Trip to Rome

When my family was here back in June we took the train to Rome and spent one night. Last time Clark and I went to Rome we went one day and came back the same day and spent 12 hours wandering around the city. It was a lot. So this time we definitely wanted to stay the night and my family wanted to make sure to get the most out of their trip to Rome. The second day we were there we spent the morning at St. Peter's Basilica which I already did a post on and then my mom and little brother headed to the vatican museum. This post is all about the first day we were in Rome.

The first thing we did once we arrive by train station to Rome was catch a cab to the Colosseum. We took the fast train from Naples to Rome and it's about a 55 minute trip. Unfortunately, for us a lot of the Italian public transportation was on strike the day we went which meant the metro was not running but what is fortunate is here in Italy they schedule strikes well in advance and give people the heads up so we were prepared. We took a tour of the colosseum and got to go out on the gladiator floor which is a new feature. We wanted to do the underground tour but it was sold out but this tour was really good too. We booked it through City Wonders and highly recommend it, our tour guide was very good and informative as well. Last time Clark and I went to Rome we didn't do the Colosseum tour so it was fun to do it this time. We were told you can't conquer Rome in a day so we didn't try on our first visit haha.

After the Colosseum, we explored the Roman Forum a little bit on our own which was fun. Then we got tickets for the hop on hop off bus and made our way around the town to check into our hotel. We stayed at Charming Nuova. We needed enough space for 4 adults so this was a really good option. There was no AC which wasn't the best but it was a good hotel in a good neighborhood. It was very close to Piazza Nuova and about a million gelato shops. We also hit up the Pantheon and got in right before closing time, lucky us. 

We then got back on the hop on hop off bus and made sure to see the Spanish steps, Trajans column, where Julius Caesar died which is now the home to 157 cats, and lots and lots of fountains. Luckily when we visited in June all the fountains were still running. I heard that the last few weeks they have shut them off because of the drought that is happening in Italy. I think at some point on the bus we each had fallen asleep. See pictures below, haha. We also used the company Big Bus Tours and just bought the tickets when we boarded the bus. This tour company had the best reviews for hop on hop off experience. The first time Clark and I went to Rome we used the company City Sightseeing bus and we thought it was just fine. 

Another must see was the Trevi Fountain, of course. We saw it on our first visit to Rome but it never disappoints so we went back. It is so massive and amazing. Go through a coin in it and make a wish and hope that an Italian pop star thinks you are his singing partner alla The Lizzie McGuire movie. My little brother had never seen that movie so once we got home we watched it and he thought it was so cheesy haha. Clark and I were like this is our childhood!!! I think it came out when we were around 11 or 12 years olds. 
love, Carlee

Tank top: Old Navy

Leggings: Nike

Nike Shoes: Famous Footwear

Purse: JCPennys