Buon Anno friends! Happy New Year!

I haven’t been active in the blog world in the past week or so and that’s because the day after Christmas I set out for a trip to Italy. One of my best friends, Erin, is living in Rome teaching English as a foreign language and what better excuse do you need to go to Italy than to visit a dear friend?

We had planned our trip for months and decided that we would rent a car, a smart car in fact, and road trip our way through 5 Italian cities. Since Erin lives in Rome, naturally we started our journey there. For the next 5 days I will give you all a sneak peak at our Italian journey.

Read at your own risk: you may get the urge to set off for Italy yourself!

Once I arrived in Rome, to fight off jet lag, Erin, her roommate and also a high school friend Sarah and I set out to see the sights of Rome. I immediately had a hankerin’ for some Pizza so we stopped in a small market and got a few slices. Pizza Fungi (mushroom,) Classic Margarita and Cheeseless pizza round. With full bellies, we were ready to hit the ground running.

During the first two days in Rome, we really saw it all; The Sistine Chapel, St. Peter’s Cathedral, The Vatican Museum, The Trevi Fountain, The Coliseum, The Spanish Steps, The Pantheon Church, and The famous Eataly Italian Market.

The Coliseum

The Trevi Fountain: I of course had to stop and throw a Euro into the water and make a wish!

The best view of Rome!

My first night in Rome we ate at Antico Enteca, which translates to “Ancient Wine Bar.” We shared a delicious aperitivo, appetizer.

Consisting of sun-dried tomatoes, roasted eggplant, zucchini, artichoke heart, leek quiche, manchego cheese, olives, and an assortment of meats; this set the meal off on a great pace.

I also enjoyed a fantastic Rigatoni Carbonara

And we enjoyed some delicious Chianti

My first day in Rome was bellisimo! After dinner, my jet lag was setting in so we went back to Erin and Sarah’s to rest up so day 2 in Rome could be equally eventful, and it was!