I had been watching the weather forecast since before we left for Italy and Tuesday was the one day of our trip that was concerning to me. Forecasts were showing thunderstorms all day and I had booked a tour (rain or shine) and train tickets to Pompeii that day. So we grabbed our rain gear and were off! Our tour had contacted us to let us know our guide was sick and we would have Maria instead. I mentioned the weather and they said it looked like there might be a break in the storms late morning. I asked if we could move our tour up from 12:30 to 11:00 and they obliged. Our plan had been to get to Naples and do some sightseeing for an hour or two before taking the train to Pompeii, but this change in plans meant we needed to head straight to Pompeii.

We took the subway to Termini, which is the train station in Rome. Our train was leaving at 7:55 and I had planned on us eating a little earlier, not knowing at the time that the breakfast buffet at the hotel didn’t open until 6:45. We ate breakfast really fast and then hoofed it over to the subway station. We had to wait a few minutes for the subway and it was getting close to 7:30 at this point, so I was starting to get antsy, thinking we’d miss our train. I knew the ride was only around 10 minutes and the metro station was close to Termini, but wasn’t sure how close or what platform our train would be at. The subway stop turned out to be very close and we just hopped off the subway and walked (very quickly mind you) a short distance underground to get to Termini. Popped out above ground, found our platform and made it on board our train with no more than five minutes to spare.

We were on a fast Trenitalia train to Napoli Centrale station. The ride was about an hour. Once we arrived in Naples, it was a quick walk to the Circumvesuviana ticket windows to buy one way tickets to Pompeii out of the Garibaldi train station. The Circumvesuviana is a regional, old and run down train that takes you to the cities around Naples. It was about a 30 minute ride to Pompeii with about 20 stops in between. We stood almost the entire time. I believe the trains do not have a/c, so I imagine it would be terribly uncomfortable in the summer. It was packed even though it was not peak tourist season.

I had also booked this tour through the same tour company as the Vatican tour because I wanted to make sure the kids got a good understanding of what we were looking at. Our guide Maria was great! She was friendly and was continually quizzing us on what we thought we might be looking at, calling us all by name the entire time. She was a little hard to understand sometimes and I kept getting a hint of an accent that I just couldn’t place. Turns out she learned English from a British person, so she had a thick Italian/British accent.

The grand theater is well, grand. It could seat 5000 people. It’s huge and just so impressive to think about how long it’s been here. The original marble VIP seats are still intact.

From the top of the theater, you have a great view of Mt. Vesuvius.

Next to the grand theater was a smaller, more intimate theater that could hold 1,000 spectators. Clara wanted a picture of this statue of half a griffin.

One of the homes we went into had just opened to the public about 20 days earlier. It’s incredible to see the frescoes that have survived all these years. And only around 2/3 of Pompeii have been excavated. They’ve mainly turned to trying to conserve what they have uncovered. Tourists and exposure to the elements has caused a lot of damage to existing structures and some of the buildings have crumbled.

Trying out the crosswalks. The stones were raised so that you didn’t step in the sewage that was just thrown into the street to be washed downhill. They were placed a certain distance apart to allow for wheels of carts to pass through and you can still see the indentions left by the carts.

Here Maria is explaining that this counter with it’s sunken terracotta bowls was a take-out restaurant. There are lots of them in Pompeii because most people were too poor to have a kitchen in their home.

I noticed this older gentleman was lurking around for awhile. I believe he was soaking up some free tour guide info from Maria.

Here are a few pictures from inside the men’s and women’s bathhouses. The cutouts are lockers in the changing areas.

Here we are in the Forum with Mt. Vesuvius in the background.

And a selfie before heading back to Naples.

Notice anything about these pictures? Like the first day we’re not wearing coats? It ended up being a picture perfect day and the rain stayed away all day! It did look dark off in the distance, but we didn’t get a drop!

We probably could have easily spent a couple more hours there, but we were hungry and had a 30 minute train ride back to Naples, so we went on. Had pizza in a shop on Piazza Garibaldi just outside of the train station and then headed back to the station via an underground shopping area that connected the piazza to the station, popping in to a few stores on the way.

