Sunday, June 24, 2012

4 Nights in Rome: Volume 2


Picking up where we left off...

We had just spent our second night in Rome and began another full day of sightseeing on a Tuesday morning. Our first desitination: Trevi Fountains. A truly awe-inspiring array of sculpture, history, and flowing water.


Trevi Fountains


We stopped in a small gelaterie for some refreshment (it was not the best or worst gelato we had in Italy, mostly just over-priced being right in the square next to the Fountains).

We then headed to the Spanish Steps: A beautiful and imposing staircase connecting Piazza di Spagna at the base to the Trinita dei Monti church at the top. The flowers were gorgeous all along the stairs and the Steps are just plain impressive. Our umbrella stroller was indispensable during the length of our trip as we walked mostly all day long, every day. But, in this instance, folding it up and lugging it up the longest stairway I'd ever seen, was not desirable. Nor was convincing a 3 year old to "keep going" on his little legs up to the top. Hence, C and I opted to peruse the square on Piazza Spagna while Z trekked up the steps.


Spanish Steps

Our next destination for the day: Vatican City. We had tickets with a set admittance time of 1pm. We stopped in at a Gyro shop for a quick bite to eat (dining at a sit down restaurant not being a "quick" endevor in Italy--wonderfully so, unless you have an appointment to make in less than an hour). Lunch was delicious and mostly eaten standing up. The man behind the counter spoke "a little bit" of half a dozen different languages. It was fun to talk a little Italian/English/French and listen to him speak a few other languages to customers.

Vatican City was amazing. A truly historical place with much spiritual importance for Catholic Christianity. Additionally, I dare say, there is an amazing amout of original artwork stored up within the City walls. Breathtaking pieces I am thankful to have seen in person.


Hall in Vatican: Ceiling lined with piece after piece of artwork.


Square inside Vatican City



Cookie Break in Vatican City

After a full morning and part of the afternoon of sightseeing, C was getting weary and my feet were no longer letting me ignore their aches. So I headed back to the hotel while Z explored the area a bit more. The line to enter Saint Peters Basillica stretched on for hours and hours worth of waiting, so he opted not to spend the rest of his day standing in line.


Saint Peters Basillica


At the end of the day, we dined at a lovely little local restaurant not too far from our hotel. It was quiet, delicious, and C was, of course doted on by several Italian grandfathers walking around talking with guests. I had, by far, the best eggplant parmigiana ever to melt in my mouth. Oh so good.

We went back to our hotel room satisfied. C went to bed, and Z and I enjoyed a bottle of local Italian wine with windows open, listening to the city sounds of Rome at night.

One final installment on our trip to come...

Cheers.



1 comment:

  1. That hallway is gorgeous! It looks like you've been busy having some great adventures!

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