Tag: 2024

Hello All! Happy Wednesday! Life is back to normal after a few weeks of travel, getting back to work and people heading back to school. Although, we are back into a routine, I’m still looking forward to soaking up these last few weeks of summer and making them count. A few weeks ago, my family and I took our first international trip to Rome, Italy. It was truly a trip of a lifetime and we had the best time.

I kept a journal of my time away and I’m sharing part one with you today! Let’s dive right in!

Ciao Roma!

I have made my way to Rome, Italy. This time, with my family!! I have been to Rome twice before, once in high school and once in college with trips and I was so excited to show my family this beautiful place. You can read about my trip in college in two parts, part one is here and part two is here. 

Our first day was a travel day. We flew from Pittsburgh to Boston and then Boston to Rome. We had smooth flights and no delays-major win!

I finished a book, watched a movie, slept and just about 24 hour after we left our home-we were in Rome!

Our first day began bright and early. We landed around 8:00 and then made our way to our hotel. We dropped off our bags and then headed straight to the Vatican.

We enjoyed Sunday Mass inside Saint Peter’s Cathedral and then got to see the Pope as he addressed the crowd.

It was so cool to start our trip in Rome with Pope Francis on Sunday.

It was hot and humid and being in crowds of thousands didn’t help. The heat and sun was the only minor downside to the trip, it made things just a tad uncomfortable when you are walking miles every day.

After wandering around and exploring St. Peter’s Square we got lunch at a nearby spot. I got prosciutto and buffalo mozzarella and some pizza! It was a delicious first meal in Italy.

We then got an Uber back to our hotel and got checked in and settled. After seeing the area where our hotel was located, we went to a spot a few blocks away for dinner and gelato.

I enjoyed some Cacio e Pepe pasta, which is basically a buttered pasta.

We then stopped for gelato on the way back. My choice was tiramisu.

We called it an early night after a long day of travel!

Day Two began a bit slower, one of the things I wanted to do in Rome was go for a run in the city. I really wanted to see the Eternal City from a different perspective. My brother and I ran for about three miles around our hotel and through the city. It was cool to see the city before it woke up and before it got too hot. The humidity was real even as the sun was rising. 

We got ready for the day and went down for breakfast which was a huge spread. There was yogurt and toppings, fresh fruit, eggs, bacon, sausage, sandwiches, cereal and so many pastries. I tried to enjoy something different every day.

Our first day consisted of a hop on and off bus tour of major sites like The Roman Forum, the Colosseum, The Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, The Circus Maximus, and several churches.

We did the whole tour and then chose to hop off back at our hotel to cool off after being outside in the sun, in almost 100 degree weather, for the morning.

We went through lots of water on this trip. We browsed a few stores on the way back including a grocery store.

This was such a cool thing to experience just to compare what food and brands they have.

McDonald’s was also very popular in Rome. We saw one on almost every corner, but that was the only fast food spot we saw, minus a Burger King in Venice and a KFC in Rome. We stopped for drinks during the day in McDonald’s and it was also fun to compare the menu and food from U.S. to Europe.

After cooling off at our hotel, we made our way back to the bus and chose to look at a few spots for a more extensive look. We hopped off at the Colosseum and did a tour inside alongside the Palentine Hill and the Roman Forum.

It was fascinating to see the ruins in modern times. After spending the afternoon at the ruins, we made our way back to the hotel and cleaned up for a night out.

We had tickets to an Italian Opera. It was in a small church with two soloists and a pianist. It was a 45 minute concert where they played well-known songs including Vivaldi and Puccini. It was my first Italian Opera and was such a cool experience. I really liked the intimate setting of the church too.

After the show, we walked to a nearby restaurant for dinner. I enjoyed some Caprese Salad, Eggplant Parmesan and the some lasagna too. I indulged in chocolate cake for dessert and homemade ice cream. Yum! We made our way back to the hotel and got some much needed rest.

Day Three began with another big breakfast and then it was off to the Vatican for an early tour.

We had a great tour guide who was very informative about all things St. Peter’s Basilica and the Vatican.

We got to see the museum, some the gardens, and of course the Sistine Chapel! The vibrant colors were incredible. I learned so much about Michelangelo and his background.

We then went around the Basilica which was under partial renovations, but still incredible to see. We looked at the statues and got to listen to daily mass as well. I really enjoyed going to Confession in the Vatican.

