Skip to main content

Rome

On to Rome from Barcelona. Ryan and I have have been to Rome multiple times and hit all the major sites but will re-do some things for Sam.  


August 26:   We arrived in Rome and the heat continues.  We had a restaurant reservation for a place recommended by the guide who is doing our golf cart tour tomorrow which turned out to be on point.  With that and gelato we had a successful Italy day (pizza or pasta + gelato is all I need for a successful Italy day).  Henceforth, I will be pursuing pizza or pasta + gelato daily while in Italy.  

August 27:  We hopped on the Rome golf cart tour bandwagon.  This is where a guide takes you around Rome in a golf cart so you don't have to walk everyone in the heat.  We saw the Colosseum (from the outside - inside tour scheduled for later in the trip), Circus Maximus, Piazza Venezia, Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps, Pantheon and a few other spots.  It worked well for us given it was a very hot day and we would not have been able to hit all of these spots otherwise. 






I was advised about a feral cat colony in Rome (Feral Feline Colonies Torre Argentina) so we of course had to go there as part of our European Cat Tour that we seem to be on. The colony is within some ruins although the cats were inside when we went due to the heat.  



August 28:  Not so hot today!  This day has been declared by Sam as "the best day of his life" (after further consideration it was bumped to #2 after any day he spends at his friend's house).  We had a Colosseum tour scheduled in the morning including a tour of the underground which Ryan and I did not do on our prior Colosseum tour.  Definitely a good tour (through our go-to company - Walks of Italy).  Sam was the only kid on the tour and got lots of extra attention and then promised by the tour guide to get a "really big gelato" for being so good.  The experience of seeing and learning about what happened with the gladiators and animals was great, although horrific and barbaric. 






We decided to schedule a pizza making class for all 3 of us.  It was not the most organized event we did but it was fun.  Sam was engaged and actually made a pizza so hoping he can be inspired to take on some cooking back in Amsterdam.
A swing by the Trevi Fountain for a night viewing.


The day ended with the previously promised "really big gelato".  


August 29:  Today we are heading to Spoleto, Italy which is a smaller town in the Umbria region. 

Location: Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Italy

Comments

  1. Kate WagnerSeptember 25, 2023 at 3:05 PM

    Sam's non-smiling in photos might be my favorite!!! Gelato is always the answer!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Broken Bones & Dutch Healthcare

  It seems inevitable that we would have a medical emergency while living here resulting in a test of the Dutch healthcare system. The image above accurately reflects the perception and often reality of the healthcare here. We have been lucky so far with getting the care we need by 1) being prepared with medical records from the US to prove our case, 2) researching and advocating for ourselves and 3) annoying the huisart (primary care doctor) enough that she gives us what we want so we stop asking. 😝 During recess at school, Sam fell while playing a game with his friends and another friend fell on top of him. I was told that he initially wanted to keep playing but the teachers had him go to the nurse, who then sent him back to class. His teacher reached out to me since it seemed like he was in pain and I picked him up.  I spoke to the nurse when I picked him up who said he seemed fine and to monitor him. Fast forward to us realizing he was not fine. We called the huisart (a r...
1 comment
Read more

Morocco

For Sam's February school break we went to Morocco.  We were looking for warmth and also ready to explore beyond Europe. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency (amazing resort) in Taghazout, a small fishing village that is south of Marrakesh and north of Agadir.  More Morocco photos here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/eATCUb6Cc4rRoyLYA February 17:  As per usual we opted for a flight that was not ideal so we could save money.  It was a later flight with a connection through Casablanca, arriving in Agadir airport close to midnight.   Sam slept on the car ride from the airport to the hotel but perked up when we found out we had been upgraded to a room with an ocean view (thanks to friend Jasper!!).  This kid continues in his quest for only the finer things. Very elaborate towel and curtain art! View from our balcony at night: View from our balcony during the day: February 18:  Today was dedicated to nothing except explo...
Post a Comment
Read more

Italy 2024

Italy is certainly not new for us but we planned to hit a few cities that we hadn't been to before including Venice, Verona and Bologna. Then to Marche and Umbria to visit Jim and Gretchen and Ryan's parents, similar to last year. Venice (August 23 - 26) :   I went in with low expectations of Venice due to over-tourism and overall bad reputation it seems to have. I was pleasantly surprised! The canals are truly unique (per my Belgium post, I do love all canals!) and it has all the Italy things like good food, wine and culture.  Given the time of year I think we hit it when it wasn't as crowded as it normally is but that meant we found ourselves roasting in the heat again.  We did the standard gondola ride and toured the Doges Palace and St. Marks Basilica. More Venice photos here:   https://photos.app.goo.gl/V9JkNQP9rens9An78 Sam's photography skills are sometimes pretty good: And sometimes not the best: Verona (August 26 - 28) :  This is probably my ...
Post a Comment
Read more