Trip Recap: Rome.

I haven't forgotten about the trip recap.  After Paris and Cinque Terre, we headed to Rome.  We did all of the "touristy" things there.  I really enjoyed Rome, but probably would never choose to go back there.  I feel like I saw everything I needed to see (I would however go back just to enjoy the food!). 

We got to Rome pretty late at night and just had time to grab some dinner.  We had some of the best pizza we've ever had before, and we also had a nutella calzone for dessert.  Yum!  The place was called Pizzeria Dar Poeta, which was close to our hotel in Trastevere.  Our hotel, Donna Camilla Savelli, was very cool.  It was actually a restored 16th Century Monastery.  Neat, right?

The next day at lunch, I had maybe one of my favorite meals on the trip.  I had a simple spaghetti alla carbonara (they don't put cream in theirs, and who needs it when you have all of that pecorino on top?).  I recreated the dish when I got home, roughly basing it on this recipe and it turned out great!  (You can also see what's left of our cheese and honey plate.)

But we did do things besides just eating!  We headed to the Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum.  I took 4 years of Latin in high school and we learned a lot of Roman history, so seeing the things I learned about was definitely interesting.  Of course Justin kept asking me what all of the things in Latin meant -- I had no clue for the most part! 

  

Then we walked over to the Colosseum.

Some shots from the Colosseum. 

And the Arch of Constantine, which is in between the Colosseum and Palatine Hill. 

We then cruised over to the Pantheon.  It is just amazing to think that it was built in about 126 AD.

How stunning is this church over by the Pantheon?  

All of this walking and sightseeing made us hungry and in need of gelato.  So we stopped at Giolitti, one of the most famous gelaterias in Rome.  Ordering was an experience in and of itself.  And the gelato (and the generous "scoop" of whipped cream on top) was to die for.     

Now that we had the energy to continue, we walked to the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps.  (If you look closely, you can see how Justin spilled gelato on his white shirt.  I am sure he will love the fact that I pointed that out.) 

We had a delicious dinner that night, but one of my favorite parts was the wall decor there.  They put wine crates up on the wall.  What a cool idea! 

Our next day in Rome, which was also our last, was just as busy.  We headed over to the Vatican and St. Peter's Basilica.

View of the city from the Vatican museum.

St. Peter's was incredible. 

 

The inside is so elaborate.  It really is hard to convey just how beautiful it is.

This is one of the coolest pictures from the trip.  Look at the way the light is shining through the window right on the cross.  Amazing.   

After St. Peter's, we headed back to our hotel, grabbed gelato one last time, and headed to the airport.  I should mention that the entire time we were in Italy, Justin said everything he could in an awesome Italian accent.  It made me crack up every time he did it.  But I was secretly glad we were off to Greece, where I knew he couldn't even pretend to do the accent!

P.S.  Don't forget to enter the Shabby Apple giveaway!  It ends Wednesday.