5 Things You MUST do in Rome

Rome is an ancient city with a rich history. We have all read about the city in our history books, but experiencing this city should be on everyone’s bucket list. Rome is quite massive and can be overwhelming, so if you are crunched for time, make sure you AT LEAST check out these 5 attractions:

Massive!

1.  The Colosseum

Without a doubt, it is the most distinctive landmark in this city, and  has long stood 2,000 years of weathering, changing of empires, and many wars. Although most people remember this site for the gruesome gladiator battles that were held inside, the amphitheater also held plays, even capable of being flooded to display naval battles. I would highly suggest reserving an entrance ticket as the line can wrap around the Colosseum. Follow this link to do so. In the summer, Rome can be steamy, so try to make it something to do first thing in the morning.

For all you AGGIES!!!

Inside

     

    

    

Hanging in St. Peter's Square

    2.The Vatican City

Inside St. Peter's Basilica

This first two seem obvious, but once you are standing in front of St. Peter’s Basilica or under the Sistine Chapel, you will understand. The Vatican is only 110 acres of jam packed religious history. First, embark in the Vatican Museum (Reserve ticket here) where you will realize the power the church has had over the centuries. Finish up with the Sistine Chapel, but be careful of photography! Walk across St. Peter’s Square to the Basilica. In here, embrace the massive dome structure and give St. Peter’s foot a rub. *There is no passport control for entering the Vatican City*

         

Can I have all, please?

 3. Gelato

Taking a Gelato break

Although originated in Sicily, Rome has mastered the dish. Gelato is a soft served ice cream containing cream, sugars, and fresh fruit. I know here in Texas nothing beats Blue Bell, but gelato will surely make you question that statement. If you are worried about those calories, don’t be, Rome makes it easy to walk from attraction to attraction; perfect time to burn it off!

Beer and Pizza... I'm sold!

    4. Pub Crawl

Always fun games to play

I may say every city you should try a pub crawl, but Rome had one of the best pub crawls… so nice, we did it twice! I know some of you older folks are thinking those days are long gone, but it is a different lifestyle over there where it is common for late dinners with a drink or two to finish the night. Pub Crawls are a great way to meet other travelers and experience the city when most tourists are asleep. If Pub Crawls are still out of your comfort zone… at least try a hostel instead of a hotel. Click here for the Pub Crawl we did and the Hostel we stayed at (also hosted a pub crawl).

Entrance to the Pantheon

   5. Pantheon

Enjoying the masterpiece

I may be a little biased on this one, but the Pantheon is an incredible architectural and engineering feat. The dome was constructed over 2,000 years ago and is STILL the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome. Afraid of wasting time just to see a dome? The Trevi Fountain, Piazza Navarro, Temple of Hadrian, and plenty of churches are all very close. Not to mention the abundance of gelato and pizza stands!

Chambers helped the dome structure

If you want to read more on our trip to Rome, check out the more detailed post here

Florence

“I cook with wine, sometimes I even add food to it.”

Some people do not enjoy travel once the destination is reached. I like to explore as much as possible and if that involves a couple hour train ride, I will use it to catch up on some sleep, reading, or recapping the previous day’s activities. My favorite thing to do is to catch other people in their element!

View from the top of the Duomo

View from our Hostel!

We arrived in Firenze mid-afternoon. We wanted to drop our bags off at the hostel first and then explore the city. The only problem was… when we arrived at BB Maison,  my brother and I were told we were too big for their beds. We picked this place mostly based on price, as Florence is much smaller than Rome thus allowing easier access. The owner was very laid back and the hostel hosted a pub crawl, so we were hesitant when he said he had another option. We thought for sure we were going to be moved farther away from the Duomo. Reluctant to see what he had in mind, we followed. To our surprise, we were not only set up closer, but he also knocked off a couple Euro a night with larger beds. Not a bad deal! A Canadian couple had the same "misfortune" so they were placed next to us.

Madonna and Child

We headed to San Marco Plaza, a religious plaza, which hosts a church and a convent. The convent housed many of Fran Angelico’s art work. We looked at some shops around the Plaza checking out wine. We were in the famous wine country of Tuscany and were tinkering with the idea of buying some and shipping it back home. We came up on the Bargello Museum, which looked like an old fortress. Later we found out it was in fact a former barracks and prison. This place wasn’t even on radar prior, but I would surely add it if it isn’t on your list. It mostly contains Renaissance era art like Michelangelo’s Madonna and Child (Bacchus, pitti Tondo), Donatello’s David (not to be confused with Michelangelo's David... that is soon!), among others. Bargello also had some artifacts/coins that were interesting. We were a bit exhausted, so we trekked back to the hostel. We could just barely see the Duomo Plaza and my Uncle who studied in Italy told me the best time to climb the Duomo was at dusk. So, we paid our 8 Euro entry and climbed some of the strangest 463 steps I have ever ascended. There were many tight spots and awkward situations with other tourists descending the stairs. The dome resembles the Pantheon with the oculus in the middle and a thinning wall as you get higher. The height of the dome is 115 meters! After 20 mins and sweat now broken, we made it to the top.

