My flight from Istanbul to Rome was delayed (what a surprise…avoid flying Alitalia), so I didn’t get in to my hostel until about 9pm. I got settled in and went to bed so I would be fully rested for my first day out. I decided not to create an actual game plan for my first day, but just wandered around. Rome is similar to Paris in that it is spread out, but still totally walkable…my favorite kind of city.
On my way out, I stopped in for a cappuccino at a little place…it cost .90. As in, less than one euro. I think that was the moment I forgot Paris (and its 4 euro cappuccinos). I continued walking toward
the center of the city…and whoa- what is that huge thing in front of me? Oh, you know…just the coliseum…no big deal. It is incredible. I wandered around there for a bit- undecided about paying to go inside…I walked through the Roman forum and all the unbelievably old and beautiful ruins. I decided to buy the Roma Pass, which gives you free access into 2 major sites, plus 3 days of free transportation. Def worth the 20 euros. A couple hours into my day, it started raining. And I don’t mean sprinkling…I mean downpour, crazy- heavens-have-opened-up kind of raining. Luckily, I am from Seattle and I was prepared 
with my lovely raincoat. Which soaked through in a short period of time- that is how hard it was raining. My jeans started collecting water from the bottom up-since the streets turned into a big river. It was a situation where you just had to find some humor and laugh about it, otherwise you would be miserable. I stopped and grabbed a coffee to get out of the rain for a bit. Then stopped for a pizza lunch. About that time, my soaking wet clothes got cold…I was freezing. So I headed back to the hostel for a hot shower and some down time. The hostel I am staying at has free pasta every night. I decided that would be a good way to save some money. I was expecting some normal spaghetti with some ragu poured over the top…oh no…these guys are sautéing veggies, have different kinds of pasta, pesto one night…it is good stuff.
with my lovely raincoat. Which soaked through in a short period of time- that is how hard it was raining. My jeans started collecting water from the bottom up-since the streets turned into a big river. It was a situation where you just had to find some humor and laugh about it, otherwise you would be miserable. I stopped and grabbed a coffee to get out of the rain for a bit. Then stopped for a pizza lunch. About that time, my soaking wet clothes got cold…I was freezing. So I headed back to the hostel for a hot shower and some down time. The hostel I am staying at has free pasta every night. I decided that would be a good way to save some money. I was expecting some normal spaghetti with some ragu poured over the top…oh no…these guys are sautéing veggies, have different kinds of pasta, pesto one night…it is good stuff. So then Friday I got up early to get to Vatican City just as it was opening, to avoid lines. First I stopped at my same little café (and yes, it is mine now) and the barista started my drink when I walked in the door and greeted me with a giant smile and “buon giorno”. I love it. I jumped on the train and headed to St Peter’s Basilica. Everyone at the hostel had been talking about how
long they had to wait in line…not me, that’s why it pays to get up early! I almost had the whole place to myself. And oh my, it was beautiful. And HUGE. Massive. I was planning on just taking a quick look inside so I could make it to the Vatican museums right when they opened…but I couldn’t get myself to leave the church. Finally, I pulled myself away and headed to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. Wow, so much art. It just kept going. And the Sistine Chapel- while it was different than I was picturing, was pretty spectacular.
long they had to wait in line…not me, that’s why it pays to get up early! I almost had the whole place to myself. And oh my, it was beautiful. And HUGE. Massive. I was planning on just taking a quick look inside so I could make it to the Vatican museums right when they opened…but I couldn’t get myself to leave the church. Finally, I pulled myself away and headed to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. Wow, so much art. It just kept going. And the Sistine Chapel- while it was different than I was picturing, was pretty spectacular. After the museums, I stopped to have some lunch at a small trattoria that was listed in my Rome book as being an unknown gem. And it was…it was so cute…the red checked table cloths…the guy came to take my order and I told him I just wanted whatever pasta he recommends. And he brought me some ravioli with almonds and broccoli inside with a black truffle sauce…that was sooo flippin good. I had some dessert-crema catalona- pretty close to crème brulee. After lunch I did the inside of the coliseum. Again, so impressive. Then I went to the Pantheon…with the giant hole in the roof. And then I went to have the “best espresso in Roma”… chatted with the barista…the place was totally packed, but he sat and talked to me while he poured espresso after espresso. He wanted to know where the best coffee is where I come from. Ha.
