Grazie, Roma e Firenze

Jenn
Sep 23, 2024
10 min read

Italy is where our ambitious plans started to funnel down significantly (or did they?), so we honed in our travels on Rome and Florence.

We originally planned on travelling via the Amalfi Coast, up to Rome, up to Florence, then over to Spain. Common sense dictated we needed to cut something out, so sadly, we skipped the Amalfi Coast, which we have not yet seen, sigh... however, we could not bring the kids on a trip such as this and cut out Rome. Ridiculous. Plus it was one of the top places S wanted to visit.

We voyaged to Rome from Crete and it was eeeeepiiiiiiiic and continuous. Our travels went like this:

Overnight ferry from Heraklion to Athens. 9 pm to 6:30 am
Train, another train, then bus from Athens to Patras. 8:15 am to 11:30 am. Had brunch in Patras in an awesome and delicious cafe with great staff called Si Doux . Everyone stared at us walking in looking like zombies carrying backpacks. There were smiles of admiration (for S and B of course, not us) and some snickering too. We did look like a travelling circus, can't blame them.
Overnight ferry from Patras to Bari, Italy. 5:30 pm to 9:00 am.
Overcrowded bus and then train from Bari to Rome. 12:45 pm to 5:00 pm.
Taxi from Roma Termini Station to our accommodation.

I got tired just writing it.

That's 2.5 days of travel. S and B rocked it, the emotional regulation was overall quite excellent considering it was a big push. B's back got unbearably sore only once (poor kid), so not too bad at all. Upon arriving in Rome that evening we self-rewarded with a casual walk along the Travestere neighbourhood, good wine (juice for the kids, of course), and pizza. Mmmm, Cacio e Pepe pizza....

Admittedly we were tired, can you blame us? It's been hard sleeping in a new place and a new bed every one to four nights. This is why we decided during our journey to just base ourselves in Rome and day trip from there. Florence is only a 90 minute train ride away. This richly cultural city can easily take up two to three days to explore properly, but in the interest of staying put in one place overnight for a bit longer, it became a one day trip and we managed to pack in the top sites. I'm also glad we did this, as Florence was replete with tourists (yes, like us), and I was glad to not be staying for longer to further contribute to its seams bursting. So, here's a snapshot of our time in Florence.

Galleria dell'Accademia, Florence

Ah, the Accademia Gallery. The home of more than one Stradivarius (one with the Medici crest on it apparently worth about 20 million Euros, according to our guide!), beautifully preserved instruments, Michelangelo's David, and multiple other sculptures and works of art.

It's difficult to discern how much S and B appreciated this visit, and I think they did as much as they could, but I can personally say that seeing it now compared to when I was 20 was a more meaningful experience. Reflecting on being 20 (and I was travelling with other 20-somethings that could only joke about all the naked statues), seeing Michelangelo's David was interesting, but I didn't really get it. This time, appreciating the genius of Michelangelo's talent, and understanding that David was carved out of a piece of marble that other sculptors could not work with (it was a piece that cracked too easily, and the only piece ever that Michelangelo did not choose himself), helped me see David with the awe it deserves. We also learned more about Michelangelo the person, his childhood, and his obsession with perfection and working alone. Increased maturity (I hope, ha), interest and understanding, and being able to give the kids this experience fed into this visit being more substantial.

The Duomo

The Duomo is the vast, sprawling, pink and green complex which includes the Gothic cathedral, Santa Maria del Fiore, and Filippo Brunelleschi's Cuppola. We did enter the cathedral, but were unable to climb the dome, as we had to book in advance. I admit, when the Duomo comes into sight it doesn't look real, more like a facade that has been dropped down halfway from the sky. Maybe that was part of the intent? The exterior colours, interior mosaic floor and many beautiful paintings, combined with the sheer enormity made this a a jaw-dropping experience (but it was a fast jaw-drop, because clautrophobia, just so many people...).

Ponte Vecchio

Ponte Vecchio (Old Bridge) was the first bridge to cross the Arno river. It's unique because of its age and many built-in shops (so. much. jewellery.), but also because it has withstood floods and wars for hundreds and hundreds of years (there has been re-building, though). We gazed at it in lovely light, crossed it like fish going upstream with all the other people, and took some photos.

