Making the Most of Rome, Italy

I think we left part of our hearts in Rome. We kind of went in not expecting to love the big city. But Rome is so different, especially old town Rome, which is where you want to be anyways.

We stayed in an AirBnB, very close to the Pantheon.  Just outside was a Piazza and we would watch it go from a farmers market in the morning to restaurants at night. There was always something to watch in our little Piazza. It just made the whole experience that much more charming.

Most everyone speaks English, so it was very easy to get around. We always like to have basic phrases for where ever we go. It’s important to us that we at least try since we are in their country.

What We Discovered:

• We did as many sites as we could, but for those that have been know that St. Peters Cathedral and the Vatican take up the whole entire day. My advice would be to get there as early as you can to get ahead of the tour buses. Had I realized how long we would stand in line I would have paid for someone to take us to the front of the line.
• The Colosseum is pretty spectacular. It is right there in the heart of everything.
• The city is incredibly walk able. Things look a long ways away, but they really aren’t all that far. But I will say you will still put on quite a few miles in a day.
• The history is do deep. We went with friends that knew the history well. You will either need good friends like we had or a great guide book explaining everything.
• Even in the big city you will find the quaint little streets everywhere.
• Everyone thinks you need a selfie stick.  You don’t!
• The Pantheon is incredible. We accidentally stumbled upon it and it is such an enormous structure that is in the middle of the quaint walking streets. It will definitely leave you with your mouth wide open.
• So many websites said that you can’t order a cappuccino in the afternoon because it’s not the Italian way. Well, we were offered cappuccinos in the afternoon, so we took them.
• Walking at night was very safe. We did it nearly every night.

 

We will for sure make our way back to Rome some day. Even with 4 days there we didn’t get to see everything we wanted to see. It’s hard because even though you are beating the pavement trying to take it all in you also need to take time to enjoy a cappuccino and just slow down.

What is your favorite thing to see in Rome?