Thursday
Last day in Rome was super hot! We spent the day in Ancient Rome visiting the Coliseum, Forum, Palatine & Capital Hills and the Pantheon. It was a lot to conquer. I’m sure exactly what the temperature (probably high 80s) but the sun cooked us. Not to mention all the walking and hills.
The Coliseum was absolutely amazing especially since we had the Roma Pass and got to skip the ridiculous line (reminded me of FastPass at Disneyland). Once inside the coliseum we pulled out our Rick Steves audiotour guide and wandered around. Wasn’t ridiculously crowded like the Vatican the day before, but the heat was tough. Every five minutes we sought shelter under the huge archways. There was a cool exhibit on the upper level that displayed gladiator weapons and armor. Joe was very excited.
After the Coliseum we hiked up to Palatine hill and the Roman Forum, which sit side-by-side. Aside from the hot dust storms, we had a great time exploring the ruins of Augustus’’ palace, the tracks of the chariot races and what’s left of the great Forum and surrounding buildings. We hopped on an English speaking tour to learn more about the sight.
After a quick lunch at a random bar (in Italy a bar is like fast food restaurant) we made our way down to Capital Hill and the Pantheon. These two sites are a must see for anyone visiting Rome. Atop Capital Hill is the enormous Victor Emanuel monument that towers over the city. The Pantheon however, was by far the most impressive. The pictures come nowhere near representing how this building will make you feel. Inside are the tombs of Rafael, Victor Emanuel and his son Umberto. Right as we entered a choir was singing in the center and with the acoustics of the dome it was beautiful.
Exhausted from the sun, we passed out for a few hours in the hotel and then resurfaced for a late dinner at an Irish Pub. With surprisingly delicious pizza we hung out till late at night. I went to bed, but Joe slept lightly so he could reawake for the Lakers game. I woke up after hearing that the Lakers won and had some trouble going back to sleep.
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Friday
A warning to everyone… if you set your alarm double, no triple check. Long story short we missed our train this morning because our cell phones keep resetting the time zone. But no worries we caught the first one out and still got to Florence in time. Now we’re super paranoid about alarm clocks, lol.
Florence beats Rome any day. Not only is it a lot smaller, but quieter and welcoming. We wandered around during the afternoon throughout the narrow streets. Our hotel, Albergo Alessandra, is right by all stores and boutiques and the open-air market is up the street. There were so many purses, leather jackets and other goodies we could barely keep ourselves calm. We’re coming back tomorrow for a shopping spree since the prices were amazing.
Our dinner was an adventure. Instead of going to a restaurant, we took a cooking class! We prepared the following four courses and they were delicioso!!
Antipasto: Round zucchini stuffed with ground beef, crumbled bread, parsley and topped with tomato sauce
Primo piatto: Gnocchi with freshly diced tomatoes basil
Secondo piatto: Chicken cacciatore with a red wine, tomato and onion sauce
Dolci: Panna cotta with strawberry sauce
We will begin taking requests to prepare the meal when we return to the states, lol.
Preparing for another busy day tomorrow,
Camille and Joe
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