Italy Day 2: Rome

Day 2 was a busy and incredible day. I am blown away by being here. I have not experienced anything like this ever before.

We ate a delicious breakfast at our hotel, getting up some energy before we headed out. We walked from our hotel towards the Colosseum. On the half hour walk, we passed by ancient ruins and incredible streets and buildings. The streets are almost all cobblestone. Approaching the Colosseum the first time is pretty exciting.

I will note that there is some major, major heat going on here today. Hot and humid. Purchasing water left and right already.

We had purchased a Roma Pass earlier, which allowed us to walk right past the long line and into the Colosseum...no wait. I had downloaded maps and free audioguides on our iPods, and we started them up when we got inside. This was a great idea I must say. We watched hot tourists following guides in small groups as we strolled around at our own pace listening to our audioguide. Hearing the history and seeing the Colosseum from the inside is awesome.

We then headed towards the Roman Forum, going the wrong way several times before finally landing at the appropriate entrance. The Forum was the beginning of Rome, containing mainly ruins now. Again, equipped with our maps and audioguides, we navigated around on our own, pausing in the shade frequently.

After finishing up there, we headed towards the Vittorio Emanuele monument on Capitol Hill for lunch. We had a tip that this is a great spot, and it was. On top of the monument, several stories up, you can see 360 degrees of Rome. Getting some food and drinks under umbrellas and fans was great.

Next was the Pantheon. The dome ceiling of the Pantheon is unbelievable. I could stare at that for days. I don't get how someone could build it today, much less a couple thousand years ago. After this stop, its siesta time so we grabbed a taxi.

After resting up, we headed back out for dinner. We had revervations at a little place outside Campo De Fiore. Its nightime now, and Rome is bustling with people out drinking and eating in the streets. Almost all restaurants have tables on patios on the cobblestone streets. Ours was no different and we ate a nice meal outside next to another American couple from New York.

After dinner we strolled on a night walk across Rome. We went through Piazza Navona and grabbed dark and white chocolate gelato. Stephanie loved the white. We ate it outside, sitting on the Four Rivers Fountain. We then crusied over to Trevi Fountain, which may be the most amazing thing I have ever seen. I had purposely waited to see it until nighttime, and it was worth it. We ended the night walking up the Spanish Steps.