There's No Place Like Rome - April 2022

I have wanted to go to Rome since my days studying ancient history at university, so I was a little afraid that it would be a let down when I actually visited in person. There was absolutely no need to worry - Rome is incredible.

But before we get to Rome, we need to talk about our Tuscan wine tasting. After leaving Florence, we headed towards the mountains, where we wound up... and up and up to our agriturismo destination.

The views were stunning and the place was adorable - I'd gladly go back, stay for a weekend, eat delicious food, and enjoy the pool. Plus, they have a whole family of award-winning dogs that are ridiculously adorable. We were treated to a fabulous spread of food, paired with several nice wines. The olive oil was the true star of the show - I obviously don't know how to pick out a good one at the store, haha. We also sampled some of the traditional Italian Easter bread, pane di pasqua before loading back up on the bus.

After settling into our hotel rooms in Rome, we met up for an evening stroll prior to our welcome dinner. We took a quick metro ride to the Spanish steps, and so began our famous-site-around-every-corner orientation tour. Trevi fountain? Check. Super old aqueduct? Check. Trajan's Column? Check. Several ancient Egyptian obelisks? Of course, they're obelisk-atory. The big wow moment of the night was rounding a corner and coming face-to-face with the Pantheon. It's in pristine condition and is stunning. We also took a lap around the Fountain of the Four Rivers before settling in for a tasty meal at a restaurant on the piazza.

After dinner, we strolled back through the various sites and got a lovely taste of the city at night.

Breakfast the next morning was a bit of an adventure - turns out the eggs that were put out for the buffet were not hard boiled as expected. Surprising to say the least. After breakfast, we ventured over to the Vatican. It really does have an impressive array of art - sculptures, tapestries, paintings, you name it. We marveled at the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and survived a visit to the mall-food-court-like cafeteria.

Later on, we had the essential European line experience of having to box out so that people wouldn't cut. Our efforts were rewarded with a lovely visit to St Peter's Basilica. We had one more exciting line experience at Giolitti's, this time rewarded with some refreshing gelato.

By this point in the trip, our legs were very tired. Jacob and I decided we would enjoy the ambience of the city by finding a place to enjoy a drink and observe the passersby. We were even able to observe the shift of the street vendors from daytime goods to evening goods. Later on, I grabbed a slice of pizza to enjoy back at the hotel, while the boys went on a (unsuccessful) Hard Rock quest in search of heavy metal sauce.

The next day would be our final full day, and we saved the best for last. We started with the church that contains Michelangelo's Moses (and also is held up in part by some ancient Roman columns).

A short walk away was the Colosseum. What can I say about the Colosseum? It's huge, it's remarkably well-preserved, it apparently was once filled with water so they could perform mock ship battles.

While the Colosseum is crazy, I have to say my favorite of the day was the Forum. Full of ancient Roman ruins, it's fun to imagine what life might have been like when they were full structures and the center of Roman society. The Palatine Hill is also spectacular, offering views of the Forum, the Colosseum, and Circus Maximus. Unexpectedly, there were "guard seagulls" everywhere, keeping an eye on things.

The day ended with our final group dinner - we laughed, we ate, we cried, we ate some more. The boys tried to coin the phrase "Rome to the Dome". It really was a great group to do a tour with, and Tina was an amazing tour guide.

The next morning, I woke up early so I could take a final, contemplative walk around the city. It was nice to be able to enjoy the sites without all of the crowds. My trip to Rome was everything that I hoped it would be - full of history, art, and culture.