Florence, Day 1: How to Travel From Rome to Florence by Train

Photo: Courtesy of Jay Hou

We were so busy sightseeing, even going to Rome Central Station to buy train tickets was the time we didn't have. Therefore, we decided to buy the tickets online via wifi in the hotel. Trenitalia's website in English version was actually easy to navigate and worked very well. It really saved us time.

Rome After Thought

Although we had to deal with the huge crowd, long line, hectic schedule, and heavy rain in the late afternoon, Rome was such an eye-opener and totally worth the trip.

Photo: Courtesy of The Criterion Collection

I will leave you with Federico Fellini’s quote. It can’t be more fitting.

“Although life is brutal and awful, You can always find a few moments of sensuality and sweetness.”
- Federico Fellini

Rome, Day 4: Santa Maria Della Vittoria

In the evening, JJ said he wanted to check out one more site, Santa Maria Della Vittoria, before its closing. We were exhausted and the church was a little bit hike from our hotel but it was definitely worth it. There was a scammer outside the door collecting entrance fee. The person was not affiliated with the church. If it happens to you during your visit, ignore the scammer and just go inside. The church is free to enter.

Rome, Day 4: Palazzo Spada and Campo de' Fiori

After visiting Piazza Navona, we went to Palazzo Spada to see the famous optical illusion. JJ read about it, and he was very intrigued. It was a must for him to see it. 

Rome, Day 4: Piazza Navona

From Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, you can follow the street signs pointing you to Piazza Navona. During the daytime, the signs are very helpful. At night, the streets of Rome are quite dark and the signs are less visible.

The piazza was extremely crowded during the day.

Rome, Day 4: Santa Maria Sopra Minerva

Our next stop was Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, which stands just right behind Pantheon. From the photo above, you can see the backside of Pantheon in the background.

Rome, Day 4: Pantheon

Next on our itinerary was the Pantheon. The Pantheon is a Roman temple built in 118 to 128AD. The name Pantheon, from Greek, means "all the gods". It is the best preserved Ancient Roman structure.

There's a fountain with an obelisk in the center of the piazza. You can barely see the dome from the front. 

Rome, Day 4: Michelangelo's Piazza del Campidoglio

We walked outside Capitoline Museum and checked out Piazza del Campidoglio. The piazza was designed by Michelangelo in 1536. His signature style, perfectly balanced geometry, is well presented here.

Rome, Day 4: Capitoline Museum Part 2

Caravaggio's The Fortune Teller portrays Mario being cheated by a gypsy girl. The subject was influential over the next century. Caravaggio's paintings depicts human state and psychological complexity. The dramatic use of lighting is his signature.

Rome, Day 4: Capitoline Museum Part 1

In every city, there is a low-profile museum that is a real gem. In Rome, the Capitoline museum housing Roman artifacts is the one. It is my favorite museum in Rome. It features lots of iconic pieces, great presentation, and the best museum visit experience you can have. Photography is allowed, that's really a big plus. There was no line and the museum was not crowded in the morning when I was there in late September. I really enjoyed my visit. It was so peaceful and relaxing in the museum, and that is the ideal condition to browse artwork.

When I stepped into the courtyard, the big foot just sat there screaming for attention. How fun is this thing? Do you see a face in the background? I believe that's the head of the colossal statue of Roman Emperor Constantine I. The fragmental big foot also belongs to the statue of Constantine I.

Rome, Day 4: Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele Il

It was my second time passing by Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele Il. I was trying to get a good shot of the monument. 

Rome, Day 3: From St. Peter's Square to Castel Sant'Angelo

We walked from St. Peter's Square to Castel Sant'Angelo. Looking back at St. Peter's Basilica from Via della Conciliazione, we were amazed by the color of the sky. It was insanely beautiful.

Rome, Day 3: Evening at St. Peter's Square

Piazza San Pietro or St. Peter's Square was designed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini between 1656 and 1667. It is surrounded by Gian Lorenzo Bernini's colonnades. An Egyptian obelisk is at the center of the square. There are also two fountains in the square. The one on the north side of the square was created by Carlo Maderno from 1612 to 1614. After half a century, Gian Lorenzo Bernini was commissioned by the pope to build an identical fountain on the south side.

Rome, Day 3: Climbing the Dome of St. Peter's Basilica

JJ insisted he was not tired and he had to climb the dome. I was reluctant to do so but JJ made me climb. Ugh! So we went back to St. Peter's Basilica after the museum visit.

We went to the courtyard on the left side of building. Here we waited in line to climb the dome. The line was short, just 10 minute wait. The queue was much longer earlier. Now it was after 5:00pm and there were less people lining up.

Rome, Day 3: Vatican Museum Part 2

Climbing this staircase made me feel like we were working up to Sistine Chapel. From this point, it was so congested.

In Gallery of Tapestries, the woven tapestries depicts the massacre of the innocents, the birth of Jesus and his resurrection. 

Rome, Day 3: Vatican Museum Part 1

After we left St. Peter's, it was already noon. We walked to Vatican Museum. I didn't make a reservation for Vatican Museum. It is said the line is much shorter during 1:00 to 2:00pm when everybody goes to lunch. I planned to visit the museum at 1:00pm. As we looked for a place to have lunch across the street from Vatican Museum, we found that those restaurants were kind of empty, which was a bad sign. They were probably very touristy and nobody wanted to eat there. We walked back to the museum and started lining up, it was about 12:30pm. The line was bearable. It took us 30 minutes to get in, which was not too bad actually. I heard people line up for more than one hour in summer. In that case, visiting during lunchtime is definitely better. There were people selling tour tickets outside the museum. They were not associated with the museum and quite verbally aggressive. The authority shouldn't let them harass tourists like that. It leaves bad impression. 

We had lunch at the cafeteria inside Vatican Museum. Rick Steves says food is not so great here. It is so true. The only reason to eat here is to save time. We didn't want to miss the shorter queue during that specific time frame. 

After all the hassles, we began exploring.

The Cortile della Pigna or The Courtyard of the Pinecone is named after the Roman bronze pinecone from an ancient fountain.

Rome, Day 3: St. Peter's Basilica

This morning, we took metro from the station near our hotel to St. Peter's Basilica. Metro station in Rome was pretty depressing, dark and dirty with graffiti. Luckily, this was the only time we took metro in Rome because our hotel was in central location and we could walk to most of the sites. Watch out for pickpocketing when you take metro. I guarded my bag with my life, my hand was grabbing the bag opening tightly.

Rome, Day 2: San Marcello al Corso

Weather in Rome is quite unpredictable and changes dramatically. It went from partially sunny and hot to overcast and cool to cloudy and rain this afternoon. It just occurred to us that rain wouldn't stop. While walking along Via del Corso, we went inside San Marcello al Corso just to find some shelter. To my surprise, even this low-profile church had some elaborate details.

Rome, Day 2: Coffee Break at the Terrace of Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele II

After we left Roman Forum, we walked by Monumento Nazionale a Vittorio Emanuele Il and went inside from the back of the building. 

Rome, Day 2: Roman Forum and Palatine

After lunch, we continued sightseeing and went to Roman Forum. This area can get really hot during midday because there is no shade. Bring a bottle of water. You need it.

Rome lasted 1000 years from 500BC to 500AD. The first 500 years, it was the Roman Republic ruled by elected senators. The last 500 years, it was the Roman Empire ruled by emperors. Roman Forum was the center of Roman public life. Elections, public speeches, criminal trials, and commercial activities all happened here.

When you walk inside Roman Forum, looking north, there is the white marble Arch of Septimius Severus built in 203AD.