Week 2 Part 2: Rome & Cinque Terre
2017 Europe Trip: Week 2, Part 2
Rome & Cinque Terre
Rome & Cinque Terre
It’s been 2 years since I traipsed through Europe with Lindsey and Mary Pat (and Paul and Mom) and had the time of our lives. TWO whole years & I still can't believe how magical it was (& I still won't shut up about it— sorry not sorry)
Every time I look up at my bedroom wall of postcards, I think of a special moment, sight, or food from our trip.
When I glance at my postcard of the famed Coliseum, I think of our first night in Rome after a dinner that really was mediocre, but afterwards we stopped in a corner bakery for a chocolate dessert (of course) and walked right down the street to the Coliseum. We saw it all lit up at night, watched a group of teens take photos in their formal dresses for a school dance, and gazed up recognizing just how huge and ancient that seemingly-unfinished venue is.
When I see my other Rome postcard, of a colorful sunset behind St. Peter’s Basilica, I think of how sore our feet were and how sweaty and exhausted we felt after walking almost 9 miles over about 10 hours of sight-seeing. I think about how lucky but unworthy I felt standing in front of John Paul II’s tomb, how inspired and awestruck I felt as we craned our necks to see every inch of Michelangelo’s artwork on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.
I see my picture of the Trevi Fountain and I think about how exciting it was for us girls to live our childhood Lizzie McGuire-inspired dreams of flipping a coin into the fountain and making a wish, but still how hilariously frustrating it was to try to get the perfect picture with hundreds of tourists around.
Even though many months have passed since I visited Italy and shared a blog post, I figured why not share stories about the rest of our trip?
Somebody may find it entertaining, interesting, or useful. And if they don't, I am happy to write these memories for myself to look back on and enjoy.
How This Works
It’s been a long time, so you probably don’t remember, but I used a similar format for each of my posts about our trip that summer. I’d like to tell you about 4 main topics, but I’ll keep it brief so you can start planning your trip to Italy and looking for your new favorite gelato shop.
1) Favorite Attraction
2) Favorite Food
3) Favorite Drink or other aspect
4) Advice for Travelers
On an Evening in Roma
Rome, Italy
Rome was one of the most exhilarating and exhausting parts of our Europe trip. We had just about 48 hours in the Eternal City, and we had to the make the most of it. The time crunch made this portion of the trip very busy.
Favorite Attraction: The Vatican
St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel are absolutely breathtaking. Even if you know nothing or care very little about religion, Catholicism or the Pope, it would be impossible to not be amazed at the painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and the monstrosity of the dome in St. Peter’s Basilica.
I thought I knew a thing or two about Catholic history and church architecture. My knowledge was reduced to a tiny handful once our tour guide explained how deceiving the size of this church is. St. Peter’s Basilica could fit each of these massive landmarks inside of it, under the dome, with plenty of wiggle room.
-The Statue of Liberty (including the pedestal)
-Air Force One (the plane, not the shoes :))
-The Great Sphinx of Ghiza
-Disney World’s Cinderella Castle
-The Eiffel Tower
-Air Force One (the plane, not the shoes :))
-The Great Sphinx of Ghiza
-Disney World’s Cinderella Castle
Favorite Food: Gelato
Source: TripAdvisor
Favorite Unique Aspect: Roman Guards :)
Instead of a favorite drink in Rome, I’m going to add one of our favorite unique aspects of the city.
One thing we noticed in Rome more than in other cities was the amount of military personnel throughout the city. From the airport to Piazza Venezia to the Coliseum to the Trevi Fountain, there were Roman guards in combat boots, camo jumpsuits, and hats shielding their vigilant eyes and sunburnt faces.
Every man and woman in military uniform was incredibly fit and athletic. They intimidated me but also made me feel very safe, especially because everywhere we explored was high in foot traffic and packed with tourists.
No surprise, they were all extremely attractive (no photos unfortunately– can't disrupt a man in uniform). If only we’d had a few more days in Rome, we could have made some friends and gone out with these guys for a glass of wine :)
Advice for travelers: Don't underestimate the size and breadth of this city
It’s true what they say… “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.” I think in some ways, we did a good job of this, and other times, we just did too much. I'll blame myself for that— I love being a tourist. My desire to see touristy sights and participate in popular activities is a trait that often works well with short trips such as 48 hours in Rome.
After those 48 hours, however, I think we need to coin a new phrase that says "When in Rome, wear the comfiest shoes and clothes you own.”
