“Rome is the city of echoes, the city of illusions, and the city of yearning.” Giotto di Bondone (Italian painter and architect. Died 1337)

Rome had been calling my name long before I arrived in Italy. With its ancient architecture and immense beauty everywhere I looked, the calling was finally satiated. There is so much to see in Rome, and we had just a little under a day to walk around and search for history and art. In this short amount of time we managed to visit the Colosseum, St. Paul’s Outside the Walls, Caffe Vicere, Cin Cin Bar, a war memorial, Museo Nazionale del Palaco di Venezia, & Vatican City.

Each location different than the last and each having its own beauty set in a specific time period. I was so awestruck by Rome, it will stay with me for the rest of my life. I’ve said it before and Ill say it again this trip changed my life and Rome had a part in that. Living in the US all these years and only ever being exposed to history going back a little less than 400 years does not prepare you to see history that has been around for thousands. I had the honor and privilege to visit Rome last Wednesday and finally be embraced by the history I’ve always learned about.

Our first stop was Caffe Vicere, close by the station in Rome. We had taken the last train out of Padova and arrived in Rome close to eight o’ clock in the morning. We were tired and hungry and Caffe Vicere provided the warmth, food and comfort we needed to start our long day of trekking across Rome.

They had a large selection of fresh brioche and panini which we ordered alongside some yummy coffees.

Crema Brioche, Marmalata Brioche & Cioccolato Brioche (Creme, Marmalade & Chocolate)

     

Cheese, Tomato & Basil Panini/ Tuna, Tomato & Basil Panini – Caffe Latte

We walked around a bit and then decided to have more coffee at … wait for it…. McDonalds. Did you ever think I would mention McDonalds on this blog? Well in Europe the standards for fast food are much higher and they have stricter regulations. That being said we only had coffee from there and they were honestly as good as other places we had been…

Second round of Caffe 🙂

After our second round of coffee’s we went to a war memorial that had been built for veterans. I have never seen a memorial like this. They had eternal flames going on two sides, guards and a man at the entryway who spoke to everyone about respecting the memorial. It was quite humbling to enter and see the beauty that had been created to commemorate soldiers who had died.

   

A view facing the memorial and a view facing out (no skyscrapers here)

Afterwards we started a very long walk along a path called “Fori Imperiali” and others. There were statues of Roman Emperors, remnants of the ancient empire, street performers, and more.

    

Ancient Rome- Crazy how long it has lasted….

Ancient tiles and a blooming Poppy

Strength, durability and Power

                      

This  pillar had so much detail

                      

Emperors!

                      

Street performer that was doing some illusion magic & Roosevelt acting like Julius Caesar

Lunch was next on the list and we stopped at a cute little place called Cin Cin Bar. We had some Roman pizza and I had a nice glass of “Vino Bianco” or White Wine. We sat close to a little outside terrace and I just had to take a picture out there, the view was so gorgeous.

The Maven and her wine

       

Cheesy, fresh pizza

We then took a bus to the Colosseum; I was not prepared for how huge this place was. Though we weren’t able to go inside the outside was majestic and on such a clear and sunny day you could really see some of the details. This ancient amphitheater was bustling with people, so much was going on but you could just sit, watch and take in how old this place actually is and bask in its history.

Sunshine and Ruins

                      

Me taking it all in- an arch close by the Colosseum

    

Another shot of the Colosseum & close up of the arch

Arch details- so much intricate work

We then ventured to Vatican City, we had literally just missed the Pope giving his usual Wednesday address so that was a disappointing but we still managed to see the area up close and take some pictures with the Vatican Guard. Cool thing about the guard is that they are from Switzerland only. Ages ago the Vatican and Switzerland made a deal and it’s been that way for a very long time.

Us just at the entrance

Water fountain and close up of some architecture

Where the Pope addresses the crowds. Beautiful

Us with the Vatican Guard

Cheesing because I was so happy… 🙂

Our final destination was a place called, “St. Paul’s Outside the Walls”. This place is known for being the final resting place of St. Paul and also the reason it’s called this is because when Christians were being killed they did it outside the city around this area. This place is dedicated to that. It was actually an emotional experience as you learned about how St. Paul was killed and what he did for his faith. Beautiful place, filled with so much beautiful history.

     

The outside of the basilica as well as a glimpse of the inside

     

The gorgeous courtyard and a closeup of the art on the outside

     

Closeup’s of the details on the inside of the structure, so much intricate work

Inside of the basilica, area of St. Paul

Halls of the Basilica and the shackles that held St. Paul’s hands when they beheaded him (gruesome I know)

Close up of the sepulcher

There was a bar right outside of the basilica and we sat there for a bit having some coffee and sweets. It was a wonderful day and I am so happy I am sharing this experience with you all!

So cute!

     

This Caffe Latte & Apricot Tart were incredible

Tips:

• For transportation I recommend getting a 24 hour pass, this can be bought at the little “Tobacco Shops” around the area. This pass can be used on buses and on the Tram. Only 7 Euro
• Wear comfortable walking shoes, even though there is public transportation you do a lot of walking
• There’s plenty of little places to eat, and all are relatively well priced.
• If you want to do actual tours of each of these places, by the tickets online before you go.
• Rome is very different than the other places I have written about- more diverse, more open minded – HAVE FUN

Livin that Maven Life