We didn’t want to leave Thailand. Ever.
But as always, flights were booked and accommodations reserved, so we had to go. We were comforted, however, by the knowledge that soon we would be back in Europe, and that our next destination, Italy, was going to rock. And that the wine was going to be spectacular.
Rome, Positano, Florence, Cortona, and Venice. We were excited.
So we dropped off our rental car in Koh Lanta, hopped the ferry to Phuket, took a taxi north to recharge our batteries at the Marriott at Nai Yang beach for the afternoon, then we jumped on an 8:00 pm redeye to Rome.
Our original plan, I’m ashamed to say, was to land in Rome then immediately take a train down to Positano, our first destination. After looking at the logistics, though, we decided that a 15-hour flight was best not followed up by a long trip south, so we said, “What the hell, let’s spend a week in Rome!”
Best decision evah.
We checked into our charming little 2-bedroom in the Prati neighborhood at around 11am. We were exhausted from our overnight flight, but we went out, grabbed some breakfast, snagged a couple of SIM cards, did a little grocery shopping at the Simply supermarket across the street, and then crashed for a long afternoon nap.
We had a long list of things to see and not a lot of time to see them: the Vatican, the Colosseum, the Forum, the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon….
Whew.
Almost a year earlier, in Paris, we had been forced to slow our sightseeing down significantly because Braeden was easily tired. And cranky. And a tired and cranky 4-year-old makes for a tired and cranky Daddy.
What a difference a year makes.
Either because he’s now been on the road for a year and is used to it, or because he’s older and his stamina is much improved (or both), Rome was a breeze. He was eager to see everything, and each evening he would ask what we were seeing the next day.
Wrapping up our Stay in Phuket
So we managed to get everything in, and a little bit more. Our first full day in Rome we hit the Vatican, and instead of waiting in the “holy cow how long is this line anyway?!?” we decided to take a tour with a company we had found on TripAdvisor.
Our guide was excellent and the Vatican did not disappoint. We spent some time exploring the grounds, looked at the amazing rooms of the museum, saw the unbelievable beauty of the Sistine Chapel, and as a finale, we gawked at the incredible St. Peter’s Basilica.
It goes without saying that after a year of travel we’ve seen a hell of a lot of cathedrals, temples, and wats. St. Peter’s was in a class all its own.
We finished up the day with an early dinner (we were still on Thailand time, after all) across the street from our apartment at Vino Bono, a tiny little wine bar with excellent food. And wine.
Did I mention they had wine? Yes, we had wine. And it was glorious.
(Too Short) A Visit to Siem Reap
The next few days were a blur of sights, like the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, and the Forum, and delightful restaurant discoveries, like Pane e Salame (right around the corner from the Trevi Fountain, they have delicious “boards” full of meats, cheeses, and other antipasti) and Ai Tre Scalini, which is now my favorite restaurant in Rome. At the latter, an edgy but friendly waitress with a seahorse tattoo (“Daddy, she has a tattoo just like yours!”) took care of us and made friends with Braeden at our tiny little table jammed in the corner of the rustic little bar.
We also made sure to visit the Pantheon, which was utterly humbling (Braeden loved the dome. He loves all domes) and afterwards we stumbled upon Piazza Navona, where we spend some time wandering around and admiring the fountains.
Juliann had read that before visiting the Forum itself it was better to get a bird’s eye view from Palatine Hill, so when the time came we did just that.
Palatine Hill itself was impressive, and there were enough ruins up there to keep one busy for an entire day. We wandered through them for a few hours, taking in the architecture and the vistas, until finally we came out onto a terrace and got our first glimpse of the Forum and – Braeden’s personal favorite – the Colosseum.
The Forum was spectacular from above. It was as if that entire section of Rome was frozen in time, and if we squinted we could almost see the citizens of the ancient city thronging the streets, going about their daily business.
We descended into the Forum and spent another hour or so exploring and taking more pictures (sooo many pictures – how did we ever survive as a species before the digital camera?) It was a wonderful place, and that alone was worth the week in Rome.
Braeden was most excited about visiting the Colosseum. He had read about it in The Adventures of Bella and Harry: Let’s Visit Rome! and we had spent some time watching videos of how the Colosseum was built and its history.
We booked a tour ahead of time so we would have access to the lower level, the Hypogeum. Our guide started by taking us right out onto the Colosseum floor, part of which has been reconstructed so visitors can stand on it. It was easy – too easy – to imagine what it was like 2,000 years ago to stand in the middle of that enormous space with thousands of people cheering.
The tour led us through what felt like every nook and cranny of the Colosseum, and we finished at the very top, overlooking both the Colosseum itself and the city.
It was a crazy, busy week, and on our final day we decided to see some of the city at night. We enjoyed dinner at a restaurant right off of Piazza Navona, wandered around the streets one last time, and before we headed home, we stopped by Trevi Fountain so we could say goodbye.
Braeden tossed another coin over his shoulder, waved cheerfully, and said, “Goodbye, Trevi Fountain,” as we turned the corner and walked to the bus. We’ve said goodbye many times to many people and places, but Rome was one of the most memorable.
One week wasn’t enough. We’re going to have to go back to stay for awhile.
Next: Positano and the Amalfi Coast!