When I was planning my bar trip, I knew Rome had to be on the itinerary. Yet if anyone had asked me why, I wouldn’t have had a specific answer. I had visited twice before, so there weren’t any specific museums or historical sites I had to see, and indeed I didn’t set foot inside a single museum (though I did pop into a few churches). It was more that I just love the atmosphere in Rome: the way history seems to surround you everywhere you go, the buildings with their sometimes crumbling but always beautiful facades, the little mazes of cobblestone streets.
( ^ The Madagascar vanilla and pistachio gelato from Gelateria Vice, just one of many gelatos I had in Rome.)
( ^ I always wind up stopping by Santa Cecilia whenever I’m in Trastevere. It’s not so much the church itself, but the courtyard: small but lovely. )
( ^ I’ve rhapsodized about the spaghetti alla gricia at Trattoria da Lucia before. It’s simple and perfect. )
( ^ The coffee granita with whipped cream at Checco er Carettiere was to-die-for, and the perfect refreshment during a long day of walking. )
( ^ The one truly touristy thing I did in Rome was visit La Bocca della Verità, which somehow I had never managed to make it to before. It wasn’t an experience I would highly recommend: a long line of visitors, and attendants quickly whisk you in and out after you snap a picture. )
( ^ I don’t remember where exactly this was, or what building it was, but it’s something I love about Rome: peeking down a little alleyway and finding a courtyard as beautiful as this. Magical. )
( ^ A friend recommend I visit Sant’Ignazio di Loyola, and the church was indeed beautiful. There are mirrors that allow you to get a better look at the ceiling, which is ornate and beautiful. )
Just putting together this post brought a smile to my face: Rome is so beautiful. Perhaps I’ll always long to return to its time-worn streets.
