Today we were destined for some changes. After two really hectic days, we needed one that was actually a little more relaxed.

First, when I shut the alarm off this morning I was apparently still asleep, because I didn’t stir again until about 9am. That felt amazing. Rylie was up next, followed by Michelle, and then the ever pleasant in the morning, Chloe. We walked to a cafe nearby, grabbed coffee and some chocolate filled donut thing, before packing our things for the day.

Second, we were on our own for a walking tour of the city. We had plotted out a series of must see locations, and were going to walk the whole thing. This started off well mostly because we had slept through our window of climbing 500 steps to the top of Saint Peter’s Basilica.

Finally, we were looking forward to a day set at our pace, without wearing earpieces and listening to people tell us things. We wanted to have a day together.

First stop when we left the airbnb was Gianicolo Hill, based on consensus the second best view of the Roman skyline behind Saint Peter’s Basilica. There were two options to ascend. You could either follow a longer path along the road, or take a series of staircases up to the highest point. We opted for the road. The walk to the hill itself was fantastic with views of the Tiber River and Castel Sant Angelo. We notied that the river was keeping a nice breeze, and even though humid, it was mostly tolerable.

Worth noting for anyone considering traveling to Rome, do not buy bottled water. There are literally drinking spigots everywhere which run continuously to fill a water bottle. We all brought our hydroflasks and refilled repeatedly throughout the day. It likely saved us at least 50 euros in water. The water is cold and tastes amazing.

Once at the hill, the viewing was spectacular. There is something odd about a city the size of Rome not having any skyscapers. It is easy to imagine the skyline of the city not changing much over the centuries other than spreading outward.

The walk down from the hill was highly questionable. There were a ton of stairs. Like, a lot. And they were worn slick over the centuries by traffic. We were very happy we didn’t go up that way, and the people who were on their up looked like they were regretting their decision.

Next stop was the Piazza Navona. Present in the city since the first century AD, Piazza Navona has long been a celebration of Rome and its people. Historically it was flooded and opened on summer weekends as place for people to cool off. Now it is more of a gathering place and hangout for street performers. Of course, the massive number of tourists present have drawn in street merchants of all kinds selling anything that someone might want or at least might buy.

At this point, the heat was really building and starting to cause issues. Chloe’s feet were getting rubbed and she was developing some pre-blister activity. I looked like I had just stepped out of a shower (a wonderful side effect of the gallon of free fresh water I consumed). Ry and Michelle were just tired and hungry.

Chloe called it, asking for comfort food and we found an Italian American burger place on our way to the Pantheon, so we went in and had lunch. This was the first place we’d seen with drinks with ice in them (not common in Europe) and we ordered like were eating someplace back in Las Vegas. But there was one problem: they did American food better than we do. The burgers were outstanding, fries were perfect, and it might have been the best iced tea ever. Or, we were hot, tired, and hungry. But I still think the team at T-Burger has something they could teach us in America. Which is fantastic, now we have to work on both our Italian food and our American food…

Since lunch was literally right next to the Pantheon, yet somehow not jammed with people (it will be soon, they haven’t been open long), we weren’t expecting the masses of tourists in the Pantheon square. It is a very cool building and looks like it will be there another millenium or two. We had talked about going in, but it requires pants and shoulders to be covered which would have been suicide on a day like today. We took a few pictures of the outside and moved on toward the next spot on the list.

Trevi Fountain is iconic. But I didn’t expect it to look as perfect as it did. Water was crystal clear. Statues were exquisitely clean. People were behaving around the outside – I had expected to see at least one person trying to go for a swim. But this where I started to lose my patience even though it was my own fault for making this trip in July. The sheer volume of people at the fountain was beyond belief. And one group was seemingly more clueless than the next. It was a full on Obresnahan onslaught (that’s the nickname Tim and I have used for clueless familes for years, and I have never felt it more appropriate than today). They were engaging the street vendors. Walking through people’s pictures, and altogether unaware of their surroundings. We enjoyed the fountain and took some pictures. We even tossed a few coins. Rylie and Michelle got close, Chloe and I stayed in the cheap seats and threw from way back. I was particularly impressed that she made the fountain with hers instead of giving someone a concussion with a 50 cent piece.

Final stop for the day was the Piazza di Spagna and the Spanish Steps. This was even worse than the other two. It was jammed with people and difficult to move. We admired from afar and walked on through, back to the airbnb for some cooling down before dinner.

Let’s be clear, it wasn’t hot, only about 93. But the 78% humidity has become a strange thing for us compared to Las Vegas’s 9%, and it totally wasn’t welcome. We were drenched and exhausted. The A/C in the apartment felt amazing.

For dinner we had played months ago to end our days in Rome with a meal at The Hard Rock Cafe. We have made it somewhat of a tradition to hit one when we travel and Rome seemed like a fitting place based on its deep history with rock and roll. As those of you who’ve been to their restaurants know, the places are cool, the food okay, but you make the trip for the memorabilia. Unfortunately we were too exhausted to walk around and check it all out.

As we arrived back at the airbnb after dinner, and after walking almost 9 miles, we decided that we needed gelato from the place our driver Danielo had said was the best in the city. Michelle and Chloe went upstairs, and Rylie and I made the dash across the Tiber to Gelateria La Romana. Let it be known that Danielo’s driving skills pale in comparison to his abilities as a food critic: it was the best ice cream/froyo/gelato I have ever tasted. I’m ruined completely. I literally may never have anything frozen again until I can come back here. Putting quality aside, we didn’t appropriately take into consideration the temperature, even at 9:30pm, and having to transport four overflowing cups of gelato a half mile. Fortunately we got four mediums, which meant that the amount that melted made them closer to smalls, and we wore the drippings with pride. We came close to running, but figured the jarring motion would just make the spillage worse. Sadly, I’d make the trip again right now to get more, it was just that good.

Tomorrow morning we start a long travel day as we move to the front of the arch of the boot preparing to visit the village where Michelle’s grandfather was born. Should be an interesting juxtaposition with the metropolis that is Rome. But after walking a little over 10 miles today, a mellow day on trains is probably a welcome change. Plus, I’ll get to rest up for my first time driving in Italy – that should make for an interesting post tomorrow night.

We are sad to leave Rome in the rearrview, as it has been more than we had expected. It is dirty, crowded, and way too hot. But we have already decided that a trip back is a must, but we will make it during colder months so that we can spend more time enjoying the city and less time dodging Obresnahans.