Why I love Rome

I have been in Rome for the past four days. I have traveled to big world cities before; Beijing, New York, and London, but I don't think that any of these cities can compare to the eternal city. Here's eight reasons why I love Rome:

1. Pizza. We all know that the pizza in Italy is supposed to be really good, but can you truly understand the meaning of good unless you have eaten at Pinsere right next door to the Hotel Medici. This little gem is bustling at lunch time, and for good reason. They have a counter with many different types of personal pizzas, and all you have to do is point and they will pop it in the oven for you. Examples of pizzas I tried are potato and prosciutto, mozzarella and tomato sauce, red onion and spicy salami, pumpkin and biscotti and blue cheese and balsamic (like what???).




















2. Roads. Most of the roads here are quite bumpy, and that is because they are like cobblestone. It is basically a mosaic of stone bricks on the streets. They are fun to walk on and create an earthquake like environment when riding the public bus.

3. Colorful buildings and shutters. If it's not marble in Rome, then it is going to colorful. The buildings will be painted yellow or orange or green or pink and there will be set of shutters on all of the windows that are different colors. My favorite color scheme was a yellow building with sky blue shutters. The colors give life and personality to the city, much nicer than drab bricks or monotone siding.

4. Trees. One of my favorite parts of traveling is seeing the different types of trees that grow around the world. Rome might just have some of the best after Costa Rica (hard to beat the trees in a cloud forest). They have many tall skinny pines, but the real beauties are the stone pines, dotting the hill tops and adding to the ancient aura of the city.



5. Compactness. I saw almost all of the main historical sites and attractions in Rome, and they all seemed within a mile of the giant white marble WWI memorial in Venice Square. I knew my way around the Jewish Ghetto and the Tiber River and almost always recognized something around me. It made it really nice for exploring the city.
Jewish Artichoke


6. Gelato. What can I say? Creamy, decadent, the absolute best way to top off a carb-filled three course Italian dinner. When in Rome, eat gelato everyday.

7. Ancient ruins all over the city. It's pretty cool to be walking through modern shops and restaurants then stumble upon the Colosseum or the Palatino Hill. It amazes me how well preserved so much of the ruins are, and our tour guide gave us buckets of information to understand how her city used to be.

8. Luke Miles. This is my boyfriend and he was on this trip with me. We spent every day together, taking selfies and sharing food and laughing. For me traveling is always better when it is with someone you love, and I am so happy that L&L got to take on Italy together.

Ciao Rome!