ROMA
The 4 of us are going to Italy!!
Well, the three of us are. On October 16, 2019, in celebration of our one year wedding anniversary, we planned a trip to Italia with Grace’s parents. Italy is one of our favorite countries since Grace and I traveled there in college. Grace’s parents had not been there yet so we really wanted them to experience the country we loved so much. In excitement, the four of us sat in the business class lounge (thanks to John & Vicki) and drank some champagne and indulged in some snacks. Little did we know a little drama was ahead…
As we were boarding our flight, I was already on the jet way when I get pulled back.
“Um excuse me sir, we cannot let you board this aircraft.”
“Excuse me, what?”
“Sir, your passport expires in December. You need 90 days from your return date to be able to be let into Italy.”
“WHAT! There must be an error. WE ARE ON OUR HONEYMOON!” (a small white lie, but they did not care).
Grace’s parents were already comfortably resting in their business class seats. We call them and Vicki gets escorted off the plane to see if she can help. Obviously, there is nothing to be done. As we are in hysteria, everyone else boards the plane watching Grace’s tears. We debate on what to do. Does Grace go? Does Grace stay? After an elongated tearful goodbye, Grace decides to go because it will be easier to re-book just myself. And at least John and Vicki were on the plane. Grace enters an already packed plane to find her seat, Vicki helps her with her bag, as tears are rolling down her cheeks — Grace finds her coach seat and Vicki turns and says, “it will be ok, I will be up there, bye!”
Down a teammate, we have arrived. For my sake, Grace and her parents will make the best of the situation nonetheless. They checked into our Airbnb in Campo de Fiori, a hustling neighborhood in Roma.
Our Airbnb made us feel like we were one with the Italians. It had multiple levels all with amazing views and private terrace overlooking the winding streets. The only downfall was late at night the streets would be roaring with teenagers and young adults and we would hear them frequently. I guess that just made us feel even more connected to Italian culture.
Campo de Fiori has farmers markets daily and is surrounded by restaurants. It can be a bit touristy, but we still loved the people watching and feeling like we were a part of their community.
After a cat nap, my parents and I explored the nearby neighborhoods and piazzas. This piazza, Piazza Navona, is known for its three fountains. The central fountain, Fontana Dei Quattro Fiumi, was designed by Bernini in the 1650s. Its name translates to “Four River Fountains” because each side represents the Danube, the Ganges, the Nile, and the Rio de la Plata. Representing Africa, Asia, America and Europe, the four corners of the world.
We had a bite to eat at a cafe in the piazza then headed to the Pantheon.
We headed to Trastevere for the evening. It was a quick 16-minute walk over the bridge to the bustling neighborhood. We grabbed yummy cocktails at Pimm’s then dined at Taverna Trilussa. It was del-ish!
The next morning we grabbed coffee at the nearby cafe and took a taxi to the Vatican. I was happy for my parents to be able to experience the Vatican and my dad was excited to see where the pope lives. It was going to be a great day and the anticipation of being reunited with Cameron was very exciting.
We had a wonderful tour guide of the Vatican museum named Cecillia. The Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo, was just as I remembered - absolutely breathtaking. After we exited the museum we went into St. Peter’s Basilica. Luckily our Vatican tickets included skip the line passes for the Basilica. St. Peter’s Basilica is a magical place for me. The interior is filled with Renaissance and Baroque art masterpieces. Pietà by Michelangelo, which is now unfortunately covered by plexiglass, is a beautiful sculpture depicting Jesus in Mary’s lap after Crucifixion. This piece is especially important because artist scholars feel it showcases a balance of the Renaissance ideals of classical beauty mixed with naturalism.
After the Vatican we headed back to Campo de Fiori to meet Cameron before heading to the Colosseum.
We were thrilled to be reunited and to put the passport drama behind us. We sipped aperol spritz’s on the terrace and caught each other up on the last 48 hours.
That evening we headed back to Travestere to dine at Roma Sparita. This place came highly recommended from our cousin, Carter, and it did not disappoint!
The next morning we got up nice and early to head to the Amalfi Coast! We grabbed Roscioli’s to go and headed to the train station.
See interlude blog posts for Amalfi Coast and Florence…
After exploring the Amalfi Coast and Florence, we took a train back to Roma for one last night before flying home the following day. We went to a rooftop next to the Pantheon before our last Italian dinner at Ristorante 34.
The rooftop bar we went to was on top of Grand Hotel Minerva. The Minerva Roof Garden offers amazing views of the Pantheon. We could not leave Italy without a few more Aperol spritz’s!
Even on a rainy day, Rome is magnificant. We walked the streets feeling lucky to be there, rain or shine. We had a perfect meal at Ristorante 34 then got one last gelato at Venchi.
We headed to Trevi Fountain since we had not seen it yet this trip and no one was there because of the rain so it was the perfect timing. I had only seen Trevi Fountain in the day time before and I must say it is important to see it at night too. We made our wishes, as tradition, and headed back to our hotel.
Thank you, Rome. You will always have a special place in our hearts. We will be back!