Honeymoon in Italy

My husband and I decided to go to Italy for our honeymoon. We started in Rome and then took a train to Florence, and in between we also did a day trip to Naples and Pompeii. Here is a description of the first half, in Rome. The Florence album is listed separately. We happened to be in Rome during the time of the pope's funeral, so things were a bit crazy!

We went in April of 2005. The weather was great and it was not too cold, and we only wore light spring jackets every day.

Day One: We arrived in Rome at about noon and took a taxi to the hotel. Then we rested for about an hour before heading out. Our first stop was the Trevi Fountain, which was right next to our hotel! The tradition is to throw a coin in the fountain with your back turned to it, and this ensures your return to Rome. We both did it, so I guess we'll be back in Rome sometime! We also stopped for some traditional Italian pizza (yummy!) and gelato (sort of like sorbet/ice cream; my husband just loved it!). Then we walked to the Pantheon, an ancient monument to the Roman gods. It was free to get in (rare!) and really old looking, and from there we walked to the Piazza Navonna, where there is a famous fountain representing four famous rivers, one of them being the Ganges! (I forget the exact name of the fountain), and it's right next to this famous flower and fruit market called Campo di Fiori, but since it was about 4 or 5pm, the market was over and there were only a few flower stalls left (darn!). We were pretty tired by then and walked back to our hotel to rest before dinner. We ate at this place called Ara Pacis, which we had read about, and it was our favorite dinner during the whole trip! (See review.) Dinners in Italy were expensive!! They charge you just for being there (a sitting charge!) and for water and everything!

Day Two: The next day we decided to start by going to the Colosseum. It was an amazing site! We paid a little extra to have a tour guide describe everything.

Quick Tips:

We also went inside the Colliseum and walked around there. After that, we went for lunch and then walked around the Forum, an area with old columns and remains of other buildings. From there we took a bus to the Vatican area. We got lost a few times (my fault), and it was also rush hour, so we hit large crowds everywhere.

When we finally reached, they would not let us even cross the bridge leading to the Vatican area, unless we wanted to stand in the long (18 hours for some!) line to see the pope's body in St. Peter's Basilica. We just walked around and left. I was really sad that I could not even see it.

Best Way To Get Around:

Day Three: The next day we decided to do something different and booked a day tour to Naples and Pompeii. The tour of Naples was mostly done while we sat on the bus, so it was not too exciting. But when we got to Pompeii… now that was a cool place! We saw the remains of the city that had been covered by ash after Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 97AD!! It was absolutely SO interesting, especially since our tour guide explained everything about how they lived, etc. We were pretty tired out after that and got back to our hotel pretty late, about 8 pm. We decided to stop by the Spanish Steps, an area famous for people-watching and just hanging out. It was really fun, with plenty of tourists, but there were also a lot of local folks there. Then we went out for dinner.

Next stop, Florence (see next journal)

This hotel was recommended to us by our travel agent, and it was really nice. The rooms are nothing fancy; they are actually pretty simple, but the location can’t be beat! Right next to Trevi Fountain! Every day after we went sightseeing, we’d stop by the Trevi Fountain and get gelati and walk back to the hotel. It is also located right next to a major street that has buses going to all parts of the city, including the Coliseum and other places. There is a computer with Internet connection in the tiny lobby, but they charge patrons to use it.

What an amazing restaurant! We started with house red wine and an appetizer of three kinds of bruschetta (artichoke, tomato, and olive tapenade). Then for dinner my husband had linguine with langostine (a very tender lobster) in white wine with cherry tomatoes - it was the best linguine he had ever had, and I agreed! I got duck breast with pears and a wine sauce - it was also delicious! For desert we shared a traditional tiramisu - so yummy! The bill was steep (75€), including tip, but we loved it! This was our favorite restaurant in Italy!

They started us with two complimentary appetizers and the house white wine. Then we got the mixed appetizers of the day (just fabulous!). My husband got spaghetti carbonera and I got liguine al funghi. I didn't love my pasta, but everything else was great, especially the apps!! We got a piece of ricotta cheesecake for dessert and some complimentary cookies and complimentary limoncello, a great after-dinner cocktail.