Our train was leaving around 5:00 and I booked us a little bit nicer seats for the ride home since I knew we’d be tired and wasn’t sure when we’d be eating. It was nice to get a drink and snack on the ride home, along with a bit more comfy seats. Chris was impressed that I would splurge. We paid maybe $5 bucks more per person than the cheap seats. Hey, I’m a generous individual when it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. 😉

We took a bus from Termini back to the hotel, but I can’t remember what we did for dinner that night. I think we were all full from our late lunch in Naples.

We started out our day a little late on Monday. We had a private tour of the Vatican Museum, Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica with a family friendly tour guide scheduled from 2:00-5:00, so I didn’t want to start out too early in the day. We left the hotel mid-morning of what would be a drizzly, overcast day and took the bus to the stop nearest the Trevi Fountain. The plan was to just slowly make our way over to Vatican City where we would get lunch and sit in a cafe for awhile before our tour.

Wouldn’t you know it, they had the water shut off for cleaning. Workers in yellow rain suits were crawling all over it. We managed to get a couple of photos without them in the background. We planned on coming back on Wednesday anyway, so we didn’t linger.

We popped into some of the shops in the streets around the fountain. Clara was dying to buy a warm hat, so she got a cheap hat in a souvenir shop and was a happy camper from there on out. We walked the short distance to the Spanish Steps and only got turned around once.

The rain had picked up a bit by the time we got to the Piazza di Spagna, but we still managed to make our way up to the top of the steps. We went all the way up thinking the subway station was up top. There was an entrance, but it was closed. Someone pointed us back down a side way which took us down a windy, fairly hidden away passage. For a minute I thought we were being scammed and his friends were going to be waiting to mug us, but eventually we found the entrance and hopped on to the next stop, which was the Piazza del Popolo.

We just walked around for a few minutes and checked out the fountains, the obelisk and some surrounding shops. Clara was our resident Roman god and goddess expert, so she filled us in on who we were looking at each time we came across a statue.

Back on the subway to the next stop, which was near Vatican City. For blocks around the Vatican you are bombarded by people trying to sell you on their tours. They are so annoying and even though we were ignoring them, they kept yelling at us that we were going the wrong way. Dude! How do you know where I’m going?!

We had lunch between the metro station and Vatican City, at a busy little pizzeria called Ottavio’s. We sat for as long as we could because the rain was supposed to get heavier at any time and we still had a few minutes before we were to meet our guide. I went to the restroom which had a sink in a tiny room with two doors to a men’s and women’s toilet, each no bigger than a typical bathroom stall. As I was washing my hands, a couple had come in to change their baby’s diaper. It was comical to watch. They were behind me, just about touching me. He had stepped back into the women’s room, holding the baby against his chest facing out. Mom was stripping the baby’s bottoms off and just doing the change mid-air. They all had their winter hats and coats on, bags in tow. Oh my goodness, no. Just no. I could not handle changing a kid in an Italian public restroom. What if it was a dirty diaper? I don’t think I saw a single diaper change station in a public restroom, aside from the airport.

Just a short walk and we were at the city walls. Our guide Simone met us at the entrance to the Vatican Museums and walked us quickly through security and right up to the window to get our tickets.

This tour agency is geared towards kids, so we were going on a scavenger hunt around the museum. We decided to be on the same team (good thing because there’s a ton of Roman mythology contained inside those walls and Clara would’ve kicked our tails). Simone would show us things on her tablet. Each time it was something done by Michaelangelo, first she’d show a pic of the ninja turtle and then the real Michaelangelo. You can see Mikey on her screen in this next pic.

I thought the tour was very informative and she was very nice. We saw areas that I didn’t get to see last year. Tour guides have to talk about the Sistine Chapel before you go in since there is no talking allowed. She tried to let the kids sit on some stairs while she explained what they were about to see, but security shooed us away. She was trying to get them to make an exception for the kids, but they weren’t having it and the bench that she said all of the guides fight over was occupied, so we got to stand.

Here we are with the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica in the background.

And outside of the Basilica before going in.

