Italian Summer (Rome)
Side profile of the Trevi Fountain on the Piazza Di Trevi in Rome, Italy (picture taken by Anieka Sarmer)
This past June, I spent the most amazing two weeks exploring central Italy with my family. I had the chance to experience one of the many rich, ancient, and widely famous cultures of the world. We went to the beautiful Tuscan hills, walked through the infamous Pompeii, and swam around the Amalfi Coast. We also spent a few days walking around the streets of Rome, where the adventure began. Although we only stayed a few days, I learned and experienced so much about Roman history and culture. Keep reading to learn more about the historical artifacts/ landmarks I visited during just the first four days of my trip. At the end of my itinerary, I list some suggestions for your own Italy trip, which you may already be planning for next summer.
My Itinerary in Rome
The Spanish Steps
Spanish Steps in Rome, Italy (picture taken by Anieka Sarmer)
We were lucky that we found an affordable room available only steps away from Piazza di Spagna, which is the square at the bottom of the Spanish Steps. Because we were so close to the tourist attraction, we saw this landmark daily. We never got tired of it. There were people there at all times of the day. Even when we stayed out and ate midnight dessert at Babington's Tea Room, there were people roaming the square and sitting on the steps. We even had the pleasure of spontaneously stumbling upon the premier of Mission Impossible on our way back from Vatican City our last day. Before crashing at our hotel, we got to see Tom Cruise and Rebecca Furguson walk down the steps and interview with local reporters. I would highly recommend visiting this area of Rome, either for a stroll down the streets surrounding the Piazza, shopping for clothes, sitting on a terrace with a glass of wine, or simply to take pictures with the steps.
The Trevi Fountain
Trevi Fountain on the Piazza Di Trevi in Rome, Italy (picture taken by Anieka Sarmer)
The same day that we visited the Spanish steps, we also strolled the short 15 minute walk to the Trevi Fountain. It was not the best time to do this, because it was a Saturday in the middle of a June day. There were hoards of people taking pictures of and with the fountain, pushing past each other and photobombing each other's pictures, simply to get the better angle. We admired the Fountain briefly, before continuing on to the Pantheon. We saw the Fountain again, later in the evening when there were less people, and then again late the following night. There will always be people everywhere, but going in the middle of the day is asking for chaos. The Trevi Fountain was the first creation of Rome I saw in real life, and it will be one that I dream about seeing again. The Fountain, designed by Nicola Salvi, and built by Giuseppe Panini, is one of the most famous Baroque creations in Europe, towering over the streets of Piazza di Trevi with a Godly presence.
The Pantheon
Pantheon in Rome, Italy (picture taken by Anieka Sarmer)
Once we had seen the Trevi Fountain, we continued walking and visited the Pantheon. The Pantheon was originally a Pagan Roman building created in 27 AD, which was later turned into a Catholic church around 600 AD, after Rome became a Christian state. The building was originally used for science and space exploration, the dome carved into the center of the ceiling meant for ancient Roman scientists to observe and research the solar system. On particular days of the week, tourists need to be part of a guided tour in order to step foot into the Pantheon. Lucky for us, we were approached by a tour guide, who still had room in his group and let us join. The Pantheon is a spiritual place, like many ancient buildings in Rome, so when you plan to visit this structure, make sure you dress accordingly. Keep your shoulders covered, shorts / pants that cover above the knees, wear closed toed shoes, and take hats off. I was impressed with the Pantheon and its ancient past, but the Pantheon is one of many ancient structures still standing in the city of Rome. I had just seen the tip of the iceberg.
The Colosseum, Roman Forum & Palatine Hill
A view of the Colosseum's arena from above in Rome, Italy (picture taken by Anieka Sarmer)
On our third day in Rome, we took a guided tour of the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, and Palatine Hill. The Colosseum, finished in 80 AD, is the oldest standing amphitheater in the world, created for the entertainment of the people of the Roman Empire. If you've heard of the Gladiators, slaves of Rome who were trained by their masters to fight each other in games, this building is where millions of people gathered to watch them fight, two millennia before our time. We walked through the stands where people once sat on bleachers row after row, and looked down on the arena where these gladiators performed.
Our guided tour also took us through the ancient artifacts of the Roman Forum, a square forum which at the prime of the Roman Empire, was the center of city life. In parts of the forum, there are artifacts which are from the 7th century BC.
Our tour took us to the top of Palatine Hill, where the imperial palace of Rome was located. From here we had a view of the entire Forum, the Colosseum and the city of Rome. Even if you're not interested in history and the ancient world, the Roman Forum and the Colosseum are something you must see when you're in Rome. Standing in a place, where centuries ago an ancient civilization, which has had so much impact on modern society functioned, is a surreal feeling.
