Italy Trip - Day 12: Pisa to Rome

Today I was taking a train back to Rome. This time the train ride was 3.5 hrs, non-stop. Our hotel was only 20 min away from the Pisa Centrale, the main train station in Pisa, so my roommate and I (who was traveling in another direction, but leaving at the same time as I did) took a nice walk there. We had some time to spare so we enjoyed the views on the way to the train station.

The train ride was quite enjoyable, but I was so tired that I slept most of the time. I think by then all this traveling was taking a toll on me.

I arrived to Rome around 2.30 PM, but my check in time to the AirBnb was not until 6, so I headed to have lunch at a pizzeria and then, stuffed with food, strolled to the local park, Villa Borghese.

My expectations were pretty low. I didn't even think I could spend there much time, but it turned out to be a nice getaway from the city life. Even though it was crowded, Villa Borghese had isolated areas where you could just sit and relax (I did not do that, by the way, but I could...). It  had not only hundreds of mature trees, but some ancient buildings, one of which was Galleria Borghese, sold out for several days. Apparently, the gallery is full of art and sculptures from famous artists like Raphael, Bellini etc. I did not feel too bad that I didn't have the tickets. My artistic side was well satisfied after so many museums.

Galleria Borghese

I walked around and filmed the park.

Cute little squirrel

With plenty of time to spare, I spontaneously decided to visit Piazza del Popolo. Why? Well, in my childhood growing up in Belarus, I used to play a board game, similar to Monopoly, where Piazza del Popolo was one of the squares. I remembered the name of it, and when I saw it on the map in Rome, I could not help by stop by.

It was partially closed because there were some preparations for a political campaign and they were testing the sound, but at least I WAS there!

I stopped by Spanish Steps, another major Rome attraction, but was not really smitten by it. Maybe it was the tourists, or maybe the sight of a staircase filled with tourists was what disappointed me.

I stopped by Pompi, a famous Tiramisu chain and got a gelato and tiramisu to go. Amazingly delicious!

It was getting close to my check in time to the AirBnb, so I started walking in that direction. On the way there, I passed by a few interesting spots, but with the weight of my bag, I didn't really want to go anywhere but my rental room

Finally, at 6 PM I was able to check in and rest for a while. I was getting hungry, but not for restaurant food. I wanted fruit! I found a supermarket a few blocks away and got some grapes, yogurt and snacks. I did not have a fridge in the AirBnb, but I knew that yogurt would probably be ok at night. I needed to have an early and quick breakfast to be able to go to Vatican the next day (or so I planned).

I also stopped by the same place I did a week before to get affogato. It was just as good as I remembered! I went to sleep early that day to be able to wake up nice and early and catch a train to Vatican.