Rome, Italy

Saturday was our day to explore Rome. I was a little nervous because this particular day is considered an Italian holiday and multiple people mentioned that all over Italy there would be celebrations and it could get wild. April 25, 1945 was the day that the US officially finished WWII and Italy became free from German ruling. The city did seem busy but I imagine it always is on a Saturday at the start of the tourist season.

This view was right outside of the apartment door...the Coloseum! It was about a 30 second walk and so much more massive than we imagined.

We had seen it the night before but here was our first view in the morning.

The line wasn't too bad to get in.

Rome is a big city and there's lots to see and do. We walked miles and miles!

What amazed me most were the structures that were 1000s of years old interspersed with more modern buildings. It made the city views so interesting. You could be walking through a residential neighborhood and stumble upon ancient pillars. So cool!

 

We also took a tour of Carseri de Saint Peter, the prison where Saint Peter was held. I didn't get any pictures but the tour was audio and video guided and was very interesting. We all enjoyed it!

Treffi Fountain

The Vatican was our next stop and was absolutely stunning. We didn't go in because the line was so long. I've never seen a longer line in my life!

We took a cab on the way to the Vatican but decided to walk back home. We stopped in a piazza and watched artists and street performers.

We got back to the apartment and rested before heading back out for a bite to eat. The girls were complaining about walking after the miles we logged earlier in the day. When a bike taxi asked us if we wanted a ride, we jumped right in. He said we set the record for the most amount of people in the back! This was definitely the highlight of Rome. The sites looked beautiful all lit up and we were able to see some spots we missed while walking. He was very informative! He was even wearing a Red Sox sweatshirt and told us about his dreams to visit California and Colorado someday.

Our driver...this was tough work!

The Coloseum

Mallory was giving peace signs to everyone we passed. We were definitely getting stares with the amount of people in the cart. We were also weaving in and out of traffic. He was definitely a seasoned driver!

The Vatican in lights

He dropped us off at a restaurant he recommended. This was our last chance for authentic pizza and pasta!

We got home late and packed our bags. Our flight to Barcelona, Spain was very early the next morning.

Caio Italia!

Hola Spain!