rome: day two

We had another jam packed day for Rome (why did we only plan for 2 days here????), so we had our complimentary room service and left for Vatican City (too bad we planned our trip in July when the Pope is at his vacation home).

On the trip over, we decided to play a game of “count the nuns,” but quickly lost count. We started at St. Peter’s Square. The Square (again not really a square, more of a circle) was immense and beautiful. The tour of St. Peter’s Basilica began with the crypts where we saw the tombs of numerous popes, St. Peter, and the beautiful tomb of Pope John Paul II that was crowded with people praying around his tomb. We then took the main entrance into the Basilica. We had seen a lot of churches up to this point but none of them could compare to this. Everything inside is truly amazing from Michelangelo’s Pieta to the Statute of St. Peter (Nick and Corinne rubbed his foot for blessings), to the Main Altar, to the Holy Door. Everything is huge, grand and impressive.

After leaving the church we walked down to the Vatican Museum. We expected long lines but were able to get right in. After a quick stop sending postcards from the Vatican post office, we explored the vast museum. We saw some amazing tapestries and maps and ended with one of most anticipated sights of the whole trip, the Sistine Chapel. It was as amazing as it was expected to be but we could have done without half of the people in there. It was so crowded we couldn’t take the time to really stand still and take it all in. We ate a quick lunch and then went back into Rome to visit the Baths of Caracalla. We were desperately hoping the baths were back in working order (it was the hottest city yet), but alas it was just ruins. While there wasn’t much left to see, the descriptions and explanations of what was what really gave us a good understanding of what we were standing on. There was one mosaic tile floor still intact that was incredible.

We then made our way back to the hotel to relax and get ready for our last night. Our concierge provided a recommendation to a nearby restaurant that he assured us would be just what we wanted. We weren’t sure what to expect but we could not have been happier with what we got. Once seated we were greeted and helped by some of the best wait staff anywhere. We ordered the house sparkling wine and had delicious meals. Our waiter was quite a jokester and made everything so enjoyable. To top it off, midway through dinner a man with a guitar began to serenade the restaurant. It was truly a wonderful final meal together. We finished it off with our final gelato stop and another trip back to Trevi Fountain. What a perfect ending to a perfect trip!

~Corinne, Nick, Anne & Chip

rome: day one

We managed to get one more free meal out of the hostel before taking off for Rome. We were all excited about our last stop. After arriving at the train station in Rome, we each bought a Roma Pass, good for free public transportation and free entrances to two major sites. We then hopped on the metro towards our hotel.

The metro was surprisingly clean and AIR CONDITIONED. We made it to the Hotel Doge and dropped our bags off before heading out to explore. We had so much to see and knew this would be a busy day. We started by using our first free pass at the National Museum of Rome. This museum was chock full of Roman art, statues, mosaics, coins, and jewelry. Among other things, we saw the Greek Discus Thrower statue and mosaic tile flooring taken from baths around Rome. After the museum, we went down to the Coliseum area. We were set to take a tour at 2:30 so we wandered around the area taking in the amazing sites, getting pictures, and getting lunch. We then went to check in for our tour of the Coliseum and Palatine Hill (the ONLY tour we scheduled for the whole trip) only to find out that Anne and Chip were the only ones on their list. After a lot of waiting, talking and getting nowhere, we all decided just to skip the tour and do it on our own.

Luckily, we had a free stop left on our Roma Pass which would cover the entrance to the Coliseum, Palatine Hill, and the Roman Forum. The Coliseum was the first stop. Once inside, we were all blown away by the history and the incredible engineering of the arena. We started on the top level where different seating used to be and looked down onto the ground level seating and to the uncovered level beneath the floor. We overheard some tour guides explaining the seating was established by social class, with senators sitting closest, followed by the upper class, the lower class, slaves, and finally women. It was amazing to look down under the flooring to see where the animals were held and lifted by elevator. It looked like a giant maze. They have reconstructed a partial floor to give you an idea of the arena's size. We then explored the ground level and saw the underground portion up close.

After the Coliseum, we passed the Arch of Constantine on our way to Palatine Hill. On Palatine Hill (where many Roman emperors lived), we saw the house of Augustus and the huts of Romulus and Remus. We then went down the hill to the Roman Forum. As we explored ancient Rome’s main square, we were all amazed to be walking on the same streets that Caesar walked on. Many portions of the Forum remain intact and we were able to see the Arch of Titus, the Basillica of Constantine, the Curia (Senate House), and the tomb of Julius Caesar (where people still lay fresh flowers). We were hoping to stop at the Mamertine Prison on our way out, but it was closed for renovations. Instead, we hiked up to Capitol Hill. We stood in the square and took in the impressive views from a piazza designed by Michelangelo, including the grand stairway and the statue of Marcus Aurelius. We then walked back to our hotel for a quick rest and change of clothes.

