I love Rome so much that I think it deserves not just one entry, but two.
I have been around the city so many times (and I just fall in love with it over and over again) but I've visited the Vatican and the Fontana di Trevi only once. I was with two other Filipina crew so we knew it was going to be fun.
Our stops - S. Pietro and Fontana di Trevi
We took the hotel shuttle to the city and took a bus ride going to the Vatican. The Vatican is about 20-30 minutes away from the city and as any other trip that you take for the first time, the drive itself is an experience on its own.
We took the Number 64 bus from Plebiscito to San Pietro
The Vatican is a city-state, unofficially the smallest country in the world, occupying an area of approximately 44 hectares with a population of 800. It is ruled by the Bishop of Rome - the Pope, and is home to the Basilica di San Pietro (St. Peter's Basilica) - regarded as one of the holiest Catholic sites. I grew up Catholic and so it was a great honor to have set foot in Vatican City.
Basilica di San Pietro
I came there in a sleeveless dress and they restricted entrance to people wearing shorts or skirts or anything skimpy. You had to buy a shawl to cover up which costs like 10 Euros! I thought they wouldn't let me in bit I was able to sneak in without being stopped. Oh my. I felt like I had cheated on a church - at the Vatican, no less - but hey, I was dressed perfectly decent in my opinion.
The whole church was unlike anything you've ever seen before. There were sculptures everywhere with craftsmanship so detailed, stained glass windows with intricate details, a piece of history everywhere you look.
List of Popes
They say you have to make a wish every time you set foot on a church for the first time, so I did.We were even lucky enough to have charmed one of the staff in the church into getting our souvenirs (rosaries, prayer books and even got a bottle of holy water) blessed by the priest.
At the Apostolic Palace
Waiting for my cute Italian. Everyone in Italy is so handsome!
From the church, we went to Fontana di Trevi, another must-see in Rome. It is the largest fountain in the city and one of the most famous fountains in the world. Of course, I got to make a wish there, too.
Fontana di Trevi
I remember at one point of this trip, we took a bus going somewhere and we had to get off our stop and I was still chatting with the person seated beside me (I like chatting with other tourists) and the bus was so crowded, I couldn't squeeze my way out and the door closed with my two companions already out and me still inside the bus.We didn't have each others numbers, the next stop wasn't far so I got off and decided to wait for them there which luckily they thought of, too.
We had so much fun, ate cheap pizza from the street and made a new friend at the gelato store so we got free scoops. I looooove gelato. I love ice cream so much already but I love Italian gelato even more!
Local street pizza
GELATO!!
I got to make two wishes that day and it came true. Want to know what I wished for?
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