A Passport is a Girl's Best Friend

With archaeological site littered throughout the city, so much so that it seems that you stumble upon upon a one at every corner, it would take years to see it all. Today we conquered three of them, the Roman Forum, Palantine Hill, and the Colosseum. D and I love nerding out over cool archaeological museums so this was so cool for us. If allowed, we could have spent HOURS here.  Arch of Titus: This is a triumphal arch that commemorates Rome's victory over Jerusalem. It was built after the death of the emperor Titus. Walking down Via Sacra, the main street in ancient Rome Arch of Septimius Severus The Temple of Saturn Dadding hard Arch of Constantine Colosseum, the main symbol of Rome

I'm Catholic(ish). I was raised VERY catholic; church every Sunday, first communion, confession, Sunday school, observed lent (even the whole abstain from meat on Fridays part), christian summer camps, conformation, est. Now? Meh, not so much, BUT how could I come to Rome and NOT go to the Vatican?! During HOLY WEEK??? The Catholic guilt would be too much. With Grayson in tow and D's aversion to big crowds (it's weird Howard thing *COUGH* Carrie *COUGH*), we opted for the early entrance (7:15am) with breakfast. Post breakfast we were set free in the museums an hour early before the general public, so we dashed for the Sistine Chapel to avoid the crowds. It was awe inspiring. Stunning. Mind-blowing to think that it was painted in 4-years, by an inexperienced painter who was known for his sculptures. In summary, after spending all day at the Vatican, what I learned was the Vatican kicks ass at ceiling art. To be fair, the Church has never been know...

We spent the last few days exploring Florence's hidden gems before we moved on to out last destination. Thursday morning we wandered around old town and stumbled upon a fancy shmancy cafe, Caffè Gilli, that had hot chocolate, indoor seats, with chairs in the sun. Yes. Please. This cold weather and windy has been miserable so any chance to people watch while being warm, I'll take!  Pinkies up! After, since we were already in the Piazza della Repubblica, we rode the old carousel and then walked to the classic wooden toy shop, Bartolucci. Bartolucci focuses on the the story of Pinocchio. This story, Le Avventure di Pinocchio, was published in Florence and has been a staple in the Italian culture ever since.  G LOVED the carousel! Thursday evening Galleria dell' Accademia to see  Michelangelo's  legendary David. I must say that this astonishing 14 ft Renaissance  marble s culpture is absolutely  impressive. It feels so...