Even when weaving through the most crowded streets and passing by the most touristy shops, Italy still manages to hold my heart. 

To make a long story short, my most recent trip to Greece and Croatia hit a bit of a speedbump when our flight got switched and all of the sudden we were scheduled to spend the night in Rome. Being a college kid traveling on a college budget, you take the cheapest flights, and if that means flying from Greece to Rome just to catch another flight back to Croatia, then so be it. 

I really could not complain, however, as I simply cannot get enough of Italy, and I was especially excited to see some of the monuments and structures that were some of the first historic things I learned about, not to mention one more opportunity for some authentic Italian food.

An ealry flight from Santorini into Rome Fiumicino, a few train connections, and a quick check-in put us in our AirBnB around 3:30pm. We had until 6:30am the following day to do Rome, and although completely exhausted and a bit sunburned, we dropped our gear, grabbed a map and decided to hit it hard. 

We hit the parthenon, the fountain Trevi, the coliseum, some major government building whose name I cannot recall, and the Roman Forum which truly took my breath away. Even after months of traveling to these historic cities, I continue to be floored by just how old certain buildings, monuments, and landmarks are. It is humbling in a way. 

We decided to call our sight-seeing quits around 8pm and turned down a few back alleys until we found the perfect spot for a glass of red wine and some cards. Then we wound our way back down some more alleys and sat down for dinner at Dar Poeta - a restaurant recommended to us by another study-abroad student we met in Santorini. Dar Poeta had, hands-down, the most delicious and mouthwatering pizza I have ever had. And at eight euros, we were over the moon. 

We dragged our tired bodies back to our AirBnB only to get up again to get what would be our last true Italian gelato during our time in Europe. I had pistachio, coconut, and cinnamon from Frigidarium and was once again made speechless by just how good it was. With the best pizza and the best gelato all in one day, I could get used to Rome. 

Our time in Rome was short but oh-so-sweet. I cannot wait to return one-day and fill my lungs with the romance-filled, sweet air.