Rome

This trip was a long time coming. It's been 8 years since I decided not to go to my study abroad trip to Italy and all the craziness (euphemism) of that time. Would this trip be some kind of closure? Actually... no. I didn't need any. It was just a great trip!

We started in Rome at the Colosseum, Palatine Hill, and Roman Forum.

Ruins were all over the place in Rome-- statues, columns, facades, fountains. In the US, most historic sites are roped off and guarded. Not so in Italy! Many ruins were totally unmarked and unpreserved. Several times, we sat for a rest on a boulder that turned out to be a broken column.

Some of those ruins house the public drinking fountains. In the States, drinking from something that looks like this would guarantee Giardia.

We had our first of many delicious gelati from a cart outside the Bocca della Verita. We had gelato every day-- Todd's winning pick was Frutti di Bosco (from Gelateria il Cantagalli by the Trevi Fountain) and my favorite was dark chocolate orange (from Millevoglie da Tarcisio in Venice).

Our favorite meal of the trip was a quick one in Rome, at Pizza Florida (Via Florida 25). I did a pretty good job looking up suggested restaurants from friends, travel blogs, etc., but I thought our dining experience in Italy was still sub par. Todd had some good dishes (spaghetti with mussels and ravioli with orange rind), but Pizza Florida was the only place we both agree we'd return to. DELICIOUS.

Aside from that pizza, Todd's favorite thing in Rome was the Pantheon. 

The size of the dome is pretty impressive. And we had no idea the hole at the top is open! Todd wished we had been there during a rainstorm.

The series of pictures Todd took of me outside the Pantheon are a good illustration of basically every time Todd sets me up for a photo op:

I don't like being photographed, I'm sweaty, and I hate my shoes. CLICK! 

Todd hollers at me to look more natural (or cat calls or pretends to be a fashion photographer or some similar weirdness), so I start being a goof so he'll realize the futility of this attempt. CLICK! 

Maybe he'll stop if I abandon all effort at being photogenic? CLICK! 

I try for 'natural' again: a slightly slouchier and grumpier version of where we started. CLICK! :)

My favorite thing in Rome was the Trevi Fountain. We first saw it at night, and it was breathtaking! How an artist can give life and motion to rock is beyond me, I'm a sculpture fan thanks to this trip. I liked the Trevi Fountain especially because of how the figures and the building behind look as though they're emerging from the rough rock at the bottom. We ended up at the fountain every day. We didn't toss a coin in, so I guess we're never going back. ;) 

I thought my favorite site would be the Vatican, but it wasn't as interesting as I expected. St. Peter's Basilica was definitely beyond. So extravagant and grand, I loved it. Especially Bernini's baldacchino (the bronze alter canopy at the bottom of the photo) But as we walked around the Vatican (and most of the other churches/cathedrals), I felt like I was intruding on someone else's sacred space: sweaty, in tennis shoes, snapping photos. These sites didn't feel any more holy or reverent than any other tourist attractions. I understand why we don't allow the curious masses into our LDS temples.

We climbed the narrow passages between the inner and outer domes to the top of St. Peter's.

Such a view!

We lucked out and got seats against the wall of the Sistine Chapel and got to sit for 20 minutes listening to our audio guide. Todd loved it! I found it tacky, but I generally don't like Italian Renaissance. I thought the chapel and the ceiling would be enormous, but it's actually on the small side. Todd had to point out "The Creation of Adam" because I didn't notice it at first! It didn't help that all I could think of was George Michael in cut-offs.

Probably the best thing we did in Rome was biking the Appian Way to the aqueduct park. (That's Todd ahead of me on the right!) It's all cobblestone--which is only charming until you have to bike on it for six hours. I complained more than I should have... it was so bumpy, but we really enjoyed getting out into the open.

Yes, Todd stood ON an ancient aqueduct!

We really enjoyed Rome. But, as expected, we enjoyed the smaller cities and towns even more! The best was yet to come.