Rome, Italy + Vatican City

The last leg of our Italian vacation was…partially in another country. We ended our trip in Rome, with a visit to Vatican City.

Now, Rome was one of the cities we were most looking forward to, with the ancient ruins and Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, and the Sistine Chapel. But, looking back, we kinda wish this had been the first stop of the trip instead of the last. Don’t get us wrong, it was awesome to see the sites. But it seemed like the hottest place we visited, it was super crowded EVERYWHERE (we actually had to worry about gypsies and pickpockets… though nothing happened to us or anyone else in our group) and the hotel and food were just okay compared to the other cities.

Heat and crowds aside, we definitely checked a big one off the bucket list. Read on to find out what we loved (and found underwhelming) in Rome and Vatican City.

When you first enter into Vatican City, you’ll pass though metal detectors. No weapons allowed! It should also be noted that there is one line for tour groups and one for everyone else. We had an appointment time to enter, but we still had to wait a while. The best thing to do if you are on your own would be to get there as early as possible. It also might benefit you to visit in the winter months, as it will be much less crowded.

Inside there are museums to visit and St. Peter’s Basilica, the largest church in the world. As we were there on Wednesday, we were in town for the Pope’s weekly general audience. We did not attend, but two of the ladies in our group did and really enjoyed it. We did see them setting up for it in the square whilst there.

If you read our Florence blog, you’ve heard us talk about how impressed we were with the Statue of David. Michelangelo is an impeccable artist. Besides David, if someone were to ask what other works of art he created, a lot of people would probably say the Sistine Chapel. As you may know, Michelangelo painted the ceiling in the chapel in the early 1500’s per the request of the Pope at the time, Julius II.

It is one of the most well-known paintings in history. We’ve seen photographs of the famous scene The Creation of Adam, in which Adam and God are reaching a hand towards each other. We expected, much like with David, to be beyond impressed. And truly, the fact that he built his own scaffolding and painted anything that looked so real above his head is very impressive. But…

Standing in the center of the chapel, staring up at Michelangelo’s creation, neither of us really felt much of anything. Except annoyance at people who could not follow the rules and be quiet. (Out of respect, you are supposed to be completely silent while in the chapel and are not allowed to take pictures.) The painting itself was smaller than we imagined so it was hard to make out everything and it took us a moment to find The Creation of Adam. They also let a lot of people in the chapel at one time, and it is a relatively small chapel, so it was quite crowded.

Overall we weren’t as awed as we thought we would be, but are still glad we had the opportunity to see such a historic work of art.

Before leaving Vatican City, we had to be total tourists and send postcards to ourselves. This is the only way to get something from Vatican City as there is not a place to get your passport stamped (even though it is the smallest country in the world!). Since this was our last stop, we got home before the postcards did.

Back in Rome, we also visited the statue of Moses and the Catacombs. (Unfortunately Courtney wasn’t able to go to the catacombs due to a migraine.) Mal- It was pretty cool to see, although they had cleared out most of the corpses. I can see how easy it would be to get lost down there and there is no light on most of the levels. This is definitely not an activity for the claustrophobic.

Court- Once I finally felt halfway decent, I wandered the streets of Rome to head towards the statue of Moses and went into an Italian grocery store where no one spoke English (all of my learning Italian was for naught because the Italian word for ginger ale is ginger ale… also, they didn’t have any). However, the part of Rome I walked through was more modernized and reminded me of most cities. It always strikes me as odd, but really neat that you can go anywhere and still feel like you’ve been there before.

Next up, we visited the Roman Forum, an ancient Roman marketplace. It’s so interesting standing in places like this…ruins sitting in the middle of modern day Rome. Not far away, you can probably find a Starbucks (Mal-actually, I don’t think there was a Starbucks in Rome until this year, but you get the idea. Court-What?!?! I could have used a Starbucks when we were there!). It’s like you hop off of the tour bus and are transported back in time thousands of years. This is one of the more popular tourist attractions in Rome, so book ahead.

One does not simply go to Rome without visiting the Colosseum (insert meme here). It is one of the 7 wonders of the new world after all and a very cool sight to see. It’s fun to look out over the vast structure and imagine the festivities that used to take place here. It is, unsurprisingly, one of the most popular attractions in Rome, so be prepared to fight the crowds and wonder if this old seemingly crumbling structure can support the weight of said crowds. This was also one of the hottest days we experienced so finding a bit of shade inside was nice.

Mal- For some reason I wore the same dress on both of the hottest days of the trip and that fabric was not breathable. Live and learn I guess.

Court- It’s strange to think that at one point in time, this place was filled with people from all classes and that real, live gladiators walked through the tunnels. It’s also a little haunting for the same reasons.

Of course we had to walk on the famous Spanish Steps and throw a coin into the Trevi Fountain. Both were very crowded and we had to wait our turn to even get close to the fountain. It would probably be a good idea to visit at night if that is an option for you. The fountain should still be pretty well lit and less crowded.

Mal- Ever since I saw the Lizzie McGuire Movie, I’ve wanted to make a wish and toss a coin into that fountain.

Court- Every movie that I have ever seen in Rome, people just walk right up to the Trevi Fountain and there is no one around, like it is a hidden gem. This is the least hidden thing we went to probably. I cannot remember what I wished for, but I don’t think it came true so…

The most notable restaurant we ate at in Rome was Cucina Romana. This place really stood out because we ate in the basement and had our first experience with a food lift. The restaurant was 3 floors so it made sense to have a sort of elevator for food. We were oddly intrigued by this. As for the food, we had pasta, a not-so-sweet dessert, and house wine. The wait staff was very friendly and overall it was a good experience. 

Court- Let me add that I never thought I could get tired of eating Italian food. I love it! However, after eating it for lunch and dinner every day, I was craving something else. I was not willing to cave and go to the McDonald’s or any other American type restaurant, but when I got home, I headed straight for the Mexican restaurant. I think if I were to go back to Italy, I would try to find some more off the beaten path places and try to diversify the food I ate so that it wouldn’t be quite so repetitive.

While in Rome, we stayed at the NH Giustiniano hotel. This was a nice hotel, just not as fancy as those in Venice and Sorrento. Though, it’s hard to beat those views and that awesome bathroom.

So although Rome was not our favorite of the places in Italy we visited, it’s definitely worth the trip!

We hope you enjoyed our Italy series. Hopefully, you were able to pick up some valuable information to help you plan your own trip. If you have any questions for us, feel free to leave a comment or reach out on the Contact Us page.