Buongiorno!!!
We are having a wonderful, if busy, time in Rome. Today was ancient day, as I have been referring to it since I began planning. We got up and ate a FREE :) breakfast at our hotel and then headed out to ancient Rome. We started with the Fiori Imperiali, which is the street that runs along all of the Imperial Forums. We were struck by this enormous and unbelievably beautiful building, Il Vittoriano, which is a giant monument constructed in the 1870s. After that we walked along the forums and headed to the Colosseum, which was unbelievable. After skipping the line (because basically we're awesome) we wandered around the Colosseum, constantly saying, "This is soooo cool!" After the Colosseum, we stopped at the Arch of Constantine, before heading onto Palatine Hill to look at all of the archaeological sites of Roman houses. It was amazing to see archaeologists still doing surveys and studies on much of the land. We walked through a ton of Roman houses, the Roman Forum, and then attempted to find the Domus Aurea. Apparently, we walked around the Domus Aurea completely, but failed to find the entrance. Oh well.
By this time, we were getting a little tired and decided to start heading back toward our hotel, with plans for food long the way. We were distracted by the San Pietro in Vicoli, another beautiful church, before stopping for some pizza and wine. We have really enjoyed our meals here in Rome, but are starting to get a little nervous about spending money on food. (If anyone has suggestions on where to get cheap, but yummy food, please post a comment!) The pizza was fabulous and the service was great. Of course, we stopped to get more gelato before heading back to our hotel room. Now, we're relaxing with a glass of wine before heading out later to check out some more local sites.
After studying a lot of Roman archaeology, it was truly amazing to see all of the sites in person. When I began thinking about a trip to Italy, and more specifically to Rome, this is what I was picturing. I loved every second of wandering around ancient Rome today, although I think Dan started getting a little bored after awhile. It's okay, gelato and wine will cheer him up every time!
Again, we took a ton of pictures, which I am sure we will post up a little bit later. Dan and I have been disagreeing over pictures (don't worry, its nothing serious), so maybe you all can help us out a bit. Dan likes pictures of just the buildings and sites, but I like pictures of the sites with us in them. What do you all think?
I hope everyone's having a great day!
-Kari
Hey Dan,
ReplyDeleteMy girlfriend and I had the same problem when we were in Italy. She always wanted us in the pictures, which involved having a third party take the pictures, while I just wanted the sites themselves. If you have two cameras, it's probably best to just suck it up and let her have random people take the photos with her camera and you can use yours for a more exclusive sites-only approach. This worked for us in the end.
With regards to food. I personally liked two places on Via di San Giovanni in Laterno: Luzzi (corner of Giovannia and via dei normanni) and San Isidoro (on the same street). The meals will get more expensive the further north you get, so look for grocery stores if you want to save a buck :D
I second Souriya. Shawna and I would not have made it through Switzerland eating out. Definitely take advantage of the continental breakfasts at a lot of hotels/hostels (even if it isn't included it usually still cheap). Also grocery stores are a must. We ate almost all of our lunches picnic style, buying fresh fruit and bread while keeping a few non-perishable things.
ReplyDeletei think photos with people are always interesting, even if you don't know them (not in the creepy stalker-ish way, but in the it usually makes the content more interesting. I think a picture of a building will never be as interesting as a picture of a scene (even if that includes you and dan, or a beautiful sky in the background) The WHOLE atmosphere and environment is what makes these places so special. So that's my picture advice!
ReplyDeleteI miss you and it sounds like you two are having a wonderful time!
Pictures with people — no, check that, pictures with you all in them — are best!
ReplyDeleteThe photos you've posted are marvelous. It feels as if you are bringing us along on the trip. Thank you!
C and I solved the eating affordably problem by noticing which way the crowds were headed, going the opposite direction, then stopping at the most modest place in sight. Thanks to Italy being what it was back in the Middle Ages when we were there, we had one great affordable meal after another. Here's hoping that hasn't changed too much.
Cheers, M and C