And that, is Florence. Ta da. It was a tight squeeze, literally and figuratively, but still stunning. The Accademia Gallery was definitely the highlight for us all, I think. Oh, and to better understand Florence, Italy and the Renaissance, you have to better understand the extraordinary power and influence of the Medici Family. We heard about it, but here, we can read about it.

Ok, on to Rome!

There is no corner a person can turn that doesn't delight. The entire city is striking and begging for attention. This was also B's food paradise. Three quarters of this family can get pizza-pasta-and-gelatoed-out. But not B. Specially his bottomless gelato stomach.

We stayed in two places in Rome, an apartment and a private room in a hostel. I was glad the kids had a snapshot of the hostel experience (well, a snapshot of a decent hostel experience, because we know from having stayed in many hostels in the past that sometimes they can be problematic or cringe-worthy). The hostel offered free breakfast to those who posted an Instagram story and tagged them, so I did just that.

Over three days we visited several must-sees in Rome. It's a lot...

The Vatican

We chose to walk everywhere in Rome, every path is so lovely and interesting, the weather was comfortable, so this just made sense. After lunch in a square in Trastevere, we took a long walk to The Vatican to join a tour and see the Vatican Museums. We arrived in front of St. Peter's square where we took some pics and then got some desert just a bit further down. The waiter was a goof and thought B was pretty cool and loved his hair, ha ha. I think we were fortunate to have that waiter, the other one kept turning people away and not letting them sit unless they had full meals.

The Vatican Museums tour was excellent, but again, exploding with people. We were told 35,000 people visited A DAY. It felt like a million. Extreme crowds aside, our very engaging and calm guide took us through the many rooms, halls and galleries that held extraordinary paintings, sculptures and tapestries. The end of the tour, and highlight of course, was the Sistine Chapel. Having seen Michelangelo's David the day before, S and B were able to see how there were no bounds to his genius and talent. Our guide explained that Michelangelo didn't even consider himself a painter, yet went on to paint the extraordinary ceiling (alone, by choice) over a four-year period, which left him with eye damage (paint dripping in his eyes) and chronic back pain. We were able to snag a spot sit on the benches to the side of the chapel for about 15 minutes so we could just stare up. I can again say, that like seeing the statue of David through a more grown-up lens, I truly appreciated, and felt honestly grateful, to once again see the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (no Sistine photos from me, as photography is not allowed), and to be able to show it to our kids for the first time. B even said it was his favourite tour so far! It's so cool to see what stands out to your kids and sometimes what that is, is unexpected.

Trevi Fountain

We decided to stay out after our early evening Vatican tour and head to the Trevi Fountain to see it at night. We walked on over, and S and B would ask, "where are we going?", and we'd answer to a fountain. Doesn't sound too monumental, specially when there are so many beautiful fountains in Europe. But when we walked up one of the narrow cobbled roads and emerged into the square with the fountain, we said, "This is the Trevi Fountain!" Now they understood. B said, "That's not a fountain, that's a whole building."

S and B made their wish in the Trevi Fountain, we told them how to toss the coin properly and then not reveal their wish! B asked if the wish I made the last time I visited came true, and I said I didn't remember my wish, ha ha. On a related note, like much of Europe, I read in multiple sources that officials are considering charging people to see the Trevi Fountain to help curb the amount of people there at any one point. Honestly, I do understand. Like I've said before, there was the type of busy we encountered when visiting Europe pre-kids, and the type of busy locals are dealing with now. Looks like we may have just squeezed in one of the last visits where the fountain is not barricaded and we get to just walk on up...

Near Trevi we got a table at a restaurant right on one of those lovely cobbled streets. It was a fabulous atmosphere and we had some very satisfying meals (yes, very delicious pizzas and pastas). Once again, B was popular with the waiter who joked around with him.

