Visiting la Cittá Eterna and around it

We had been waiting for this trip for a long time, we had planned every second and then loved every moment during the journey. We started by flying from home to Rome, via Paris where we got to walk around for a day before continuing to Italy. We made sure to take advantage of each second in this great city. Paris is an amazing city, with so much to see and do; it is filled with history and art, it makes you wander at every street corner. Since we were short on time, we quickly picked up our carry-on bags at the airport and took a train to the city. Here, we started out by walking to Notre Dame and Shakespeare & Co. the amazing book shop. After having quickly gone around the church, we walked all the way to Champs-Élysées, found a pretty café to have some lunch and then strolled towards the Arc of Triumph. Walking through these streets and just crossing the bridges of the city is amazing and great to get a feeling of the city even if you’re there for a short time. Once our time was up, we got on an Air France bus by Champs-Élysées which took us back to the airport.

After a wonderful day in Paris, we were pretty tired when we reached Rome. Still, we took the subway all the way to the Piazza di Spagna where we walked by the famous stairs and found a small pasta restaurant to inaugurate the trip. Then, we turned back to the Hotel PortaMaggiore, that was located, as its name says, right by the ruins of the Porta Maggiore and the aqueducts. Our days in Rome were incredible, we mostly woke up early each day and walked everywhere we could, seeing all the amazing monuments, like the monument to Vittorio Emanuelle, the amazing Cistern and of course the Coliseum and all the ruins that are around the entire city. There are amazing things to do in Rome, like renting and driving a Vespa through the streets, or visiting all the incredible churches that fill the city and the greatest plan of all, visiting the Catacombs.

While in Rome, even though it’s practically in the city, we took an entire day to enjoy the famous Vatican City. This religious city is beyond anything you can imagine, filled with art and things to do. One thing to be aware of, is that there is a dress code to go in the basilica and some of the museums in the city. Early in the day we chose to enjoy the Saint Peter’s Basilica, tour around the building and then climb up to the top of the cupola to enjoy the view. Then at midday we gathered at the square to listen to the Angelus, when the Pope will come out to a balcony over the square and talk to the enormous crowds that gather there from all around the world; it was an incredible feeling of unity among the cameras, people and flags from all around.  Finally, we took the afternoon to visit the Vatican Museum, which includes the incredible Sistine Chapel. This place is filled with amazing pieces of art by icons and will be worth your while. This trip made our visit to Rome complete.