Thinking Out Loud Thursday - Rome: Day Due

Welcome to Thinking Out Loud Thursday!  I'm sharing day two of our trip to Italy with you today.  It's hard to believe that a month has passed since we were walking the street of Rome.  Here's how our second day went ~

We woke up on day two feeling rested and ready to continue exploring the city.  On the agenda for day two was buying our Roma pass and finding our way to the Colosseum.  The hotel we were calling home for the week, Hotel Delle Nazioni, offered a free breakfast each day and we took full advantage of it.  Their dining area was the perfect place for the three of us to sit down, eat breakfast and map out our day.

First order of business for the day was to purchase our Roma Pass.  We had decided on getting the one that was valid for 72 hours.  For Euro 38.50, the 72 hour Roma Pass includes free admission into your first two museums, use of the city's public transport network and discounts and reduced price ticketing for other exhibitions.  Eric navigated us to the Tourist INFOPOINT closest to our hotel and we made our purchase.

It took us a minute to figure out exactly which bus to use, but after we got on the correct bus it was smooth sailing to the Colosseum.  We followed Rick Steve's advise and were able to skip the line by using our newly purchased Roma pass to get in.  I have no idea how long people in the lines were going to have to wait to enter, but it looked like the lines went on forever!  Little advice:  Get there early.  Only 3,000 people are allowed in at the time, so even if you get an advance ticket you might have to wait in line to get in.

Just being in a structure that is over 2,000 years old is pretty darn amazing.  We wondered around marveling at the engineering it took to build this ancient building.

From the Colosseum, we moved right over to Palatine Hill.  Along the way, we passed Arch of Constantine.  Standing strong between the Colosseum and the Forum, Arch of Constantine commemorates a military coup and the acceptance of Christianity by the Roman Empire.  Impressive!

So many amazing pieces of history to get up close to and take in while walking around the grounds.

Our bellies were screaming for pasta, so we left the grounds in search of a place to set down and eat.  We crossed the street and found a nice place with outdoor tables to enjoy lunch.  After lunch, there was gelato then we were off to find St. Peter-in-Chains Church where the chains that held St. Peter can be found.  We wondered the streets looking for this church and we so close to giving up when we finally stumbled across it.  So glad we didn't give up!



We had purchased an evening walking tour so we headed back to the hotel to regroup and get to our meeting spot.  The tour was booked through Viator and we got it for a steal.  Our tour guide, Josie, walked us through the city and shared many fun facts.

At the conclusion of our tour, we popped in a restaurant to have dinner and reflect on our day over a bottle of wine.  My fitbit registered 19,854 steps for Monday.  Wish all Mondays were as fun as this one was!

Next up -- Day Tre.  If you missed Day Uno, you can read it HERE.

Now it's your turn.  What are you thinking out loud about today?  Link up and share!

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