When in Rome

It is finally time for Italy! We caught a 7:47 am train from Riva San Vitale to Roma and it was pretty uneventful and pleasant minus some Italians yelling at me and giving me dirty looks. They are a very impatient people. But anyway, we got into Rome at about 12:30pm and made our way from the train station to our hotel. From there, Hans gave us the rest of the day to spend however we saw fit so we were off.

A group of us decided to head out and see some of the main tourist attractions. We made our way to the Piazza Venezia which housed the Altare della Patria which is a monument to Vittorio Emanuele II, the first king of Italy. It is a huge structure that dominates the skyline. We walked on by that and down the Via dei Fori Imperiali which is the main road that leads past a lot of attractions. We were able to see a lot of the ruins and the forum but didn't get to go in anywhere. The main feature lies at the end of the street.

Altare della Patria

The Colosseum actually looks smaller in person. It is still a grand experience and surreal to see something that I have seen so much of on television and films. After a 45 minute wait in line to get tickets we were finally able to go inside and look around. There’s almost no seats left intact and it appears to be crumbling in places but it is still standing 2000 years later. It was amazing to finally get to see it.

Colosseum

After the Colosseum, we spent some time trying to find the entrance to the Roman Forum and could not for the life of us find it. So after maybe 45 minutes or so we gave up and headed to our next destination. We made it to the Trevi Fountain which is just as iconic to Rome as the Colosseum. It is a beautiful fountain that has a lot of history and traditions. It was also mobbed with people but I pushed my way to the front so I could toss my coin. This ensures my return to Rome! After plenty of pictures our group decided to split up and some of us went to get gelato which was fantastic. This was just a pit stop on this long day.

Trevi Fountain

We walked to the Piazza di Spagna which had the Spanish Steps on one end. This is a famous location too but unfortunately they are doing some restoration work on the steps and they were closed. It was a little disappointing but we were undeterred. We made our way to the Piazza del Popolo. It was a large square with two churches at one end, an arch at the other, and up against a park. It was getting dark out and we were all starving so we decided it was dinner time.

Spanish Steps

Since we were in Rome we decided to go for some Italian food. We went to a restaurant called Rossopomodoro. We waited for a bit but got a table and had amazing food. I had a pizza that I had been craving for weeks if not a month. I was impressed. It was a good end to the night. Tomorrow promises to be even busier.

Yum!