Rome Wasn't Built in a Day...Nor Can it be Toured in a Day

Yesterday was our first full day here in Rome, and we felt like we haven't even scratched the surface of all the things that can be seen/done here. There's just SO much!

To start off, our first night was a little hard. There was a harsh thunder storm last night, so there was lots of loud thunder and it was raining very hard. And since we had all the windows in our room open, the rain started coming in, forcing us to shut them. Therefore, it got hot! So we felt like we didn't get much sleep.

Our original plan for the day was to go see the Bocca della Verità, Colosseum, Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill, since they were all in the same area. Ummm...I think we were a little too ambitious! We ended up only seeing the Roman Forum and most of Palatine Hill. Both places are incredibly huge and linked together, and we didn't realize it until we noticed that it just kept going...and going...and going. Don't get me wrong though, it was amazing to see all the different kinds of ruins. We were just tired!

Overlooking Roman Forum

View when entering the Roman Forum

Temple of Caeser

Temple of Caeser

Starting the tour of Palatine Hill

View of the Colosseum from Palatine Hill

After leaving Palatine Hill, we figured we could look for a place to eat lunch on the way to our next stop: Bocca della Verità. But, unfortunately there weren’t really any places to eat by the time we got to the church that it’s housed in. And once we got to the church, we saw a very long line! UGH. The one thing I personally absolutely, really, extremely wanted to see has a big-ass line. “Nope” we said. We probably could’ve waited if we weren’t so tired/hungry. So instead we hopped on a bus to get food closer to our apartment. We’ll try the Bocca della Verità today.

We were so hungry that we just chose a random pizza place. It wasn’t bad! Then, we went back to our apartment to rest up. And of course as we were resting, another huge thunderstorm came by. But this time we weren’t too bothered by it. =)

All the rain

At around 7:15, we went back out to do a self-guided walking tour of the Jewish Ghetto. There’s quite a bit of interesting history of this area, and the evening was perfect for a stroll.

At the Ponte Fabricio, where we started the tour

Synagogue

In Largo 16 Ottobre 1943 Square

Greeted by the friendliest cat. His name is Ghetto

This square has a very interesting story behind it

Jewish Quarter

After the tour, we got dinner at a place called “Ba-Ghetto” within the Jewish Quarter. While the food was delicious, our service was awkward. We shared 3 different courses, but they brought everything out at the same time, even though tables around us were getting their courses out one by one. Initially I was pissed because I felt like they were just being rude and wanted us out as soon as possible. But then Adam brought up the point that there might have been a translation issue when I told the server that we wanted to share the courses, and so he probably thought that we wanted everything brought out at once. So, maybe that could’ve been the case too.

After dinner, we wanted to do another self-guided walk. This one took us from Campo de’ Fiori to Piazza Navona, to the Pantheon, to the Trevi Fountain, and then ending at the Spanish Steps. We’ve already been to half of these places, but it was great to be able to read about the significance of each of the places and the various statues/fountains. One major downside though, was that the Trevi Fountain was closed down for repairs!! Ahhh! It totally sucked, because you can only imagine how beautiful this fountain is, and it’s an iconic Roman landmark. I guess this just means that we’ll have to come back to Rome one day. =)

The Four Rivers Fountain at Piazza Navona

Famous Tartufo at Piazza Navona. It's a rich chocolate truffle gelato.

Trevi Fountain. Super bummed that it's being renovated!

But we threw our coins in a temporary pool to ensure our return to Rome!

Finishing with the Spanish Steps was a great way to end the evening. Unfortunately the church at the top were also undergoing renovations, but it was nice to see the steps in the evening when the weather is cooler and the crowds aren’t so big.

Today will be another fun-filled day. First stops: Bocca della Verità and the Colosseum!