Travel Tuesday: Rome [Day One]

I am back today with Travel Tuesday for a nostalgic look back at our 2017 trip to France & Italy. After our adventures in Paris and Amalfi Coast (see all posts HERE), we took a train to Rome. We were excited for the history and culture we'd encounter, particularly the ancient Roman ruins of the Colosseum. But first, we wanted to just walk around and explore, which is what we did our first full day in Rome. 

The colorful buildings and architecture of Rome never got old. We listened to downloaded walking guides by Rick Steves and tried to follow along with accompanying maps on our phone. We got lost a few times, but didn't mind since we had such gorgeous surroundings and enjoyed meandering back to our planned route. 

Our first stop was Piazza Navona, where we admired the gigantic Fontana di Quattro Fiumi, a fountain designed in 1651 by Bernini for Pope Innocent X, whose grand, ornate palace faced the fountain.  The fountain depicts the four river gods that represented the four major rivers of the world: Ganges in Asia, Rio de Plata in South America, Danube in Europe, and Nile in Africa. 

After the piazza, we grabbed some pizza  (see what I did there? lol) for lunch and rested for a little while before continuing on our adventure.

We headed towards the Pantheon. A former Roman temple and now Catholic church.

We then made our way to the Fontana di Trevi, the ornate Boroque-style fountain that is one of the most recognized fountain in the world. There were a ton of people there, but we managed to find a little spot to sit and take a few photos.

It was a warm October day, so we found a gelato shop and bought cones of delicious goodness. We were heading to the Spanish Steps and I wanted to capture an artistic shot there with my gelato, but it started melting within minutes. I took a quick snap by the shop and then devoured it before it got too messy. When in Italy, always say yes to gelato (and pizza), no matter the time or place. That was my motto.

The Spanish Steps are the 138 steps between the Piazza di Spagna (at the base) and the Trinità dei Monti church (at the top of the steps). They are named after the Spanish Embassy near the base of the steps and have been around since the 18th century. We stepped away our gelato calories and were rewarded with a beautiful view on top.

We then walked for about fifteen minutes in search of Il Pincio, or Pinchian Hill, which I had read online was a beautiful place to catch a sunset in Rome. It did not disappoint!!

Once it started getting dark, we made our way back the same way we came, visiting the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain once again for a slightly different view. 

That was a full and fun first day in Rome. Next Travel Tuesday, I will share photos from our tour around the Coliseum and Ancient Roman ruins!