Day 1: Starting the Journey
We are huge fans of Rick Steves. In fact, I often advertise (for free) to all those around me as to who he is. Every time we go to Europe, we use his books to plan. Without fail, we have always had a great time. Therefore, it seemed only logical to go on one of his tours.
On our first day, we met our group on the terrace of our hotel and then set out to explore Rome with our guide, Sarah. We saw the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, and Piazza Navona. Sarah told us that the walk back would be 10 miles! Maybe she was joking, but the group groaned and then submissively complied. (Although she did gave us the option to take the metro, I refused to be a wimp.)
Favorite Memories
Alimandi Hotel
The accommodations on this trip were great. We were centrally located to everything, down the street from the Vatican, and right next to a gelato store that opened late and became well acquaintainted with my face by the end of our trip.
From our room, I could see the Vatican walls.
I could also see the gelato store across the street!
Trevi Fountain
The Trevi Fountain was always packed, and oddly, no major street really led up to it. Throughout the trip, we would be walking along, hear chattering, and then suddenly it would appear out of nowhere. It was magical.
While we were walking around, a flock of birds filled the sky and made this incredible pattern.
Pantheon
I captured the Pantheon at the perfect time of day!
The dome inside is 142 feet from top to bottom and from side to side. The Pantheon is absolutely magnificent.
Dinner
Trattoria Der Pallaro was the kind of place with no menu. Instead, owner Paola says, “Here, you'll eat what we want to feed you.” The food was great and the shot of mandarin juice at the end of our meal was brilliant.
This may look like an ordinary bowl of cheesy noodle tubes, but it was scrumptious.
Four Rivers Fountain
Bernini's Four Rivers Fountain was an amazing sculpture designed with four river gods to represent each of the four continents that were known at the time.
Legend says that one of Bernini's river gods was created with a horrified expression as he looked up at the church of St. Agnes. The church was designed by Borromini (Bernini's ex-student and rival). And even though we know that the fountain was finished two years BEFORE work on the church was even begun, it still makes for a great tale.
St. Peter's Basilica
On our way home that evening, we came across a beautiful view of St. Peter's Basilica.
St. Peter's is located within the Vatican City and is the largest Christian church in the world. Many architects worked on the building throughout history including Michelangelo who designed the awesome dome.