The Colosseum, also called the "Flavian Amphitheatre" after its builders, the emperors Vespasian and Titus, both of the Flavian family, started to be constructed around 70 AD and was completed in 80 AD. As they love to tell on the tour, its opening was celebrated with 100 days of games in which thousands of animals and gladiators were killed. Occasionally the Colosseum was flooded in order to stage small naval battles. The emperor had his own entrance to the Colosseum, and from his private box seat he decided the fate of defeated gladiators. The Colosseum was used regularly for almost 400 years and has been through every natural and man-made disaster imaginable.

Its architecture is elliptical and is constructed of brick and a relatively soft, porous rock called tufa, although its exterior is covered in marble. The floor of the arena was wood covered with sand, and beneath the floor was a maze of passageways and temporary holding pens for the animals and gladiators. When it was time for a grand appearance, a hand-operated "elevator" of sorts was used to pulley the men and animals from the basement up to the arena floor. The walls of the subterranean passageways can still be seen today (see photo).

Each story of the Colosseum represents a different period of history in its architecture. The lowest level have Doric columns, the second level Ionic columns, and the third has Corinthian. One of my favorite parts of the history was learned about the Vestal Virgins. These were young girls who devoted their lives to the Goddess Vesta, goddess of the hearth, and as virgins, they were afforded the best seats in the house. As the priestesses of Vesta, they were charged with maintaining the sacred fire within the Temple on the Forum Romanum. They were the only female priests within the roman religious system and vowed to live in chastity for the 30 years their tenure lasted. The punishment for breaking the vow of chastity was death by burial alive, the only way to kill a vestal without shedding her blood. Definitely go for the paid guided tour! We thought it might be a rip-off at $10 per person, but it was worth every penny, especially since nothing inside was labeled.

One day when we were in Rome, we decided to take a day tour to Naples and Pompeii. The hotels have information in the lobby about these bus day trips. The one we picked cost 106€ and lasted all day, about 13 hours. The tour of Naples was mostly done while we sat on the bus, so it was not too exciting. But when we got to Pompeii… now that was a very interesting place! We first ate lunch in the new part of town (and even had the local Mount Vesuvius red wine!) and then visited the excavations on foot with a local guide. We saw the remains of the city that had been covered by ash after Mt. Vesuvius erupted in AD 97!! It was absolutely fascinating, especially since our tour guide explained everything about how they lived, etc. For instance, we even saw an ancient brothel with carved depictions on the wall of various sex acts that patrons point to and "order" – how funny! And, on the ground outside the brothel was a carved image of male genitalia, "pointing" people in the direction of the brothel. My husband and I got a lot of laughs out of that place! There were also several beautiful frescos and remnants of daily life.

The walking tour lasted about 2 hours. It is amazing how much of their life you can appreciate by looking at these ancient artifacts and preserved bodies in their state of shock and panic. The ride back to Rome takes about 3 hours, and there is a mandatory stop at a coral and cameo factory (I'm assuming they partially sponsor the tour).

Overall, this is a most enjoyable and educational tour. You will LOVE it! It's also a little bit off the beaten track of the usual sites.

The Pantheon is really interesting to visit and more than that, free to enter: rare in Rome! It is considered a masterpiece of Roman architecture, built originally by Agrippa in 27 AD and rebuilt in AD 120. We learned that it was named "Pantheon" because it was dedicated to several divinities. It was later consecrated as a Catholic church, which is how it survived the medieval period. Considering its age, it is in excellent condition, surviving 20 centuries of plunder and invasions!

The entrance is through huge bronze doors, and the interior is a circular room with Catholic alters and artifacts. The dome has a span of 43.2 m (142 feet).

One of the fascinating architectural aspects of it is the "oculus", a circular hole in the ceiling which allows in rain and sunlight.

It is open from 8:30am to 7:30pm. Admission is free.

Right outside the Pantheon is the Piazza della Rotonda, a lively square filled with cafes, bars, and restaurants. It is especially lively in the summer, when the Pantheon is lit from below and stands as an enormous reminder of the grandeur of ancient Rome.