We took another Italo train from Florence to Rome. It arrived to Florence about 15 minutes late, not too bad and it gave us time for a quick breakfast at McDonald’s! We have had McDonald’s twice in two weeks. Kinda funny considering we go many months without it at home. We’ve had fun trying it here and have learned that it pretty much tastes the same!
The train was nice. Our tickets were one level down from the train we took from Venice to Florence. They were just Prima instead of Prima Club Executive. They were a very reasonable price with plenty of leg room and a a charging outlet for phones. We were offered a snack and drink once instead of twice like on the other train. That was plenty. Really, how much do you need on a 90 minute trip!
When we arrived in Rome we walked from the train station to Hotel Artemide. It was less than a mile and a fine walk. Our room wasn’t quite ready but we were able to leave our luggage and head to lunch.
First stop lunch at Duecento Gradi a delicious sandwich shop. Mine had salami, sundried tomatoes and a spicy sauce and Trey’s had thinly sliced pork with cheese and radicchio. Two sandwiches and two beers were around 20 euros, not bad! Overall we have found food prices to be very reasonable on this trip. And wine can definitely be cheaper than water!
The Vatican was next on the agenda. We started with the huge museums. It was super helpful to listen to Rick Steves lead us through the museums.
Our visit started at the Cortile della Pigna (Courtyard of the Pine Cone). The Pine Cone is over 2,000 years old and originally stood near the Pantheon to honor Isis, the Egyptian goddess of fertility. Pine cones are full of seeds and are a perfect representation of fertility. The Pine Cone is made of bronze and is over 12 feet tall. It was moved to its current location in the 15th century.
Michaelangelo loved the statue shown above sculpted by a sculptor named Apolonius from the 1st century BC. It is said that Michaelangelo used this as the torso of Jesus in The Last Judgment.
View of Vatican City from window of museum
Raphael’s School of Athens seen below shows the great thinkers of Ancient Greece. Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Pythagoras, and Euclid. If you look closely you can also see Michaelangelo and a self portrait of Raphael.
The museum tour ended at the Sistine Chapel. Photos are not allowed. However, Trey was snapping away not realizing he was breaking the rules. We figured we would share these since his intentions were good. He stopped as soon as he heard them say “No photos!”.
Note the 9 panels down the middle of the chapel ceiling which follow the timeline of the Bible. The famous panel of God creating man is almost in the center when their two fingers touch.
St. Peter’s Basilica followed the Sistine Chapel. Preparation and skip the line tickets have really paid off on this trip and we’ve waited in very few lines, BUT, the Basilica line looked daunting. And it was hot and sunny. We surveyed the situation for about 10 minutes before realizing that the line was moving pretty fast.
Below you can see where the Pope gives his public addresses. Hundreds, if not thousands, of chairs are lined up.
The Basilica below.
The Holy Door shown below is opened only in Holy Years. In 2000, the Pope knocked on the door three times with a silver hammer to open it. It stayed open for a year before being bricked up again. The next Holy Year is 2025.
See the video below showing inside of St. Peter’s Basilica.
St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome.
Posted by Traveling TwoGether on Tuesday, July 2, 2019
Peter, the apostle, is buried below this altar. His remains were in question for years and in the 1960s they unearthed and tested the bones and science showed carbon dating back to the time of Christ.
Michealangelo’s Pieta, shown above, has been behind bulletproof glass since 1972 when a madman with a hammer began hacking away at it. Michaelangelo sculpted the Pieta at age 23.
The men in the picture below came out when bells started tolling. We stood around for awhile thinking maybe the Pope was coming! No such luck. Still not sure what they were doing.
On the way back to our hotel from the Vatican (a 2.4 mile walk) we decided to stop at Il Goccetto, a lovely little bacaro (wine bar). After a bottle of wine and some yummy snacks we asked them to call a taxi for us. Our feet were very grateful.
We nibbled on toast with butter and anchovies, buffalo mozzarella cheese, sweet peppers stuffed with tuna, a grilled artichoke, fresh bread and a couple of things we couldn’t identify.
After a long day of adventures we made it back to Hotel Artemide. This was another room that we booked solely with points. As it was the end of our trip and we figured we would be ready for some pampering, we booked the Honeymoon Suite. Wow, was it worth it! There were flowers, a bottle of great Prosecco with strawberries, a certificate for a free trip to the spa and a huge fruit platter waiting for us in the room. We felt like newlyweds again! Here are some pictures and a video of the room.
Hotel Artemide, Rome. Honeymoon Suite. Booked with points 👍🏻
Posted by Traveling TwoGether on Tuesday, July 2, 2019
And finally (what a long day!) we were offered a complimentary dinner in the rooftop restaurant for booking the honeymoon suite for three nights. I was hesitant to cancel our dinner reservation since I spent months researching restaurants but in the end we couldn’t turn down a free meal. It was delightful! We were given menus with no prices and told to order anything. And so we did. The setting was beautiful, the weather was perfect, and the meal was delicious.
Lemon cake with berries for dessert
We had a fabulous, very full, first day in Rome!