Roma and Ostia Antica

You may have guessed it. Heather + ancient ruins= one very happy woman. And central Italy has tons of them. While in Rome, I saw countless ruins: The Colosseum, the Pantheon, multiple Ancient Egyptian Obelisks, the Roman Forum, the House of Vestals (Virgins), and countless others. Along with ruins, Rome has amazing art, attractions, and of course, food.And for a Pompeii day trip alternative, check out the bottom of this page!

Art: Check out the Trevi Fountain and Bernini’s 4 Rivers fountain (gorgeous+ you’ll feel like you’re on a mission with Professor Langdon from Da Vinci Code- Angels and Demons).

Vatican

Cool finds: Laocoön and His Sons, Sistine Chapel, bible tapestries that took years to make, Nero’s marble tub.St. Peter’s Basilica: Pieta (Mary and Jesus) and statue of St. Peter.During the medieval ages, Christians would take a religious pilgrimage to St. Peter’s Basilica and rub the foot of the statue of St. Peter. So many people rubbed the foot, that the bronze toes were rubbed off. Historians claim that this act helped spread the plague around Europe. 

Attractions: The Spanish Stairs- think Audrey Hepburn. When we were there, there was a ukulele and violin band playing Beatles songs and a man handing out roses during the sunset. Uber romantica. 

Food: GELATO. You need to go to Della Palma – it has over 150 flavors of gelato. Try them all… just kidding, don’t do that, but you can sample as many as you want. 
Angelino Ai Foro. This place is amazing. Not only does it look over the Colosseum but the food is exquisite. I had truffle pasta, a cheese platter, and fruit and chocolate for dessert: 

DAY TRIP: Since I was young, I have always wanted to go to the ruins of Pompeii. But I only had a short time in Rome and really wanted to go to the beach for my last day so I did not have time to do a 10+ hour day trip to Pompeii.I wanted to find a comparative alternative and Ostia Antica is just that.  
Pros:You have the park virtually to yourself.You can walk through, onto, and into the ruins (think 2000 year old jungle gym and singing in an ancient amphitheater) You can walk through ancient bars, gyms, bathhouses, and 2 story houses.Students are free.A lot of the ancient art is still intact. It is only a 40 minute metro ride from Rome to Piramide station.It is right by a beach. 
Cons:There are no mummified corpses from 79 a.d. 🙁
After our self-led tour through ruins, we walked over to the Ostia Lido and spent the rest of the day swimming in gorgeously blue waters.  

 Ostia Lido: