RECAP :: ROME, ITALY

• FLIGHT -- RYANAIR :: I cannot say enough good things about flying with RyanAir. Incredibly cheap flights. Never any delays. They have allowed us to see so much of Europe while saving some major $$$.  
• TRANSPORTATION :: Since this was such a last minute trip I did not get to plan as much as I usually do. We decided to spend a little more money and stay in a hotel that was more centrally located. This made it much more convenient for us to be within walking distant from some amazing attractions. Following advice from our friends, we purchased Hop On, Hop Off tickets and used those to get to Vatican. The price was comparable for a taxi ride and allowed us to use the bus service for days when we were tired of walking. 
• HOTEL -- HOTEL BOLIVAR :: As a mentioned above we splurged on the hotel, but it was well worth it. We definitely paid for the location and not the size of the room. It was tiny! But this wasn't an issue since I had read many reviews on TripAdvisor saying that very thing. The staff was very helpful and breakfast selection was wonderful with the most amazing view. 

(Check out this Instagram picture to see what I'm talking about!) 

Coliseum & the Roman Forum

St. Peter's Basilica & the Vatican Museum

When in Rome...

Do your best Audrey Hepburn impression at the Mouth of Truth!

Take advantage of the FREE water fountains spread out all around the city. 

Rome was a special trip for me for a lot of reasons. First, RC was gone for most of the summer. So I was extremely thankful when his command decided to grant him an extra four day weekend. I missed him terribly, and anytime we get to travel after he's been gone I always feel like it's another "mini-honeymoon". I always love quality time with that handsome man of mine! Second, visiting Rome has always been a dream of mine and I think it started sometime around when I saw Roman Holiday for the first time. Roman Holiday is one of my favorite Audrey Hepburn films and it's a go-to for a rainy day movie. Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck will make any city look romantic, but Rome is definitely a city that can stand on its own. Our visit lived up to all of my expectations and my only disappointment was that the Trevi Fountain was under MAJOR renovations while we were there. We had a fantastic time in Rome and are so thankful we were able to check it off the list. 

Exploring Cinque Terre

Cinque Terre was my second visit to Italy. (The first being Pisa.) Cinque Terre was such an amazing experience. Definitely one of my favorite destinations in all of Europe. This region of the Italian Riviera is broken into 5 different villages. You can travel among the cliffside villages by walking path, train, or boat. Reaching within Cinque Terre by car is nearly impossible. The only vehicles you will see are shuttles for hotels and an occasional work truck. This was one of the many reasons why Cinque Terre ranks so high on my list of favorites. I love cities with large pedestrian zones and the freedom to meander down streets and alleyways without having to worry about traffic.

We stayed in the town of Lovanto, technically outside the Cinque Terre. This allowed us to get as close as possible to Cinque Terre since we were driving from Germany and had our car. Each day we took the short 10 minute train ride into Cinque Terre. I could have not have been more happy with where we stayed. (Thanks, Sarah!) On our last evening we finally had time to explore the town of Lovanto and were blown away. At that point we were desperately wishing we had just one more day in Italy. I could not have asked for a better girls trip!

Below are posts recapping our time in each of the five villages in Cinque Terre.

• Vernazzo
• Monterosso
• Riomaggiore
• Manarola
• Corniglia 

Vernazzo, Cinque Terre

Vernazzo was the first village we visited in Cinque Terre. It was absolutely everything I imagined Cinque Terre to be. Absolutely picturesque with the brightly colored houses on the cliffs. Amazing views of the shoreline. The smell of pesto, garlic, and fresh made bread. And gelaterias galore. It was the perfect introduction to Cinque Terre. In Vernazzo we decided to attempt to get a group picture in all five villages. Thanks Mr. Russian man for the photo. :)

Next Up… Monterosso!

Monterosso, Cinque Terre

Overall Monterosso was probably my favorite village in Cinque Terre. We visited Monterosso on our first day and immediately knew it was the perfect place for our afternoon nap. You see, our drive down to Italy from Germany didn't conclude until 3:30 am that morning and we were all a bit tired. After visiting Vernazzo that morning we were ready to relax in the sand. We settled into a private beach with lounge chairs, umbrellas, and daiquiris/pina coladas. It wasn't long before my eyes got too heavy for beach reading and a quick nap was in order.

Monterosso had a little bit of everything and was very unique in that it had a tunnel that separated the old town and the new town. In the old town we ate dinner and shopped for wine, pesto, and souvenirs. In the new town you'll find the train station, numerous restaurants, and more of a resort feel. The character-filled old town and the more bustling new town was the perfect combination and gave a great balance to the experience.

Next Up… Riomaggiore!

Riomaggiore, Cinque Terre

Riomaggiore is the most southern of the Cinque Terre villages and is where we started our second day. The view of the brightly colored houses on the rocks was equally as impressive as Vernazzo and we spent most of the time taking pictures. We probably would have explored Riomaggiore more, but the Via dell'Amore (Lover's Lane) was closed. Although we were temporarily husbandless (Thanks, Army!) and the title of the trail may not have been fitting, we were looking forward to the amazing views the hike promised. If the trail was open we would have been able to walk to Manarola.


Next Up…. Manarola!

Manarola, Cinque Terre

Manarola is an itty bitty village in Cinque Terre. It's actually the second smallest of all the villages, but we probably had our most memorable experience there. As you walk down towards the marina you'll notice crowds gathering to watch the brave individuals dive off the cliffs into the popular swimming hole. It was definitely "the thing" to do.

The day before we had laid on the sandy beaches of Monterosso and decided that in Manarola we wanted to experience sunbathing on the rocks and swimming in the Ligurian Sea. However by the time we reached Manarola (our second village of the day) the swimming hole was already pretty crowded. So we grabbed some food to-go (delicious fried seafood, pesto pizza, & beer) and head down to the left hoping it would be a little less crowded. Thanks to the advice of another American we wound up at the dock of one of the ferries. It was perfectly secluded since the ferries stopped running between 12:00 and 14:00. When our bellies were full from lunch and our bodies aching for the refreshing cool water we went back to the swimming hole and jumped in. None of us were brave enough to jump from the higher cliffs, but it was still an amazing experience. We sunbathed on the rocks again until our bathing suits were dry and we were ready to hop on over to the next village.

Next Up… Corniglia!