In order to look good and feel good while you’re eating so much food and walking everywhere, you’ll need to have your most supportive walking shoes and a comfortable, breathable outfit, especially in the summer!
Sogni della Spiaggia ~ Dreams of the Beach
Cinque Terre, Italy
Every time I visit a new place, whether I’m passing through for a few hours or staying for a few months, I always imagine what it would be like to live there. I picture what I would like about the area, what I would dislike, what I would love to eat and drink. I even think about who my friends would be, and especially what sights I’d feel lucky to see and live near each day.
In this case, the new place was Cinque Terre, which is actually made up of five little towns along a tiny tucked-away coastline northwest of Florence. After five hours of sleep in Pisa and a few hours sitting on a train to La Spezia, we had to remind ourselves that
1) we barely had 48 hours in this new land, and
2) the only way to visit all of them was by train through the mountain or on foot through the hiking paths.
As much as we wanted to hike the full 4-hour trail, our bodies couldn’t handle more than a half hour of hiking up steep, beautiful staircases to see a couple of breathtaking views. For the rest of our time there, we enjoyed the swift train rides on the tracks that weave in and out of the mountain. There is an incredible awe—of physical human ability and of nature’s power—that comes from speeding through a mountain, in and out of darkness, seeing flashing light and crashing ocean waves every few seconds.
I would love to bore you and talk about my increase in appreciation for civilization and natural rock formation… but instead, I’ll stop attempting to rhyme, and I’ll tell you what to look out for on your trip to visit the beautiful “Five Lands” on the west coast of Italy.
Favorite Attraction: Monterosso Beach
Why: this slice of paradise was exactly what we needed after 2 jam-packed physically-exhausting days in Rome. We each paid 10 euro for a half-hour back massage, complements of a sweet Spanish lady right on the beach. Sounds creepy but it’s absolutely worth it. I dare you to try it and tell me you hated it.
There are few sights more stunning and relaxing that turquoise water lined by a beachfront, layered with a boardwalk of houses in every pastel shade of house, all weaving between the mountain tops.
Favorite Food: Focaccia
The Cinque Terre region is known for their focaccia bread and pesto sauce. We stopped at Focacceria in Corniglia for a snack. No matter how hot the weather was or how many tourist crowds we had to maneuver through, this focaccia bread was worth it.Each square of bread had different toppings, like a pizza. Of course, as 24-yr-old now paying rent in a big city, I’ll still eat frozen pizza occasionally, but no form of pizza will ever compare to the mouthwatering, savory concoction of a fresh focaccia in Cinque Terre.
Favorite Drink: Daquiri Bucket at Bar Colpi di Timone
The difficult-to-find but impossible to miss Bar Colpi di Timone is a great pit-stop on your Cinque Terre visit. Their sweet Italian staff will welcome you with open arms, bowls of chips and salsa, and nonstop country music. The blogs I read told me this spot would be a nice reminder of home, and they were absolutely right.
Everybody knows that frozen drinks and country music are the foolproof way to put you in a happy, summery mood.
Our daiquiri bucket (costing less than 20 euro) was a mixture of strawberry, passion fruit, banana, orange and alcohol-goodness. Make sure not to miss your train after a few of these.
Advice for travelers: Understand the train & trail situation
Don’t waste money on a train pass—no one ever checked our tickets.
Just hop on the train and enjoy the view. (not my go-to in any city– I prefer to be over-prepared– but in this case it was perfect to save that money and just enjoy the ride)
Also, if hiking is a must-do activity for you, make sure to allow extra time to walk the trails. My favorite photos that are on my street vendor postcards would have only been snapped in person if we really trekked up the hills a bit inland… but we chose beach cocktails and sunbathing, and I can’t say we were disappointed with that decision.
Please click back again some time...
I'll be creating a new post at least once per month about adventures in daily life, but usually about travel experiences.
~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_
#fountainfails
~Shoutout to other bloggers~
ROME | Jurga of FullSuitcase | @fullsuitcase
https://fullsuitcase.com/tips-planning-trip-rome/
CINQUE TERRE | The Savvy Backpacker | @savvybackpacker
https://thesavvybackpacker.com/city-guide/cinque-terre-travel-guide/
All photos are mine unless otherwise noted.
The thoughts, opinions, stories and images in my blog do not necessarily reflect those of the company I work for.
Comments
Post a Comment