A Chance Encounter with a Trevi Fountain Proposal

Jul 3, 2018

5 min read

Up next, a week in Italy. Our first days were spent in Rome where we started out right—eating nothing but pizza, pasta, and gelato.

We flew into the beautiful Italian coast, and in that moment it hit me how incredible these months of our life had really been. We took a bus into Rome, and our first stop was to pick up pizza. We took our “diet” seriously. From there, we found our way to our AirBnB where we met our delightful host, Fulvia. Excited to be in the same place for four whole nights, we settled in and crashed quickly.

We woke up, excited to be in the city, enjoyed the delicious pastries our host had for us, and set out for the day. On our way to the Vatican City, I ducked into a gelato shop because I just couldn’t wait any longer to have my first true cup of Italian gelato. I chose one made of berries, so it seemed like a healthy addition to my breakfast, right??

It was rather hot outside, so we were surrounded by people selling water bottles and umbrellas for shade as we got into the line that we'd been warned about.

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The line moved quicker than we expected and less than an hour later we were ready to enter the basilica. Being in the Vatican City was truly incredible as you were surrounded by things you’d heard of growing up. Plus, cultural significance aside, St. Peter's Basilica is just magnificent. It’s size and ornate features keep you in awe as you walk through each portion. We used Rick Steve’s audio guide app for many of destinations in Italy, but this tour was one of my favorites. (If you’re traveling in Europe, this app is one of my must downloads)

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From the basilica, we made our way to the Vatican Museums. I had not realized just how incredible the amount of art and artifacts that the Catholic Church owned was. It seemed like the museum was never ending. The crowds make this journey rather intense, but we pushed right along and into the Sistine Chapel.

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This was truly breathtaking. Seeing the work in actuality was magnificent. Katie and I craned our necks to the ceiling for a good 45 minutes to an hour listening to yet another audio tour so that we could digest the incredible work of art. That still wasn’t enough, so we sat off to the side absorbing for a bit longer.

Afterwards, we had the ability to exit, take the shortcut to the basilica, or go back through the museum. It was nearly closing time, but I set off back through the museum and was able to stroll through the first bit by myself. The crowds were gone, and the art was at last accessible. This was one of my favorite moments of the stay in Rome.

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Afterwards, Katie and I went back to the basilica for another hour or so, mailed some postcards from the Vatican City Post Office, watched the Swiss Guards, and at last decided it was time for dinner.

Just a short walk away, we went to Osteria Delle Commari. We were eating rather early for Europeans, so we practically had the restaurant to ourselves except for a lovely Brit we were able to chat with. After dinner, we made our way to Trastevere for a walk through one of the trendiest Italian neighborhoods. Wandering the streets, we were taken by the beauty of Italy and excited for our next day. We picked up a scoop of gelato, people watched, and then called it a night.

The next morning, we headed over to the Roman Forum. The Roman Forum, Paletine Hill, and the Coliseum all use the same ticket to get in. Heeding the advice of many who’d come before, we went over to the Forum to get our tickets to avoid the hefty lines. We once again used our Rick Steve’s audio guide to understand the sights we were seeing. The temple for the Vestal Virgins, the ginormous arches that were built without modern technology, and beautiful sculptures are truly a window into Rome’s great empire.

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Breaking up the day, we went to grab lunch before going into the Coliseum. We got pizzas from Ristorante Colosseo Luzzi, which were delicious, and made our way back to the iconic Roman landmark. Wow! is just about all I can say. Traveling is truly incredible. Seeing sights that you’ve seen in books, is awe inspiring. The coliseum was certainly a favorite.

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We took our time wandering through and ended up spending nearly 3 hours here. There’s tons to hear about and see, and sometimes we simply felt the need to just stop and take it all in. The Romans knew their stuff when it came to architecture, and they just loved good “entertainment.” Once we left the Coliseum, we walked the outside, took tons of pictures, and at went back toward the shops and restaurants to wander and start thinking of dinner.

We ended up in a hole in the wall restaurant not far from the Coliseum once again for dinner. We have no clue what it was called but if you ever visit Rome, let me know and I’ll try to give you the best directions I can.

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Afterwards, we wandered towards the metro, stopped to get the BEST gelato at Gelateria da Costanza. I can still taste it now. From there, we ended up deciding to walk to the Trevi Fountain before heading home. We were already planning to visit the next morning, but we couldn’t wait any longer to see this iconic sight. The fountain was bustling and crowded even then, but it was the perfect way to end the day—excited for the next.

We woke up the next morning and got ready to take on the Trevi Fountain. We were by no means willing to wake up at 6 to beat the crowds, so we knew we’d have to work to get our chance to make our wish in Rome’s famous fountain.

We did just that. We spent a good bit of time people watching the various tourists from around the world, took tons of pictures, and even witnessed a proposal! Rome was living up to all the expectations I had from watching the Lizzie McGuire Movie as a kid.

After all of our pictures and people watching, we were hungry for lunch. We found a nearby pizzeria and then set out to the Spanish Steps. The crowds were intense in this area, so we quickly made our way up in order to go to Campo Marzio so that we could see the beautiful views of the city from above before walking towards the pantheon. On the way to the temple, I stopped for a mid-afternoon cup of gelato. While we didn’t go in to the Temple of many gods due to services, we were able to see the outside before heading on to the next stop.

Unsurprisingly, our journey was also interrupted by another gelato stop. For Dad, we also paused to taste what he is confident is the best cappuccino in the world at Sant' Eustachio Il Cafe

At the Campo dei Fiori, we were able to shop through the handcrafted jewelry, fresh flowers, and beautiful leather purses. Needless to say, this is where we got some great souvenirs.

After finding our perfect purses, we decided that we wanted gelato for our dinner. We went to Frigidarium (they’ll dip your gelato in chocolate here!) and Gelateria de Teatro to complete our Rome gelato quest. (Yes, I had gelato four times today if you’re keeping count.. when in Rome right?) No regrets here!

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Each day spent in Rome was just what we imagined, but it was time to move on to the next stop: Venice! No worries here though, I threw my coin into the Trevi Fountain, so that means I get to go back right?