We couldn’t get good pictures from inside. It is amazing. Upon entering, all Robert could say was “Wooow!” I kind of wish our tour had been earlier, because I think the kids would have loved to go to the top of the dome.

It was dark out when we finished with the tour, so we didn’t get good pictures. I kept thinking it’s ok, we can swing by on Wednesday after going to the Castel San’t Angelo next door and get some good pictures from outside.

We walked to the subway and took it and then a bus back to the hotel, so it took close to an hour total to get back. We were pretty tired from a full day of walking so we stopped in at a burger restaurant near the hotel. They had some interesting burger toppings. Their fries and onion rings were pretty good after several days of nothing but pizza and pasta.

I made an awesome, color-coded itinerary in Google Sheets for our trip (which is totally unlike me btw). I just needed a good visual, especially with the kids, so I could tell if we were going to be over-doing it. I wanted to build in rest time back at the hotel and I wanted to make sure I knew which buses and subways to take and names of stops to get off at because I don’t think clearly under pressure and didn’t want to rely on the phone. My itinerary quickly went out the window that first morning when I let the kids sleep in. They didn’t sleep in too late, but we got a later start than I wanted. The Colosseum opened at 8:30 and I wanted to get there right around that time to avoid lines. Chris was up early and had been waiting for us down in the breakfast room that he spent many an early morning in during his travels. A wonderful American/English breakfast was included in our room rate which made mornings quick and easy for us. It included bacon, eggs, baked beans and weenies (we stuck with the eggs and bacon), as well as a number of pastries, cereal, fresh fruit, etc.

Robert wanted to be a proper European and have hot tea with cream and sugar with his breakfast. He liked it and requested it most mornings.

We consulted with the front desk as we were leaving and asked where the nearest “tabaccheria” or tobacco shop was where we could purchase bus/metro tickets. I knew Jenna and I had bought them from a shop near the hotel last year but wanted to be pointed in the right direction. We were out of luck since they’re closed on Sundays. Grrr. My well-laid plans were slowly unraveling. I also wanted confirmation that kids were free and she said that was not the case. (I looked just now and sure enough, kids under 10 can ride for free so we could have saved 24 euro.) Anyway, our best bet was to walk to the nearest subway station and buy tickets from the kiosk there. Rome’s subway system isn’t very extensive, especially outside of the city center, so it was about a 15 minute walk for us from the Hotel Panama Garden where we were staying. It wasn’t too bad. It was chilly, but the sun was shining and the kids got their first look at Rome’s streets. We made it to the station, bought our 7 day passes that are good on buses and the subway and were on our way to the colosseum.

When you walk out of the subway station, you’re standing in the shadow of the colosseum. You and all of the other tourists and toy and selfie stick hawkers and tour hawkers. It was a little chaotic. Chris had to give the kids the same talk he gave me to just completely ignore them, don’t slow down and for goodness sake don’t smile or look in their direction or they’ll be following us for an hour. Y’all, that’s really hard for us native Texans. They caught on quickly though and were just as annoyed by them. It doesn’t take long.

Because we slept in, we got to the colosseum about an hour or two after it had opened, so we had a long wait to get in. Jenna and I got in really quickly last year and it was still packed with tourists then, so I expected the same since the lines didn’t look that long. Nope, it was a long wait, maybe 45 minutes. In the shade with 50 degree temps and a breeze. There may have been a little bit of whining involved. We should have gone over to the Roman Forum to get our tickets because the lines are supposedly shorter and the tickets get you into both, but I really thought the line wasn’t going to be too bad and looked to be moving quickly. It turns out they only let a certain number a people in and close it off for 15 minutes before they let another large group in.

After we exited the colosseum, we headed over to the Roman Forum by way of the Palatine Hill entrance. It was kind of the scenic way to get to the Forum. We totally should’ve gotten our tickets there. It was vacant. Here’s Robert in front of the Arch of Constantine right outside of the colosseum.

