Adventures in Italy Spring 2018 - Frascati and Rome
I was going to try to make one big blog post about our trip to Italy but realized we took SO many photos so I decided to break the post up into the 3 different places we stayed!
Frascati
The first place we stayed was about an hour outside of Rome called Frascati. The city was on a mountain which seems to be the theme for cities in Italy and overlooked Rome. You could see it from all over. It was gorgeous! To get into Rome we took the train. We actually took the train pretty much everywhere. Italy's train system was fantastic and so easy to use you could pretty much go anywhere. If you go to Italy use public transportation DO NOT drive everywhere. Gas prices are super expensive and some areas are just so jammed packed it is no worth driving. Some cities all put a limit on how many tourists are allowed to drive through like Cinque Terre so if you decided to drive you may end up having to find another way into the city.
We stayed at Villa Mercedes while in Frascati. All of our hotels, apartment, car, etc was booked through Great Value Vacations found on Groupon. The deal was great. It was actually really nice staying outside of the major cities and traveling in so we could see more places and come back to quieter areas.
The first night we were in Italy we walked to the train station from our hotel to see how long it would take and explored the area. Of the 3 areas we stayed in, this one I think had the most to offer. Lots of places to eat and walk around plus gorgeous views of Rome.
Rome
Rome probably had the most ruins to see and stories to listen to. Everywhere you looked there were remnants of Ancient Rome. I had been there a few years ago while traveling through Europe but had the opportunity to see more while I was here this time around. Here are some recommendations for Rome:
-Again, take the train. DO NOT DRIVE. You save money and get to see the countryside as you ride. Its perfect.
-Check out Forum Romano e Plantino. As you scroll through, those are the gardens that overlook the Colosseum. The emperors actually had a home there that connected underground to the Colosseum so they could easily walk over.
-If you go to the Colosseum pay extra to do the tour that takes you underground. When I went last time I didn't do a tour and I feel like I missed out. The underground aspect only recently started being offered as part of the tour and it was so worth the extra money. Our tour guide was also awesome and super knowledgeable.
-Buy tickets to tours in advance. If you don't you will wait in line forever. We bought a few tickets online prior to going to places but a few we ended up buying "jump the line" tickets outside. If we hadn't, we might have spent half of our trip in line. Just make sure to find actual tour groups.
-The colosseum is an amazing monument to Ancient Rome but that area is also full of people trying to rip you off by selling bracelets, selfie sticks, and umbrellas. Walk right past them. It is illegal for them to peddle but it is so crowded there I am sure it is hard to keep it under control.
-EAT GELATO. This doesn't just apply to Rome because you can literally get Gelato anywhere every 5 feet. So make sure to stop a few times :)
-Italy seems to be the capitol to stray cats. We saw them everywhere! Of course I had to take a few photos. Some even at breakfast with us at our apartment in Reggallo.
-I had been to the Vatican the last time I was in Rome but hadn't done the Dome. DO IT. It was an intense hike to the top (I think over 400 steps) but the view from the top was insane. It is extra Euros outside of getting into the Vatican but I really enjoyed it.
-We did a food tour in Rome on Tuesday night through With Locals. It started off a bit odd, we couldn't find the place and ended up having to power walk across Rome to get there and our guy was a but quirky. But it ended up being great! Oscar was very knowledgeable. We got to check out some places we may not have thought to go in. We also got to see the unmarked area where Caesar was killed. It is now home to a bunch of cats!
Fun Fact
Michealangalo hated working on the Sistine Chapel SO much that he painted offensive cherubs giving the finger amidst the other paintings. He also painted an assistant as the devil because he ticked him off. When the assistant complained, everyone was so tired of Michealangalo causing problems he was told "It doesn't look like that much like you" and was left as is.
