Our Travel Blog

On Thursday, September 15th, we woke up at 5 AM to catch the train to Siena. Apparently, Rome was sad to see us go because it rained on the way to the train station. In our visit to Italy, there has been no language barrier. We have felt much more fluent with our rudimentary Italian than we actually are. The Italian breakfast of a cappuccino and cornetto (pastry, usually filled with cream, apricot jam, pistachio, or Nutella) is so good.  The train ride to Siena through the Italian countryside is gorgeous. Train times in Italy are approximates. If you have to change trains during a trip, there is no guarantee of making the connection on time. You may want to go ahead and factor in extra time and, maybe, a visit to customer service to take the next available train. If possible, purchase train tickets that don't involve a change.  We can't say enough about the hop on-hop off buses in Rome being a good deal. Some of the buses are even air-conditioned, which is handy in the mid-90 ...

We started our day venturing close to our AirBnB and checking out Santa Maria in Trastevere: Before a lot of crowds, we were able to make it over the Santa Maria in Cosmedin, which house the Boca di Vertias (Mouth of Truth): We had to have our Gregory Peck/Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday moments:   Here are some of the views within the basilica: Later on, we visited the Pantheon: One thing tourists do, and we were no exception, is visit the Gatti di Roma, an amazing cat sanctuary at the site where Julius Caesar was killed. We gave the kitties a "Ciao" from Marilyn (our kitty): We did so much, including having gelato at one of the best gelaterias in Italy, Gelateria S.M. Maggiore. A quote from Gary, "The gelato is so good, you can't take a picture or video of it. Gelato is supposed to be eaten, not admired." Before leaving Rome, we could not pass up a visit to the Trevi Fountain (Fontana di Trevi): Here's our view seeing the fountain at night: We did throw co...

We visited the Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, and St. Peter's Basilica. We had to start our day with the traditional breakfast of cappuccino and cornetto. Here is a view of gardens at the Vatican: The Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica can be overwhelming and you have to pre-plan your visit: After touring the Vatican Museums, we went to St. Peter's Basilica, where we saw the original Pieta by Michelangelo. This is a very moving piece of art. We also s aw the grave of St Peter the apostle when we went below to tour the grotto beneath St. Peter's. The history of the place is unimaginable. This is where we saw what remains of Constantine's Basilica, the original basilica built on the tomb of St Peter. A meaningful moment during the visit was seeing th e grave of St John Paul II at St Peter's Basilica. Many areas in the Basilica did not allow pictures to be taken. The ORIGINAL Pieta...very moving : The Baldachin in St Peters's was enormous. Pictures hav...