Girls Getaway to Rome - Day 1

After a Mother/Daughter joint Girls Getaway to Colorado in 2010, we (my mom and I) started planning our Italy trip with Donna (my mom’s college roommate) and her daughter, Katie. After two years of planning and trying to coordinate schedules, we set the dates for a multi-city tour of Italy. First stop...Rome.

We landed in Rome around 10 AM and made our way to our hotel, Silva Torlonia, via taxi. After a quick nap and visit with Donna and Katie, we boarded the metro en route to The Colosseum, which is one of the seven wonders of the world. Our best investment was a Roma Pass, which is a three-day pass for 20 Euro and is good for unlimited use of buses, trams and the metro. Plus, it includes free admission to several museums (including The Colosseum) and allows you to get to the front of the line. Legend has it that as long as the Colosseum stands, Rome will stand; and when Rome falls, so will the world. So we were thrilled to see the Colosseum standing in all of its glory at 500 feet wide and 161 feet high. Construction on The Colosseum, which is an enormous amphitheater, was started by Emperor Vespasian and inaugurated by Titus in the year 80 A.D. It has 80 entrances that would filter its more than 50,000 attendees into the building who were seated according to class. It even has a VIP section for political and religious dignitaries. Once inside we were able to see the wooden platform that the gladiators fought on, along with the labyrinth maze that was underneath the platform where they housed tigers, prisoners, and other show participants.

After our Colosseum tour (and one great group photo), we took a brief walk up the hill to the Oppio Caffe that overlooks The Colosseum. We lucked out with a window seat (we would have sat outside but it was lightly raining) and all got the Appetizer Buffet for 10 Euro (all you can eat one time visit to buffet plus one cocktail/wine).

After we ate, we made our way to the beautiful Trevi Fountain, which is the largest Baroque fountain in the city (85 feet high and 65 feet wide) and most would say the most beautiful in the world. According to legend, visitors who throw a coin into the fountain are assured they will return to Rome. An estimated 3,000 Euro are thrown into the fountain each day. A few blocks away from the fountain, we found the Spanish Steps, which is a monumental staircase (and widest in Europe) of 138 steps built in 1717. After hiking to the top of the steps, we caught a cab back to our hotel and turned in for the night. Tomorrow we tackle the Vatican City!