When in Rome...

Aggie and I definitely did as the Romans did =)

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Quick Summary:
1. Funny moment at airport -
Me: What scares you most about flying?
Aggie: That there are no strings attached

2. Meals are broken up into Antipasta (appetizers/really FRESH cheese), First Course (pasta only - CARBS!), Second course (meat only). Didn't know this, but once we found this out, we took FULL advantage, hehe. We even took advantage of all that bread and fresh cheese Italy had to offer, we just dipped it in Olive oil, salt, and pepper (YUMM!)

3. "Caffe"(expresso) and Wine are drank like its water - daily, w/ every meal, and in-between meals. Sheesh. I was a coffee hater, but in Rome, I drank coffee every morning, had at least 2 expressos every day, and had my snacks w/ cappucino. Now that I'm back to NYC, I'm going back to hating coffee =P (btw, 'Diet Coke' is called 'Coca Cola Light' there)

4. My typical Italian talk during the vacation: "Molto bene, uncle Bene" (Very good, Uncle Bene - a personal joke bet. Aggie and I), "Gracie" (Thank you), "Prego" (You're welcome), "Buon Giorno" (Good morning/afternoon), "Buena sera" (Good evening), "Arrivederci" (Good Bye), "Ciao" (see you later), "Cuanto?" (How much), "Dove" (Where)

5. On every block and corner there are numerous Gelaterias - places to buy gelato and other sweets. Gelaterias are like what deli's are to NYC.

6. Aggie moment: "Let's go over there to scratch our asses".. LOL.. what she REALLY meant was "Let's go over there to stretch our legs" (b/c of all the walking we did). I don't know what made scratch our asses come out of her mouth that day, but we laughed about it til we cried. LOL.

7. The both of us never changed the time in our watches b/c we still wanted some part of NY w/ us. hehe, all we did was just add 6 hours to the times on our watches.

8. Proudest accomplishment of the entire trip: Getting around Rome w/ just a map and basic Italian words, walked everywhere, became a "local", and appreciated Rome's culture. We saw about 20 sites and some of them were probably by accident as we stumbled across them and caught ourselves saying "Isn't this the...."

9. Place we visited 3 times = Spanish steps and the Vatican.

10. Ate that much and actually lost weight from all the walking. Nice.


I'll try to make it short and sweet (if that's possible). Here I go:

Day 1 (1/13): Rome. Landed in Rome's Da Vinci airport around 11am. Was pissed that the dollar was so weak, and worried ourselves to death over which cab driver we'd pick so we wouldn't get ripped off. After paying the "normal" cab price, got to the hotel by 1pm and headed right on out to the Colosseum b/c it closed by 3pm. Took a map from the front desk and just started walking. We got all giddy knowing we were literally going to explore a part of Rome through a map and our feet. We saw the Colosseum from afar and starting jumping like we found some treasure. I guess it was the moment of seeing our first monument, and got there all by ourselves. Ate an overpriced pizza lunch - probably b/c they knew we were tourists. That was the last time we would eat at a place next to a monument. Went into the Capitoline Museums but couldn't really enjoy it b/c we were DEAD tired. We were up for about 24 hours since Rome is 6 hours ahead and we didn't sleep on the plane like we were supposed to b/c flying coach isn't so comfortable. So we did only half of the museum and walked back home, passing the Colosseum at night. I had a strawberry gelato (YUM) and Aggie had Pistachio. Slept like babies to prepare ourselves for the next day.

Day 2 (1/14): Rome. Visited the Santa Maria Spora Church, the Pantheon (thought it would be bigger inside), and had lunch in "Enoteca Corsi", a family owned restaurant suggested by the Food Network in one of the small streets along the way. Had Spaghetti con Pesce and white wine. Stopped by one of the thousands of Gelaterias and had a chocolate gelato and Aggie had a Tirmisu gelato. Decided to mail home some post cards, so it took about 30 minutes to find a post office. But ended up stumbling across another tourist site while at it. Stopped by the always crowded, social spot, Piazza Navona where Bernini's Four Season's Fountain was the highlight. Snacked on Salami and cheese pannini. Visited San Luigi dei Fracncesi to learn about Caravaggio (now my favorite painter, thanks to Aggie's knowledge), stopped by Sant' Ignazio di Loyola (another church). Then headed to the famous Fontana di Trevi (Trevi Fountain). Sooo many people. Threw a U.S. nickel into the fountain but forgot to make my wish b/c I was concentrated on Aggie taking the picture. whoops. Walking around, trying to find a Puma store, we stumbled across the spanish steps at night along w/ the "baller" stores across (Dior, Gucci, Ferragamo, etc.). They were closed, but we knew where our next stop would be tomorrow ;-) Ate dinner at the popular, family-owned, Trattoria Gigi. Had antipasta, fettucine w/ meat sauce, steak, and roast potatoes. Delicioso!

