Vatican City: The Holy See

Visiting The Holy See is one of my childhood dreams, we are very thankful to have the chance of visiting Vatican City. Dubbed as the city within a city, The Holy See is one of the most famous tourist destination in Italy. It is also a city of rich history and magnificent architecture.

Tip1: From Rome, Italy, take subway train to Vatican City.
Tip2: Bring a map to familiarize the city including the subway train stations.
Tip3: Do travel early, subway stations are quite full during peak hours.
Tip4: Take care of your belongings, police is quite visible in the city. For any assistance, please approach the officers.
Tip5: Before entering the Vatican wall, there are cafes and food carts in the area. Paninis ( sandwiches ) are available for breakfast and snacks. 

Tip6: Sts. Peter and Paul square is a secured area, Vatican police takes care of the peace and order of the place.
Tip7: To enter the square, everyone's subjected to X-ray and metal detectors. Do not bring any prohibited substances and weapons.
Tip8: We went there to attend Papal audience, for information please see this website http://www.papalaudience.org/ . It is a wonderful experience to attend the Papal audience so please include this in your itineraries.

The tickets can be obtained in many ways, some of the churches in Rome are offering Papal audience tickets. The tickets are for free, some of the churches only ask for donations in return.

Tip9: Sts. Peter and Paul square has it's own souvenier shop, please buy your souveniers inside the square. But there are also souvenier stores outside the square.

Tip10: After the Papal audience, visit the Sts. Peter and Paul Cathedral. It is allowed to take pictures but no flashes, you will surely admire the cathedral. I also advise to keep the solemnity of the place and refrain from making so much noise.

Tip12: Also, you can follow directions inside the cathedral to visit the underground mausoleum of the popes.
Tip 13: Visit the Vatican Museum, the popular statues of the Roman Mythology characters are in the museum. There are also incomparable treasures in the museum which are  all worth to see.

Tipl4: Do not pass the chance of visiting the Sistine Chapel. We did not take any photo in Sistine Chapel, it is not allowed to take pictures but some still chose not to follow. We decided to keep the memories in our minds and not in our camera.

Tip15: After strolling around the square, you can also visit Castel San't Angelo. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family. The building was later used by the popes as a fortress and castle, and is now a museum.

Tip16: Do take note of  the train schedule to plan your trip back to Rome.

Visiting Vatican City is a fulfillment specially to Catholics like us. May God bless us all! Peace, love and light.

Rome, Italy: The Home of Caesar

I am an admirer of Europe's architecture and for me the most historical landmarks are in Italy. Rome is the capital of Italy, it is a city of deep history and magnificent landmarks. Roman history is quite known worldwide, the caesars and the gladiators are two of the reasons why Rome was once a powerful country.

Tip1: Euro is Italy's currency and most of the people are using Italian language. Most of the signages are in Italian, it is quite difficult to communicate in English in Italy so bring a lot of patience and make sure that you are asking clear questions.

Tip2: From Fiumicino Airport, it is needed to take the train Leonardo Express to Rome.

Tip3: Buy train tickets in the booth at the station, keep your tickets for inspection.

Tip4: There are shops inside the airport for tourists as well.

Tip5: For our stay we chose Scott House Hotel in Rome's city center. It's just a few minutes away from the train station by foot.

Scott House Hotel is a 3-star hotel which is very ideal for backpackers, the location is convenient because pizzerias and eateries are just stone-throw away. The hotel is clean and cozy.

Tip6: For inquiries and reservations, refer to http://www.scotthouse.com/ .

Tip7: In front of Scott House Hotel is a popular casual restaurant Pastarito. The waiters are nice and friendly, most importantly they serve very good food. Most of the time the resto is packed with diners, both locals and tourists.

We are certified Italian food fans and we enjoyed the dishes they serve like the salad, paella, pastas and pizza.

Tip8: Try the Italian breakfast, espresso and doughnuts for the day's energy kicker.

Tip9: It's also fun to try pizzeria stalls with interesting pizzas and pasta.

Tip10: Bring home some souvenirs from Rome like sweaters.

Tip11: There is also a wood-carve shop with very interesting pieces of art, Bartolucci, Artisan Woodcarving Shop. http://www.bartolucci.com/ 

Tip12: There are a lot of beautiful landmarks in Rome including the piazzas.

Piazza della Republica is glittering at night.

Tip13: Walk around the city at night but be careful of your belongings, it is a multi-racial city.

By day, a walking tour is ideal to capture more snaps of the landmarks.

 Tip14: There are a lot of churches in the city, don't forget to print-out the city map for reference.

 

 

Tip15: Visit the famous Trevi Fountain, throw a penny and make a wish!

 

Tip16: Visit the Pantheon and enjoy the fountains at Piazza de Popolo.

Tip17: There are caricature artists in Piazza Popolo and other entertainment for tourists to enjoy.

Tip18: There are also cafes and pizzerias around the fountains and piazzas for everyone's convenience.

Tip19: Try to go early if you are planning to visit the Colosseo, it is usually visited by a lot of people.

Tip20: At the entrance of the Colloseo, you can see the Arch of Constantine standing with pride.

Tip21: To learn more about Rome, please visit the ruins of the Roman Forum which is located opposite of the Colloseo.

 Tip22: Tourists can buy tickets at the ticket booths located at the Colloseo and Roman Forum.

Rome has a lot to offer and every landmark is an interesting piece of Roman Empire, the beauty of the city is beyond compare.