Rome!

Rome is everything you expect it to be, only bigger! We arrived a few days ago after a 4 hour train ride from Cinque Terre. It took us about an hour to find our hotel dragging our bags through cobble stone streets. Our hotel here is awesome. Casa Howard is a small boutique residence with beautiful furnishings and impeccable, yet personal service. (that sounded like an ad didn't it?) We're staying in the Zebra room that is dramatically decorated in red and black with accents of zebra.

The day we arrived we were able to see the pantheon which is the oldest church in Rome where Raphael is buried. We also made our way to Piazza Nuovo which has a gorgeous fountain in the center.

After having some wine and bruschetta we met up with our Australian friends that we had met in Greve again. Ebali is a unpretentious little restaurant hidden in the winding alleys behind the Nuovo. The decor was farm house chic and the drinks and food were incredible. After dinner we went to a bar called The Drunken Ship and ended up playing beer pong until 2am.

Yesterday we went on a 2 hour tour of the Vatican. What an interesting place! Although I thought the Sistine Chapel would be the highlight, to me there were so many other incredible works of art by Michelangelo. Learning the history of the catholic church and how the pope has been tied to and interacted with the rise and fall of Rome was very fascinating. After a desperate late lunch at a tourist restaurant by the Trevi fountain we got Gelato and took pictures in front of the fountain and threw coins over our shoulder I love the Trevi fountain!

Rome is chaotic and noisy, historic and interesting. I'm glad we're spending our last few days here. Today...The Colosseum!