Roaming Around Rome.
Next stop: Napoli-Afragola!
Nearing the end of May, it was my husband’s birthday combined with an extended weekend so we decided to make the most of it now that Italy had recently opened for travel! Ahhhh, where to go?!?!? There are obviously SO many places but we landed on ROMA! It’s only a 55-minute train ride north and it seemed like the place to go before the tourists arrive. While Rome was not actually in my top 5 cities that I wanted to visit first (I know, right?!), I’m glad that we did before it becomes unbelievably hot and the hoards of people start pouring in again! It turns out that it’s not one of my favorite cities (I know, right?!) but we definitely made the best of it!
We did most of the famous and touristy things, plus mixing in a few less touristy things. While all of those little things were amazing moments, unfortunately, I don’t feel they were enough to make me want to come back to Rome anytime soon. The main turn off- street vendors. EVERY time we managed to sit somewhere or stroll through a piazza, someone was always there to hassle us. I can’t count how many times I had roses literally stuck an inch from my face and held there -WHILE EATING- or someone shoving toys at my kid or trying to put bracelets/jewelry on our hands. I didn’t get that Italian vibe like I do in Napoli and way too many people spoke English, haha. All the famous sites were covered with people posing and looking to get that one Instagram shot- people lying on walls and stairways in seductive poses or gazing off at who knows what. I watched a girl walk up and down the same 7 steps in a famous piazza multiple times just so the photographer could get the perfect money shot.
I’ve never had anything negative to say about Italy since we’ve arrived, but for some reason, I didn’t feel connected to Italy in Rome. Regardless of all that, I do agree Rome is a must-see to visit these magnificent historical places. And I will be back to Rome in the future because there are always places to be discovered!
The first day of major sights included: a tour of the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Basilica (including climbing the dome) and San Pietro Square, and Castel Sant’Angelo. The second day of major sights included: the Pantheon, Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Antico Caffè & Greco, and the Spanish steps. Along the way and in between the bigger sights we filled the time with smaller finds that come with just roaming around Rome: walking around piazzas, finding record stores, stuffing ourselves with Roman food in the alleyway trattorias, nighttime passegiate, mailing postcards from the smallest state in the world (Vatican City), enjoying morning markets, and drinking all the caffè, spritz’s, and wine we could!
** Stay tuned for photos of our adventures in Roma! **
Lindsay View All →
Our roots will forever be from here, America, born and raised. Yet, life requires us to move more frequently than we care to count. Whether living stateside or abroad, you can always find us traveling somewhere. We scout out places that you only think you can dream of one day seeing and we seek out those that aren’t found in guidebooks. We then bring them to life here in our travel memos, so hopefully, one day you too can visit them or at least be able to live vicariously through us. This blog isn’t just about crossing off places from a bucket list. It’s about absorbing and learning how other cultures grow and fit into the same world that we do. Life is short and the world is big. Enjoy and get out there!
American Roots. Traveling Boots. 