All Roads Lead to Rome

Well, yesterday marked the warmest day of our trip as the weather made it to 100 degrees! Not only that, but it was a sobering reminder that we're already halfway through out trip. To think that 1 1/2 months ago we were in 50-degree weather up in Iceland trying to stay as bundled up as possible, and now we're sweating our asses off in Italy. Its been loads of fun so far! We just don't want to admit to ourselves that it's already halfway over. Time is going by way too fast!

The morning started off with me taking a quick stroll to a bakery near Campo de’ Fiori called Il Fornaio for a delicious pastry and some fruit at the morning market for us to share.

Tasty tasty goodness

Then, we headed over to the Trastevere area to do another self-guided walking tour. Trastevere is very beautiful, with all of the vine-covered houses. It’s also the less-touristy part of town, so it was very quiet.

Church of St. Cecilia

Church of Santa Maria in Trastevere

After the walk, we took a nice long coffee break and tried to figure out what we’ll do for the rest of the day. We decided that St. Peter’s Basilica would be our next stop. However, the church enforces a strict dress code (and if you went to Catholic school, you know what I mean): no shorts/shirts/dresses above the knee, no midriffs, and bare shoulders. Yikes! So we had to go back to our apartment to change. But first, we couldn't pass up some of the best pizza from Il Forno Campo de' Fiori (different place than Il Fornaio).

Mine: Zucchini flowers, anchovies, and mozzerella

Adam's: Prosciutto, Goda, and Mozzerella

That pizza was the best pizza I've had in Italy so far. We can't wait to go back for more!

After lunch, we went back to the apartment. We took our time getting to St. Peter's Basilica. Meaning, I took a nap and we just hung out for a couple of hours. At around 4:30 we changed our clothes and headed out, and by this time it was already 100 degrees. So walking across St. Peter's Basilica in black running tights (me) and jeans (Adam) felt like the bane of my existence. Luckily the architecture was pretty to look at!

St. Peter's Square

Entrance to the Basilica

Entering the church was free, and we only had to wait in line for about 10 minutes as there was a security checkpoint and a dress-code checkpoint. As I said, they are very strict on the dress code at the church, and they do enforce it.

St. Peter's Basilica is considered to be one of the biggest and most elaborate Catholic Churches in the world. People from all over make pilgrimages to this church. In addition to that, thousands of people originating from different cultures and beliefs also come to this church simply to learn about the church, it's architecture, and it's art. 

And after entering the church, I can see why it is a Roman highlight. Right as I walked in I just said, "Wow!" This place is huge! And the artwork, which includes works by Michelangelo and Bernini, is stunning. The photos below won't even do it justice.

Right when entering the basilica

The entrance

Alter. The canopy was made by Bernini

An air vent for the crypt. St. Peter and former Popes are buried underneath the church

Pietà by Michelangelo

A door that won't open until 2024

Adam touching St. Peter's foot

The statues are unreal

Work by Bernini

On the way down to the tombs of the Popes

No more pictures allowed past this point

Guarding the entrance to the Vatican City

Phew. That was quite a church. After the visit, we went back to the apartment to change back into our summer clothes and then went back out for our pre-dinner drinks at Campo de' Fiori.

We ended our night with a delicious dinner near Piazza Navona. We shared some Filetti di Baccala (fried codfish), Rigatoni Carbonara, and Meatballs and Beans in a Roman Sauce. All very good! We also met a very nice couple from Toronto (but they currently live in Signapore) and spent a couple hours talking with them. We talked mostly about traveling, different cultures, and what it's been like to live in different areas of the world. Even though the food was delicious, I think having a great conversation with people is what really made our dinner fun. It's also what I consider one of the best things about traveling: meeting people from all over the world and learning a thing or two from them.

And of course, we had to keep our gelato streak going. So after we left the restaurant, we walked on over to Piazza Navona for gelato and more people/artist watching. Days of eating gelato: 9.