Italy Part 4: Rome

I was reinvigorated when we arrived in Rome! It didn't feel like the end of the trip. It felt like a new vacation. I was so excited!

We dropped our bags at the apartment then went out for lunch and started hitting up tourist sites... Colosseum, Pantheon, Roman Forum, Spanish Steps, Cat Sanctuary (for Tyler). We walked 10 miles every day in Rome. We would leave the apartment early in the morning and arrive home at midnight. We would walk all over the city, sweat profusely, then stop for wine. Brady and Tyler usually walked with beers in hand. Our showers were well earned each day.

 Out and about

 Amazing

  Everywhere you turn

 Spanish steps right when we walk out of the train station

 I love these city views

 Incredible fountains

 Pantheon

 Cat sanctuary

 Caesar

 The parentals

 Onto the drinks portion of the day

 Snapping pictures while we walk

 Espresso before beer

We went to the Vatican on our second day. The artwork and architecture was breathtaking, but it was hot and there were so. many. people. We did a walking tour through the museum, Sistine Chapel, and gardens. We walked through St. Peter's Basilica at the end of the tour, but my dress was too short so Brady and I left early.

Scooters everywhere

 Vatican City

The tapestries impressed me the most

 Incredible artwork

 A guy who is ready to leave

 Opulence

 The Basilica

 Swiss guards

It was warm

 Fun fact: we were asked to be in a couple's wedding photos at this park lol

 Looking rough

 Seeing the attractions by night

 Trevi fountain

Making wishes

The last day was free for all. My parents, Brie and Tyler visited the Castel Sant'Angelo. Brady and I wandered aimlessly through Trastevere, a hip neighborhood with cute shops and restaurants. We met up for lunch and drinks.

 I can't believe I didn't gain weight on this trip

 Lush greenery

See?

 Life in the city

 Every turn is beautiful

 When we part ways... they head home and we go get drinks lol

 I would love to live here

Tyler's photo from Castel Sant'Angelo

 This is the truest representation of how they looked in Rome

Italy Part 3: Meta

We intended to stay in Sorrento, but we booked our rental at the last minute so we ended up in Meta. It worked out well. It was only a 5-minute train ride to Sorrento and Meta had a really nice beach club. 

We took the Circumvesuviana train every day and no one got mugged so it was a success, but every train we took was so crowded and hot. My mom absolutely hated it. Toward the end of trip we actually figured out the train system🙌 It was a miracle. 

We went to Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii on the first day. To be honest, this was probably my least favorite day of the trip. The bus ride to Mount Vesuvius is hell for anyone who struggles with motion sickness. We quickly climbed to the top (it only took 10 minutes), but the views were obscured with a thick haze. Then, we did a two-hour guided tour of Pompeii. I was done with tour after 45 minutes. It was interesting to see, but I didn't need two hours. 

 Looking at the crater

 Hazy views

 The walk down was worse then up in my opinion. My joints hurt lol

 Pompeii

Amazing what they've been able to restore

 Plaster casts of the victims

Thought to have died from suffocation

 The wealthy homes had mosaic tile floors

The second day was spent on Capri. We didn't have a lot of time on the island. We did a boat tour. Enjoyed a few Aperol Spirtz then nearly missed ferry back to Sorrento! My parents actually did miss the ferry. We assumed the ferry would pick up where it dropped us off, but we ended up sprinting 200 meters to reach the dock. Brie was literally the last one on the boat. It ended well though. My parents caught the next ferry a couple hours later. Brady, Brie, Tyler and I had dinner in Sorrento. We had the best seafood (and views!) at Trattoria da Emilia.

 First, train to Sorrento

 Walking to the ferry

 Boat tour

 Island tour

 Colored caves

 Sista

Catching a few rays

Every view is stunning

 Brady's picture

 Another from Brady

 So much boat traffic

 Group photo

 Tyler's artistic photo

 Those that made the ferry lol

 The most amazing sunset I've ever seen

The stairs were no joke

We tried visiting Positano on the last day. We bought bus tickets and stood at the bus stop for 45 minutes. It never showed up. We called a taxi service and no one could drive us to Positano so we stayed in Meta for the afternoon then went to Sorrento for shopping and dinner in the evening.

 Our terrace

Beach in Meta

I love the taste of salt water

 Cute couple

Had to get baby Ward a dress in Sorrento

 I really like the trees in Italy

Dinnertime

I'm bummed we never went to Positano, but that is worst thing that happened on this trip so overall it went really well!