Rome, Italy
This is one of two posts from our trip to Rome in the December and January of 2018/2019. You can see our Excursions from Rome in a separate post.
Christmas Day Blessing from the Pope
We arrived in Rome on Christmas day around 10:00am. Our goal was to get to the Vatican by noon for the Pope’s Christmas Day blessing. Since we pack only in backpacks and don’t check luggage, we wasted no time and made it just in time. We even had time to drop our bags off at our apartment which was a ten minute walk from the Vatican. That was a very special Christmas Day treat! It compares only to Christmas Eve mass at Notre Dame. The rest of that day we walked around the area to take in the sites. We were a little worried about finding food that day since it was Christmas Day, but we didn’t have any trouble. There were several options. We had dinner near the apartment and just outside the Vatican at a restaurant called Pizzeria Tavola Calda.
The pope speaks on Christmas Day
Colosseum
The next day we took the bus to the Colosseum. The underground system is limited in Rome because there are so many underground ruins as you can clearly see as you walk around the city. It mostly runs around the perimeter of the city. We actually walked to most places around the city, but when we didn’t we usually took the bus. We bought a few bus tickets at a time. The best place we found to buy them was at tabacchi shops.
*Travel Tip for Italy Tabacchi Shops (tobacco shops) are important places for travelers in Italy. They are the easiest way we found to buy bus tickets. We bought SIM cards for our phones there for a good price too. They also sell postage stamps, personal care items, snacks, etc. They are everywhere and are usually easy to find as they are marked with a big capital “T” on the outside of the shop.
We got off at the bus stop at Piazza Venezia, which was good because the short walk from there was a perfect path to take to the Colosseum. We ate lunch at a great restaurant along the way right by the Colosseum at Angelino ai Fori.
We had purchased skip-the-line tickets for the Colosseum in advance on this website. These tickets include the Colosseum, the Roman Forum and Palatine Hill. The Colosseum ticket must be for a specific day a time. We didn’t get a guided tour. Instead we used an audio guide by Rick Steves that we had downloaded to our phones. We thought it was a good guide. We also used his audio guides for the Roman Forum, the Vatican Museums, a walking tour of Trastevere, and the tour of Pompeii Thank goodness we had already bought tickets because that line was very long, even in December. We were able to go straight to the security line, which was still a wait but not too bad.
The Colosseum
Trevi Fountain and Spanish Steps
After our Colosseum tour we walked all around the area taking in all the amazing sites. Just as it became dark we arrived at the Trevi Fountain, threw a coin in, and then made our way to the Spanish Steps. We had dinner nearby (can’t remember the name of the restaurant). Then we started walking back to the apartment. We stopped back by the Vatican City to see it all lit up. I think we actually stopped by the Vatican almost every day because it was so close to our apartment.
Trevi Fountain
Spanish Steps
The Vatican
Roman Forum
We had lunch the next day at Boncaffe Bondolfi, a restaurant near our apartment and then went to the Roman Forum. These tickets were included with the Colosseum tickets. Then we walked to Trastevere, a very colorful, authentically Roman neighborhood with lots of traditional Italian restaurants and shops. We had dinner at Carlo Menta, and then, as we did after every meal, found gelato. Just outside the gelato shop we saw the Basilica di Santa Maria, a must-see on our list, so of course we went in.
Roman Forum
Basilica di Santa Maria in Trastevere
Sight-Seeing
The next day we met a photographer that I had hired and had pictures taken. We also did a lot of walking that day and that evening in the Colosseum area just sight-seeing. We had a very nice dinner at Delizie e Sapori near the Colosseum.
Piazza Fiorenzo Fiorentini, a gorgeous park in Aventine Hill
A serious discussion…
Imperial Forum
Excursion to Pompeii and Naples
Our excursions are in a separate post. You can see them here.
Trastevere Neighborhood, St Peter’s Basilica
We returned to Rome on Christmas Eve. That day we took a walking tour of Trastevere. This area has so many beautiful homes, churches, bars and restaurants. Every turn looked like a postcard. Afterwards we went inside St. Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican. There is no charge to go inside, and the line was surprisingly not too bad. We didn’t realize until we were already inside that mass was about to begin. It was nice to be there during mass, but because it was so full I wasn’t able to get best photos. Still, I have photos. It was unbelievably gorgeous and surreal.
Trastevere Neighborhood
St Peter’s Basilica
Piazza Navona and Circus Maximus
Our goal was to be at Circus Maximus near midnight and see the fireworks behind the Colosseum, so we walked that direction and stopped at Piazza Navona for dinner. We ate at a restaurant called Strepitoso 33. It was not great and was very expensive. Almost everywhere we ate in Rome was good, but this was our least favorite. Then we walked to Circus Maximus. There were concerts, food, lights, and tons of people! It was a spectacular New Year’s Eve!
Piazza Navona
Circus Maximus
Pantheon and Churches in Monti
The next day we had lunch at Papa Rex, a restaurant near our apartment. They have the best calzones! It was not our only visit. After lunch we went to the Pantheon, although we couldn’t go in because it was New Year’s Day. We walked around the Monti area and went to the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the city’s four major basilicas. We purchased tickets there and had to wait in a 15-20 minute line. We also went to the Basilica of San Clemente, church with a simple exterior but a dazzling ornate interior with frescoed ceilings and marble floors. We had dinner at Massenzio Ai Fori by the Colosseum, near the Monti area.
The Pantheon
Basilica of San Clemente
Vatican Museums
We had lunch again the next day at Papa Rex. It was very close, and I really wanted another calzone! We had tickets that day for the Vatican Museums. Like the Colosseum tickets, these tickets must be purchased for a specific date and time. We got them on this website in advance. They include entrance to the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. After a full day at the Vatican we chose to have dinner again at Boncaffe Bondolfi since it was very close and on the way back to the apartment.
Vatican Museums
Exploring
We did a lot of walking and exploring for the next couple of days. We walked a few neighborhoods and went to the Museo Nazionale Romano (National Roman Museum).
Excursion to Frascati
Our excursions are in a separate post. You can see them here. We took a pasta making class, had a wine tasting, and met several cool people from around the world. It was really fun!
The Catacombs of St. Callixtus
We went a few levels underground and toured the Catacombs of St. Callixtus, the official cemetery of the Church of Rome in the 3rd century AD. Very cool but a little creepy. I was glad I didn’t know we were that far down at the time. We bought tickets at the entrance. We went back through Piazza Navona that evening and had dinner at Ciro and Ciro. And then, of course, gelato!
Gelato in Piazza Navona
Excursion to Tivoli
Our excursions are in a separate post. You can see them here. Read all about our hike, a beautiful way to end an unbelievable trip!