Adventures of Tin Can Lulu

We spent three more days in Roma visiting sites that we did not see on the Rick Steves Tour and also enjoying more food adventures. So here we go!!

First up was visiting the Vatican City. Vatican City is a fully independent nation with its own government, laws, and international recognition. It was established as an independent country in 1929.  It is a sovereign nation, an enclave within Rome, Italy, and the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. It is landlocked city-state, meaning it is both a city and a country at the same time. It is the smallest country in the world by both area and population. The country is a theocratic absolute monarchy ruled by the Pope who is the head of state and the head of government.

We had made reservations to do a tour of the Vatican City before we arrived in Italy. This year is the 2025 Jubilee, and we anticipated larger crowds while at the Vatican due to the pilgrims for the Jubilee. Even with our reservation it took us over 45 minutes before we entered the Vatican at 10:00 am in the morning! Our tour was three hours long and included the sites of the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel, Gallery of Maps, Gallery of Tapestries, St. Peter’s Basilica and St. Peter’s Square. A lot to see and cover!

Once again we were not disappointed with the awe inspiring sights and treasures inside the Vatican. The art depicted showed how the Popes used art and culture to spread their messages.

We had an amazing dinner at Quel Che C’è Laboratorio Di Cucina, a local eatery, run by Luca and his wife who were passionate about what they prepared and served to you. We arrived early, before the doors opened, and there was a line .. a good sign! The tables were small and there were only 8 or so tables in the whole restaurant. The menu choices were limited but a wonderful selection. Our new friends Kathy and Dave (from the Rick Steves tour) joined us and we feasted on Pasta Carbonara, Ravioli (stuffed with pesto, pistachio & stracciata) and Pasta La Bolognese. Deliziosa!!

Visiting Mount Vesuvius and Pompeii was a 3 hour drive from Rome one way. We once again did an organized tour with approximately 48 others from all over the world. It was a long day but rewarding.

Mount Vesuvius is one of the most studied and well-known volcanoes in the world. A symbol of Naples with its unique shape, it has a typical frusto-conical shape, with its highest peak reaching 4190 feet. The crater currently has a diameter of 1476 feet and a depth of 984 feet. We hiked to the rim and along the way had fantastic views of Naples. Although we had some fog it added to the beauty. The last time Vesuvius erupted was in 1944.

Pompeii was buried in 13 to 20 feet of ash when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 AD. Largely preserved under the ash, Pompeii is a unique snapshot of Roman life, frozen at the moment it was buried, as well as insight into ancient urban planning. It was a wealthy town of 10,000 to 20,000 residents at the time it was destroyed. The ruins are massive and once again hard to believe how old they are and still in tact.

Our last day we did more exploring. As you can imagine there are unlimited things to see and do in a city as large as Rome. We decided to check off some more of the famous ones, Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps.

The Trevi fountain is a Baroque masterpiece built between 1732 and 1762, and it is the largest Baroque fountain in Rome. Its design includes the central figure of the sea god Oceanus on his shell chariot, and side figures representing Abundance and Salubrity. The fountain is the terminal point of the Aqua Virgo aqueduct, one of the ancient aqueducts that supplied Rome with water. The most famous tradition is tossing a coin over your left shoulder with your right hand. One coin ensures a return to Rome, two coins leads to finding love and three coins guarantees marriage in Rome. 

The Spanish Steps historically connected the French church on the hill with the rest of Rome, and served as a gathering place for local aristocrats, artists, and writers, including English Romantic poets. At 135 steps, they are the widest and longest staircase in Europe. The area around the steps is a hub for social life and is located near the luxury shopping district, symbolizing a mix of history and modern Roman glamour. 

We topped off our last day with another cooking class. The focus was on learning how to make traditional Pizza, iconic Roman Supplì (Fried ball of rice with cheese), and authentic Italian Gelato. We have the recipes and know that we will be attempting to recreate that pizza dough! It was the best pizza that we had during our entire time in Italy!

Italy did not disappoint us. We loved the food, sights, countryside, history, culture and people! Yes you get overloaded, but we learned so many details about being an Italian. We walked 134 miles during the trip, we had gelato a dozen times and each was different, wine, pasta and pizza was the food staples throughout the trip! Our favorite places were the Dolomites and Cinque Terre, away from the maddening crowds of the bigger cities. Seeing Michelangelo’s David was breathtaking! Walking amongst the ruins through northern Italy gave you a chance to live and breath the history of the times. An amazing trip of a lifetime!

As our tour guide Nancy would say, ciao, ciao, ciao!

Fino alla prossima volta (until next time)!!