Rome has been on my bucket list since I was in 3rd grade, Catholic school, learning about the Vatican and the magnificent city of Rome during Italian week at school. I always dreamed of seeing the smallest country in the world (the Vatican), eating real Italian pizza in a picturesque Roman piazza, and dipping my fingertips into one of the many grandiose Roman fountains. I am so proud to announce, I have finally checked off all of those things and more in my visit to Rome.
First thing’s first, where did we stay? In my opinion, our flat was much smaller than anticipated but the view and building were super cool. Our Air BnB flat was located right in the heart of Rome, just a 25 minute walk to the Colosseum, 5 minute walk to lots of restaurants and shopping, and also centrally located to most of our tours.
After touring Rome, we would come back to the piazza one block from our flat to enjoy dinner and drinks with the locals around our neighborhood. Of course, after dinner we hung out in the local Irish bar and even pinned a dollar with our entire family’s name on the wall. Maybe one day our boys will recreate the trip and find the dollar with their names on it (We did this in Florence too.)
In the same square pictured above, was this beautiful Ukrainian Catholic Church. It dates back long before electricity. The sanctuary was completely lit with candles. I wanted to spend hours there, and would have if I was traveling alone. I couldn;t believe that all of this was only one block from our flat!
What to Do in Rome
The Vatican Tours
This is an absolute must if you are visiting Rome. We chose the Exclusive Vatican Breakfast Tour with City Wonders. I highly recommend this tour as it had EVERYTHING, even breakfast, and since it was semi-private, we got to skip all the lines and take advantage of early entrance into the Vatican.
First, we enjoyed breakfast in the Papal courtyard in the silence of the morning sitting down for a beautiful spread in the same courtyard where the popes have entertained guests for centuries. Of course, they had much more than just pancakes, I only feature the pancakes because they are the famous “Pope’s Pancakes.” Also, the cafe latte here was the best latte I had on the entire trip!
After breakfast, we wandered the galleries before the crowds to enjoy a closer view than the average visitor of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, Last Judgement and much more. Every inch of the Vatican was covered in fresco paintings, statues, and ornate artworks.
I just couldn’t get over the beauty of the ceilings. Every inch covered in century old, hand painted frescos!
The Vatican Museum had such a beautiful display of ancient Roman baths, private courtyards, and magnificent statues, and The Sistine Chapel was such a magical experience. They didn’t allow photos there, so you definitely have to see it with your own eyes.
We finished our tour with a visit to the magnificent St. Peter’s Basilica. This was my very favorite part of the Vatican. the feeling that came over me while being in this holy sanctuary was indescribable. The pictures certainly don’t do the basilica justice.
By the way…
What is the difference in a church and a basilica?
Basilicas were built before Christianity when paganism was the primary form of worship. In the ancient Roman Empire, basilicas were great public forums used as a place of public assembly or as a court of law. When the Roman Empire was Christianized, the Catholic Church held onto the term, designating these great forums as churches with historic significance. In modern day, only the pope can designate the title of a basilica.
Out of all the statues in Rome, this was the most memorable to me. I’m not really sure why, I just couldn’t take my eyes off of it. As soon as I turned the corner to the right in St. Peter’s Basilica my eyes locked into this statue and oddly, it began calling me near. As I gazed at this piece, the overwhelming feeling of power was indescribable. After I got home, I just couldn’t stop thinking about this statue so of course, I turned to Google. Turns out, this is the tomb of Pope Gregory XIII (1572-1585) sculpted between 1715 and 1723 by Camillo Rusconi.
The Pope’s altar sits in the center of St. Peter’s Basilica surrounded by beautiful, candle lit lanterns and just beneath it, the tomb of St. Peter the apostle. It is amazing how the spiritual feeling I experience while being in St. Peter’s Basilica consumes me once again as I write. You MUST visit to experience it. I just knew I had to have a piece of this holy place to bless my home so we got this beautiful retablos which resides on our dining-room buffet.
Roman Crypts and Catacombs
You all know I have to explore the weird, dark history of every place I visit. Of course, City Wonders Tours has something for people like us, The Original Rome Crypts and Catacombs tour. What an incredible experience to follow up our morning at the Vatican. One would think that this would be the complete opposite of the Vatican, but much to my surprise it was just an extension of Christianity in the “oddest” form possible.
First, we followed the tour into the underbelly of Rome to discover the hidden and eerie history of the Eternal City begining with the Capuchin Crypt, an eerie monument to death, with the remains of over 4,000 monks decorating the walls. We were free to explore the crypts, hearing all the interesting details and reasons behind such an unusual practice. They did not allow us to take photos, so I pulled some from City Tours and Smithsonian Magazine to showcase, and yes, those are the actual bodies of deceased monks!