We decided to take a “night walk through rome” suggested by a travel book. After dinner, we were off on our stroll. We started at the Piazza di Spanga and the Spanish Steps. They were quite overrun with people, which is pretty typical most nights, but was still an impressive sight. Chip took a picture of Anne posing on the steps, and she literally got lost in the crowd. The sinking boat fountain at the bottom was also filled with people and feet (ewww).

The next stop was Trevi Fountain. We got there right as they turned the lights on. While also overrun with people, this was an amazing place that just exudes excitement. Nick and Corinne probably wasted 5 euros throwing coins over their shoulders and making wishes. We then took a walk over to the Pantheon which looked absolutely beautiful all lit up at night. Outside of the Pantheon, a group was forming around a wonderful opera singer out on the square. We stopped to listen and then strolled over to the final stop, Piazza Navona. This lively and large square--which is actually not square as it was once a racetrack for the Emperor Domitian--holds the Four Fivers Fountain designed by Bernini. We walked around and watched a magician, listened to music, and watched so many other fascinating performance artists.

Rome at night is truly wonderful and unique…we could have walked the streets all night except for the fact that we had been moving non-stop since 7am. It was time to call it a night.

~Corinne, Nick, Anne & Chip

florence: day 3

After another hot night, we stocked up on cheap bottled water, enjoyed our free breakfast and took off for our last day in Florence.

Our first stop was the Santa Croce Church, a 14^th century church filled with tombs of great Florentines. Unfortunately, the church was under construction so we did not get to see all of them, but we did see the tombs of Galileo and Michelangelo. The church also had a beautiful courtyard that led into Brunelleschi’s Pazzi Chapel. After admiring the beautiful artwork and architecture, we exited into a giant square with more shops and souvenir carts.

We then went over to the Science Museum excited to see all things Galileo. We found out that this museum was also under construction and that many of the relics were being housed at a nearby Galileo exhibit at the Palazzo Strozzi. We found our way there and strolled through the fascinating exhibit (including his finger!). After cooling off and eating lunch we went over to the Uffizi Gallery where we had made reservations earlier in the day. Inside we saw a wide array of Italian art including Botticelli’s Birth of Venus, Raphael’s Madonna of the Goldfinch, and the octagonal sculpture room. We decided to spend our last evening in Florence as the one before: free dinner, spades, and cheap beer.

~Corinne, Nick, Anne & Chip

florence: day two

On our second day in Florence, we discovered two of the best things about our hostel: free breakfast and cheap bottled water. After a quick meal, we headed out to see the Duomo, Florence’s famous gothic cathedral built with pink, green and white marble on the outside and the third longest nave in christendom on the inside. Formally named Santa Maria del Fiore, the Duomo is also one of several churches in Florence designed by the famous Florentine, Filippo Brunelleschi. We enjoyed the shade, but decided not to pay the extra fee to climb to the top of the dome.

We then moved onto our second church of the day, Church of San Lorenzo. The outside was not quite as fancy as the Duomo (not much could be though). Inside we got to see the tomb of Donatello. On our way to lunch, Corinne and Anne decided this was the perfect time to buy one of the many leather bags being sold by street vendors on just about every street. They both got great deals on their bags -- Anne was the best negotiator of the bunch. We then ate lunch and went to Accademia. We had been told to make a reservation ahead of time, which we thought we had done. When we arrived at our “scheduled” time, we were told that we were not on the list and our reservation had not gone through. Luckily the line moved fairly quickly and we were able to enter without a long wait. Inside, we saw many of Michelangelo’s works including the statue of David. The statue is enormous and overwhelming (in a good way). The trip to this museum was worth it just for this statue. It was beautifully sculpted from every angle, even though Chip thought his hands were not proportionate. There was also special musical instrument collection and a exhibit of Robert Mapplethorpe photographs whose subjects were remarkably similar to the sculptures throughout the rest of the museum -- very impressive.

After a long, hot day we made it back to our very hot hostel. Luckily, the owner decided we looked pathetic enough and gave us an extra fan for the room which was helpful. We rested before trying out the hostel’s free dinner (in addition to our FREE breakfast). We had our choice between various pizzas, pastas, and salads and they actually weren’t bad! We spent the night playing card games in the hostel’s open air courtyard and later ventures out for some late night gelato to cool off before going to bed.

~Corinne, Nick, Anne & Chip