I love Rome.

The first portion of my recent trip to Italy with my mom was spent in glorious Rome.  As you may know, my little sister, Margaret, spent the semester studying abroad in Rome.  She's currently living with a host family in a cute area of Rome called Trastevere, so when my mom began looking for a place for us to stay during our visit, we wanted something that would be close to Marge.  

We ended up booking the cutest apartment from Air B&B that happened to be just a block away { a two minute walk} from Margaret's apartment.  It was perfect!

The apartment was gorgeous with tall ceilings, beautiful architectural details, and huge windows.

We enjoyed good wine, cheese, and coffee in the apartment when we weren't busy exploring all of Rome with Margaret who was a perfect tour guide.

Just a few minutes from our apartment was a wonderful market that was stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables every morning.  The tomatoes were to die for, as were the strawberries and oranges which we enjoyed for breakfast on several occasions.  

We rented a car and drove around in it all week.  Italians are wild drivers, so that was a pretty crazy experience!  Just kidding, I just liked this picture.  We did not drive or rent a car.  Every day we did a ton of walking, with a few rides on buses, trams, and trains, and the occasional taxi ride. 

Our days were comprised mainly of walking...

cafés and cappuccinos...

visits to museums and sightseeing...

. . . and obviously, eating fantastic Italian food, like this spinach and cheese ravioli with truffle oil.

Each day in Rome held new adventures, photo ops, and culinary delights.  One of my favorite parts of traveling is discovering unknown treasures: happening upon a beautiful church or fabulous restaurant, just by chance, while walking through a city.  This happened to us often during this trip, and resulted in us seeing some gorgeous churches, visiting interesting museums, and eating delightful pastries.  

What I love about Rome is the incredible history and rich culture.  We would set out each day with a plan and list of what we wanted to see and do, and would excitedly visit those sites, while always adding a few unexpected destinations to our list, like a cool museum we passed by, or historical gems discovered on a walking tour.  Rome is amazing! 

What's your thing about visiting a new city?

***Thanks Margaret for sharing some of your wonderful photos with me!