Rome was not built in two days either

Rome is huge. Since we’ve been to Rome twice before, Sean and I made our mind up early that we would play it by ear and go with what the kids wanted, and could handle. Three nights and two full days is not much time to conquer this enormous city of spectacle….but we shall try.

DAY 1

Morning walk and a 6 person electric bike ride through the Villa Borghese (park).

Epic kids tour of the Colosseum and Roman Forum. The side that has been cleaned looks fantastic! Restoration teams have begun to slowly scrub away 2,000 years of grime and pollution from Rome’s most famous landmark. It is being cleaned inch by inch with toothbrushes!

We saw the remarkable white marble Monument of Victor Emmanuel II, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Tiber river from the upper deck of the bus on the way back to our hotel. Totally recommend the hop on/off bus in Rome with kiddos…cheaper than a taxi and faster than walking.

Then showers, a short rest in our room and a quick walk to Spanish Steps. Bad news: they were closed for cleaning so we couldn’t take the requisite photo. Good news: thousands of people were not sitting on them (as usual) so we could actually see The Steps. They look beautiful after being scrubbed clean. Finally, dinner al fresco and of course…gelato.

DAY 2

We decided to skip the lines and did not tour the grand St. Peters Basilica/Sistine Chapel, particularly since Sean and I have seen it before. Kids not interested. Instead, we walked through Piazza Navona and had lunch with fans that spray water. HOT day. Then on to Campo de’ Fiori for what else?…gelato.

Stopped by the Roman Pantheon on the way home and went inside. It holds the record for the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome. Incredible. The fascinating, famous, open circle at the top (The eye of the Pantheon, or oculus) is the only source of light and is supposed to be the connection between the temple and the gods above.