I am almost done with my Rome posts and that makes me sad. I love reliving my time there, but I have been enjoying life in MN so I do want to update on that too.
On this Sunday I had bought tickets to visit the Villa Borghese Gallery. This was one of the things we didn’t go to last time because I didn’t know about it and tickets sold out so I didn’t want that to happen again. I was on a mission to go there after hearing everyone talk about how wonderful it was so I needed to see it with my own eyes.
Once we got there, there were workers everywhere guiding us on what to do and where to form lines. We had to check in our bag so while I checked that in, Dan waited in the line for the museum. I always love to split up to save time. As I was waiting to check in our bag I noticed the ticket booth had a big sign that the Gallery was sold out for a WEEK!!! Ahhhh, that is crazy and so happy I purchased tickets way in advance but I did feel sorry for the people that had to be turned away. This was the only thing we noticed that was “sold out” and I don’t think it was because of COVID because again when we came here 7 years ago it was sold out for days and we weren’t able to go. I feel that should be on some travel site, if you want to go to the Gallery made sure you buy tickets in advance because no matter what during the summer it will be sold out! Anyways, when you enter to scan your tickets you then walk up the staircase and enter the gallery. Dan was super excited to see all the Bernini and it didn’t disappoint. I won’t lie, when we first walked in they had a bunch of modern art and I failed to read the huge sign that said Damien Hirst was the current exhibit and while at first I got annoyed because I do prefer things to be separate (modern art and older art) in their own galleries, I felt like a hypocrite after I criticized that one Vatican tour guide so I first viewed all the older art in its own. I was happy I thought to do this because when I went back to the very beginning again I slowly appreciated all the Damien Hirst in its own and also how thoughtfully curated the whole exhibit was and how they placed all the pieces to go along with what was already there. I found that very clever and saw the bigger picture and thought what an amazing way to bring both modern and older art together to display them to the world.
When I went back the second time, Dan opted to stand by his favorite Bernini so I left my bag with him and didn’t have my phone so I didn’t take a lot of pictures of all the Damien Hirst art, which is sad in retrospect. Anyways, after we finished up with the gallery we walked around the whole park picked up a simple sandwich and drinks. It was nice to reminisce and we even took a cute little train ride around.
We then visited a Nespresso boutique which was inside a mall very much like how they have shopping malls in Paris with all the cute boutiques inside. I bought a mug for my friend that was sold out here in the US and we got free coffee. We also headed towards the Trevi Fountain area since we had tons of time to kill.
Later that night we had our food tour that was postponed and it was AMAZING!! I love food tours and this was one of my favorites. It was called the Jewish Ghetto food tour and we met up in the Jewish Quarter. It was only us, the tour guide, and one other lady. It was so intimate and we had so much fun walking and talking and sharing stories. I loved everything we ate and afterwards I invited the solo lady traveler to join me and Dan to a rooftop bar. She agreed and we had a blast talking even more and drinking. She was so nice and it was her first solo trip. She was a couple of years younger than us but had visited so many places so I loved hearing her talk about her adventures. She even loves Rick Steves as much as me and we bonded instantly. We are Instagram friends now and I love seeing her posts to all the cool places she goes to. It is funny how traveling just brings people together.
This brings us to our last night staying out super late and soaking in all of my favorite spots. The following day would be our last full day in Rome and then back home. I will try to wrap us this series so I can write about all the fun happening in MN.
Adventures of Janet 