We arrived in Italy! After flights from Seattle to JFK and JFK to Roma Fiumicino airport, we took the train into Roma Termini station and finally a bus to our Hilton Garden Inn in the NW part of the city (Piazza Ungheria). It was too early to check in, so we swapped some clothes, dropped our bags at the front desk, and headed outside to adapt to the new timezone.

We headed west, walking into the grand Villa Borghese estate, which is now a park with a museum and zoo. Museum tickets were sold out so we planned to come back later in our trip. The park was alive with tourists and loud with crickets! Stately trees--the majestic stone pine and knobbly Oriental plane--lined the many walkways through the villa grounds.

After finding a view overlooking Rome, our walk continued west through Piazza del Popolo where we saw the first of many Egyptian obelisks in the squares of Rome. Then we headed southeast on the main street Via Del Corso (Street of Progress), lined with shops for coffee, gelato, clothes, and more.

As we wandered through neighborhoods, we happened upon a building of Roman architecture. It turned out to be Hadrian's Temple, built for the Roman Emperor Hadrian after he died.

We wound our way to the Pantheon, which is an impressive building fronted by immense marble columns and topped with an incredible dome. It was originally a temple to the Roman Gods, but the Constantinople (Byzantine) Emperor gave it to the Pope in 609 AD, and it was converted to a church. It now contains the tomb of the Renaissance artist Raphael.

The grand site called for a grand snack, so we went to get Rome's best gelato (Cal had done previous research) at Giolitti. Vanilla and chocolate for the win! After a bit more wandering through Piazza Navona to see Bernini's Four Rivers fountain, we ate lunch at nearby at Cul de Sac and then walked to Trevi Fountain.

By mid-afternoon, the time change and the heat of Rome got to us, so we headed back to the hotel for a nap. The day ended with mussels, cuttlefish ink fettuccine, and prosciutto ravioli at Taverna Rossini.

The Day's Stats:

3 buses, 2 flights, 1 train, and 12 miles walked since leaving Seattle!

The Day's Tips:

Traveling to a Italy from the us causes jet lag for a lot of people, Our tip is to arrive early in the day and stay awake in the new time zone as much as possible the first day.

The Day's Favorites:

Cal's favorite: vanilla and chocolate gelato at Giolitti. It's the best in Rome.

Val's favorite: cuttlefish ink fettuccine at Taverna Rossini.