the italian job.

i know, i've been avoiding it for weeks, but i really do need to tell you about my trip to italy.  SO, i have written up the rome highlights and an working on venice and florence.  i am also attempting to kill two birds with one stone and use this (when it's finished) as my wawa news article.  so please excuse the capitals :)

For the Christmas holiday this year, I decided to travel to Italy with my wonderful friend Valerie and her daughter, Naomi, who I have also traveled with in the past.  The first week was to be spent in Rome and Venice with Naomi and then we would meet up with Valerie in Florence for the second week.  I had been to Sicily previously, but not anywhere else in Italy.  I was really excited about the idea of being in such a beautiful country at Christmas time though I was not super excited about the cold!  As it turns out, it was all magnificent and not as cold as anticipated!  Overall, it was an amazing two weeks, and I’d like to share some of the highlights with you. 

 

Rome

•  We arrived in Rome late in the afternoon and by the time we got into the city it was getting dark.  We were in the taxi, wondering how long it would be until we would arrive at the hotel when we turned a corner, and there it was – the Colosseum!  It was all lit up and looking amazing!  It was one of those moments where you think you might need someone to pinch you!

• On our first day in the city, we went back to the Colosseum to check it out first hand.  It really is an outstanding structure and it was so cool to see it in person.  We kept walking around and around and taking pictures, because it was beautiful from every angle!

• We took a tour bus through the city, the type that you can hop on or off whenever you feel like it, and it seemed like the best plan since it rained for the first three days that we were in Rome.  On the bus we caught our first glimpse of many of the famous and exciting sights around the city, including St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City!

• At one of our stops on the tour bus, we got off to look for the Trevi Fountain.  It was raining but we kept walking in search of this famous fountain.  We were walking through narrow cobble stone streets when all of a sudden, we turned a corner and there it was!  It is truly remarkable!  The details in the carvings are outstanding and it’s much larger than I had anticipated.  There is a belief that if you throw a coin into the fountain, it will ensure your return to Rome.  

• The Vatican City.  There is so much to be said, but it’s so hard to describe!  The Vatican City is the smallest country in the world and the only one that you don’t need a passport to get into.  We visited St. Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican Museums, and of course, the Sistine Chapel.  It was definitely a highlight for me.  To be there in person and see the work of Michelangelo, its hard to put into words really.  Did you know that Michelangelo was a sculptor and that the Sistine Chapel was his first attempt at a Fresco?  He had never done it before!  And he single-handedly created what became one of the most influential art pieces of all time.  Simply incredible!  We also mailed some post cards from the Vatican Post office which has it’s own stamps and everything!

• Aside from the highlights or must-sees of the city, we did a lot of wandering and enjoying the sights of Christmas decorations, Nativity Scenes, and a Christmas market.  We saw beautiful churches, the Spanish Steps, Obelisk’s all the way from Egypt, and tons more.  It was a great start to our Italian adventure!