I bought a book for Robert called Mission Rome. It’s a scavenger hunt for kids that covers all of the major attractions. It was great and helped all of us gain a little bit of perspective and even I got excited when we found something in the book. One of the things to be on the lookout for was “nasoni”, water fountains that can be found all over the city. There are over 2,500 of them. He got an extra point for trying to drink from one without getting wet. The water runs continuously and most of them have a small hole on top so that if you block the flow at the end of the spout with your finger, water flows up through the top like our water fountains and is easier to drink from. I didn’t attempt a drink since the temps were in the 50s. I’m sure it’s great on a hot summer day though.

The Forum is really amazing and you just can’t convey the sheer size and scope of these buildings in pictures. Everything is massive.

One of the items we were looking for in Robert’s book is the plaque just beside his shoulder next to the Arch of Septimus Severus. It reads “Umbilicus Urbis Romae” or “Navel of the City of Rome”. It “was the symbolic centre of the city from which, and to which, all distances in Ancient Rome were measured” (Wikipedia).

I had us going in a certain direction because I was sure there would be an exit at the end, but alas, we had to backtrack and figure out how to get out of this massive complex of ruins. We ended up in front of the Alter of the Fatherland and it was way past lunch time, so we walked around the streets surrounding the Piazza Venezia looking for a place to eat. We stumbled into a place called Rudy’s and it wasn’t so great. But it gave us a place to sit and rest and use the restroom. I’ve always said I wanted to take the kids out of the US to get them out of their comfort zone and experience different cultures and ways of life. I want them to figure out public transportation and how to communicate with someone who doesn’t speak English. Anyway, one such new experience happened when Robert came out of the restroom in this restaurant. His hands were covered in soap and he whispered that he couldn’t figure out the sink. The waiter overheard him and said it was a foot pedal. So I waited with him outside the restroom, which was now occupied, to help him find and work the foot pedal.

After lunch, we had just about had all the sight-seeing we could take for the day, but I convinced everyone we should at least try and find the statue of Remus and Romulus since I knew we were really close. We walked over to the Alter of the Fatherland, which is HUGE btw. The stairs in the second picture go up to a church between the alter and Capitoline Hill, which is where the statue is located. The kids saw the steps and asked if they could climb to the top. We said “knock yourselves out” while we waited for them at the bottom.

The picture spacing is all off on this post and I can’t seem to easily create space between some pictures, but we’re just not going to spend a lot of time worrying about formatting. Next we walked up Capitoline Hill to the Piazza Campidoglio. Robert is pictured above with a statue of Tiber with Romulus and Remus and the She Wolf playing by his elbow. And below is a replica statue of Marcus Aurelius outside of the Capitoline Museums. I would have liked to go in, but we were pretty tired by this point.

We continued our mission to find the statue of the She-Wolf with Romulus and Remus and knew it was around here somewhere. We turned a corner and found this small statue on top of a column. Not exactly what we were expecting. I think the original is larger and is located in the museum.

And Robert found another fountain to try out. If you look closely, you can see the tiny statue in the background above his head.

When we rounded the corner, the view that greeted us was of the Roman Forum below. The Arch of Septimus Severus with the Umbilicus plaque that I mentioned earlier is in the foreground of this photo. I was wanting to get to this spot earlier in the day and I knew we were really close, which we were, but I just didn’t know you couldn’t access it from the forum below. We ended up walking a loooong way to get to this spot, but it was worth it for this amazing view.

From this point, it was a short walk to get to this side of the Alter of the Fatherland and to find a bus stop that would get us back to the hotel for some rest.

It was late afternoon by the time we got off the bus near the hotel and probably only around 55 degrees, but the kids hadn’t had gelato yet, and they didn’t think they could go any longer without, so everyone but me got gelato to eat on the walk back to the hotel.

That night we had a nice dinner at one of Chris’ favorites near the hotel, Ristorante Mangiafuoco. It was still empty when we got there after 7:00. Robert got to sample some wine. He insists that he took a drink, but I’m pretty sure a drop never made it past his lips. And they finally got real pizza. Robert had diavla, which is kind of like our pepperoni and Clara had a four cheese calzone while Chris and I both had the Spaghetti alla Carbonara and we had an appetizer of proscuitto and mozzarella di bufala which is soooo good. And creme brulee for dessert This was our “splurge” meal while in Italy.