December, 2018
We departed for Italy on December 21, 2018 and I had been desperately in need of this getaway. We were super excited to spend our time eating, praying and loving our way through our Christmas vacation. Our first stop was Rome. We arrived at the FCO airport around 9:30 a.m. Friday morning and took the Leonardo Express train that connects the airport to the main train station. It takes approximately 30 minutes or so and leaves every ½ hour with tickets being ~ €14 per person. Once we arrived at the main station, we took the metro to the stop closest to our boutique hotel. Honestly, a very easy and cost-effective commute from the airport into the heart of Rome. It was now around 11:30 a.m. Friday and we had until late Sunday afternoon to explore this city prior to moving on to our next destination.
We stayed at a boutique hotel called Ripetta Palace, located near the Piazza del Popolo. This location was within close walking distance to the Spanish Steps and most of the main sites. However, Rome’s metro system is easy to use to quickly get around the city. The hotel included breakfast each morning which was located in a restaurant right across the street. The selection of food and service was incredible and a great way to start our day. Honestly, for us it was a beautiful quaint place in the perfect location with a good price. Something to note – there is no elevator.
In traditional fashion for our European trips we resisted the urge to nap and headed out to explore. The goal is always to go as long as possible the first day to try to adjust to the time change. It was a sunny and warm winter day in Rome and we headed in the direction of the Colosseum which was approximately a 30-minute walk. Upon arriving there, we booked a tour to truly explore the interior and also take in the history. It truly is such an amazing sight to witness with your own eyes. Our tour also included access to the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. We decided to take advantage of the pass, but toured the ancient ruins on our own instead of following the guide. This allowed us more freedom to enjoy the gardens and take in the remaining fragments of the villas and palaces. As dusk was approaching, the setting sun danced against the ancient ruins and Colosseum. It’s worth lingering around for this. On our way back toward the hotel, we stopped for an Aperitivo and some snacks. Honestly, we knew that based on the location, Bar Brasile, was going to be a bit of tourist trap. The Aperitivo and gelatos we got for the walk back were the most expensive we paid on this entire trip, but the outdoor patio and view was nice.
Once back at the hotel, we showered and got ready for dinner. As it was a Friday night, we had made reservations at Emma for dinner. It was recommended to us by a local stating it was the best sit-down pizza in Rome. That’s a big declaration, but she was spot on! Obviously, we ate some pizza on this trip, but hands down this was the best pizza of the trip and it was only the first night. Pizza was Roman style and paired nicely with a bottle of red. I had the Prosciutto pizza and D had the Chorizo. After dinner, we strolled back to our hotel and grabbed a gelato across the street just before the store closed – a perfect night cap to our first day. And yes, that was our second gelato that day. When in Rome!
On Day 2, we headed out after breakfast making our way to the Trevi Fountain. One of the most iconic fountains in Italy. You will want to turn your back to it, traditionally toss a coin or two making a wish that one day you will return to this Eternal City and find love. Fun fact – Almost €1.5 million is collected from this tourist attraction yearly which is given to charity to help the poor and homeless. Since it is a popular location, it will be busy and if you want the iconic IG photo by yourself you will need to arrive early (i.e. well before 6:45 a.m.) – if that is important to you.
Literally, the day before we flew to Rome I decided to book a last minute 3-hour tour of the Vatican with External City Tours for Saturday afternoon. We had discussed that we would just tour it on our own, but I had a feeling we should book a tour and I am so glad we did. If we had done this self-guided, we would have been lost finding our way and clueless as to what we were really looking at. The tour included the Vatican museums, Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo’s Pieta, Raphael Rooms and the Basilica of St. Peter. The art history was fascinating making this tour top notch compared to some of the other ones I had reviewed in advance. It was a cool and rainy day, so the indoor 3-hour afternoon tour was perfect.
Located close by to Vatican City, I had booked us a cooking class in Rome for dinner Saturday night. D wasn’t too thrilled about it and thought it was a very ‘touristy’ thing to do, but he went along with it, likely to humor me. I had met one of the owners of Local Aromas on a Women Who Travel social media page and we became social media friends about 8 months prior to our trip. Not only had I always envisioned participating in a cooking class in Italy, but I also wanted to meet this woman! I booked the Roman Cooking Dinner which offers a rooftop view of the city (and St. Peter’s Basilica, where we had just spent the afternoon), at sunset. If you want to truly experience the night, check out my post on my Instagram account. Within 4 hours, we made ravioli, gnocchi and tiramisu from scratch, all while sipping prosecco. Then settled into sample our creations with a glass of red wine in a private dining room overlooking Rome! Buon Appetito!
How was it Sunday already? We were scheduled to depart for Florence that afternoon, but still had some sight-seeing we wanted to do. After an early breakfast, we headed to the Spanish Steps. Taking our time to walk around and explore, we eventually made it to the top to enjoy the view. From there we ventured over to the Pantheon. As it was early in the day still, we did not have a line up and admission was free. It was originally a Roman temple, but now functions as a church. We were lucky to arrive when we did as they were preparing for a private mass that morning. The architecture was mind blowing and here is a fun fact: the height of the oculus and the diameter of the interior circle are the same – 142 feet. Fascinating really. After viewing this majestic place, spend some time outside exploring the piazza that adorns it. Finally, take some time to walk and explore the Tiber river. It’s the ideal area away from the bustle of the streets, offering an alternate view to the architecture of the city and unique bridges including the ‘broken bridge’.
Saying goodbye to Rome, we caught our late afternoon train to Florence. We were happy with what we were able to accomplish in approximately two days, from some top historical landmarks, sampling delicious foods, and experiencing an authentic Italian cooking class. Our hearts and tummies were full. I would say the eat, pray, love theme was off to a great start.