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Rome

Day 12- Day One in Rome

Day Run-Down

-Hotel Check Out and Back on the Bus for the Last Time to Go to Rome

  • Scenic drive through the Italian countryside

  • Total Time on Bus: 4 Hours

-Arrival at Hotel Selene in Rome

  • We said goodbye to our driver, Paul, giving him a giant card as a thank you

  • Check into hotel, get room assignments

-Down Time to Get Settled In

-Re-grouped for a Short Walk to Meet our Local Guide for a Tour of the Capitoline Museum and the Pantheon

  • Enjoyed a nice walk through the streets of Rome.

  • Guided Tour of the Capitoline Museum

    • Saw centuries old, impressive artwork

    • Enjoyed an unbelievable view of the Roman Forum from the back of the Capitoline Museum​- my favorite moment in Rome!

  • Self-Guided Tour of the Pantheon

-Re-grouped to Walk to Piazza Navona, then Split Up to Get Dinner On Our Own

  • Piazza Navona is a beautiful, huge square with a number of different restaurants and cafes as well as different shops and markets.

  • Joined some group members to wander the restaurant- clad alleyways, and eat outside at the Osteria Del Gallo.

-Re-grouped for an Evening Walking Tour of Rome led by Colleen

  • Stopped for gelato at Giolitti (so good!).

  • Visited the Trevi Fountain!

    • We each threw in a coin, so hopefully we will be able to come back to Rome one day.!

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Sights We Saw

Sculpture of Pope St. John Paul II, Palazzo Massimo alle Terme, S. Paolo Dentro le Mura Episcopal Church, Via Nazionale, Palazzo delle Esposizioni, Torre delle Milizie, Santa Caterina da Siena Catholic Church, Trajan’s Column, Piazza Foro Traiano, Chiesa SS Nome di Maria, Santa Maria di Loreto, Altare della Patria with its statue of Vittorio Emanuele II, Insula dell’Ara Coeli, Scalinata dell’Ara Coeli, Basilica Dell’Ara Coeli, Michelangelo’s Capitoline Steps, Cordonata Capitolina, Campidolgio, Piazza del Campidolgio, Palazzo Nuovo, Palazzo Senatorio, Fontana della Dea Roma, Capitoline Museum, Palazzo Conservatori, Marcello Theater, Piazza d’Aracoeli, Chiesa del Gesu, Obelisco della Minerva, Pantheon, Piazza della Rotonda, Piazza Navona,  Sant’Agnese in Agone Church,  Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi designed by Bernini, Mueseo di Roma, Il Tempoi di Adriano, Piazza di Monte Citorio, Obelisco di Montecitorio, Montecitorio Palace, Marcus Aurelius Column, Palazzo Chigi, Palazzo Wedekind, Trevi Fountain, Incrocio delle Quattro Fontane

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Memorable Moments​

  • Local Guide-She helped us to appreciate the past, present, and future of Rome, to look at everything with informed eyes, and to better understand the depth and weight of what we saw. She was very thought provoking and insightful.

  • View of the Roman Forum from the Capitoline Museum- This was my first "pinch-me" moment in which it started to fully sink in that we were actually in Rome. The local guide gave us time to simply take it all in. Just seeing something that has been around for thousands of years, something of such historical significance, it was overwhelming but incredible. It was so hard to wrap my head around Rome at times because it just had so much history. There are no words to describe it. It is such an amazing feeling to be around such history. 

  • Water Fountains Everywhere-They had water fountains to fill up our water bottles everywhere! They even had fountains with sparkling water. Incredible!

  • Pantheon-Walking into the Pantheon was incredibly surreal, that was truly my “pinch me" moment when it really hit me that we were in Rome. 

  • Trevi Fountain-I have always wanted to see the Trevi Fountain, so it was a dream come true! It is so majestic, gorgeous, stunning, fantastical, magical. I threw two coins in, one for me and one for my dad (as a present he asked me to kiss one and throw it in for him)! And it was so pretty at night with all of the lights.

 

 

 

 

 

Overall

A very busy but great and surreal first day in Rome. You could just feel the weight of the history of the city as you walked through it, which I loved!

Day 13- Day Two in Rome (Last Full Day of the Tour)

Day Run-Down

-Tour of the Colosseum and Roman Forum with Local Guide

  • We had the same local guide from the day before

  • Guided Tour of the Colosseum- we learned about the history, construction, and purpose of the Colosseum and walked around the many different parts and levels of the structure.

  • Guided Tour of the Roman Forum- we were able to understand the depth of what we were seeing, and the history that took place where we were walking.

-Split Up for Lunch On Our Own

  • I joined a couple group members to grab pizza and gelato at a spot not far from the Roman Forum.

-Re-grouped for Colleen to take us to Vatican City on the Metro

  • Vatican City looks very similar to Rome but there is an aura that differentiates it that you feel the second that you enter.

  • Self-Guided Tour of St. Peter's Basilica

-Free Time

  • I took the Metro back to the hotel and took some time to relax and get some rest.

-Last Dinner as a Group:(

  • Heard lovely speeches from Colleen and some of our group members- everyone had such sweet words for each other. 

  • Colleen gave us Italian chocolates called Baci

  • Said our goodbyes :(

-Departure from Rome

Colleen and Rick Steves gave us a number of options for getting to the airport. Colleen even made a sign-up sheet so that people could write down their flight times and could organize sharing  taxis. We could get to the airport by bus, taxi, or train. I chose to take a taxi to Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport, which was extremely quick and easy. Colleen was also available for advice for post-tour planning if anyone had any other sight-seeing or travel plans.

Sights We Saw

Colosseum, Roman Forum, Arco di Costantino, Torre dei Conti, Via Cavour, Foro di Nerva, Largo Corrado Ricci, St. Peter’s Square, St. Peter’s Basilica, Obelisco Vaticano, Fontana del Bernini Destra, Fontana Gemella di San Pietro Sinistra, Piazza della Repubblica, Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri, Teatro dell’Opera.

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Memorable Moments

  • Colosseum-​ an extremely impressive structure, unbelievable to see in real life. We walked in the entrance that all of the gladiators would have gone through to enter the ring, right onto the stage of the Colosseum.  I took time to take it all in. 

  • Roman Forum- It was a very special and impactful experience, truly fascinating. Our guide helped us picture what it was like back in the day, explaining the purpose and context of the structures, as well as teaching us the history of the Roman Empire and Caesar. It was all slightly overwhelming because it was just so much history; a lot to grasp and conceptualize and take in. But it also gave me chills, it was so amazing. Our guide taught us that the Romans built things to last, and were focused on being remembered.

  • It was amazing to be in the presence of structures that have been around for thousands of years.

  • St. Peter's Basilica- The first thought I had when walking into St. Peter’s Basilica was “Wow;” I was just utterly speechless. It was the most gorgeous Cathedral I have ever seen, truly jaw-dropping. Every inch of it was so exquisite and out of this world. And seeing Michelangelo’s Pieta which was so extraordinary and impactful, a true masterpiece. 

Overall

It was an incredible last day in Rome and a fantastic wrap up of the tour. It was really sad saying goodbye to my group members. They were such amazing people whom I had learned so much from. I was so thankful to have had such a nice, fun group to travel with. Overall, it was an absolutely unbelievable trip. Just in those two weeks I had grown and learned so much and fulfilled so many dreams. I will truly remember it for the rest of my life!

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