When Kate and Gin arrived in Rome from London, we headed for the closest pizzeria faster than you can say ‘Una pizza margherita per favore!’ Over a cheeky rosé we caught up on each other’s gossip, and started to plan our adventures for the next few days.
First stop – pizza!
After our delicious pizzas, we wandered in the sunshine to the Colosseum, before heading on to the Trevi Fountain for the obligatory coin toss.
We’ll be back!
So romantic!
Rather hilariously, we were presented with the roses while we were consulting maps. After several days of having them shoved under my nose in various tourist spots, I waved it away without even looking at the person presenting it – which rather annoyed the well-dressed Italian woman who tried to explain she was just giving them to us! We’re still not exactly sure why, but it was a lovely contrast to the usual.
Later that evening, we met up with Lili and Grietje to explore the Trastevere area, which we’d been told was great for restaurants and night-life. The little lanes were very cute and there were many, many choices for restaurants… it was difficult to decide!
Serene Tiber River at night
We headed to the river where there were more restaurants, and lots of stalls selling everything from sweets to souvenirs. It was packed with both tourists and Romans enjoying the beautiful night.
Stalls along the Tiber River
The next morning a new country awaited us as we crossed the border into the Vatican City with ease – we timed it early enough that the horror lines we’d heard about hadn’t yet eventuated.
Possibly the Pope’s hang out in the evening when the crowds leave?
The grounds of the Vatican are impressive enough, but the art collections in the museums are simply mind-blowing. One of the biggest art collections in the world, begun by Pope Julius II in 1506, and now featuring works by everyone from da Vinci to Dali, it would be impossible to see it all in a day, although we did give it our best shot.
Statues, Vatican City Museum
Gallery of Maps, Vatican City
My favourite painting was Raphael’s masterpiece, The School of Athens… not least for his cheeky self-portrait and depiction of fellow artists, including Michaelangelo and da Vinci.
The School of Athens
Raphael staring at the viewer from behind a pillar
Of course, a highlight of any visit to the Vatican will always be the incredible and moving Sistine Chapel, where we sat and contemplated the ceiling amongst the hum of tours and the guards’ noisy whispers of “Silencio!”. When we’d had our fill of amazing art, we headed for St Peter’s Basilica.
St Peter’s Basilica in the afternoon sun
One arc of Bernini’s collonade that stretches from the Basilica
The magnificence and sheer scale of St Peter’s Basilica is almost overwhelming, but at the same time it felt welcoming. This came partly from the afternoon mass being conducted at the front of the nave – to see it as a functioning church rather than simply a massive edifice was very special.
So angelic!
The interior of the massive dome
Swiss Guards – always hilarious
An epic day of art and culture!
