Buon giorno!

Well, we made it. And our arrival definitely didn’t lack excitement or a true Italian welcome. We arrived in Rome yesterday at about 7:45am and FINALLY got our luggage and got out of the airport around 8:45pm. We managed to get ourselves on the right train to the main station in Rome, called the Termini, despite the mass confusion. That in itself was an experience. We arrived at the platform in the station to await our train and as the train arrives, we realize the 50-75 people standing just in our nearby vicinity were going to rush the same tiny 25 inch door within a matter of seconds! So with two 50 pound bags, 2 carry on bags, and a laptop bag, we pushed our way through to the miniature door, like a lively bunch of canned sardines. Despite having to haul our “light” load up the steep steps of the train while the door kept shutting on us, we managed to safely and quickly find seats.
Once we arrived to the Termini in Rome and walked out onto the streets, we realized the real adventure had begun. We had directions to the hotel but could not find any street signs to tell us which direction to start walking…So with bags in tow, we just guessed. Luckily within a block or two we stumbled upon some very nice older Italian men that were kind enough to confirm that our guess was correct and directed us to rest of the way. In fact, we were greeted several times walking down the street with individuals happy to guide us on our way. And surprisingly with no gratuity expected. Unfortunantly, the 700m that google maps said it was to our hotel was a little off. (For those that don’t know that’s almost a half mile.) Apparently we came out of the opposite end of the train station, therefore our half a mile walk became more like a mile walk, pulling our suitcases THE WHOLE WAY! Luckily, our hotel was fairly easy to find and upon entering the elegant little hotel we were greeted by a very nice Italian man who was sincerely happy to see us. Immediately he sat us down for some water and a warm cappuccino while he carried our suitcases up 3 stories of stairs!! Poor guy. And even though our arrival was several hours earlier than check in, he had it cleaned immediately so we wouldn’t have to wait long.
After quickly cleaning up and changing, we headed back out to sightsee. The realization that we’re in Rome still hadn’t quite set in till we saw the Colosseo. It was at that moment that I finally began to really believe we were here. To think that we were standing where the ancient Romans stood and gladiators fought was captivating. The history that we walked upon just boggled my mind.
We had read that we should go to the Roman Forum first and get tickets there and then we would avoid the long lines at the Colosseo, however in our eagerness to see the Colosseo we decided to just try our luck there first. Surprisingly, the line actually wasn’t that bad. I think we waited for about a half hour before getting our tickets. The experience though was, yet again, a true Italian experience. Much to my surprise, there were a lot of Italians waiting in the line. I guess I figured it’d be mostly tourists at sites like this. So not only were we packed into a very small area with a massive amount of people trying to get to a few small ticket windows, but all we heard around us was Italian. And you’d think they would have a better system of lines set up to accommodate the large crowds that come to see it, but that wasn’t the case. So we pushed and shoved our way to the ticket counter (not an exaggeration in any way) along with all the others and finally got our tickets to get in. And we were not disappointed. Wow, what a sight! The Colosseo was amazing! I probably could have walked around there all day taking pictures and still been just as enthralled as I was when we first entered it. We even saw animal bones from bears, boars and horses that they excavated from the site, confirming some of the types of animals they used. It was just amazing!
After spending a couple hours at the Colosseo, we ventured down to the Palatino and Foro Romano. Along the way, we decided to grab lunch and had the change to experience our first REAL Italian pizza! Yummy!
We decided not to get any kind of tour guide for the Palatino or Foro Romano, but just walking around seeing the ancient ruins was a history lesson enough. Plus occasionally, we’d join up with a tour group and eavesdrop to help fill in the blanks about information we didn’t know.
The rest of our day, we spent walking around these impressive ruins and Capitoline Hill, just soaking in everything we could. We walked the famous Capitol steps, designed by Michelangelo himself and even got to tour the inside of the churches there!
After walking till our feet hurt, we decided to head back to the hotel to relax for a bit. (We had only slept for about 3 hours on the plane and had been traveling for over 24 hours) After cleaning up and relaxing for a bit, we ventured out for dinner. Walking the Italian streets at night was everything I imagined and had seen in the movies. It was kind of magical and I loved it! We stumbled upon a cute little hole in the wall Italian restaurant, where we had our first actual Italian meal provided by a very kind old man and his wife. Mmm…it was delicious! Cheese raviolis with meat sauce & a huge calzone, plus fresh bread and homemade Tiramisu! It was great! Following dinner, we picked up a cappuccino and headed back to the hotel. Even though we didn’t want our day to end yet, we decided we’d call it a night so we’d be well rested and prepared for the next day. Therefore, concluding our first day in Rome. It’s been remarkable to say the least so far and we can’t wait to see what else Italy has for us!
Arrivederci!