Rome Day 3

We started out at 7:30 in the morning to the Vatican for an early morning VIP Tour – this is a must do if you want to see the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel before the real crowds start. And even at opening it was still crowded! This exclusive tour allows you to enjoy the Vatican's infinite masterpieces with absolute calm, without being stressed by the huge crowds that push around during normal visiting hours. It gave us peaceful viewing of the Vatican Museums in their full splendor, the sublime Sistine Chapel, and majestic St. Peter's Basilica!

After the Vatican, we walked up the street to Castel Sant'Angelo - buy timed tickets in advance - we booked for noon after our early morning Vatican tour as it is right up the street – a fortress turned mausoleum - and took in the spectacular 360 degree views of Rome from the top.

For lunch we did a Trastevere food tour with our son Pacey as guide. Here are some of the spots this Roman resident took us to in his home away from home:

Suppli (traditional Roman rice croquettes) at Forno La Renella
Pizza al taglio at Pizzeria Trilussa
Trapizzino (triangular pizza pockets) at Trapizzino Trastevere
Gelato for dessert of course!

From there we went up to explore the Giardino degli Aranci (Garden of Oranges) on the Janiculum Hill.

Dinner at Osteria Vanda in Trastevere with a bunch of Pacey's study abroad friends for delicious homemade pastas and more, was super fun. Afterwards we went to the American Bar and The Drunken Ship Pub for their last night out in Roma!

Ciao Italy - Day 3

Fun App for Foodies

Ciao Italy - Day 2