Rome, Italy- Day 1 Colosseum & Piazza Navona
Rome.
Its a Family Trip we have had on our radar (of course!) since moving to Sicily, but I can honestly say, I was kind-of putting it off…. The idea of all 6 of us trying to navigate yet another big city, constantly full of tourists and chaos, had me so hesitant… BUT, you cant live in Europe without going at least once, right?? So, big girl panties, lets roll!
When Andrew and I started planning this trip, we originally thought we would go in February- We figured “Hey, the Italians dont really like cold weather, it will be less crowded!” Yet after doing extensive research we learned its almost always crowded, so instead we decided on a Christmas Trip! You know, twinkling lights draped over a city over 2,700 years old- a beautiful, awesome Holiday gift!
So we booked it all- a cute little Air BNB Apartment in Piazza Navona, walking distance to restaurants and shops and a Christmas Market—- for Dec 8th! Low and behold, it was an Italian Holiday…… womp womp womp. We couldnt have chosen a busier weekend! Damn, shoulda known better!
Rome proved me wrong on my fears… Although it was slammed everywhere we went, we had a mostly beautiful trip- Our Place was so sweet, the Host even snuck in a Christmas Tree while we were out on our first day, and the twinkle lights lining the cobblestone streets were just as I pictured… Getting out before the sun rose and eating as soon as the restaurants opened cut the chaos of crowds down, and immersing ourselves in Ancient Culture, well, that is just something I still pinch myself over.
As we arrived early on Day 1, we decided to do the Colosseum… Visiting in person a place you only see in movies, history books, travel guides, documentaries, well it is just really the best History Lesson we could give- There is a very very sad and barbaric History to this place, but looking up in awe of a structure that has been standing for almost 2,000 years will still blow your mind…
There are so many other ruins around the Colosseum to visit! You can walk along the streets, visit gardens, watch all of the street performers, grab a Gelato- Its an area of Rome to just get lost in… The Heartbeat.
We had dinner at a little Irish Pub, as it was a solace away from the shoulder to shoulder crowds waiting for the Tree Lighting in main Square, then headed over to a Christmas Market in Piazza Navona…
Views from our Apartment…
Day 2 is coming up next! Let me know what your favorite parts of Rome were! Till next time- xoxoxo