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A short but fine adventure by Pickle Read more
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  • Pickle JourneysItaly Tour, & Engagement
    Day 1

    Città del Vaticano

    May 11, 2015 in Vatican City ⋅ ⛅ 25 °C

    Our vacation started at the Vatican. It was a beautiful, clear, hot, sunny day, but it was not overwhelmingly hot. The Vatican is an amazing place to be; from the statues, to the countless paintings on the walls, there is a lot to take in. The only complaint that we have about the Vatican, is how tourism is handled in the Sistine Chapel, which we will get into later.

    We purchased tickets to go through the entire Vatican, which took some time; not because of the crowds, but because of how big the place is, and how much there is to admire. The anticipation to see Michelangelo's beautiful masterpiece at the Sistine Chapel was growing, but when we finally entered the Chapel it was chaotic. Instead of this peaceful, quiet place where people can appreciate this art, and it's meaning, it was overcrowded, and filled with the rumbling of the crowds, and the constant yelling of the guards telling people that pictures were not allowed. It felt disrespectful. Besides this unfortunate nuisance, the Vatican was a beautiful place to be, and St. Peter's Basilica was breathtaking. If we could have done differently, we would have visited the Vatican on Wednesday, because we were told that is when the Pope speaks to the crowds.

    After seeing everything we could see, we sat down on one of the steps in St. Peter's Square, and that's when I proposed to Melanie, and thankfully, she said, yes.    Read more

  • Pickle JourneysItaly Tour, & Engagement
    Day 2

    Roma

    May 12, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ☀️ 25 °C

    Day two, we made our way to Rome. There was a bus stop very close to our hotel, and the bus we hopped on took us to the closest subway. When we exited the subway tunnel we were greeted to the spectacular view of the Colosseum; it is enormous. We were also greeted by guys dressed up as Roman soldiers, waiting to swarm around tourists for some funny pictures, and 20 euro; we fell for it. However, we're not that bothered by it, because sometimes you just have to be the typical tourist.

    Getting into the Colosseum took as awhile because of how long the line was, and we were there before 0900. Not only was the line long outside, but inside as well. When you finally are able to get past the gates you're on your own. It's quite the structure, and you can only imagine what it was like to watch the gladiators fight in the those days. You're able to getting pretty high up in the Colosseum, however, there is a section that you can't go to unless you pay for the tour. It's the highest part in the Colosseum, and while I'm sure the view is spectacular, I don't know if it would be worth the price of it.

    After the Colosseum we made our way down the street to the Roman Forum. It's a very beautiful place to walk through, and there was a lot to see. At the end of the Roman Forum, we were greeted with the Altare della Patria, and the incorporated Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. It's a huge building, and you are even able to go to the very top for only a few euro, and glass sided elevator ride. Trust us when we say, it is worth the price. The view is spectacular, and you're able to see the Roman Forum, and the Colosseum from the top.

    After we left we made our way through the streets in search of the Pantheon. It can be confusing, but there are signs that direct you to the popular tourist attractions. The Pantheon is a beautiful building in the middle of normal buildings; they just built around it, and only gave it as much space as needed. From there we made our way to various churches, and then the Spanish Steps. I don't remember how many churches we went to, but they were all beautiful, and very different from each other. Our advice, just go into every church you see, because they're all beautiful. To no one's surprise, the Spanish Steps were filled with tourists trying to find a part of the steps to sit down, and take a break from all the sightseeing. It was one of our favorite part of Rome, just because we were able to sit, and eat some delicious tiramisu from Pompi Tiramisu, which is only a minute or two from the Spanish Steps. I'm serious when I say that it was one of the best things we ate in Rome, and one of the best desserts we ever had.

    From there we made our wait to the Trevi Fountain, and to our disappointment, it was under renovation. A walk way was provided to get a closer look at the statues, but we were sad that we couldn't see the fountain in all it's glory.

    After the fountain we began to make our way to the Galleria Borghese, but we ended up getting there only a few minutes before it closed, so we decided to skip it. We were also pretty tired from all the walking, and sightseeing, so we just ended up grabbing a cab, and making our way to our final destination, Castel Sant'Angelo. Our plan was to find a restaurant overlooking the building, but there weren't any, so we just settled on a little restaurant. Castel Santel'Angelo was closing by the time we arrived, but we were still able to appreciate the statues on the bridge, and the building itself. While we were walking around the building trying to find a great view for a picture we stubbled upon the Vatican, and we were both surprised as to just how close everything was to each other. We then hopped into a cab, and made our way back to the hotel.

