cheap gelato places in touristy areas because they aren't as good as the ones that are a little bit hidden. It really shows how sometimes bad things come your way but better things come your way later.




On one of our days in Rome we visited the Vatican and saw the Pope's address in Vatican City. Wandering around the Vatican was mesmerising because all of the architecture and art is simply fascinating. The Sistine Chapel was a major highlight- seeing the works of Michelangelo. Unfortunately they don't allow photography in the chapel so I don't have any photos to share of that, so you will all have to visit the chapel yourselfs!
On our way to Vatican City we stopped for some pizza and I had potato pizza for the first time which was such a new yet good experience. Two of my favourite things combined = heaven.






Eating dinner in Rome was fairly bland because we went to the same restaurant every night (as it was a part of our travel package) and the food wasn't spectacular. Luckily the food in Florence made up for this, including our own pasta making course which I will share with you in next Sunday's chapter!

Where are your favourite travel destinations? Share with me in the comments below! 

xxx

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