When in Rome… I’m not sure any of us actually used that phrase during our time in Italy, but we certainly tried to do as the Romans do in terms of eating, drinking and generally enjoying life during our time en Italia.

We arrived on our direct flight from Chicago O’Hare to Roma Fiumicino early in the morning in late November. We had anticipated long lines for passport control/the taking of our biometric data, but we quickly breezed through & even got our passports stamped! Our hotel/apartment offered a free transport from the airport so we found the man with our name on an iPad and were soon on a 45-minute ride into the city. Similar to how I feel about traveling from Charles de Gaulle into Paris, the view is unaesthetic until suddenly it’s not, and we were soon surrounded by snapshots of modern Roman life, charmingly tucked into remnant corners of a very ancient city.

Our stay at Elizabeth Unique Apartments was incredible. We hadn’t intended to stay there, but a Marriott affiliate cancelation of two of our city stays only 10-days before our trip created a scramble for new bookings which resulted in an unintentional booking of a very luxurious apartment stay. The price point was rather high, but I think my family agreed: no regrets. This blog isn’t a travel review, but for the record, my singular issue with our accommodation was noise from the street. If you can deal with that, the comfort, beauty and location was worth it!

Since we arrived early in the day, we tried to fill our first day in Rome with reasonable activity to keep moving and stay alert. We freshened up at the apartment and headed for the iconic Trevi Fountain. I had read that if the crowds were too much, there was a perfect view from the second floor of the United Colors of Benetton store. Having heard of the brand, but never shopped it, I was happy to oblige (we actually took advantage of the Benetton “black Friday” sales on more than one day, in more than one city—I’m now hooked!).

Despite our foggy brains and dragging feet, we were able to cover a lot of ground on our first jet-lag fighting day. We walked down & up the Spanish steps, enjoyed an overlook of the city from the Villa Borghese gardens, enjoyed sandwiches & maritozza (magically yeast buns filled with lightly sweetened whipped cream), drank some strong espresso, savored some delicious gelato, saw a ton of green doors & obelisks, vintage shopped at Humana, and ultimately crashed at a ristorante near to our apartment for two Roman pastas, fried squash blossoms and of course, tiramisu.

The next morning, we had timed tickets for the Pantheon, so we walked over and found breakfast on the adjoining square. It was not our most delicious, nor our cheapest cornetto (croissant) and cappuccino, but the vibes were great. The Pantheon was a super interesting structure and we took our time taking in the details and ancient craftsmanship. We headed next to the Forum, with a brief pause to fill water bottles (my sister took advantage of one of Rome’s many public fountains) and grab sunglasses. We didn’t do a formal tour of the Forum, but enjoyed looking around at the ruins on our walk to the Colosseum and Circus Maximus. We found a delicious lunch at a local-looking shop a few blocks away from the monuments and there enjoyed Roman pizza (which you pay for by its weight), and suppli. Then, my sister and I toured the Colosseum (a must-do) and our parents explored the Piazza Venezia. We met back up to look at a church (which had been closed during lunchtime… a common thing in Italy) and then had an afternoon snack of gelato on our way to see Michelangelo’s sculpture of Moses in the Basilica of San Pietro in Vincoli (also where St. Peter’s chains of imprisonment are on display).

My dad had bought us Italia Passes, which included entrances to multiple sites (including the Pantheon in Rome and the Uffizi & Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence) plus an optional group dinner in Rome. So, after we were done touring (and shopping again) and getting caught in a brief rain/hailstorm, we joined a group of other tourists in a local restaurant for a hosted dinner. I’m not sure I would have booked that dinner on its own, but the food was very good and plentiful, and it was nice to talk to other travelers and hear the perspectives of our host, an American expat who had lived in Italy for more than a decade.

On our walk back to the apartment, we stopped in to St. Ignacious di Loyola, an impressive church that is open late in the evening. For one euro, you can stand in line to illuminate the beautifully-frescoed ceiling and take a fun selfie in a mirror. Touristy, but honestly rather fun. The church also has a very interesting faux-rotunda painting on a different part of the ceiling (free to look at). Among many other things I knew about Italy pre-trip, I learned about those fun facts from local experts via Instagram (this was from the Local Aromas).

Our final full day in Rome we spent in and around Vatican City. We opted to walk there (around 40 minutes from our stay), enjoying the beautiful city and scenery. Just outside the city walls, we ate a very rushed, but our most-delicious set of pastries from Caffè Vergnano—I will forever dream about that particular maritozzo. As you can read below, I loved the Vatican Museum. I did not particularly love St. Peter’s Basilica but I think that was largely due to a very long and very crowded line to get in that was very uncomfortable. By the time I was (literally) shoved across the threshold, I’m not sure I was capable of a good mood. The other thing was that due to its nature as a major tourist attraction, the Basilica felt totally overrun by iPhones and selfies (which I admittedly contributed to). Unlike other churches that we saw during our time in Italy (many of which also included photo ops), the massive amount of people crushingly overtaking the space felt irreverent. I think a no-photos rule might have solved the issue.

Although I’ve heard that the Roman public transport system is rather good, we only ever walked (with the exception of a late-night taxi after our long day in the Vatican City). Rome was busy, but manageable and felt very safe even late into the evenings. For as many things as we were able to see and do, I felt that we hardly scratched the surface of Rome before we departed on the high-speed train for Venice. I do hope to go back—but ciao for now.

The Highlights
Trevi Fountain (our hotel/apartment was in the same neighborhood so we ended up near the fountain multiple times). Maritozzo (we ate these as often as possible). Spanish Steps. United Colors of Benetton. Street art. Eating multiple Roman pastas (cacio è pepe, carbonara & amatriciana) & plenty of Roman pizza (sold in the slice by its weight). Gelato from the Frigidarium. St. Ignacious di Loyala. The Colosseum & Roman Forum. Suppli. Filling water bottles from the ancient public fountains. Walk along the Tiber River. Ciccolata calda. Sistine Chapel. Sculptures in the Vatican Museum.

The Remarkable
It’s probably not the most unique answer, but our time in Vatican City was rather remarkable—particularly our tour through the Vatican Museum. The collection of both pagan and Christian art was extensive and extremely engaging (and super interesting that the Pope is “allowed” to maintain a collection of non-religious art and artifacts). My favorite three areas were the Octagonal Court, housing really incredible Greek sculptures; the long hall, with its gallery ceiling and geographic murals; and of course, the Sistine Chapel. The detail and craftsmanship of all three were extraordinary!

As we found in many Italian museums, the flow of people is mostly one way. After our official Vatican Museum tour with a guide, followed by lunch in the pizzeria, my dad and I decided to go back through to see some of the things we were rushed by the first time. I’m glad we did because it was much more enjoyable to take in the artworks unhurried and unbothered by a large group. I did miss the bits of context, since most of the artworks did not have descriptive cards, but I thought the second pass was worth it.

SDG