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!

First Trip to Italy: Venice

Bank holiday #3... Venice! As the June holiday quickly approached, we still hadn't decided where we wanted to go until 3 or 4 days beforehand. So, I searched RyanAir for cheap flights and we settled on Venice.

I have wanted to go to Italy for as long as I can remember. If you were to ask me before we moved here, "what country in Europe would you visit first?" I would have answered Spain or Italy. I suppose I've always wanted to experience the culture, the food, the beautiful architecture and beautiful people, the weather, etc., all there is to offer! Venice was just the beginning of many trips I intend to take to Italy while we're here...

Grand Canal

I've heard people say that they don't like Venice -- that it's smelly, dirty, or not that pretty. I couldn't disagree more! It may be worse in the summer, but early June was a fantastic time to visit. Venice is unlike any place I've ever seen before... a city built entirely on water. When we first arrived in the city center, we made the amateur move of walking up to a taxi and giving the address for our hotel (again, I don't know Italian, aside from my choice Mario Bros phrases picked up from the Nintendo years, so it was a nice challenge). He just shook his head knowingly and said "no," then explained we needed to take a water taxi or walk because there are no roads. Good to know! We then proceeded to drag our luggage and get lost several times on the walk to our hotel, ha.

Venice is divided into six "Sestieri" or neighborhoods, each with their own character. We stayed in Sestiere Cannaregio, a lovely neighborhood that is close to all the tourist sites, but also more quiet and residential.

Our second day was spent visiting the nearby islands in the Venetian lagoon (which I'll cover in a separate post), but the other two were spent getting happily lost in the maze of canals and alleys, sipping prosecco in the various squares, and visiting some of the main tourist spots, i.e. Grand Canal, Rialto Bridge, Piazza San Marco, etc.

Rialto Bridge

Piazza San Marco

We also took a private Gondola ride on the canals, which I absolutely recommend! It's pricey, but worth it. Venice is an incredibly romantic city, and there's no better way to experience it than riding in a gondola with a bottle of wine!

Port where we hired our Gondola, near Piazza San Marco

Along with sightseeing, we had amazing Italian food. The pictures below are a few standouts from the trip... fresh caprese salad, fettucine with duck ragu, lobster gnocchi (mouth watering yet?)... and of course, gelato!! I can't get enough gelato. What's the saying? A gelato a day keeps the doctor away... busy? Ha. All bets are off on vacation!

Lastly, one of the best parts was seeing Venice at night. It's stunning! 

Such a beautiful city and also one of my favorite trips we've taken. A definite "must see" on any trip to Northern Italy.

Grand Canal at night

Ciao Venezia!