Day 11 - Rome, Italy

Sun, June 23

First rest day in Rome! First thing we saw were the Spanish Steps, followed by the Pantheon. The Pantheon was impressive, as was the huge dome ceiling. From there, we went up some steps at the Victor Emmanuel II National Monument to overlook the Roman Forum - a large area of preserved structures. A ton of history. After that, we went to the Colosseum. Impossible to imagine how many hours went into making that. And with the underbelly and retractable awning they originally had for shade... Incredible engineering. From there, walked through the Roman Forum, the main city square back in the day. So many impressive structures still standing. Also the location where Julius Caesar was murdered. Our last stop of the day was at Piazza Popolo. There was an obelisk here brought over from Egypt after an Italian victory. But the best part of the area was the spaghetti carbonara I had. First pasta in Italy, and it was amazing. Can't wait to try more!