Rome

A bonus of living in England is that you can take trips to other countries for the same cost as a trip to a neighboring state in the U.S. We used the latest half-term break from school as a chance to visit southern Italy. First stop: Rome.

The first time I went to Rome I of course enjoyed it, but it was also just a little bit of a let-down. I was expecting 1950's movie set Rome, a la Roman Holiday, and instead found it was intensely crowded, hot, and sometimes dirty. This time, going with different expectations, I was impressed by how beautiful and grand a city it is.

Anya liked the legend of Trevi Fountain. She threw four coins, just to be sure she'll return someday.

We mostly brought our girls to Rome to see the Forum and the Coliseum. We were advised to buy tickets at the short line going into the Forum instead of the monstrous line at the Coliseum, which proved to be good advice. 

One thing I wish we'd done differently is get up and go when it opened at 8:30. By the time we'd finished wandering around the Forum and made it over the Coliseum, the girls were hot and tired. They were excited to see it, but weren't up for spending extensive time for a more in-depth tour.

Mike discovered that Rome from 6 to 9 or 10 in the morning is a very quiet place on the weekends. If you're looking for a Roman Holiday experience, that's the time to be out wandering.

I love the contrasts of Rome: tiny stone streets too narrow for cars leading to grand piazzas.

Stone sculptures and fountains are everywhere in Rome.

This is the view of the Pantheon early Sunday morning, pre-crowds. 

Same spot, with the crowds of early evening.

This is a view of St. Peter's Basilica from across the river.

Looking out at Rome from the river it seems like such a sleepy place. 

Most restaurants in Italy are closed in between lunch and dinner. Instead of hovering outside the door waiting for the restaurant to open for dinner, we kicked back at this local park.

Our girls were such good diners in Italy. They liked the bread, pizza, pasta, salami, some of the cheeses, pastries and gelato. You might think, "Of course - who wouldn't?" My girls tend to take food pickiness to new levels, so I wasn't at all confident they'd enjoy it until I saw for myself.

Our time in Rome was very short, but I think we covered the parts my girls would most enjoy. Someday they might wonder how they went to Rome and didn't manage to see the Sistine Chapel or any museums, but if the Trevi Fountain legend is true, they'll be back again someday to see more.