Arrival

Our trip to Italy obviously began with the flight; we flew directly from Detroit Metro to Rome Fiumicino. The flight took about 9 hours and we arrived in Rome around 12:30pm on Thursday. Actually, I should say we arrived in Italy - Rome's airport is about 40 miles west of the city center. To get to Rome, we took the Leonardo Express, a train that runs directly from the airport to Rome's Termini station. Cost was a little steep at 11 euro per person, but the only cheaper option was a inner-city train/subway combination, which didn't sound appealing with hauling around luggage.

I'd definitely recommend the Express, and I'd strongly recommend getting your tickets from the yellow self-serve kiosks in the station. They're easy to use and you can pay by cash or credit card (depending on the machine). Plus, if you go through one of the information stands there, you'll likely be charged a 1 euro "booking fee" per ticket.

Hotel Aenea

Aenea is a little hotel on Via Urbana, about a 10 minute walk from Termini. It's down a fairly quiet street, but located well within walking distance of most of the major attractions. It's also more of an apartment-style setting rather than a hotel; in fact, there are apartments on the other floors of the building (the hotel is on the third).

We were quite happy with this place. Check in was easy - staff spoke English very well and were very helpful. Our room contained a fridge, coffee maker, and air. They also provide two croissants for each person in the morning and fill a basket every day with snacks. We stayed 3 nights and paid 140 euro per night, which is decent for Rome. We highly recommend Aenea.

Historical Center

I figured that we didn't want to be overwhelmed with the city, so we decided to go with a private tour guide for three half-day tours of Rome's major sights. I found Rich online; he's a Pittsburgh native now living in Rome. His English is great, and it's obvious he knows a lot about the city. His tours were very informative and useful, and he allowed you to go at your own pace. If you're looking for touring options, stay away from the big groups - you'll see them all over, usually with a headset on so they can hear their guide. For just a little more money, you'll have a much better time with Rich.

Our first day was a 3 1/2 hour tour of Rome's historical center. After we settled into our hotel, we met Rich at a little cafe to start the tour. After being 10 minutes late (we quickly learned Rome's streets can be difficult to follow), we started.

Some of the highlights:

Torre Argentina and the Cat Sanctuary

An archeological dig of four ancient Roman temples started our tour. The Largo di Torre Argentina is the area that holds these four temples (called Temples A, B, C, & D) and also the remains of Theatre of Pompey, which is where Julius Caesar was believed to have been killed. The area is now home to many cats; there's a cat sanctuary next to it. We saw a lot of them wandering the ruins, and we also stopped into the sanctuary and pet a couple of them.

Piazza Navona

Bernini's Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi fountain highlights this square, and it's quite amazing. After seeing a few ruins to start the tour, this was definitely breathtaking. We only spent a little bit of time here before heading out to the Pantheon, stopping by a few churches to get a taste of the art, sculptures, and medieval history of Rome along the way.

Pantheon

The dome of the Pantheon is well-worth seeing. There's always a crowd, but walking inside and looking up at the dome is awesome. There's really not a whole lot else to see - a few paintings and some tombs (it is technically a temple to the gods, after all) - but Rich explained a lot of the history, so that helped add to the awe.

Trevi Fountain

After grabbing some gelato (our first of many), we came to the famous Trevi Fountain. It was crowded full of people, but it was obvious why: it's beautiful. This was probably one of our favorite sites in Rome - it's especially great at night when it's all lit up. It's not very peaceful, but it's nice to sit on the steps and people-watch.

Spanish Steps

We ended our tour here, at the famous Spanish Steps. Frankly, we were kind of less than impressed. The Steps are nice, but there's not really a lot to see - just a fountain and steps. Nice views at the very top, however, next to the Trinita dei Monti church.

After leaving Rich, we walked around the Piazza di Spagna area a bit, then headed back to our hotel. We grabbed some pizza, then got some much-needed sleep.

To see all of our Rome pictures, go to our Picasa Web Album.