When in Rome…

So after our flight to Rome, (last flight until we leave, woohoo) we headed for the hotel. 4 of us, with luggage, in a tiny taxi. When the fourth piece of luggage didn’t fit in a bad excuse for a trunk, the taxi driver decided to give it to the patrons of the backseat (Joanna, Katie, Matt). What a way to start Rome!

 Our hotel is Alberto Santa Chiara and it is steps from the Pantheon. We are staying in a 4 person suite (one room with a king bed and another with two twins). It looks like a lodge, complete with wood cielings.
Check it out:

Once we unpacked at the hotel, we made reservations for dinner (under Muratore, of course hehe) and headed out to explore ancient Rome. First stop: Santa Maria Maggiore. This church is one of the four Papal Basilicas in Rome. Bernini is buried here, and the church is HUGE. I would stop if you’re in the area – very beautiful. If you couldn’t guess, Matt loved it the most. We explored some more, stopping along the way at the Capuchin Crypt. VERY COOL.   Joanna’s FAVORITE stop.  
Check it out:

We hit the Trevi Fountain, Spanish Steps (PACKED), & the Vitorio Emanuel Monument. Oh I forgot to mention all of the hills. We explored along the way – lotsa walking to burn off all of that pasta!

We came back for showers and then headed out to our dinner spot – Quirino. Recommended by a friend of Tim’s AND Frommer’s, we decided to give it a whirl. Location wise, the restaurant is pefect. Steps from the Trevi Fountain, this ambiance couldn’t be beat. Food was so-so, our shared starter – eggplant involtini, was the best thing of the night. Matt and Tim both had Veal Saltimbocca, Joanna had Orange Duck, and I had Gnocchi. The boy’s meals were good, Joanna and myself, eh, ok. As expected, we’ve been hitting home runs in Italy with food – so maybe our standards are high? Who knows, the night was great – we enjoyed the location and the company. We made new friends – a couple that had spent a week in Tuscany and were finishing a short trip to Rome. One was from Ireland and the other from Florida. We spent an hour discussing everything from Top Chef to Cinque Terra. Good times! After a quick stop at the Trevi at night (gorgeous all lit up), we trekked our way back to our hotel to rest up! Next stop- the Vatican!

--Kate