In late September amidst our typical busy fall season, Jeff and I snuck away for a getaway to Italy. It was a bucket list trip for Jeff, who has been hoping to experience the history and beauty of Rome for decades. We finally made it happen, thanks to my amazing parents (and an 8-page checklist, ha!), and we were so excited about our whirlwind Italian vacation ahead.
First stop - Rome! This was by far Jeff's most anticipated stop. He has long been intrigued with the history of the Roman Colosseum and so many other historical landmarks across this majestic city. After a long and miserable journey (for me, not him... how do people sleep on airplanes??) we arrived in Rome on a gorgeous sunny day and checked in to our boutique hotel with an impressive balcony and view of the area. It was located in the heart of Rome, right next to the historic Pantheon and walking distance to some of the most amazing tourist hotpots. I was in no shape to explore, so I napped while Jeff set off on foot with Google Maps in tow. He was so excited to walk right up to the Colosseum, such an incredible sight in person and truly a magical moment for him. After my nap, we stopped at a nearby cafe to enjoy some delicious Italian food, and then we set out to view some other nearby landmarks like the Pantheon temple and Trevi Fountain. We walked and walked, taking in the amazing sights and marveling at the city in all its glory. We saw countless centuries-old monuments and buildings with the most beautiful architecture. Jeff was fascinated by the historical sites while I was most drawn to the unique narrow alleyways and cobbled streets. We had the best day exploring and were so excited about more adventures ahead. What a wonderful first day in this amazing city!
On our second day in Rome, we had a leisurely morning breakfast at our hotel which had the most incredible view overlooking the city. We then set out for more exploration by foot, using Google Maps as our guide to more nearby destinations and landmarks. Truth be told, outside of the Colosseum, we knew very little about the historical significance of the most popular Roman sights, but that didn't stop us from enjoying the experience and really taking it all in. Jeff was in true tourist form and loved reading the informational plaques explaining the significance of the temples and building we explored. As for me, I couldn't get over how cool it was to see the narrow Roman alleyways, as evidenced by all the photos I kept taking. Simply beautiful!
On the afternoon of our 2nd day, we were excited for our official tour of the Roman Colosseum. It was Jeff's most anticipated adventure, and it almost didn't happen due to a last-minute cancellation with the tour company. Luckily we were able to find a backup tour, and it was our first guided experience with a professional tour guide. He led our big group through the area, all while wearing ear pieces so we could hear him as he delivered the most thorough and interesting narrative about the ancient days and the activities in and around the Colosseum. We spent HOURS walking around and inside the Colosseum and the surrounding ancient grounds, hearing every minute detail and really getting an understanding of the significance of this chapter in Roman history. My feet were screaming after all the walking, but Jeff was in his happy place, for sure!
The next morning, we were up early to head to the smallest country in the world - Vatican City! Yes, I had to look that up, because I had no idea that the Vatican was its own city-state before we visited. For our visit, Jeff and I joined another group tour led by a brilliant historian to guide us through the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. The amount of knowledge in the heads of these professional guides is astounding, and I'll admit, my attention span was struggling to handle the information overload. Suffice to say the Vatican Museums contained the most awe-inspiring frescos and paintings with detailed architecture that was simply stunning. The Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica were equally captivating, and we were even able to see a mass service in progress at St. Peter's which was really neat. The entire day of tours was quite overwhelming of sights and sounds, but we were so happy to witness the majesty of the Vatican in person and check off some significant boxes from the bucket list.
Side note: the guided tours all use these collective microphone systems with earbuds for everyone in the group, and with my hearing issues (mostly processing, not volume) it was super challenging at times to hear and understand what the tour guide was saying. That was something I wasn't prepared for and made me feel SO OLD!
After the full day of sight-seeing, I was happy to partake in some local gelato followed by a relaxing evening with some drinks at the rooftop deck of our hotel. We had one final night of walking around the streets of Rome, stopping for a nice dinner, and then back to the hotel to pack up for our next adventure ahead. On this last night, it rained a little but nothing like the heavy storms forecasted in the days leading up to our trip. We felt so blessed to have enjoyed beautiful fall weather for our outdoor excursions and hoped the days ahead would be the same. Next stop: Venice!
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