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| Christmas Eve at the Vatican |
Ciao from Rome!
Trev and I arrived in Rome at 00:30 (12:30am) on Christmas Eve and we have been covering the entire city on foot since then. After a short stay in a hostel near the main train station (Termini), we took our luggage across town to our hotel near
Sant' Angelo Castel. On the way, we stopped by the Piazza de Spagna (
Spanish Steps) and hiked to the top of the steps for a great view of the city. We could even see the Vatican in the distance. There was a huge Christmas tree and a nativity scene at the top. We crossed the river and found our hotel (Hotel Sant' Angelo), left our luggage, and headed back outside for an adventure.
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| View from the top of the Spanish Steps |
While walking along the river, we saw the Vatican and decided to head there. The plaza was packed with crowds for Christmas Eve. The line to get into the Vatican wrapped around the entire plaza and was 4-5 people thick.
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| Vatican panorama |
After grabbing a bite to eat, we walked to
Piazza Navona, which has a famous Christmas market. The entire plaza was packed with crowds, stands selling all sorts of goods (including nutella crepes!), fair games, pictures with Santa, street performers, and more. We stopped to eat our pizza at the fountain in the middle and watched the crowds of people walking by. Then, we headed east to the
Pantheon and enjoyed viewing the sky through the famous oculus in the ceiling of the 1800-year-old church.
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| Trev in the Pantheon (panaroma from iphone) |
After a short break to adjust to the time change, we headed out to find dinner. I was distracted by a street filled with Christmas lights, so we headed that direction, which ended up taking us to the Spanish Steps. The giant Christmas tree was a lit up and had lasers shining from the top. The square was crowded and lots of street vendors were selling glow sticks and other fun glowing toys that were flying high into the sky. We walked down some side streets filled with beautiful Christmas lights and found a place to enjoy a nice Italian dinner.
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| Christmas Eve at the Spanish Steps |
Even though we had been going strong since 9am, that did not deter us from walking the 10 blocks to the Vatican for Christmas Eve mass at midnight. We joined the crowd, which almost filled the entire plaza in front of the Vatican, to watch the end of the ceremony. We also saw a huge Nativity Scene near the Christmas tree and obelisk in the middle of the plaza.
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| Christmas Eve at the Vatican |
On Christmas day, we walked to the
Piazza del Popolo, then took the metro to the
Trevi fountain. The sun was shining bright on the fountain and it was stunning. After taking a few photos and almost falling in, we hopped back on the metro toward the Colosseum. However, since it was Christmas day, we missed the connecting metro because the station shut down. So, we walked about 15 blocks from the Termini to the Colosseum.
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| Trevi Fountain |
The entire street leading up to the
Colosseum was blocked off by police and setup for pedestrians only (a nice change since most of our trip has involved dodging crazy drivers). We ate lunch at the Colosseum next to the large Christmas tree and then walked to the
Arch of Constantine and explored the
Roman Forum from the outside (it was closed). We also enjoyed viewing the
Vittoriano (or as some call it "the wedding cake"), which is home to the tomb of the unknown soldier from WWI.
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| Christmas at the Colosseum |
We spent our evening at the Spanish Steps and walking along the popular main street, which was packed with people at 9pm even though most of the stores were closed.
Today is our last day in Rome. I found a great lookout spot (Gianicolo) on the west side of the river. It was a hike up 200 stairs in a side alley, but the view was spectacular. I could see the Vittoriano, many churches, and the Sant' Angelo Castel. At 12pm, a canon went off nearby and all the church bells rang across the city. It was a moment I'll never forget (especially since I did not know what the loud explosion was until later). I headed down the river and stopped by Campo de Fiore and Piazza Navona to enjoy the markets before heading back to the hotel to rest.
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| Piazza Navona Christmas Market |
Tomorrow, we catch a train to
Venezia (Venice). More photos and blogs to come soon.
Merry Christmas (Buon Natale)!
Torrey & Trev
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