Rome, Italy

In May, Nic and I had the time of our life on our honeymoon in Europe. We traveled through Italy and France stopping in Rome, Sorrento, Capri, Florence, Venice, Nice, Monaco and Paris. We're finally getting some time to edit our photos so I thought I'd roll out these blog posts city by city. First stop, Rome. The temperature was a comfortable 69F to 72F degrees while we were there which made walking around easy and enjoyable. 

Rome Travel Tips

1. Tours: The tours are really worth it. We booked two through Walks of Italy and were really impressed.
2. Google Drive: Save all of your documents and maps to "offline" mode in Google Drive, this was key for us when we didn't have access to internet. Download the Drive app onto your phone, looking at your documents, click on the little "i" and there you will see an option to "Keep on device." 
3. Stay at a Hotel with Free Internet: Most hotels have free internet. This was key. We did not have to invest in an international phone plan because it was so easy to check emails and make FaceTime and Skype calls when needed. Other than that, we really didn't need a phone service.
4. No Bloody Mary's: Don't even try ordering a Bloody Mary-- I tried multiple times at multiple places and was grossed out each time. Now, if you do find a good one, let me know so I can update this post. 
5. Tipping: You don't have to tip there like we do in the states. In the beginning we were leaving 20% tips and tipping cab drivers-- we were told numerous times that cab drivers don't expect a tip and that restaurants only expect a 5%-10% tip. That said, I got the feeling that because we are Americans they were expecting us to tip more...
6. Travel Light: This goes without saying-- travel lightly. Let's just say that wedges + suitcase  + cobblestone = nightmare. Don't even try to take a suitcase without 4 wheels. Just don't do it.
7. Allergy Medicine: Bring it just in case. We were fine in LA, but the second we got to Rome, we were hit with some pretty bad allergies. During this time of year in Rome, there are these little cotton-like things from the trees floating through the air.
8. Leverage Jet Lag: Take advantage of your jet-lag and go to the Colosseum at sunrise! After sleeping for 15 hours one day/night, we woke up at 3a and made it down to the Colosseum by 5a. We were able to get such great photographs and there was no one there! 

 // inside the Colosseum //

  // inside the Colosseum, you can see where they re-built part of the stage on the left //

// the Colosseum at sunrise //

 // the Pantheon //

 // the Pantheon //

  // inside the Pantheon //

 // Basil and Lemon Gelato //

 // Trevi Fountain //

  // somewhere near the Spanish Steps //

 // first Selfie??? //

// Villa Borghese //

// Villa Borghese //  

 // Villa Borghese // 

// Villa Borghese // 

  // inside the Vatican //

 // the Vatican //

 // the Forum //

 // le photographer @nicamp //

All photos taken in this post (except for 2) were taken and edited by the wonderful Mr. Nic Camp. 

Right outside of Villa Borghese is Harry's Bar. It's a great place to stop and have a bite. 

Let me tell you, they make a great dirty martini.

 // walking the streets of Rome //