“Rome is the city of echoes, the city of illusions, and the city of yearning.” — Giotto di Bondone
I first visited Rome during my honeymoon in 2021. It was the COVID years and, as expected, minimal other tourists. I immediately fell in love with this magical, historic, city where every turn can take you to an ancient structure or new adventure. My precious wish at the Trevi Fountain was to come back. 1 year later, I was able to! So some wishes do come true.
Rome is the capital and most populated municipality of Italy. Rome’s history spans 28 centuries making it one of the oldest continously occupied cities in Europe. It was first called The Eternal City by poet Tibullus in the 1st century BC, and it’s other nickname is Caput Mundi: The Capital of the World.
My favorite and the most familiar myth of the founding of Rome is the story of Romulus and Remus, the twins who were suckled by a she-wolf.. They decided to build a city, but after an argument, Romulus killed his brother and the city took his name. The Roman Reupblic followed the overthrow of the monarchy. After that they adopted a system of elected officials including consuls and a senate. This period saw a significant expansion and territorial control through military campaigns and the development of a strong legal and administrative framework.
Day 1:
We spent our first evening in Rome having an amazing meal and walk around the city. After all, you learn a lot about someone and someplace by sharing a meal together. We didn’t have a reservation and were fresh from a hike at Cinque Terre. We took a cab (which I highly recommend as an influential Roman experience) through the winding narrow streets of the city to Michelin nodded restaurant ‘Colline Emiliane.’
I cannot recommend this restaurant enough. We didn’t have a reservation but I looked up “can we have a table for two please?” in Italian (“Possiamo avere un tavolo per due, per favore?) and the host welcomed us with the warmest Italian welcome. The food was out of this world and the Nona of the kitchen came out and interested herself along with her son and walked us through all their recommendations and dishes.
After filling our bellies and our hearts we took an evening walk around the city. Just by absolute chance we ran into the Trevi Fountain. Because it was the covid days, the Trevi Fountain was remarkably un-crowded with only a few couples sitting at the benches on the periphery.
I’m happy to report, my Trevi Fountain wish came true and a year later we were able to return to Rome with my mom, step-dad, and little sisters. Magic really does exist~!
Day 2:
On Day 2 we visited the Vatican City. This is a sovereign city-state which is enclaved within Rome. It became independent from the Kingdom of Italy in 1929 with the Lateran Treaty. It is governed by the Holy See, itself a sovereign entity under international law. It has an area of 121 acres and a population of aboout 882. The highest state functionaries are all Catholic clergy of various origins. The city-state is naturally ruled by the head of the Catholic Church: the pope. At the time when we visited, their had been two popes living at the Vatican for the first time: the retired pope and his successor Pope Francis.
The entire Vatican City is a UNESCO World Heritage site, recognized for its historical and cultural importance. Some interesting Vatican facts:
- They have their own army. The Swiss Guard, a historic military unit, is responsible for the Pope’s protection
- The Vaticacn City is known for its high per capita wine consumption
- ATM instructions are in latin, reflecting the official language of the church
- The shortest railway in the world is in the Vataican
- The Vatican maintains an astronomical observatory in Arizona, USA
- Citizenship is not granted by birth, and as noted above the population is very small.
If you’re so inclined, I would highly recommend booking a tour to see the Vatican. It’s not really a “walk in” kind of place. One thing that struck me about the museum and tour was just how much gold there was. I felt like every artifact or display was gold. Having no religious beliefs myself, I didn’t have the connection to the place that some tourists may, so I wouldn’t necessarily rush back.
My favorite part of the Vatican museum was the stunning spiral staircase at the end of the museum. I believe it leads straight to the gift shop — classic move.
The Spanish Steps:
The Spanish Steps climb a steep slope between Piazza di Spagna at the base and Piazza Trinita de Monti, dominated by the Trinita dei Monti church, at the top. There are 135 steps and it was built under the patronage of the Bourbon kings of France at the top of the steps and the Spanish Embassy, to the holy See in the Palazzo Monaldeschi at the bottom of the steps.
Made infamous by The Roman Holiday (1953) starring Audrey Hepburn, the steps have appeared in numerous films, songs, and even video games (The Mario Kart Tour!). My favorite part of the area, besides the scenic peaceful view, is the Keats and Shelley house located just feet away from the main steps and was were Keats took his last breaths of his all too short life.
As to why it’s called the Spanish Steps, the name was taken from Piazza di Spagna (The Spanish Square) which was in turn named for the Spanish Embassy to the Holy See. The actual steps were designed by Italian architects and funded by a French diplomat.
In the next post I’ll cover our visit to the Borghese Gallery and the moist amazing Roman food tour! Thank you for reading and I hope this helps plan your own visit to Rome.
