Rome

We almost skipped visiting Rome.  We were a bit turned-off by the crowds in Florence and recognized that many of the best times during our trip were spent in smaller places.  However, with three weeks remaining in Italy and no obvious destination in mind we decided to go to Rome.

We visited many of the popular sites, either together or individually while one parent entertained Alex.  St. Peter's, the Colosseum, the Forum, the Vatican museum (by Thipp), Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon, and the  Spanish Steps were all checked-off our list.  Alex and Thipp also visited the zoo and we managed to find one crappy playground.  There were plenty of tourists, but it wasn't terrible.

After being treated to some very nice apartment rentals using AirB&B we hit a bit of a dud in Rome. It wasn't terrible, but the neighbourhood was uninspiring, the living room was tiny, and the sirens and traffic noise at night guaranteed a disrupted sleep.  Consequently, being tired in Rome was as much due to poor sleep as to sightseeing.

Our week spent in Rome was definitely long enough for us and we were happy when the time came to move on.  I had been in Rome one-third of a century ago and I can't say that the 2000 year-old ruins had changed too much.  Still, it was still worth going to Rome as Thipp was able to see several famous sites for the first time and Alex got to see his third zoo of this trip.