Italy: Rome

Posted September 28, 2016

I just came back from my week of vacation in Rome, Italy. The land where my first name is from. I’ve been working so much the last couple of months. I kept myself in work mode with the thought that I would go on a city trip in September. Never break a promise, especially not to yourself! So I went.

I booked this gorgeous apartment with a private roof terrace right in the heart of the lively area of Trastevere. Trastevere is the cutest, cosiest and most vivid neighbourhood and it’s right next to the city center. I literally had to walk for about five minutes and over the beautiful bridges that cross the river Tiber before I was in the city center. Although Trastevere felt more like the real city center with it’s many little piazza’s (squares) packed with little churches, restaurants, bars and lunchrooms.

Piazza Di Santa Maria right in the center of Trastevere.

The street where the apartment was located.

The roof terrace.

Caprese salad, I love that salad back home. I just had to make one with real Italian ingredients.

Do like the Romans do is my travel motto. So how could I not rent a scooter there. Although I walked a lot and I really enjoyed that, still as you may know from my previous travel stories I just adore riding a scooter. It gives me this feeling of complete autonomy. The traffic is sort of crazy in Rome because nobody minds about the driving lanes and just drives criss cross trough each other. As long as you just do as the Romans do you’ll be fine. I have to confess, I did fell down. I was trying to get to Vatican city but Google maps send me to a road where I was not supposed to be. So this Swiss Guard fellow was straight away angry with me. I got so nervous that I pulled up to fast and fell down. I was so ashamed! You could hear all the people on the piazza gasping for air. Luckily I cleaned the scooter and the rentel guy didn’t see a thing. Thank virgin Maria that I got my hundred euro’s deposit back.

My cute Vespa.

The Swiss Guard at Vatican City

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Isola Tiberina (island in the Tiber) right between the city center and Trastevere neighbourhood.

The Vatican was really crowded and very hot. Buy your tickets up front and online to skip the line. Also start your journey at the Vatican Museum to avoid a long walk from Piazza San Pietro to the museum where the tour begins. I didn’t, so I had to walk the fifteen minutes. The Vatican is overwhelming astonishing. So many breathtaking ceilings, statues and art. Too many to share them all in this blogpost.

Piazza San Pietro. With the St. Peter’s Basilica.

At the beginning of the museum.

Sant Peter’s Tombe is right under the floor there.

Beautiful ceilings.

My favourite building in Rome is the Altare della Patria, also known as the Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II. You can get up to the top of the monument for seven euro’s and can see all of Rome. I love the building because it’s so grand, luxurious and symmetric. It’s also a monument for the unification of Italy, which in my opinion is an important thing.

Altare della Patria

Sitting on Altare della Patria, looking over Piazza da Venezia with in front the big shopping street Via del Corso.

View from Altare della Patria.

View towards the Colosseum from Altare della Patria.

It was unfortunate that the Spanish steps where closed due to renovations, set to reopen just a day after I left. Still it looked amazing and maybe it was for the best because it was too hot to climb them anyway. I just went for a cocktail at Hotel the Russie (tip!) to drink away the sad fact that the steps were closed, haha. They served so many free side dishes with my cocktail that I didn’t have to eat supper anymore. They just kept on bringing new dishes once I finished the first one.

Piazza Di Spagna with the Spanisch steps.

View from Altare della Patria.

Cocktail at Hotel the Russie

Luckily Fontana Di Trevi was open. I visit it when it was already dark and the lighting was just astonishing. I absolutely love Rome when it becomes dark. Sitting along the Tiber drinking a Prosecco. Or just walking in the city at night made me feel alone but also very grateful. You could breathe in the rich history and beauty of Rome.