Much More Than An Evening in Roma, Part Two | Rome

We woke up bright and early to what was a beautiful day in Rome, even at the ungodly hour of 7:30 (college students here, mornings don't exist on the weekends).  We ran to the Conad, a supermarket in Italy, and picked up some things to eat for breakfast on the go.  The beautiful thing about Italy is that even the supermarket bakeries and hot-food kitchen is delicious.  We walked to the Roma Termini, the main station in Rome and hopped on the Metro to take us to the Vatican City.

To get to the Vatican City you can take one of three methods: walk, bus, or Metro.  Walking is great but it'll take you forever and you'll be tired as hell by 10 am.  The bus can be sketchy and most pick-pocketing happens on crowded and often extremely hot buses.  The Metro is the fastest and fuss-free option.  You hop on and hop off in a matter of minutes and it's not as crowded as the bus as there is more room.  There are only two Metro lines too so there is not too much confusion.  A third line is currently being built but even then, that's only three you'd have to navigate which is totally do-able.  We bought our Metro tickets in the underground station and hopped on the Metro Line A and got off at the Ottaviano San Pietro station.  A quick walk and you'll be at the grand wall surrounding the smallest country in the world.

We decided to visit the Vatican City in the early morning so we could work backwards through the day across Rome since the Vatican is the furthest thing in Rome.  We waited in line for the Vatican Museum for about an hour which was not at all bad...until you heard the constant scamming of "tour guides" trying to get you to pay an arm and a leg for a advance ticket and tour.  When you see the lines forming to get into the museum outside you'll notice there are two.  One closest to the wall where you wait if you are NOT with a group or have purchased advance tickets, and the other which basically acts as a Fast Pass line in Disneyland.  All along this line you will be bombarded with people trying to get you to pay to skip the line with a tour.  I'm not sure on the validity or how much these people know about anything you want to see but I do know you'll end up paying waaaaay more than you would have if you just dug deep for a little patience and waited.

Travel Tip: If you are a student, make sure you bring along your student ID so you can get a student price which was about €8ish.

Once we got in it was madness.  With Rome you can't escape the tour groups.  But there is so much to see in the Vatican Museum that you'll be blown away with the vast volume of things the Church has collected over its history.  I was completely mind blown with what I was seeing but I do have to admit that half way through I was getting anxious and completely overwhelmed with all the people in the museum.  Make sure when you're entering rooms you remember to look up.  The ceilings and interior in the museum is a collection in itself.  But by the end of it I felt like I was just following the heard just to avoid getting trampled or suffocated by all of the tour groups.  We finally made it to the Sistine Chapel at the end of the museum and it was crazy surreal.  It is literally, un-freaking-believable.  With all of the representations and images of the Sistine you see growing up, to be inside and looking at the real deal, it's hard to wrap your mind around it.  I have to say though, actually being inside is a little hard to handle.  You're literally shoved into the chapel with what feels like every person in Italy and the guards are constantly telling people to move in, don't stop in the middle, and for the love of all that is holy and right in the world to not take photos.  So please people, for once in your life resist the urge to take a photo.  Be in the moment, live it, and enjoy it.

After taking in all we could from the Sistine Chapel, the four of us were ready to get the hell out and remove ourselves from the madness.  We walked to St. Peter's Square to take a look at St. Peter's Basilica.  The line was way too long for our liking so we decided it was enough to just admire beauty of the outside and take a walk inside the square.  It really is a beautiful sight to see and so surreal to be in.  After our adventure in the Vatican City we headed off back into Rome to check off more sights on our list. 

Much More Than An Evening in Roma, Part One | Rome

Be honest.   As soon as you think about Rome the first image you get are the montages of Lizzie McGuire on the back of the Paolo's vespa whizzing around as Vitamin C sings "Volare".  Need to refresh your memory? Seriously, watch the video <-- (do it, click the link) first then come back.  It doesn't matter if you've taken every history class known to man or every art and architecture class, it is the scene you want to re-enact and live.  Now I may not have met a tall, dark, and handsome Italian pop star while making my wish and tossing my euro in the Trevi Fountain but I did get to "Rome" around (Aha, see what I did there? Punny, I know) with one of my oldest friends and two new ones.  

My friend Aleena, who I've known since kindergarden, happens to be studying abroad in Copenhagen, Denmark this semester.  For her fall break she and her friend from her study abroad program Aly took a whirlwind Italy trip.  They started off in Milan, visited Venice, and then came to stay in Florence for three days where I took them around and showed them my home town for the semester.  On Thursday the three of us along with my friend Tyler, who is also from Hawaii and studying abroad with me here in Florence, hopped on a train and headed to Rome.  It was a pretty quick train ride to Rome, although I did fall asleep as soon as the train pulled out of the station.  We went hard on their last night in Florence and I definitely needed the hour and a half nap on the train.  

Aly, Lucia, Erin, me, and Aleena at Piazzale di Michelangelo

Erin, me, Aleena, and Lucia at Santa Croce

We got to Rome around noon and checked into our hostel.  The weather was not the nicest and the skies were gray and angry-looking.  We decided to make our way to the Colosseum as we wanted to spend a good chunk of time there and not have to rush ourselves the next day.  It was like something out of a movie.  We turned a corner, walked down a small street with little shops and vespas zipping around and then BAM there it was right in front, the Colosseum in all of its fantastic glory.  It is absolutely massive and just spectacular to see with your own eyes.  We all had to do double-takes and confirm with each other that yes, we are at the THE Colosseum.  

We literally raced down to get to the ticket stand to purchase our entrance ticket.  Having the ability to go inside and walk around the Colosseum takes it to a whole new level.  Coming and knowing the history behind the Colosseum, I think appreciated it so much more.  If I can suggest anything at all before traveling to Italy is to read up and learn about the places and things you want to see.  It makes the experience so much more meaningful and you will literally have your mind blown.  We spent a good amount of time in the Colosseum, walking around, sitting, just taking it all in.  By the time we were ready to leave it was perfect as the sky started to go dark and even angrier and our stomachs called for food.

Aleena, me, Aly, and Tyler

Aly has friends who had studied in Rome in a previous semester and they had passed along a list of delicious yet student-budget friendly restaurants.  We picked one and we were not disappointed.  For €10 you could choose a pasta first course, primi, and a poultry main dish, secondi.  Portions were great and so was the food.  After dinner we decided to call it a night and head back to the hostel to get some much needed sleep and recharging for our next day.

Carbonara

Pollo e peperoni

Thanks to Aly for letting me use some of her pictures!