Climbing the Duomo!

The views will blow your mind. It is a bit cramped up on top so we waited out the crowd to get some good pictures. It was worth it! We got back to our rooms in time for a later dinner. We saw our Canadian neighbors heading over to the Hostel for a dinner night. We decided to join them (€2.50 for a pasta plate!). We grabbed a bottle of wine on our way and headed over. The small kitchen was filled with people from France, England, and of course Aussies. After dinner, we all headed to the Fish Pub where there was live music. We hung out there for a bit.  On a side note… my brother decided to buy some famous Absinthe. We briefly toasted with it prior to heading out. It is fowl tasting with a liquorice after taste. After dinner, our Canadian neighbors joined us, and walked and talked all the way to the river. While out there, we ran across a livid and drunk Italian. I don’t speak a word of Italian, but he was pissed at the statues by the Uffizi. He kept spitting on them and yelling. This entertained us for quite some time, but we had another long day ahead of us and called it quits.

Hostel friends

Our Canadian neighbors

Day 2 started rather late… but we didn’t miss a beat. First up was our reservation at the Accademia. I had read that in the high season the lines can be ridiculously long. I took a chance and pre-ordered our tickets (Accademia). There is nothing more frustrating than wasting time in line! The Accademia is most famous for Michelangelo’s statue of David. Michelangelo has a few more pieces along with many other Renaissance era works.

 Our opinion was it did not constitute an entire day, but when in Ro— I mean Florence… The statue of David lived up to the hype. The statue is quite large, maybe 15’ or so. This large marble was whittled down in 2 years with precise detail. It is simply amazing to achieve such precision  considering the technology and tools that existed 500 years ago. After the Gallery, we walked through the San Lorenzo Market which resembled a giant flea market. We picked up some souvenirs. Souvenirs can be a tricky obstacle. There are many things to consider. I suggest reading Becky’s comments on souvenir shopping. The Uffizi was up next. I am not against art or literature; I just prefer much more action packed attractions. Becky is the culture connoisseur, so she loved it. The Uffizi was built to provide openness but at the same time not to block viewing space.

Map of the Uffizi

This is very evident in the internal courtyard. My brother and I maybe lasted 30 minutes before losing interest, but we let Becky enjoy it for a couple hours. It was late afternoon by the time we finished. The famous Ponte Vecchio is very close to the Uffizi, so we hiked over there. It was a colorful market with numerous leather shops, jewelry stores, among others. I would say this area is more expensive, but a great place to get ideas on souvenirs! I took a quick power nap while Becky did some wine shopping. I met up with Becky, and she had made friends with an owner of a wine shop. He gave us a decent deal on shipping 6 bottles back home. I kick myself for not writing down who it was. I would just recommend being smart and doing your research if you choose to go this route. Modern technology should allow all sorts of assurance on quality. Of our 6, Becky and I got 4, my brother got 1, and as a thank you gift to our lovely Aunt who makes all our traveling cheap(er), we got her one.

Ponte Vecchio

 I promised Becky a romantic night on the town so we chose this night to do it. My brother ran off to the nearest pub while Becky and I went to a local restaurant of her choice. It is very common for people to be eating dinner after 8 pm which is considered late in the US. After our delicious pizza (which is not like what you find in the States) and local Tuscan wine, we hit the hay. Our goal was to catch an early ride to the coast.

Date night!

Highlights:

Duomo – Climb to the top!

Statue of David

Wine/food

Art/Culture

Do over:

I would spend an extra day and do a wine tour

Rome

“Veni, vidi, vici” – Julius Caesar

This quote made famous by a Roman, does not depict Rome itself. I do not think you could spend ENOUGH days in this great city. I traveled to Rome in August 2010 with my now wife and brother. This was my second trip to Europe, my wife’s second time to Rome and my brother’s first time out of the country. There is way too much we saw to name all but our routes after each day indicate other attractions we saw. If you want the shorten version of must see, then try our 5 things you MUST see in Rome post. Here is our trip recap! Enjoy!

Manuel and us at a Pub Crawl

What? Two toilets next to each other?

This time around we decided to try Couch Surfing (www.couchsurfing.org) for some of our trip. I was skeptical at first and protective because it was not only me, but my brother and wife. I did some extensive research and thought I finally found someone trust worthy. I let him know our plans and he told me where to meet. Living in Houston, 20 miles or 30 km is still pretty close to the city, so when he said he was 20 km from Rome, I figured perfect. Once we got there, we realized it was a bit further from downtown than we anticipated. But it didn't matter… it was worth it. Where he lived was across

The view from Manuel's place!

Lago Albano from the Pope’s Summer Home Castel Gandolfo. His family owned a restaurant right around the corner and he gave us a taste and it was well worth it!

