Our second day in Italy was both longer and more eventful than the first. It began with a trip to Vatican City to visit the museum and St. Peter’s Basilica. Although we truly began with amazing cappuccinos and croissants at the hostel. They had this cute little garden area in the back, and would serve breakfast every morning. Quite delightful.
Once we arrived in Vatican City (after a long trip on the #81 bus), we took some photos outside, and then headed to the best bathrooms we found in the Roma/Vaticano area. Bleach-smelling, sparkling floors, etc. I was impressed. We even went back for a second round after the museum/Basilica. The Vatican Museum was amazing. So many statues, artifacts, beautifully-decorated ceiling, mosaic floors, etc. I wish we had more time to take in everything we saw. Once we paid for admission, we were also allowed into the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s. The Sistine Chapel was crowded, but the guards kept everyone (relatively) quiet, so that you could appreciate the sanctity of the work. I snapped a few photos (without he flash, don’t worry!) but nothing could capture the feeling of being there in person. I can't even imagine how he painted a ceiling like that, so many years ago. I wish there were more things in the United States that were as amazing.
St. Peter’s Basilica was beyond awe-inspiring. I never realized just how large it was until I saw it with my own eyes. And being able to pray in an area just off of the tomb site was truly incredible and powerful for me personally. Something about churches in Europe really bring to life the power of God. We also saw La Pieta, which was equally wonderful.
After touring the inside, we paid 5 euro to walk up over 550 steps to the top. It was well worth it, although wearing flip flops was a bad choice in hindsight. 550 steps might sound like a lot, but it was nothing compared to Chartres in 2003. We decided we’d worked up an appetite after those stairs, so we found a pizzeria nearby (after purchasing souvenirs in the gift shop for loved ones back home). I had a buffalo mozzarella and tomato pizza, which was delicious and filling. What will I do without Italian food now?
We took the subway (MUCH cleaner than NYC, of course) to the Piazza de Popolo, took some photos, and walked through the quaint, narrow streets to the Spanish Steps, where I had two scoops of gelato (pistachio and coconut, yum!) before climbing even more stairs. I hope I have stronger leg muscles now. Especially because after the stairs, we ended up walking around in circles for another 30 minutes, then up a hill (which turned out to be the exact same spot of the top of the Spanish Steps) to see the Villa de Medici mansion. By that point, it was getting dark and we were exhausted.
We went back to the hostel to freshen up, and decided to go to dinner at a restaurant that was highly recommended by the hostel staff. When we walked in, there were plenty of open tables, but for some reason, the waiter sat us right next to two Italian guys. Imagine that. You can pretty much guess the hilarity that ensued that night. After attempting to order two glasses of wine, Whitney and I ended up with two bottles, and a table joined with our new Italian friends. I had rigatoni with ragu sauce (the jar really tainted that name—this sauce was amazing). After many discussions of autobusplanes, gay men and visas in New York and Texas (one of our new friends only spoke French, and the other had limited English), our Italian friends decided that we needed gelato, so we headed over to a place with the most amazing gelato that I have ever eaten. Truly. It even had whip cream and an upside down little cone on top. Perfection! I had pistachio and amaretto, in case you were wondering.
And what goes well with gelato? Vodka and tonic, of course. We left the gelato place and went to a bar… a bar that was closing, but allowed us to take our drinks to go. We drank them down by the river (so pretty!), and I was reminded of Paris and the Seine. Yet with two Italian guys. I actually am not sure which bridge we were near, but it was lovely. It was lovely enough that we ended up returning to the hostel after 5 a.m., and subsequently being late to Florence the next day.
