When in Roma...

Technically speaking I am 0% Italian, however I like to believe I am at least 75%. My love for Italy blossomed after studying abroad my Junior year of college in the small, yet lovable town of Paderno del Grappa. After that semester, I had not had the opportunity to set foot back onto my love's soil - until this weekend in Roma.

Sistine Chapel illegal photo (sans flash, though)

My first Roman visit was quite different than this one. My friend Angela and I attended Pope John Paul's II  Easter Mass in 2004. It turned out to be the Pope's second to last Easter Mass. The Vatican and Rome had incredibly tight security detail because the train bombing in Madrid has just occurred, and most of the major sights were closed for the weekend. Despite the security issues and though I am not Catholic, I found the mass incredible and was excited to be an arms distance from the Pope Mobile.

This time around Rome was different. We met up with my parents on the last leg of their European vacation and accomplished a lot of sight seeing. We stayed at the Best Western Universo near the Termini train station. I still haven't decided if our hotel was in a good location or not, but never figured out where a good location would have been. Rome is pretty spread out, so I guess it depends on the sights on your must see list.

The Colosseum next to a nearly full moon 

My dad dragged my mom on a four hour, intensive tour of the Colosseum before Justin and I arrived (thankfully!!), so Justin and I didn't actually see the interior. Friday night, after we arrived, we set out to find a friend's restaurant recommendation only to discover that most restaurants were closed for the Italian Ferragosto. Sadly, the food on this trip was not as amazing as it should have been (otherwise this entire post would focus around cuisine), though I definitely had my fair share or tasty Italian carbs! I guess Justin will just have to take me back later this year!

Saturday we spent the morning touring the Vatican. There is so much to see in the Vatican museum that it would take you 12 years if you spent one minute viewing each artifact; seriously. Needless to say we had to keep pushing my dad along (who was determined to find the Menorah and sadly never did). We observed the amazing Sistine Chapel entirely painted by hand primarily by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512. After touring St. Peter's Basicalla, we fought the Roman heat and headed to the Pantheon for some lunch and a peek at the incredibly ancient church that was finally built by Hadrian in 126.

Ahhh, the Trevi Fountain.... 

As cheesy and cliche as it is, my favorite sight in Rome remains the Trevi Fountain. I can't explain why, it just makes me happy. Despite the wretched crowd and irritating street vendors, I was so excited to get back to the fountain. (I guess throwing a coin in the fountain really works!!) It's so grand and beautiful and I already want to go back there! Such a gorgeous sight. After the fountain we made our way over to the Spanish Steps and then indulged in some much needed, and delicious gelatto.

Saturday night, following another closed restaurant recommendation, we ended up in the Jewish Ghetto. We saw the Roman Synagogue, built in 1904, which is huge and quite lovely. It's right across the street from the river and near some amazing ancient ruins. There are several really great restaurants in the area (and they were open!) including kosher kitchens.

Rome is a very large,  face paced city and requires a lot of walking. We were all exhausted come Sunday so we opted to tour the modern art museum. We then took a leisurely stroll in the Borghesi park followed by slightly less than stellar lunch... After that we ran out of steam and spent the rest of the vacation just hanging out. It was nice to have some family time before heading back to Nussloch.

My family in front of unknown church

Italy, to me, is Paradise and Rome is an amazing place with history unlike any other place on earth. So many things in our daily life date back to the Roman era, it's really fascinating to think about. I am already looking forward to my next trip back to my lovely Italy- it cannot come soon enough!