We got to tour the crypt where several popes are buried including Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II. We did some shopping in the gift shop and got our items blessed.

Due to the heat, we drank a lot of water and we took advantage of these filling stations found throughout the cities and museums to refill our bottles. We made our way back to the Hop On and Off bus and headed back to the hotel and got some lunch. One of the biggest things I noticed about the food was smaller portions and lack of vegetables. Obviously pizza and pasta were the main menu items, which were delicious, but there wasn’t a whole lot of salads or meats. That being said, when I saw a tuna salad on the menu, I was intrigued to try it. It was so good and fresh. We also got lots of different appetizers with our meals that we all got to try. This meal we enjoyed calamari and fried mozzarella and bruschetta.

Everything was filled with so much flavor! We did some walking around and went back to the hotel to freshen up before doing a nighttime bus tour of the landmarks. We grabbed dessert at the hotel before calling it a night.

Day Four was our first day trip of our adventure! My brother and I got up early and went for a run where we passed more landmarks including the Trevi Fountain, these views were a bit better compared to my views at home. 

We got breakfast and then made our way to the train station for a day in Florence. After a mixup with the train, we were on our way! It was about an hour and a half long trip.

Florence was much quieter compared to Rome, but still very hot. My family and I joked around that this trip could have been sponsored by all the bottles of water we went through. It was very humid, sunny, and water wasn’t the first drink of choice in more of the restaurants.

Once we arrived in Florence, we got the lay of the land and made our way to the Duomo, also known as the Cathedral of Santa Maria Del Fiore.

You didn’t need tickets but you did have to wait in line. We waited about 35 minutes to get inside and it was worth it. Although, there wasn’t a lot of artwork on the inside, the dome was stunning.

We got to see the crypt as well. I loved looking around the building at the colors and architecture of the church. Simply stunning and mammoth!

After touring the church, we grabbed lunch. I enjoyed a chicken salad and an Aperol Spritz and some pizza too!

We browsed some leather stores and got gelato. I got chocolate in a cone this time.

We then made our way to the Academia Galleria, where we got to see Michaelangelo’s Statue of David. We had a tour guide who offered so much knowledge about Michelangelo and artwork. It was very informative.

We walked a bit more around Florence and saw a soccer stadium for one of their professional teams and made our way back to the train station to head back to Rome.

It was beautiful to see the countryside of Italy going back. We got back fairly late and headed to bed because we had an early day on Thursday.

Day Five was Thursday and we had a really early start to head to Venice for the day! We got to the train station around 6:15, luckily, it was only a block away from our hotel which made transportation very easy for our day trips.

The trip to Venice was about four hours and we were served snacks on the trip. It was also beautiful to see the countryside heading to Venice. The view we saw when we came off the train was stunning. The water was right when you left the train station.

When we arrived we got lunch after browsing through some of the stores.

I enjoyed a Venice salad for lunch which included lots of fresh veggies, buffalo mozzarella, black olives and even a hot dog which was unique.

After lunch, we took a Gondola ride which was my favorite part of the day. It was so cool to see the city from that perspective and to see everyone get around by water.

There were water taxis and water buses and so many gondolas. The temperature was also cooler being by the water. It was so picturesque to float around the rivers.

Our ride lasted about 30 minutes and then we decided to take a water taxi to another part of Venice for a tour of St. Mark’s Square and Doge’s Palace.

Before our tour, we did some souvenir shopping and browsing into all the little stores and shops.

One of the things that I really enjoyed about Venice was seeing all the little hotels, everything seemed so intimate and quaint! I loved it!

There were so many details, but the view from the top was my favorite!

The water was so blue and the city was really showing off.

Our tour lasted just over two hours. The church was beautiful and I learned so much about the Byzantine artwork and design.

We then toured the palace which I learned was used for lots of government business.

We got to see and learn about the court rooms, where the senators and judges worked and even where they held prisoners.

It was a fascinating tour and I learned so much about the republic in Venice.

After our tour, we boarded a water taxi and went back to the train station to head to Rome.

We picked up some sandwiches to eat on the train back. We arrived in Rome late at night. Another common theme of the trip, long and packed full days, but so worth it!

That wraps up part one of my trip to Italy. There’s still a lot more adventures in store. I’ll be sharing part two next Wednesday, so be sure to check back. I’ll see you back here on Friday for another round-up of Friday Favorites!