Long Days With Endless Cups of Caffè was just what the doctor ordered for these two seniors traveling in the Eternal City – Rome!
One week in Rome – the Eternal City – drinking endless cups of espresso & cappuchinos was just what the doctor ordered to enable us to see as much as we could of all the beautiful sights! Ha. We only had a week but we were up for the challenge! Rome, let’s not even go into the country itself, had so much to offer in sights & history. Even knowing it would be a short trip, we were totally up for the challenge to see how much we could crowd into those seven days! With no solid plan, we took off for what we knew would be an awesome trip. Holy smokes, we’re going to Italy!
Let’s jump in right now! Previous trips had been extended vacations of at least three weeks meeting The Big Guy in a country for his R&R break. This trip was another amazing vacation BUT different. The Big Guy was back home for good after his job in the Middle East had been completed. This trip would definitely be a more relaxed vacation but definitely shorter in length. One of the daughters was staying with us at the time so, of course, she jumped when we asked if she wanted to go with us to Rome as this would be her first time traveling internationally.
We left the hotel each morning with no cement plan of action other than to see where our walk would take us that day! First stop was always our favorite Italian bakery for the best sweets you can imagine & then to a coffee shop for cappuccino & espressos to start our day. We hustled from place to place each day like crazy to see as much as we could soak in of Rome! Museums, markets, ruins, food & yes we drank our share of the best Italian Caffè! More on that later in this post.
Some Interesting Facts about The Eternal City – Rome:
1] Population of Rome – The Eternal City
Did you know that Rome got its name “The Eternal City” because Romans believed Rome would live forever! With a population of one million by 50 BC to its present 4.2+million, these numbers make this city one of the oldest & most populated cities in Italy. The city, & country for that matter, has seen a population dwindling since 2015 mainly because of the drastic drop in birth rates for the country.
2] Italian Coffee
Who knew there were so many types of coffee in Italy! No matter your coffee type you will find the perfect one for you. My favorite was & still is the cappuccino, which I really over indulged on our trip! It was amazing! My mistake was drinking them all day long – evidently it is supposedly a breakfast or early morning coffee. The Big Guy & Jordan loved the espressos. It would be hard to say who drank the most coffee in one day! I teased Jordan that I think she just liked drinking the espresso from the tiny little cups. Ha. For a bit of coffee culture check this out.
3] Beaches
To me, the Italian beaches are like the coffees in Rome. So many of them! We took the Leonardo Express to get us to the Cristoforo Colombo stop so we could visit the beach. Once we got to “the beach” we discovered the beaches are divided into stabilimentis – private beaches such as private, military, specific club, pay to enter, etc. We walked what seemed like a couple miles to get to the public beach. It was crazy packed & hotter than heck but we were excited to hit the water…but
WARNING – Let me warn you….the sand was the darkest brown – just beautiful – with gold speckles that literally glittered from the sun hitting them. Our ‘guide’ carried the chaise’ for us to ‘our area’. While The Big Guy & Jordan were following the guide, I got distracted & walked out towards the water. When I realized I needed to catch up with them I stepped off the boardwalk & holy toledo I thought my bare feet were on fire. I had foolishly given my sandals to The Big Guy to hold for me & so….The sand was really that hot!!!!! I fully expected to see blisters on the soles of my feet once I made it to the blanket to cool my feet. There wasn’t any. Ha.
4] Piazzas
Who knew Rome had so many piazzas! Piazza Venezia & Piazza Navona were two beautiful areas we actually were able to adventure around. I think I would recommend doing a little research before your trip to make a plan of where the numerous piazzas are located to each other for ease of adventures!
A few of the must see sights in our one breathtaking week in the Eternal City!
1] Trevi Fountain
The Eternal City’s Trevi Fountain is the largest Baroque fountain in Rome at 86 ft high & 161 ft wide with the statute of Oceanus standing tall in the center! It is probably one of the best known sites in Rome as it has been the back drop for many movies over the years. Movies using the fountain as settings include Roman Holiday [romance], Three Coins in a Fountain [finding love after tossing coin in fountain] & La Dolce Vita [note: bathing is not allowed in the fountain] just to name a few. For a history of the beautiful Trevi Fountain read here.
This is an absolutely MUST SEE on your trip to Rome. It is free costing you only the coins you will toss into the fountain AND a little patience to get around the others shooting photos – to get that perfect shot. I read that the coins are collected & used for charity. While we are on the subject, there is a proper way to throw your coin in the fountain at least that is what we were told that day. Stand with your back to the fountain, your coin in your right hand & then toss it over your left shoulder. That was pretty easy. Having tossed your coin the correct way will insure that you a return trip to Rome. I’m still waiting for that return trip!
According to legend, the number of coins you throw into the fountain or where they land will bring you different luck? An easy search online will find interesting stories about the fountain.
2] Piazza Venezia
This square is the centerpoint for four major roadways to intercept. There are so many sights to photo shoot just from this central building. This building has served many needs over the years but presently it is a Museum of Medieval & Renaissance Art.
3] Arc of Constantine
This is one of many ruins in close proximity of the Colosseum & is well preserved of the ruins.
4] Miscellaneous Sights in the Eternal City
5] Colosseum & Additional Ruins
6] Pantheon
Built almost 2,000 years ago & probably the best preserved of all Roman buildings, the Pantheon was initially built as a Temple to all Gods. For more interesting facts about The Pantheon visit here!
7] More Architecture!
We did plan on visiting the Vatican but once we got there the line to enter was down the street around the sidewalk & we just didn’t have it in us to stand in that line. I’m sure there are tours you can take but it wasn’t on our plate that week.
Even if we had a month in Rome, I really don’t think we could have covered everything there is that Rome has to offer! This post, I hope, gives you a glimpse of the sights we visited on our very short trip. If it gets you to thinking about a Roman Holiday than the post worked! The Trevi Fountain & Colosseum were my personal high points. Having said that, please enjoy your walkabouts thru the residential neighborhoods & check out the amazing architecture of every building.
We all tossed our coins properly [!] into the Trevi fountain so I am pretty sure we will be going back for another visit one day as we still have a whole lot of Italy to discover!
Peace, Joy & Happy Traveling!
