Welcome to Italy. We have arrived to Rome, and what a city this is. We landed around 7pm, and met with our airbnb host who was such a nice guy and helped us get settled in to the apartment. This was very conveniently located in a quiet area, but walking distance through a park to the Colosseum. We got situated, freshened up, and went right next door to this restaurant called Roma Antica which is located at Via Emanuele Filiberto, 52, 00185 Roma, Italy. I suggest eating here if you want real authentic food for a great price. I got the risotto with pistachios and mortadella.. it was delicious.. I am actually getting hungry just thinking of it haha. We didn't stay out too late, because we had to be up early for the Vatican the next morning, but we did open that bottle of Prosecco that our airbnb host kindly gave to us. We toasted to making it to another country in one piece, and to celebrate the beautiful sites of Italy.
The next morning we woke up early, walked a few steps to the subway station and took the subway toward Vatican City. The subway was jam packed, we must have gotten on during the busy hour, because everyone either had a backpack for school or bag for work. It is the experience after all, right!? We arrived to our destination, and had to walk toward The Vatican. We purchased our tickets with the tour guide, which I am glad we did, because we learned so much more than we would have if we just walked in without a guide. We had an espresso and croissant at a restaurant right across the way from The Vatican simply called Spaghetti which is located at Via Leone IV, 29 - Roma. We all know what Spaghetti means in Italian! Our waiter knew we were just waiting for our tour guide, but also needed a little pick me up, so he made sure we were served fast, and brought our croissants with a to-go bag just in case. When we paid the bill, he told us we should come back for lunch. That was definitely an offer we chose to take. Our tour guide was a sweet lady who was extremely passionate about her job, and she painted the picture of how life was many years ago so vividly before we even stepped foot inside the Vatican. Once you enter The Vatican, they check your bags, and you walk through a metal detector just as you would if you were going to the airport. The Vatican is it’s own country believe it or not. Very, very interesting. Our tour guide took us through the courtyard but told us the story of the Sistine Chapel before hand simply because as soon as you enter there is no photography and no talking. We really admired and respected this, and I definitely recommend doing a tour through the Vatican. A must see in Rome!
We decided to head back to Spaghetti to have lunch. We ordered a bottle of wine, a charcuterie platter, and each a pasta dish that was amazing. Our server brought us a round of limoncello shots, because what is an Italian meal without limoncello? It is the perfect touch, trust me. After we paid, we asked questions about the Colosseum because we wanted to do that the next day. Our server told us to wait at our special table that we had espresso at in the morning. He introduced us to a lady who organizes tours for Colosseum and The Vatican, and she gave us a discount. We walked over to her office just down the street, and we set up a tour with Francesca. The name of the tour on Trip Advisor is Quo Vadis Roma Tour. They told us exactly where to meet the next morning, and we were on our way.
We walked down Via del Corso. For all of you who love to shop, I recommend going down this street. You will find big name brands, and smaller boutiques. It’s never a bad idea to window shop! We made it to Trevi Fountain and of course had to throw a lucky penny in the fountain. This Trevi Fountain was absolutely unbelievable. Definitely know you're in Rome when you see it!
After walking around all day, because trust me, you will. We headed back to the apartment to freshen up for dinner. We ate at a recommended restaurant from our host, and it called Al Cavallino Bianco which is located at Via Emanuele Filiberto, 27, 00185 Roma, Italy. Again, we had wine, of course. Not sure there was ever a time we did not drink wine. We ordered pizza, because this place is known for their great pizza! We ate, then walked back to the apartment for more, guess what.. wine!
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