When in Rome

Rome is simply put.... amazing!
Kim and I arrived late Friday evening, trained it to Termini, and then somehow figured out the bus schedule and found our hostel: Happy Days. The owner is this 43 year old Italian guy named Ivanni who is so stereotypical loud, touchy, Italian, but he def made us feel welcome in his ¨home¨ We called it a night so we could get up early for the Vatican.
Saturday we woke up and i immediately realized that I had caught Claire´s pinkeye. So we had to find the clinic and then the pharmacy which took a few hours and we didnt get to the Vatican until 11am. It was a 3hour wait, so Kim and I decided to hop on a guided tour which gets to skip the line! It ended up being a great experience bc we had someone explain everything to us in the museum and the Sistine Chapel. St. Peters is very impressive!
We had a cute pizza brunch at a cafe nearby and then strolled around Piazza Navona and a few other main streets. We headed back to the hostel around 6pm to rest and get ready for dinner with Ivanni. Every week he takes out whoever in the hostel would like an authentic Italian meal. We went with three other girls studying abroad in Paris and the food was to die for... 5 courses in all! Later, Ivanni took us on a little walking tour at night of the major sights, Pantheon, Vatican, etc...
Sunday we spent the day hitting the rest of the tourist spots including: Campo dei Fiori, Piazza Navona, Jewish Ghetto, old Synagogue, Coloseum, Palatine Hill, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon. While sitting outside the Coloseum we met a Chabad rabbi from Pittsburgh! Small world!
Kim and I had dinner and called it a night, we were exhausted!
Monday we took a bus to Tivoli, its a small town outside Rome about 40 minutes. The town was so cute, and the sun was shining. We visited Villa deèste, and just hung out near all the gorgeous fountains in the ginormous gardens.
Later, we had dinner at a place near our hostel and made friends with the waitors who had previously lived in Barcelona!
Kim left early Tuesday morning but since my flight wasn´t until later in the evening, I just hung out in the plazas and near the Pantheon reading and enjoying my last day in the city.
Now its back to Barcelona for projects and finals ... and im just now starting the process of planning my travels with Sharone! Can´t believe that I have to leave Barcelona, my flat, my home in 2 weeks! crazyyyyyy

a travel blog by stephshap

When in Rome

Rome, Italy