The Pantheon and Spanish Steps

Day 2 was a visit to the Pantheon and the Spanish Steps. For thousands of years, the Pantheon was a place where you could just walk in, this is what we did last time we visited, but as of 2023, this changed. We waited in line for only about 30 minutes, and purchased our tickets to enter. We walked around, looked at the beautiful art and sculpture, looked up at the opening in the ceiling, the oculus, marveled at the self-supporting dome, one of the largest in Europe, and saw Rafael's tomb. It was a short and sweet visit that allowed S and B to see one of the most beautifully-preserved, and still in-use buildings from the Roman period.

S and B wondered about the Spanish Steps (la Scalinata), why the big deal? To be honest, I've had the same thought, not because they are not beautiful, but because there are so many impressive and monumental steps in the world that don't get the same attention. Interestingly, an information plaque at the bottom of the steps referred to Audrey Hepburn's movie, Roman Holiday as using it as one of the locations, and I wondered if that's how it started to become such a hot tourist spot? Anyway, the steps link the Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Plaza) to the church at the top, and before they were built it was steep hill.

We spent some time at the fountain at the bottom (I had a scheduled work call during this time, perhaps the fanciest location I will ever have a casual work meeting) and just hung out before getting some pics in the evening light and heading off to have dinner.

The Colosseum and Forum (this is written by S, yay, you get a break from me, and I get a break from writing!)

We started of our day by waking up bright and early at 7 am. Today was promised to be an especially exciting day as we were going to the famous Colosseum. Probably one of the most famous sites in all of Italy. We made sure to get in a decent breakfast before calling a cab to get there. The wait for the cab turned out to be a bit stressful as our time for the tour loomed closer. Eventually we did get a taxi and were spirited off to the Colosseum.

We arrived at the Arch of Constantine which is right outside the Colosseum. Of course the Colosseum itself was breathtaking. It’s exactly as insane as you imagine it to be. We took so many pictures while waiting. The tour was a little late to start but eventually we started making out way towards the entrance. The tour guide was super nice and there were only 13 people in total in our group so not too many which was great. Once entering the first level of the Colosseum, we began the tour. We stopped at the bathroom along the way and to no one’s surprise, the line was very long. We managed to catch up with the others fairly quickly after though. We started in the main arena area where everything took place. Throughout, the tour our guide told us about different things that had taken place there and the history and purpose of each place we saw. The arena floor was gone, but underneath the floor were tunnels that were built hundreds of years ago, so we got to see those. We proceeded to the higher level overlooking the arena were spectators would watch from. As it turns out basically everyone was allowed at these events back during the time of the Roman empire. The events were much more open to the public and anyone could watch regardless of social status or class.

The tour took us a little ways away from the Colosseum as well to see the surrounding area. We took a stroll around the Palatine Hill and Roman Forum. The view from the hill was absolutely incredible. You can see all of Rome from there which is beautiful in itself. There are so many temples and ancient buildings scattered throughout the city which make it a truly amazing sight. That was the ends of our Colosseum tour. It was truly worth the visit.

We headed to lunch to have our last meal in Italy. Of course we got pasta as well as a Caesar salad. After eating we took a cab back to Trastevere (close to the area where we were staying.) We went around shopping for souvenirs to take back to people. Family and friends of course. At one of the gift shops I found a rack that was full of a bunch of small bunny stuffies. I took one of the hook, just out of curiosity and completely melted at how life-like and fluffy they felt. My mom, brother and I were all enchanted and both me and my brother (B) ended up getting one. My brother named his Jimmy Midnight and I named mine after my best friend. We bought a few more gifts and then went back to the hostel to pack.

We left the hostel a bit later and went to the ferry to head on over to Spain for our next leg of the trip. We had to wait a while before getting on the ferry and it seemed like there was some sort of school trip happening because there were tons of teenagers waiting. They all looked around 17 and there were a few adults with them. We managed to get on the ferry before them so it wasn’t stressful getting on. We got to the room and holy cow it was huge. Not like the other little cabins we’d been in. Apparently it was included in the Eurorail pass we have. The food at dinner was super overpriced but tasted alright. We went back to our cabin later and went to bed, ready to wake up the next morning and continue our journey in Spain. Italy was wonderful and definitely surpassed all expectations. Truly an awesome place to visit.