The Christian Catacombs, where the bodies of early pagans and Christians are buried in tunnels that stretch miles and miles under the city. Over 150,000 tombs were carved out of the bedrock. These catacombs are so vast, with no electricity and winding tunnels, it is a death sentence to get lost. No worries, we had a VERY experienced City Wonders Guide.
Dark Heart of Rome Tour
Rome has secrets from every age and in every corner! As the sun goes down on this ancient city listen, we listened to our City Wonders guide bring to life the stories hidden in between the grand monuments and opulent churches during the Dark Heart of Rome walking tour.
From ghosts, to church heretics, to murderous wives, to hasty executioners your guide will bring Rome’s lesser known side to life. My favorite building in Rome (not including the Vatican,) BY FAR was the the church of Santa Maria dell’Orazione e Morte. This 480 year old church is dedicated to prayer for the dead, especially the poor and unknown. You can donate to the church via slots found outside of the building so that the Archconfraternity of St. Mary of Prayer and Death can continue to bury the poor and/or unidentified bodies.
It is said that inside the sanctuary’s there is a winged skeleton coming out of the walls adorning a sign that says “Hodie mihi, cras tibi” (“Today me, tomorrow you.”) reminding passersby of their mortality. We didn;t get to visit inside of the church, as it was closed up late at night during our tour, but I plan to go back one day to see this beautiful church. Look closely in the picture above, can you see the beautiful winged skulls on either side of the sanctuary doors?
The Colosseum
The semi-private Colosseum tour with City Wonders was definitely the way to go. We entered the Colosseum as the gladiators did with no lines and access to the Gladiator’s Gate!
Another breathtaking moment on this trip was the second we stepped into the colosseum arena. The view damn near took my breath away. It was as if the roaring clouds above demanded respect from those looked out on the arena. Majestic! For generations, access to the arena floor has been closed. We were so lucky to get to look out into the crowd, just as the gladiators did. With the exposed arena floor, you can see the chambers, cells, and animal dens. Life below the arena as the games took place.
As we walked towards the Roman Forum, it was so surreal looking back at one of the 7 Wonders of the World, it was as if a testament of the Roman era has just time traveled into a beloved monument of modern day.
Roman Forum and Palatine Hill
After the City Wonders Colosseum tour, we enjoyed access to the Roman Forum and the Palatine Hill. We wondered the paths of the elite Roman class around the Roman Forum and explored the palaces of the emperors.
There was such a beautiful of the the ruins of Ancient Rome from Palatine Hill. You could even see St. Peter’s Basilica off in the distance.
It’s so hard to believe that much of the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill that we experienced had not been uncovered in the 1960s. Archeologists continue to uncover to this present day. Who knows, maybe there will be even more to see in the next decade.
I also met this friendly sea gull who posed for photos and let me stand next to him to enjoy the views.
Where to Eat in Rome
Gli Angeletti Restaurant
My favorite food and Aperol Spritz in Rome was at this quaint little restaurant located one block from our flat. Rome is full of these super cute restaurants with string light lit patios and cozy seating. It was here that I had my first and gthe best Aperol Spritz and Caprese Salad while in Italy.
The Hangout Restaurant
We came to The Hangout Restaurant In Rome for some late night appetizers and drinks. The atmosphere was lively and upscale and the servers were so friendly! It was here that I experienced my first bit of Italian prosciutto with melon, tiramisu, and some sort of fried cheese and potato rice ball. All three were amazing!
Traveling around Rome
Rome has a great mass transit system which includes buses, trams, and trains. Also, many of the sites are close together making travel by foot very easy. Rome does readily have Uber and Lyft so that makes cross city travel easy as well. If you plan to visit other parts of Italy, I recommend renting a car from the airport. We went with Discover Cars for our travels from Rome, through Tuscany, and off to Florence. I have to admit, parking in the city is a nightmare. Make sure you are familiar with Italian street signs before parking. We didn’t do our research and got into a tiff in Florence, more on that to come in an upcoming post!
Ok, now to answer some of the questions you had for me about this beautiful city.
Is Rome expensive?
I was shocked at how inexpensive Rome was compared to the rest of our travels through Italy. If you plan on shopping Italian goods and designers, do it in Rome. We went into a very fancy store where I found a beautiful jacket (made in Italy.) It was late in the day and early in the trip so I decided to wait and shop around later in the trip. I am kicking myself. That full length, wool, movie star, cream coat was only $140 pounds. I am still thinking about it 2 weeks later.
How many days in Rome is enough?
We spent two nights and 3 days in Rome before heading off to Cortona. In my opinion, we should have spent an extra night in Rome so we weren’t so rushed. We saw everything we wanted to see except the Trevi Fountain. Had we had one more day, we could have seen the fountain and rested up before our adventure to Tuscany.
Stay tuned for my last post of the trip coming your way, Florence. We had quite the adventure in Florence. Until next time, Ciao Ciao!
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