Rome Day 1

There we were...a husband and wife, 12 years into marriage with 5 kids...sitting in an airport surrounded by people yet totally alone and looking forward to a week of adventure and relaxation. We knew it would be great but I don't think we could have known just how great.

It was a LONG day of flying. We had to fly to Detroit and then to Atlanta before embarking on a 9 hour flight to Rome. I was worried about not being able to sleep on the plane and sure enough I did not get much more than 30 minutes of shut eye total but we were able to check in to our hotel early and took a little nap before heading out for the day and it was just what I needed to adjust to the time change.

After a change of clothes we were off to discover Rome! Our first stop was Cafe Sabatini for our first real Italian pizza.

I must say I think you can take the girl out of Chicago but you can't take Chicago out of the girl. I have long been a fan of deep dish pizza with everything on it. This was no Chicago pizza. It was simple and thin, but tasty. If I had to choose a pizza to eat the rest of my life I would have to go back to my roots but I love that I can say I have eaten a real Italian pizza. Once we were nice and full our first stop was a church right across the way from where we were eating.

This is the St. Ignazio Church. We were not planning on going here but it was looking at us smack in the face and so we thought we would just pop in and boy am I glad that we did. I soon learned that you don't ever just walk past a church in Rome. Each and every one is beautiful and ornate and different.

This is the ceiling in St. Ignazio. I thought for a second I had just walked into the Sistine Chapel, but no, this was just your every day run of the mill church in Rome. Below is a bigger overview of the inside of this great church. Keep in mind that there are little alcoves off the sides that are filled with more beautiful frescoes and sculptures.

One of the coolest parts about this church is it's dome. You see that dome below, well it's not really a dome. The church was finished in 1650 but the money set aside to build the church ran out before the dome could be built so the artist built a 65 foot canvas to look like an actual dome. As you move through the church the dome changes shape and only looks like a complete dome from certain spots in the church. It was amazing to see in person and mind boggling to imagine how one could be so talented.

Next stop was The Spanish Steps but we made a pit stop for our first gelato. While this was our first I can promise you it was not our last. I think we had gelato everyday in Rome (maybe even twice some days). It was just that good. YUM!

Here are the Spanish Steps. They sit in the middle of the Piazza di Spagna and are at the end of one of Rome's most high end shopping with stores like Gucci, Louis Vuitton, Armani, just to name a few. This walk of shops is definitely fun to look but not touch. The spanish steps are a famous place to go and sit and take in some people watching and that is just what we did.

We sat and sat and then sat some more. Listening to the buzz of all the quiet conversations and watching all the different people and soaking in some rays. It was for sure a nice moment of our trip and again was one of those moments that even though there were tons of people it never felt busy . It was amazing.

We did lots more walking and saw some more cool fountains and churches and then headed back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. That night we went to Campo de Fiori that was another busy square filled with cafes and shoppers. Just around the corner from there is Piazza Farnese with another beautiful fountain but it was quiet and filled with the warm light of Rome at night.

We ate dinner right next to this fountain and enjoyed the company of one another. It was nice to sit and eat at a slow pace knowing we were not needing to rush home to pay a babysitter.

We took a long slow stroll home through the Piazza Navona where the Four Rivers fountain is located. This is a picture of the piazza during the day.

This is the fountain at night. The piazza is filled with people selling their beautiful hand painted pictures of sights all over Rome. This piazza and fountain was probably one of my most favorite places. The four great river gods represented the four known continents in 1650.
A great first day it was. We got to the hotel and collapsed from exhaustion. We had a great night sleep and were ready for one of the most amazing days of sightseeing ever. Day two, here we come!