    Rome is a must see, but we recommend spending two or more days in Rome. We only gave ourselves one day in Rome, and while we saw the majority of what we wanted, there were a few places we missed.

    <b>Pompi Tiramisu</b> - Via della Croce, 82, 00187 Roma, Italy    Read more

  • Pickle JourneysItaly Tour, & Engagement
    Day 3

    Firenze

    May 13, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C

    The day started with a beautiful drive through Italy to Florence. When we finally arrived we made our way to the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, which is spectacular. We decided to make our way to the top of the cathedral, which was no easy task. First, we had to find tickets, and that alone was confusing. The tickets weren't sold at the cathedral, but in an ally across the street from it at a machine which looked like an ATM. After getting the tickets we waited in line, and the line was very long, but worth it. Getting to the top is a workout, and the closer you get to the top, the more narrow, and steep the stairways become. There is only one way up, and down, so at times we waited for a group to come up, and then a group would go down. The view of the city from the top is amazing. After admiring this beautiful city for a while we left a lock on the safety fence, and then made our way down to explore more of the city.

    We made our way to the Galleria dell'Accademia, and saw the famous David statue by Michelangelo. The galleria was filled with tons of art, and even though David is the star attraction, there are plenty of masterpieces throughout the museum.

    After the galleria we made our way back to the cathedral, and found a nice restaurant right next door, with a perfect view of it. The dinner was fantastic, and having the cathedral in the background just made the entire dinner more magical.

    We highly recommend going to Florence, and we look forward to going there again.    Read more

  • Pickle JourneysItaly Tour, & Engagement
    Day 3

    Pisa

    May 13, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    After a fantastic dinner in Florence, we made our way to Pisa to check out the famous leaning tower. We didn't get there until after 2200, and the area was empty, except for a handful of tourists. It's a beautiful building, and to finally see it in person after hearing about it for so long was surreal. The only downfall with arriving there so late was not being able to go inside, but that was a small price to pay to be able to admire a famous building on a nice warm night, with no crowds around.Read more

  • Pickle JourneysItaly Tour, & Engagement
    Day 4

    Pompei

    May 14, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    On our final full day in beautiful Italy, we woke up bright, and early, and went to Pompeii. Originally we planned to spend a few hours in Pompeii, and then check out the museum, or go to Sorrento. This, however, did not work out because Pompeii is huge! We did not expect it to be as big as it was, and we actually ended up being there until it closed.

    We recommend getting a tour guide, because it'll give you a better chance to appreciate everything just a little bit more. We did not have one, and ended up just going building to building. While this did not take anything away from Pompeii, we do wish we knew more about some of the buildings we were looking at.

    Pompeii is an incredible place to be, especially when considering the history of it, and to see Mount Vesuvius in the background just makes the entire experience more interesting. To see the bodies that have been frozen in time only makes you wonder what these people were thinking when the volcano erupted.

    All that being said, if you're planning a trip to Italy, consider going to Pompeii, but plan to be there a long time.    Read more

  • Pickle JourneysItaly Tour, & Engagement
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    Day 5

    Hotel, Restaurants, & Car Reviews

    May 15, 2015 in Italy ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    <b>HOTELS:</b>

    <b>Camping Village Roma - </b>Via Aurelia, 831, 00165 Roma, Italy

    <b>Rating:</b> 🥒🥒🥒🥒🚫

    For the most part, we enjoyed our stay at the hotel, and recommend it. The price for four nights was fairly cheap, and they have a variety of living accommodations from bungalows, to spots for campers, to camping grounds for those that brought their tents. There's a small store on the property which has everything you might need, as well as a bar, and restaurant that has a good breakfast, but the dinner wasn't the best; however, we cannot speak for the pizza. There's also a pool, but it was under renovation when we were there. There is plenty of parking at the hotel, and you can either park near your bungalow, or leave it in the main parking lot in front of the hotel which has security guards during the night. Also, they do have wifi.