Day 3 (1/15): Rome. Went to the Roman Forum (Ancient Rome and the ruins) and La Boca della Verita. Ran to the Spanish steps right after to take pictures. Had cappucino and panini at the bar for lunch (standing up, of course). Took the pictures, it was so crowded b/c it was also a Saturday. After, pictures, the damage began.
Chanel shades $$$
Puma shoes $$
Christian Dior bag $$$
Fornarina shoes $$
Ferragamo belt for Dad $$$
Gucci belt for Dad $$$
LV credit card holder for Mom $$

Now for Aggie's damage:
Burberry bag $$$
Gucci bag $$$
Dior bag $$$
Puma bag $$
Fornarina shoes $$
Roberto Cavalli shades $$$

Feeling like money grew out of our asses at that moment (which it doesn't): Priceless

Things were a lot cheaper in Europe than in the U.S. We loved that. Too bad the dollar was weak. But even after converting the currency and removing tax (tourists shop tax free), we still paid a lower price than if we were to buy in the U.S. Plus, January was a month for Sales in EVERY single store. Sweet. Had expresso for the first time this day at the "famous" Antico Caffe Greco". Loved expresso so much it became my favorite in Italy. Had dinner at Trattoria Nuova Stella - fresh mozzerella w/ tomato, Eggplant w/ melted cheese (So good!), Penne pasta, and bread w/ olive oil.

Day 4 (1/16): Rome. Visited Santa Maria Maggiore and did Reconciliation for the first time in years. Caught the MetroBus (aka train) to the Vatican. The Vatican was BEAUTIFUL!!! Caught an Italian Mass. Received the Holy Eucharist at San Pietro's Basilica. Pope blessed the crowd at noon in Italian. He spoke Italian and I didn't understand a word, but that didn't matter b/c I still had the chills hearing/watching him. I never thought I would feel that way. He sounded so sick and I felt sad when he left his window. It was an experience. Walked through the Spanish steps again to sit down and enjoy our gelato. Had dinner at Ristorante Pizzaria Tudini and had veal cutlet Milan style w/ Gnochi (forgot the spelling). Aggie almost got pick-pocketted by little girls but caught on and was aware. Good job, Aggie.

Day 5 (1/17): Florence. The train ride there was 1 hour and 35 mins, but an engine or something started to smoke. We thought the train was going to blow up. We arrived and it was soooo cold. It's a Beautiful city, but w/ very rude and mean people. Aggie and I decided to leave Florence at an earlier train b/c we were a little disappointed considering Mondays, the markets were closed and so was a popular museum she was dying to see. (Aggie was an art major, so she knows her shit). We ate lunch at Trattoria Sostanza - we saw on the Food Network suggestions. Had tortellini w/ meat sauce, and Bistecca Fiorentia (best steak I've had). Did some more shopping and damage (geez), then headed back to Rome (thank God)

Day 6 (1/18): Rome. Visited the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel. Fell in love w/ the Last Judgement painting by Michelangelo. Bought souveniers and drank from a drinking fountain. Italy has clean water everywhere unless there is a sign that the water isn't safe. Ate lunch at La Cappa D' Oro - mozzerella cheese and really good pizza. Took the train back during rush hour and we were literally like sardines. NYC rush hour is a lot better than in Rome. It was ridiculous how people pack themselves in. For our last dinner we went to nearby Trattoria Giovanni and had the BEST last dinner in Rome ever. Shared everything - Super fresh mozzerella cheese, ravioli stuffed w/ ricotta and spinach, grilled bass, roasted potatoes, and homemade tiramisu as our dessert. I had white wine, Aggie had red wine. We talked for what seemed like hours. It was special b/c not only were we both homesick and ready to go, but we knew we were going to miss Rome and our adventures. We also both know we'll return in the future to find more adventures and discover more of Italy.