Rome, Italy - June 2016

Thickblackglasses and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary in June 2016 and decided we would take a trip to Italy - along with a Mediterranean cruise - to celebrate!

We started off with 2 days in Rome, you know, to see the most important sites first - ha! There's so much to see and 2 days just doesn't do it justice, but here's a summary of Day 1.

After many delays just to get out of the States we finally landed in Rome at midnight. We were supposed to arrive at 9 pm or so and the hotel said they would just leave a key at the door. Well, due to the delays there was no one around. Tracking down the phone number we made an international call from our US phones in order to find someone to let us into our room. Thankfully there was someone out and about only a few blocks away so she came to our rescue!

The hotel, Residenza Santa Maria, was a little place tucked in some back streets in the Trastevere neighborhood. The area is not real close to all the sites, but it was worth the extra walking and bus riding as it was quaint, quiet, and beautiful. There is easy access to the tram, the bus and taxis.

Due to our late start we missed our appointment to tour the Vatican Gardens (that included a pass to the museum). Unable to get a refund, we were told to re-book. Since we were able to get inside the Vatican without standing in line for 3 hours, we decided just to re-purchase the tickets for the museum. Yes, you heard that right, we by-passed a huge line of people waiting to get inside, so buy your tickets ahead of time!!!

One thing we did not know was how much there is to see in the museum before reaching the Sistine Chapel, the piece de resistance. So don't linger too long in the other parts, but don't forget to take it all in! Download Rick Steve's audio tour of the Chapel in order to get a closer look at the intricacies of Michelangelo's work. It is forbidden to take pictures inside too, so keep that in mind.


Luckily we visited during a Jubilee year for Catholics, so extra doors were open in St. Peter's Basilica. If you are Catholic I am sure you understand the significance but for me I was unsure what exactly that meant. For sure it means that more people than normal were visiting the Vatican during 2016.

The alter inside St. Peter's Basilica

Please note that Italy is very hot and humid during the summer months. If you can avoid traveling during that time I highly recommend the fall. If not, bring a water bottle. Rome is full of fountains to fill your bottle and keep you hydrated.