Rome pt. 2

Part 2 of our Rome trip (see Part 1) was equally eventful and amazing. We spent the first half of our second day touring the impressive Colosseum and the Roman Forum. 

It's mind-blowing to think the Colosseum was built by hand in 70-80 AD, and that people used to lose their lives in that arena for the sake of amusement. When we were inside, I couldn't help myself from repeating one of my favorite Gladiator lines, "Are you not entertained?!"

View of Colosseum from Palatine Hill

Next to the Colosseum is the Roman Forum, an area that was once the center of ancient Rome, now filled with countless ruins of important government buildings, temples, statues, etc. In some instances, a single pillar is all that is left of a massive structure. One can only imagine what the forum looked like in all its glory!

After we explored the Forum and the inside of the Colosseum, we met my friend Kate (who we joined for Thanksgiving in Portugal), who had taken the train up from Naples to visit for the day. It had been 5 years since we'd seen each other, so it was great to catch up and meet her gorgeous little one! The 4 of us had a late lunch and visited another incredibly old but well-preserved building, the Pantheon (built in 126 AD as a temple to all the gods of Ancient Rome).

At a cafe for lunch

 Sadly, Kate had to catch the train back home, so we parted ways and got ready for our last night out on the town. Again, we met up with our friend, Gina, and shared a bottle of Prosecco on the rooftop terrace of her hotel, Intercontinental De La Ville Roma (beautiful!). We toasted to our last night in Rome, overlooking the tops of enormous cathedrals as the city lights began to twinkle. 

To top it all off, a dinner recommendation led us to the lively little neighborhood of Trastevere, where I had the most authentic, fresh, and unbelievably scrumptious pasta I've ever had in my life at Hostaria La Botticella. On the advice of a local, we continued on to Testaccio for a taste of the Roman nightlife... leading to a late night!

The next day, we did our last bit of sightseeing, then relaxed and enjoyed the sunshine-filled piazzas and got our final fix of pizza and gelato before heading back to Ireland. As legend has it, I tossed a coin over my shoulder into Trevi Fountain, so hopefully I'll return to Rome again some day!