    The only real complaints we have about the place was the location, and some of the receptionists. If you're driving, it is really easy to miss because it's directly off a autostrade type road. It's practically it's own exit, and it comes out of nowhere; trust us, we ended up missing it twice. When we were checking in the receptionists weren't the nicest either, but that's not the case with everyone that works there.

    <b>RESTAURANTS:</b>

    <b>Ciao Bella - </b>Via Aurelia, 831, 00165 Roma, Italy

    <b>Rating:</b> 🥒🥒🥒🚫🚫

    Ciao Bella is the restaurant at the Camping Village Roma hotel. We went to Ciao Bella after our day at the Vatican, and it became our engagement dinner. The restaurant itself is nice, with plenty of seating, and decent prices. The service was good, and we didn't wait very long for the food. However, the food was only OK. We found both our dishes lacking in flavor, and the steak was a bit dry. The breakfast on the other hand was very good, but we sometimes had to wait for them to restock some of the items.

    <b>Pompi Tiramisu - </b>Via della Croce, 82, 00187 Roma, Italy

    <b>Rating:</b> 🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒

    Not enough great things can be said about this place. Our tiramisu were delicious! It's a pretty small shop right next to the Spanish Steps, so it can get quite busy, and crowded. Don't let any of that deter you from this place though. The wait is worth it. The prices were reasonable for how big the tiramisu was, and again, it was delicious! If you're going to Rome on holiday, do yourself a favor, and grab some delicious dessert from Pompi Tiramisu, find a spot on the Spanish Steps, and enjoy the moment.

    <b>Buca San Giovanni - </b>Via Giovanni Pascoli 8, 50129, Florence, Italy

    <b>Rating:</b> 🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒

    The restaurant is on the pricey side, but the food, and the view is worth every cent, especially for the beef fillet, with foie gras. There is seating inside the restaurant, but if the weather is nice, we recommend grabbing a seat outside because then you can look at the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, and all it's glory while you dine. The staff was very kind, and timely. We loved Florence, and Buca San Giovanni, and you should definitely put both places on your bucket list.

    <b>Caffè Barocco - </b>Piazza Navona, 80, 00186 Roma, Italy

    <b>Rating:</b> 🥒🥒🥒🚫🚫

    On our last day in Italy we went to Caffè Barocco before heading to the airport. It’s located in the Piazza Novano, which is very close to the Pantheon, the Castel Sant’Angelo, and the Sant'Agnese in Agone is the piazza as well. The location is filled with street vendors selling art, and tourists. The restaurant itself is nothing special. We ordered pizza, and while it was good, it was nothing special. The prices are a bit high, but you’re paying for the location. If you ever find yourself in the Piazza Navona, and want to grab a quick bite, and cappuccino, and don’t mind the higher than average prices, check it out.

    <b>Food Trucks - </b>At every popular tourist location

    <b>Rating:</b> 🥒🥒🥒🥒🚫

    When we didn’t go to any restaurant we grabbed some chow from McDonalds, or the food trucks. The food is decently priced, and for ten euro you can grab two sandwiches. The drinks on the other hand are overpriced. For eight euro you can get two small bottles of Powerade, but save your money, or just buy one. Throughout Rome you will find plenty of water fountains with clean water, and you can just fill up your bottle there. You can even find a map of the fountains by searching for “Rome Nasoni Map” online. So, if you’re hungry, and don’t feel like going to a restaurant, go to one of the food trucks; the food is good, and probably cheaper than the majority of the restaurants in the area.

    <b>CAR:</b>

    <b>Third Generation Fiat Panda (MANda)</b>

    <b>Rating:</b> 🥒🥒🥒🥒🚫

    The Fiat Panda, is a masterpiece! The remarkable Fiat Panda came with ice cold air conditioning, great fuel consumption, a spacious interior, and a red paint job that rivals Ferrari. The only problem we had with the excellent Fiat Panda was just how easily the seats stained. Melanie has a habit of leaving a mess in every car we rent; not on purpose, it just happens. With the awesome Fiat Panda she opened a Coca-Cola bottle that wasn't ready to be opened. The Coca-Cola got on her seat, and it left a stain. However, I was able to clean it by dampening a towel with water, and patting down her seat. It was good as new. Incredible car, and we would rent it again.    Read more

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