ITALY DAY 1

Ciao Bella!!!! Justin & I are back from a week to remember in Italy and are so very excited to share with you all the "nitty gritty" details!!! {Warning: 90% of this trip was done on our own w/out professional guides and by FOOT}
To get started

Ryan Air Travel Tips:
In later years you could easily get away with flying on RyanAir with only a carry on plus (purse,laptop bag or purchase bag) at no extra cost.  As we witnessed Monday evening this is no longer the case.  Many people including us passed customs with ease and then met the "strict no wiggle room" carry on inspector {lol} You will be instructed to weigh your bag to make sure it is NOT over 10kg, to make sure you only have 1 carry on bag(this will include anything you have purchased passed security, everything has to fit in 1 bag).  Then we had to fit our carry on bag into the metal compartment to replicate an overhead compartment measuring 55cm x 40cm x 20cm.  IF your bag is too heavy or if your carry on bag WON'T fit in the compartment you will not only have to check it in but pay a hefty 60euro or 60pounds fee!!! Ouch! Okay so enough of that.....

We arrived in Pisa airport & got the keys to our rental car................

Haha...yup that's right...my 6ft. 7inch husband will be cruisin' in a SMART CAR.  Luckily we are only using it to drive to Rome and back to Pisa

Heading to Roma!!!!!

    Day 1~ We drove 2 1/2 hours on the toll roads & arrived in Rome around 9, where we parked & met to get the keys for our rental apartment.  We have found that checking prices on HomeAway has ended up running the same if not a bit cheaper than a regular hotel or even hostel, which was the case for Rome.  We checked in Monday and checked out Friday and paid 220euros & were 30meters from the main train hub{Termini}, 5minutes from the Spanish Steps & Piazza Barberini &10minutes walk to the Colosseum.  Carlo the owner was the nicest Italian man & his cleaning lady was very sweet & told us a few hot spots to check out...hands down we will try & book here again!!!

Rome City Center The couch which was really comfortable also pulled out to a full size bed & did I mention we had A/C!!!! 

To the right is the full bathroom & constant hot water

In the evening the front large doors were closed & locked & only residents had access in.  We were on the first floor & didn't hear any traffic or outside noise.  Best Sleep we have had on a vacation!!

Since Rome is such a large city and our "complimentary" map from Welcome Roma definitely intimidated us we decided to simply.....start walking.  We stumbled upon a beautiful park that had lots of 4 legged friends which we got to meet with, large shade trees and our first nasoni {public long nosed drinking water fountain}.  I personally, have a hard time forking out $3-$5.00 let alone euro for a bottle of water.  Now, in the city of Rome I just purchase 1 large bottled water at the grocery store & fill up the rest of the day with "cold, free water," I'm LOVING this city already!!!! Now time to bust open this map & get our barrings.

Just getting started & we are super excited!!!!

Aw, we loved meeting these 2 dogs..such sweethearts!!

Nasoni

Justin & I love to see as much as possible in a trip, however we also love to see it "on a budget".  So as mentioned at the beginning we walked....pretty much until our feet were ready to give out and then headed back to the apartment.  In about 7hours on foot we tried to make a huge circle so we didn't double back &  were able to see: Teatro Dell'Opera , Galleria Termini, {yes, I know its a train hub, we are weird like that, we love seeing how public transit works} Piazza della Repubblica, Santa Maria degli Angeli, San Carlo Quattro Fontane (this was actually on our way to the Park) Trinita del Monti , Palazzo delle Espesizioni, Trinita del Monti, Villa Medici, Piazza Colonna, Fontana Di Trevi, Monumento a Vittor Emanual, Colonna Tralna, Mercati Traianei, Casa del Cav. Di Rodi, Foro Traiano, Foro Di Cesare, Arco di Tito, Palatino, Arcdo di Costantinio, Colosseo, Domus Aurea and the Santa Maria Maggiore.  Today was such a hot and busy day that we decided not to go into any of the sites except for the Forum di Caeser.  Everything else we  simply walked to, took them in and continued on.  We came upon several fruit stands and finally ended up giving in to our grumbling tummies.{oops, apparently we had forgotten to eat}  Note to self, make sure to ask how much each fruit is per pound...otherwise you will end up spending a nice chunk of change.  We chose a nice bundle of red grapes, 2 plums, a piece of coconut{which Justin found a bit tough} a few cherries & a water for 9euros.  Being tourists we weren't so stunned at the price but as for the local that had stopped with his family to grab a banana they were less than impressed.  Later when we stopped at the grocery store to stock up on the weeks groceries {spent a whopping 22euro}we realized what the "fuss" was all about.  {Banana=.37euro cent.....vendor banana 1.50euro} 

You can't see it but Piazza del Popoio was in the background

These smelled amazing!!!!

So apparently I own an Italian motorcyle company....So now who do I collect royalties from  haha

Justin was making fun of the smart car that we drove into Rome in & said, "that was the smallest car ever"....and then he saw this....Bawhahahahhahaa

Piazza Colonna 

As we were cutting through side streets we stumbled upon this.  Super inexpensive & some cute clothes!! I didn't get it in the picture but they were also selling sandels & jewelry.  

This was in the Piazza del Republica 

This small church didn't even seem to make it on the free Welcome Map but I am so glad we stumbled upon it.  Just another reason why we love touring on foot.

An adorable cafe along the way to Trevi Fountain.  I love all the hanging flowers & the metal bistro tables

Definitely grab GELATO while you are in Italy in general.  Even when your on a budget you've just got to have some  gelato!!! Quick tip: Look at the containers the gelato is coming in.  If it's in a metal container, its home made....if its in a plastic container its store bought.  We are a bit of gelato "snobs" so we stick to the metal containers ;)

Trevi Fountain...absolutely breath-taking.  We spent at least 20minutes here just sitting, snapping pictures & of course tossing in a coin!! It gets super crowded here so BEWARE of pick pockets....and those annoying street peddlers!  A firm NO and keep walking worked for us.  Never let them hand you anything otherwise your stuck going back and forth trying to give the item back that you never wanted in the first place.  

A fruit stand 1 block from where we were staying

We did actually go inside here & loved it

This is the stand we bought our fruit from...well worth the 9euro...check out the size of those GRAPES!!!!! Omg, and I have NEVER seen lemons the size they were in Italy.

The most delicious bread, meats & cheeses 

Now we are headed back for a shower since its 96degrees outside, lunch & a nap!!! Stay Tuned...next its the City of Rome at night.  It's been said, "Rome is the Eternal City of Love."  They must have been experiencing the city at night!

Thank you so much for following my Blog & Happy Traveling!!!!!!

Beverly