Vatican City (Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum & St. Peter's Basilica)
View of St. Peter's Basilica from the center of Vatican City (picture taken by Anieka Sarmer)
The following day, we took a tour of Vatican city; the smallest country in the world, but one of the most influential in western history. This is the home of the Pope, and where the creation of the Roman Catholic Church, which colonized most of the tribes located in Western Europe, began. My family and I woke up at the crack of dawn that morning and took the metro to the Vatican, where we last minute joined a guided tour of the Vatican Museum. The tour also gave us access to the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Basilica, even though they were not part of the guided tour. I loved everything I saw in Vatican City, but my favorite was stepping foot into St. Peter's Basilica. It was an experience I will never forget.
When we walked up to the entrance of the Basilica, there were priests all standing in a line with a golden septum held high above their heads. They were singing a prayer in Latin, and as we joined the crowd, the Catholics in the crowd joined in on the singing. The doors began to open, and the hoards of people shuffled along behind the priests into the Basilica. Being in that church with all those people praying in Latin completely surrounded by religious art, was the moment I felt the strongest spiritual presence in my life. It was a beautiful moment that I was lucky to have and will never forget.
The Basilica is the home of Michelangelo's statue, La Pietá, of the Virgin Mary holding the corpse of her dead son Jesus after he was crucified on the cross. It's a very emotional piece of art, one that I had the pleasure of seeing in person in this Basilica. La Pieta is just one of many holy paintings and sculptures within the church to decorate the tombs of christian influences like St. Peter himself. If and when you're in Rome, I would highly recommend you take a day to explore the Vatican, and take in the true beauty, wealth, and strength that was the Roman Catholic Church.
Michelangelo's La Pietá at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City (picture taken by Anieka Sarmer)
Do's & Don'ts in Rome
Don't eat in restaurants located around Tourist Attractions
Eating in touristy areas is simply asking for overpriced and unauthentic food, which I would assume is what no traveler wants to deal with, myself included. What I would suggest doing, is step a few blocks away from the center of that touristy area, wherever you may be, and find a quaint restaurant or café. Once you've escaped the center of tourism, you'll find food that's reasonable and authentic to the Italian palate.
Don't buy art sold on the street
If there is a person sitting on the side of the road painting a landscape and selling their painting for cash, including American currency, the art is most likely not their art. The art is most likely a template, which a bunch of other scammers also use across the city. Our first day in Rome, we stumbled across one of these scammers on the street, and my sister really liked one of his paintings. We didn't have enough cash on us in Euros, but he was willing to take our American money. She bought that painting and later that day, we found a bank connected to our bank in America, to take Euros out of our accounts. Stupidly, we ran into the same scammer again on our way back to our hotel, and bought another painting from him. Three days later, we were walking through the streets around the Vatican and found another guy painting on the street. He was selling many of the same paintings, including the exact same one my sister bought the first day.
Don't pre-book group tours for Tourist Attractions
You may think that you need to book your tours months in advance before your trip, when in fact, you can show up at said tourist attraction and walk around the streets, until you find a tour shop that has availability that day. My family and I didn't have a single tour booked, except for our tour of the Vatican, which ended up getting canceled. For every attraction we wanted to see, we arrived at the attraction early in the morning and walked around, until we stumbled into a tour shop. We would ask if they had availability for four people that day and it worked every time.
Find a hotel room in the center of Rome
Our hotel was only a few feet from the Spanish Steps in the center of Rome, which was very convenient for us. The metro station is to the right of the bottom of the steps, which made it really easy for us to get to different parts of Rome. We had easy access to all the shops, restaurants, and cafes all in perfect walking distance. This was how we were able to walk from our hotel, to the Spanish Steps, to the Trevi Fountain, then to the Pantheon, and then back again for dinner. No matter what, you will be walking a lot while in Rome, but having your rooms located in central Rome makes things easier.
Take the Metro for transportation
Besides walking, ubering, or taking the bus, using the Metro is a fast and cheap way to get around the city. I believe it was only 1 Euro per person to take the metro each way. To get from the Spanish Steps to Vatican City, it only took a 20 minute commute, and all we needed to do was hop onto the train. The metro can also take you to the main station, where you can transfer to trains traveling to other Italian cities. This is how we got from Rome to the Amalfi Coast.
When searching for an adventure, simply walk down a new street
The beauty about being in a European city is that you don't need to look very far for entertainment. We celebrated Father's Day while we were in Rome. In the evening, we picked a random street we had never walked along before, and ended up in a Piazza, where a musical festival was taking place. There were DJ's and popular Italian musicians/ bands showing up to perform throughout the evening, and into the night. We found a restaurant that overlooked the event, and had wine, dinner and dessert while listening to the music. This city is always buzzing with people, which some may find annoying, but I found very exhilarating and entertaining. Definitely take time to visit those tourist attractions, but also take time to simply wander the streets. You'll have the most interesting experiences.
Me inside St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City (picture taken by family member)
Thank you for reading. Hopefully, this post helped you with planning your future Italian summer vacation. This isn't the only blog post of this series. I will be publishing more blogs, about my experiences in Italy this past summer, over the next few months.
So with that being said, follow me on instagram, @aniekasarmer, for updates about new blog posts and future destinations.
Now go out and explore the world!
Love,
Anieka ♡
