As far as big cities go, Rome may be the best.

Travis and I couldn’t stop talking about it the entire trip. Rome has it all.

The food, the weather, the mystery, the architecture, the history, the charm, the people, the soul. If I could pick one city to plant myself in, Rome might just be it.

It’s getting a little cliche, as if each stop seems to supersede the last. We get it, your trip was amazing! 

What better way to close out our trip of a lifetime in the greatest city on earth with both sets of grandparents, my best friend, a new little bestie for my kids to play with, perfect weather, and amazing food. Heavens to Betsy, we are so lucky and we know it. As I type this last post about our trip while sweating in the Bangkok heat, I’m savoring each memory as a delicious moment in time.

Nonni and Papa Jeff joined us for this last leg. They took us to their favorite pizza place from Jeff’s attache days, Il Pomodorino.

Also joined by my friend Natasha, the other Naticakes. It’s been 3 kids ago since we’ve seen each other. Her little girl, Helena, is just a few days older than Magnolia. They were fast friends, which didn’t surprise us.

We went to the Vatican Museum, which I highly recommend NOT doing with tots! It’s the IKEA of tourist attractions. It’s a purgatory of crowded mazes, and getting to the Sistene Chapel involves a number of long, slow-moving corridors. By the time you’re nearly to the Sistene Chapel, you notice that everyone–not just those with small children–are completely foregoing priceless Matisse and Picassos because they are just.so.over.it.  But unlike the reward of surviving IKEA by eating a hot dog, the accomplishment of reaching the Sistene is a delectable sight. No pictures are allowed, but here is one such corridor with all of the claustrophobia cropped out:

The real capstone of our trip was Papa Jeff’s world famous Forum tour. With wide open spaces, my claustrophobic mother and the roamin’ tots were in their happy places.

Henry Patton, the next generation of world-famous Forum tourguides

This Roman Holiday had plenty of ice cream breaks and a few pigeon chases.

Roman food and wine, feeling mighty fine!

And my Bangkok baby was mostly happy to be back in warmer temps!

We did not wish for more children at the Trevi fountain. But we did wish that someday we’ll return to this magical city.

Arrivederci, Roma!