Saturday I got up…headed out to my café. Then I went to the main train station and hopped a train to Napoli (that’s Naples to you Americans). I decided I needed to have some pizza where pizza comes from. Naples was a dirty, noisy, crazy city. I’m not quite sure how I managed to survive crossing the streets all day…the traffic was complete chaos. I read that you shouldn’t 
even wait for cars to stop, or you will never get across the street- you just have to make the decision to go and go for it…the cars will swerve around you. So, I observed a few locals doing it…and then went for it myself. It worked. I wandered around for a bit…and stumbled across one of the famous pizza places. There was a huge group of people waiting outside the door to get in…I went in to put my name in and get a number…and since I was only one person, the guy brought me right in and sat me down at a table with a group of other people. Right smack in front of the pizza oven…I got to watch all the action. You don’t order a kind- all they make is margherita pizza…and in one size. Which is size huge. Size falling off your plate. Size even though it is giant, you must eat every single bite. Yeah, that size. I have gotten in the habit of smiling at everyone…it has gone over quite well in Rome. So I smiled at one of the pizza maker
fellows…who reminded me of a pirate…and from then on, every time I looked over, he was staring. It got to be a little awkward…but he was kind of pirate-y in a Johnny Depp sort of way, so it wasn’t so bad. This giant pizza and a coke (I was pressured into getting a pop) all totaled 5.50. Amazing. I did some more wandering…stumbled upon tacky-Christmas-street. This street was lined with booths selling the tackiest, cheesiest and worst Christmas decorations…lights, inflatable santas, parachuting santas, more sparkles than you could imagine…it was really funny. And then my Naples adventure was over and I was on the train back to Rome.
even wait for cars to stop, or you will never get across the street- you just have to make the decision to go and go for it…the cars will swerve around you. So, I observed a few locals doing it…and then went for it myself. It worked. I wandered around for a bit…and stumbled across one of the famous pizza places. There was a huge group of people waiting outside the door to get in…I went in to put my name in and get a number…and since I was only one person, the guy brought me right in and sat me down at a table with a group of other people. Right smack in front of the pizza oven…I got to watch all the action. You don’t order a kind- all they make is margherita pizza…and in one size. Which is size huge. Size falling off your plate. Size even though it is giant, you must eat every single bite. Yeah, that size. I have gotten in the habit of smiling at everyone…it has gone over quite well in Rome. So I smiled at one of the pizza maker
fellows…who reminded me of a pirate…and from then on, every time I looked over, he was staring. It got to be a little awkward…but he was kind of pirate-y in a Johnny Depp sort of way, so it wasn’t so bad. This giant pizza and a coke (I was pressured into getting a pop) all totaled 5.50. Amazing. I did some more wandering…stumbled upon tacky-Christmas-street. This street was lined with booths selling the tackiest, cheesiest and worst Christmas decorations…lights, inflatable santas, parachuting santas, more sparkles than you could imagine…it was really funny. And then my Naples adventure was over and I was on the train back to Rome. Sunday I woke up bright and early again…I wanted to go to Mass at St Peter’s and wasn’t sure what crowds would be like. Well, it wasn’t crowded…so I got there much earlier than necessary, which just gave me another chance to admire the place. Then I sat through mass in Italian…oh, by the way, I decided I am going to learn Italian. It is a goal of mine to be fluent in another language…and Italian is similar to Spanish and French, so I have a bit of a base…and I ran out of books to read, so I bought a “learn Italian” work book to do on my train rides around Italy. I’m about halfway through my first lesson…please hold me accountable when I get home. Back to Sunday…after mass, I went to the Villa Borghese…a crazy collection of art collected by the Borghese family (there is an entire section in the Louvre dedicated to the Borghese collection). There were several pretty famous Bernini sculptures that were really cool. After that, I went in search of a place for lunch…I had a spot in mind, but when I got there, it was closed. Boo. So I 
ended up in a bit of a touristy area…and the food was so-so. But the company was great..I made friends with a couple from London, two ladies from Sweden, and a lady from Ireland….it was a whole mess of English in different accents. They were a really funny group. Then I was off to check out the Trevi Fountain…which was so cool. Really impressive. I went up to the Tritone Fountain…cool, but nothing after seeing the Trevi. Then I went into a random church that had a famous Bernini sculpture…I re-read Angels and Demons before coming to Rome…so I picture the story as I am seeing all these things.
ended up in a bit of a touristy area…and the food was so-so. But the company was great..I made friends with a couple from London, two ladies from Sweden, and a lady from Ireland….it was a whole mess of English in different accents. They were a really funny group. Then I was off to check out the Trevi Fountain…which was so cool. Really impressive. I went up to the Tritone Fountain…cool, but nothing after seeing the Trevi. Then I went into a random church that had a famous Bernini sculpture…I re-read Angels and Demons before coming to Rome…so I picture the story as I am seeing all these things. Then, most importantly, I went to a couple (yes, more than one) of the famous gelati places in the city. The first place I tried chocolate meringue, honey, and hazelnut. Then at the second place I tried blueberry and coconut. All flavors were delicious and I decided I may be doing the food thing all wrong. I should be living off of gelati. That is the plan from here on out.
Monday (today)is laundry day. I have run out of clean clothes…so I am sitting in the laundromat in my sweats, finishing up the blog for you lovely folks. I leave tomorrow morning for Florence and am planning on spending my last day in Rome (besides doing laundry) wandering around and eating gelati.
