When in Rome....

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The motto for this weekend was when in Rome
When in Rome get gelato twice in one day, eat all the pizza and pasta without worrying about calories.

Day 1
It seemed like I was just packing my bag for Prague getting on to the bus for Roma. The bus ride down flew by (I slept most of the way) but before I knew it I was entering a city with the sun-shining and palm trees. We got right off the bus and took a guided walking tour through the historical center of the city. The first stop was the Spanish steps in Piazza di Spagna. Little venders swarmed the area and would ask you to buy these rocks that sounded like tazzers or these gooey things that they would splat on the ground... maybe if I was 5 years old I would want one... they were soooo annoying. After that we walked around and found the Trevi Fountain. My pictures do not do it justice. It is sooo pretty and clean. It was so warm out there! People were wearing t-shirts, we decided to get gelato to cool us down 😊 After that we went to Piazza Navona where there was another fountain and vendors with all these beautiful paintings. The Pantheon was huge... right smack dab in the middle of buildings. Then we checked into our hotel (the best out of the group) it was down by the river on a side street with a 5 minute walk to the Campo de Fiori (a market of food and flowers). At night the bars open up and people just walk outside with drinks and hang out. The transformation from day to night is quite different to say the least. That day I walked to the government area with Leah, Kelly and Maria. We wanted to get into the Firi but it was too late. We saw the ruins around it and the Colosseum. By the arches of Constantine we walked the poliza run after the vendors who are annoying. It was one of the funniest memories I have of Rome. The poliza was laughing and the vendors had these smirks on their faces like na na nah you can't catch me! I wish I got a picture but I was dumbfounded. hahaha.

The first night
We had dinner at Osteria di Mario. Leah and I split a 2 meals, she got chicken with bell peppers and I got a classic Roman dish called Amatriciana pasta which is a spicy tomato sauce with bacon. It was delicious! Then we went to a place next door and had fancy drinks.. I got a mai tai tasting drink called a "Sex Melon." The owner from the restaurant was a little old man who spoke no English ran over to the bar and enjoyed taking pictures of us. He was funny and creepy at the same time! It was hysterical to watch him run around the tables. Then we went down to the Campo de Fiori to local bar. There a couple Italian guys sat down with us. One proposed to me! haha it was fun... I was forced to speak the little Italian I knew to have a conversation. It was a lot of fun. On the way home I got corn on the cob. It was great!

Day 2
Well we were late for the bus because my roommates decided to print out something when we were supposed to be in the lobby. I was not a happy camper.... we missed to bus and had to take a taxi to the castle. It was a good thing it wasn't far away but I was pretty annoyed. I put that behind me when I saw the castle. We went up it using the tunnel in the movie Angels and Demons a site where one of the cardinals was killed. The top had a gorgeous view of the river and Rome. After that we walked to Vatican City. Literally walked down a street through some pillars and BAM I was in the heart of Vatican City. My initial reaction was that I just wanted to cry. It was incredible. I could have laid in the center square in the sun all day. We then went into St. Peter's Church which was unbelievable as well! After the walk around there we then went to the Vatican Museum and saw the Sistine Chapel. I wasn't as moved as in St. Peters and the square.... the hands of God touching Adam was the best part. I didn't sneak a picture. I figured it was better to keep an image of than take one to show. We walked around for about 7 hours that day.

Saturday night in Roma
We met up with Katie and Courtney's friends who were in Rome. It was a group of 10 of us. We went to a place where we could sit outside. There we split wine and bread. I tried another famous Roman dish and got the
Spaghetti alla Carbonara. It was good, but not my favorite dish. A million times better than the Carbonara you get in the United States, it was much lighter with no peas. We ventured to the Trevi Fountain at night and threw in our final coins, then found the best gelato I've had in Italy yet! I got 3 flavors... amaretto, oreo and white chocolate. It was AMAZING! I hope I can find a place like that in Florence! We then went to a bar called the Drunken Ship... I didn't really like it there because the Italians were too aggressive and I got really annoyed. We then walked to a bar called Scholars where another Italian just picked me up out of nowhere... it lasted two seconds but I thought Kristin was going to punch him in the face. Saturday night was a bit of an annoyance with some of the Italians to say the least. Scholars was an Irish Bar.. we didn't stay there long and then walked Katie's friend home and went to bed. It was pretty to see Rome at night.

Day 3
Was a bus tour of the city and the Colosseum. Kristin and I got up and walked around Rome in the morning. We ended up near the Castle then headed back to grab pizza before we caught the bus. I had pizza with zucchini the first day and tried the broccoli one Sunday afternoon. It was tasty, wish it had a little more sauce! I ate my pizza during the bus tour, very satisfying while looking at all the sites! The Colosseum was awesome! Its crazy to think of how old it is and all the events that went on there. The cross I took a picture of is where the Pope goes every Good Friday to do a blessing there. We walked around for about 2 hours then got on the bus and returned to my dear home Firenza. <3

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