Fresh off of Florence Fest 2012 (which reminds me, did I actually request that a man who looks like Meatloaf sing a Phil Collins song, then go to a disco club in the same night?) our Contiki mates boarded the bus for Rome. We were really excited to soak in the ancient Roman history, albeit not exactly wearing our Sunday best, nor photo-ready. And we were off…
To be totally honest I feel asleep shortly thereafter, BUT when I woke up I was in a medieval village. It took me a second to confirm that I was indeed awake and not dreaming of Camelot. Still rubbing my eyes this enigma was cleared up when our tour guide announced over the mic “wakey, wakey, we’re in San Gimigano!” Before entering the walled-in fortress we had to catch our breath while taking in the Tuscan landscape. With rolling hills, lush greenery and the most vivid colors imaginable, it was almost too perfect to be real. A million (or at least a dozen) pictures later, we entered the town. Like all medieval towns San Gimigano is completely surrounded by an imposing stone wall but once inside is quite quaint.
Windsor, Brittany and I strolled around, popping into the few shops that were open. Unfortunately for us, and sweet for them, many Italians in the service industry take a holiday after the holidays. Jealous. Not surprisingly, our Her Campus shopping senses (which I now believe are a real thing) kicked in and led us to one of the approximately seven shops that were open. Brittany and Windsor snagged some amazing watercolors at a small gallery that showcased local work and seemed thrilled to have found gifts that were truly one of a kind. Having spent the majority of our two plus hours taking pictures like we were surveying the land (and hunting for souvenirs in between, obvi), we quickly grabbed paninis and headed back to the bus for our last long bus ride. Bus rides, as I’m sure you can imagine, are a necessary evil when driving from Madrid to Barcelona, to Avignon, to the French Rivera, to Pisa, to Florence, and then finally to Rome. #ContikiProblems.
Rome, with so much history and things to see, we began a walking tour immediately after the bus stopped. No joke, we did not even check into the hotel before we began sight seeing. Included in the two hour tour were the Spanish Steps, the Trevi Fountain, the Parthenon, and the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi. Our native Italian Contiki guide Angie gave us the following historical nuggets that I have packaged for your personal interest, or better yet for use when one upping a frenemy:
- Spanish Steps/Scalinata della Trinità dei Monti: built in the 17th century by a wealthy merchant, they connect the famous public square at the base, the Piazza Trinità dei Monti to the church at the top of the 138 steps, the Trinità dei Monti. The steps were built by French craftsmen and remain property of the French.
- Trevi Fountain: also commissioned in the 17th century the Baroque style fountain marks the end of an aqueduct and can/should not be missed at an astonishing 85 ft. high and 66 feet. Legend holds that visitors who throw a coin in the fountain are ensured a return visit to Rome. I awkwardly tossed in three (just to to be safe), and was evidently in good company as over €3,000 are collected daily.
- Parthenon: is a true wonder as it was originally built in 126 AD as a temple to the gods and to this day remains the largest non-reinforced dome in the world.
- Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi/Fountain of the Four Rivers: another Baroque masterpiece from the 17th Century, this fountain has an Egyptian Obelisk (let’s just say it was “borrowed”) and is ornamented with statues of gods that represented the four major rivers on the continents that papal authority had spread at the time it was erected: the Nile in Africa, the Danube in Europe, the Ganges in Asia, and the Plate representing the Americas.
With the walking tour over we finally headed to the hotel and although exhausted, happily mustered up some energy to go to a good old fashioned pizza party. Unlike pizza parties from my childhood at school, or after soccer games, this one felt a tad classier thanks to the addition of an old Italian man giving pizza making demonstrations AND another attempting to serenade the ladies. Full from copious amounts of pizza and another day of what would surely be lifelong memories we headed back to the hotel chock full of Contiki goodness and hit the pillow eager to explore more of Rome in the morning!
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This is a partner post. All opinions are 100% ours.