rome travels part 2: the world is mine

Hey guys! Uni has me swamped and I’m now coming back at you with a very late rome travels part 2 post! I’m just gonna jump straight into it cause I’ve got A LOT to talk about Rome still (expect a coffee talk coming soon where I’ll talk about what’s been going on in my life, goals and upcoming plans). If you missed my last post about the first half of my trip to Rome last year then you can find it here.

MONDAY. (again) So I left my last post hanging after spending Monday morning at Castel Sant’Angelo and having lunch which fuelled us up for the long ass walk to Palatine Hill and Roman Forum! (Let’s ignore the fact we took an insanely stupid route there and walked all the way around the outside of the Palatine which took about an hour cause we dumb af lol)

It was like stepping back in time when we entered the site of ruins. Palatine Hill provided stunning views across Rome (although it kept drizzling when we were there) and the Roman Forum contained remarkable ruins of a destroyed ancient city – a hub for political and social activity during the reign of the Roman Empire. Holding noble churches and the burial ground of Julius Caesar, it is remarkable to see that these marble and stone buildings are still standing from the 7th century after the demise of the Roman Empire. What always shocks me the most about such old buildings is how on Earth they built them without the technology we have today. Buildings of incredible height and mass welded together by men and intricate details carved in – it truly baffles me how they did it (but coming from an empire that nearly took over the whole world, you wouldn’t expect anything less eh).

Anyway, enough of a history lesson from me – I’ll let these pictures speak for themselves and my experiences of it.

The walk around the Roman Forum and up Palatine Hill was exhausting and it started pouring down by the time we finished! (it was funny to see the lookie lookie men running to swap their water bottles and sunglasses for rain coats and umbrellas – lemme tell you, they’re something else, I gotta respect their preparation and sales technique dependent on the weather lol)

We picked up some snacks and more water in the little Italian Tesco’s and headed back to our apartment for a lie down, nap and refresh before having tea at the cutest little Italian restaurant ever! It was local to where we were staying and didn’t seem very touristy at all – it seemed to be a real hit with locals and felt like a true Italian restaurant you’d picture in movies! After filling up on the most delicious food we headed down the road to see Vatican City at night. The smallest independent country in the world guarded by walls and police is so very beautiful at night. The details in the architecture are stunning and the sound of the water fountains so relaxing despite the armed police around.

TUESDAY. Our last day. Up bright and early cause today we go to the Vatican Museum! Now I tried to book these tickets in advance but I left it a little bit late and the advance tickets for everyday of our trip were sold out (unideal and I highly recommend booking in advance). We queued for a loongggg ass 2 hours in the morning sun to get in and we could’ve easily spent the whole day there – there was just so much to see and do! The sculptures and artwork were incredible and yes, I am still baffled by how they created such detailed and intricate sculptures and architecture all the way back then.

Of course my favourite part of the Museum was seeing the Sistine Chapel. (but lemme tell you, they straight up prank you with signs ‘Sistine Chapel this way’ and it takes you on a tour around half of the museum before you get to the chapel. don’t get me wrong I really enjoyed seeing everything but it isn’t very ideal when you need to pee but you’re stuck on this tour trap)

The Sistine Chapel is honestly breath-taking. Of course no pictures are permitted in this holy area (and we respecting that here unlike the many tourists trying to secretly snap pics inside). The famous ceiling painted my Michaelangelo is incredible. I’m lost for other words to describe it if I’m honest. The only downside to the chapel was the sheer amount of people and tourists in there. There was never a moment of silence and everyone packed in like sardines. Taking a moment to sit and appreciate it all was hard with hundreds of tourists murmuring and trying to sneak a pic. Nonetheless I thought it was truly remarkable and I’d love to go back!

After the Vatican Museum we intended to go to St Peter’s Basilica but we took one look at the queue and swerved. It was longer than the Vatican Museum line that morning and would’ve taken us about 3 hours to get through it! (defo book in advance if you can, I need to return back to Rome to see inside)

By this point it must have been around half 2. We took a walk along the River Tiber, past Castel Sant’Angelo and ‘The Bad Place’ (I believe it was either the head police station or something along those lines). We cut through cute little Italian alleyways and past cute shops and found our way to the Trevi Fountation.

We stopped off for a fancy dinner at a restaurant not 2 minutes away from the fountain. The best rigatoni I’ve ever had in my whole lil life and then off to see the Pantheon by night! (It was pitch black outside by the time we finished tea) We took a long wander back to the apartment and took in every inch of Rome we possibly could, had a good nights rest for the flight ahead the next morning.

We spent 3 full days exploring Rome and it just wasn’t enough! I fell in love with this city whilst spending my time here with the person I love most in the world. Despite the fact we had only been together for 6 months at this point, I knew Euan was the guy I wanted by my side for all future adventures! (and a big shoutout to him for managing to put up with me for that length of time lol)

I really want to go back here one day soon and this time I know what’s on my list for next time! (St Peter’s Basilica, Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Colosseum lit up at night) It’s truly the most beautiful place I have ever been with a piece of history around every corner (literally!!)

Thank you so much for reading and I’ll be coming back at you soon! Have you every been to Rome? Do you want to go? Let’s talk in the comments below and give this post a cheeky like (maybe even a cheeky follow too) and don’t forget to check out my instagram where I am super active!