Our first visit to Italy
We spent Christmas in Europe back in 2019, pre pandemic. Our trip began in Rome Italy, where we stayed in this fabulous little hotel on a cobblestone side street. We ate dinner two nights in a row at this cozy open air restaurant within walking distance. Both nights we had the same waiter, he was wonderful. This was our first time in Italy, and we were definitely the quintessential tourists, embarrassingly so.
The waiter was so genuinely kind and patient with us, the first night he recommended the lasagna, unbelievably good. I had read that house wines in Italy would be better than any wine I’d ever had in the states. Rarely do I ever spend more than $25 on a bottle, clearly not a connoisseur, just an enjoyer. I was not disappointed, every glass (carafe) was amazing, went great with our prosciutto and melon, oh and bread, the bread there… Lets just say its a good thing we walked everywhere on that trip! The food was amazing, make sure you stop for authentic gelato and a slice of pizza.
Things to do in Rome
The architecture, history and overall beauty of Italy was gorgeous. I’d always wanted to see the Colosseum, even before Russell Crowe had me bawling my eyes out as he reached for his wife and son at the end of Gladiator. Spend the extra money for a semi private tour, especially for the big tourist attractions, you get to skip the long lines. At the Colosseum our guide was knowledgeable and full of historical facts, making the tour interesting.
Our tour of Vatican City was undoubtedly the best, we had a different guide, he was a retired professor of history, I would have listened to him for days. Years ago I took an art history course as an undergrad elective, I saw pictures of these same statues and paintings, but seeing them in person was beyond anything this small town girl ever dreamt.
“So if I asked you about art, you’d probably give me the skinny on every art book ever written. Michelangelo, you know a lot about him. Life’s work, political aspirations, him and the pope, sexual orientations, the whole works, right? But I’ll bet you can’t tell me what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel. You’ve never actually stood there and looked up at that beautiful ceiling; seen that”.
Robin Williams in Good Will Hunting
That dialogue ran through my head as I looked up at that ceiling with tears in my eyes, overwhelmed with the beauty of all around me. My mother used to paint, I have one of her oil on canvas that I treasure. She would humbly tell you it isn’t a masterpiece, but to me it is. I can hardly draw good stick figures, my appreciation for great art is in part fueled by an absolute and total lack of artistic talent.
Walking
We walked around looking at the architecture of Rome. In New England, we talk about our history and architecture in centuries, whereas, in Italy, and throughout Europe, it’s millenniums. Get yourself a lightweight backpack and of course, comfy walking shoes. I’m a big fan of these Keen hikers, I’ve had mine for around 5 years and have now retired them to yard work. I will get a new pair in the spring. There are plenty of hop on hop off buses, we ended up buying a day pass, Vatican City was a fair distance from our hotel.
Crowds and Traffic
The traffic in Rome is crazy! I don’t know how people drive there! I grew up in New England, am used to small back roads, crowded Boston, but never anything like this. Crowds were a theme throughout Rome, everywhere we went, so many people. The Trevi fountain was surrounded by tourists, we were able to get close, and pressing through the crowd was worth it.
From Rome we hopped on a short flight to Paris, spending Christmas there, it was romantic and beautiful, see my next post! Rome was a bucket list trip, one we had only imagined in our younger years. It was also the trip that launched our love of travel, unfortunately, the pandemic put a damper on that for a bit. We are back at it, planning the next adventure this summer, can’t wait! I am always looking for our next great adventure, where do you recommend? Why do you recommend? Leave your suggestions in the comments, I’d love to chat!
*Please forgive the date and time stamp on the photos, early days with that camera.
