Oh Roma! Bellissima città!

NOTE: Dates posted are incorrect, as I reposted this blog from somewhere else!

20/3/12

Pizza was the first thing on my mind when I stepped off the plane into the city of Rome. But as I gazed out the window in the taxi, ​my desire to consume a big cheesy carbfest melted away, and all I wanted to do was soak up every bit of history and culture and art that this place was made up of in the short time I had here. Here's a snapshot I took after stepping out of the cab. 

We spent three hours here. The first hour I was at the front of the tour, eagerly asking questions and snapping pictures of just about everything. By the third hour I was scanning the ruins for the exit sign. My point? No matter how amazing it is, don't waste three hours of your precious time in Rome in one place. Move, move, move! You've got a lot to see!

If you're wondering, yes, the pizza is incredible. I thought maybe it was in my head, that I was just hungry and I wanted Italian pizza to be the best so badly that I'd deluded myself into believing it was actually that good. But when my grandmother swooned as much as I did, I took it as a good sign- she doesn't even like pizza.

The galleries are wonderful, I'd especially recommend the Borghese Gallery and the Palazzo Barberini Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Antica. Like I said, though- as tempting as it is to linger by each painting, don't spend all day inside the museums or you'll regret it.

The infamous Trevi fountain was my favorite stop in Rome. Don't you dare leave without spending even just a few minutes here. It's arguably the most beautiful fountain in the world, and people throw coins into the water to make wishes. I threw about four. 

The shops are so beautiful to look at, with artsy window displays showing off daring pieces I can't imagine ever seeing in the US. My dad and I wandered through the lit-up streets at night when there were less people walking around and it helped me pick and choose which stores I wanted to go back to the next day. I loved listening to him rave about the architecture around us, pointing out things that he hoped I'd gain inspiration from. 

Oh! And random fact, the word "door" in latin is "iuana", or Juana, god of gateways to new beginnings.  In Roman culture, a man's door would be a form of self-promotion. However grand and opulent the door, echoes the interior of the home. This was a very important matter to politicians, who kept their doors easily accessible as if to say they were open to the community and there for the people.