We spent most of the day going through Customs and getting to Manuel’s place. After a quick nap we headed back to the city to see one of the most iconic structures of the ancient Rome: The Colosseum.

The inside

Thanks and Gig 'Em!

From the outside

The Flavian Amphitheater is the center piece of most people’s “To See” list as it is one of the Seven Wonders of the World. And rightfully so. Emperor Vespasian started this masterpiece in 70 AD and it was completed 10 years later. Estimated to hold 50,000 – 80,000 spectators to view the gladiators. Remarkably, it could also be flooded and mock sea battles. Very impressive engineering. Even more impressive is majority of it is still standing today. My recommendation on getting inside to view is to buy the tickets ahead of time. I try to stay open to ideas but this is one thing we planned. I am not sure how this works today but back in 2010, the Roma Pass was a good purchase (http://www.romapass.it). It got us free public transport for 3 days, free entry to our first 2 visited museums/archaeological sites. Please note other than the Colosseum, most museums are CLOSED on Mondays.

Arc de Constantine is visible from the Colosseum

The After Pub Crawl at the Pool

The Colosseum is great to see but other than walking around there was not a whole lot else to see. The Arc de Constantine was near by, so we headed there. We met up with Manuel and headed to the Palatine Hill, which is one of the Seven Hills of Rome. It is believe this was the residence of the past emperors. Unfortunately, the entrance was closed so we headed to the Circus Maximus where the chariot races where. By now the sun was setting and we were getting hungry.  We grabbed a bite with some “fast food” pizza which is very cheap! We were done with the sightseeing and ready to party! We met at the Spanish Steps for the Pub Crawl (http://highlanderome.com). For €25 we got in with the 1^st hour of open bar. We were the only Americans which much of the group being Irish, Aussie, and French. We had a good time bar hopping and mingling with our group and locals. Never be shy. We did somehow branch off and end up at some pool party that we ended up getting kicked out of because one of the Aussies lit a table on fire.

More or Less Day 1 Route

Day 2 started off earlier. We didn't want to be a nuisance to our host so we caught a bus into town. The Trevi Fountain was our first stop. A very extravagant fountain from the 1700’s.  

The Oculus of the Pantheon

It is most known for coin throwing where you throw a Euro with your right hand over your left shoulder. I believe it is supposed to bring you back to Rome some day but I am not sure. The Pantheon was something I was looking forward to. I studied Art History the semester before and this was one of our covered topics. The Pantheon was one of the largest domes for some time and regularly used since it was constructed in 126 AD. The renowned piece is the oculus of the dome. This is the opening to the sky. To get the dome the size it is, small pots and porous rocks were used to fill volume in the upper layers of the dome. This reduced the weight of the dome. In addition the chambers formed a
honeycomb structure that eliminated more weight. Afterwards we revisited the Palatine Hill. The ruins were very weathered and the hill was laid out with underground tunnels and a maze like system. We ended the evening walking the Villa Borghese. The gardens were nice and beautiful fountains. We told Manuel we were going to get a Hostel due to our planned long day at the Vatican. We ended up staying at Hostel Alessandro (http://www.hostelsalessandro.com). It was a decent place (lots of options for sleeping arrangements) that hosted a pub crawl… so we joined that! You always meet the best people at Pub Crawls, so don't be afraid!

Day 2: Our route wasn't as A to B as this but close enough!

Day 3

The Vatican is another reservation I would recommend. We set ours up for 8am because I say the less people to get in my way, the better Reserve your ticket here. I can sleep on the train later. Plus the queue was already long where we got there.

Inside St. Peter's Basilica

We enter the Museum and immediately in awe. The museum is full of painting galleries that cover many centuries, an Egyptian sector in the Cortile della Pigna (included statues, mummy heads, ancient artifacts, etc), Museo Pio Clementino (Roman artifacts) among others. Of course the centerpiece is the Sistine Chapel and the “Last Judgment” painting at that. The back breaking masterpiece by Michelangelo started in the early 1500’s is supposed to be off limits to photograph. My wife lives on the edge and attempted a photo. Then got a talkin to! We took a step outside in St. Peter’s Square to take a breather. It was amazing to see how many people come to this site! We re-grouped and headed to St. Peter’s Basilica, which is huge.
It is actually only 3 feet shorter in diameter than the Pantheon but much taller. This was one of the largest churches for some time. In the church is a statue of St. Peter that people rub the foot… I am not sure why, but we didn't break tradition. We finished up at the Vatican and headed towards the train station. We grabbed a bite to eat on the train and on our way to Florence. We tried one of the faster trains… more expensive but we arrived in no time!

Swiss Guards!

Highlights: 

The Colosseum

The Pantheon

Gelato and other food

Pub Crawl

The Vatican
Check out the overview of them here on our 5 MUST SEE Attractions

Would do differently:

Try not to cram so much into a day... This city has a lot to offer. 3 days was not enough!

For all you romantics... try this 1.5 mile walk at late evening (try to end at the Spanish Steps when it's dark, plenty of people there selling roses too).