Today was a big (and hot 🥵) day in Rome. We had a busy schedule with tickets to the Colosseum at 11:45am and then the Vatican at 4pm.

We had tried to get tickets as early as possible and had been looking for months. It seems they are both popular 🤷

So we took what we could get and had to roll with it—hoping the kids could battle on in the heat and the crowds. They did amazingly.

We got to the Colosseum early, catching the bus from near our apartment right to the Colosseum.

Even early, the Roman sun had bite 😬

The queue wasn’t terrible at the Colosseum if you had pre-purchased a ticket (as we had). Our only concern was a slight typo in the name on one of the kids’ tickets—the perils of ordering online with a phone and under pressure—as you’re meant to also show photo ID (passport, etc.). Anyway, they were not looking too closely and were not overly concerned with checking for such details. Phew… We were in.

The walk through the Colosseum was amazing. So much to see. We had a full access arena ticket, so we were able to walk the ground and second floor levels as well as enter the arena space, which gave you the perspective of going out into the arena and seeing the Colosseum stands towering above. It was spectacular.

The kids were pretty amazed at how old it was. One of the oldest things they had seen—except for dinosaur bones.

We completed our tour through the Colosseum in about 90 minutes. It was now pretty hot and we were all seeking a rest, so we headed for the bus and home.

Back at the apartment, we turned the air conditioning on and chilled out for a bit. Something to eat and drink and a rest was just what we all needed.

We headed back out at about 2:30pm to catch the bus up to the Vatican. Getting out at the Vatican, we realised how hot the Roman afternoon was. The queuing process at the Vatican was a lot more confusing than at the Colosseum (which seemed to flow nicely). We stood in the hot sun for about 30 minutes just to discover we were in the wrong line (although the concept of multiple lines was not overly apparent—it was more a blended mash of people).

We were eventually told we were too early and to come back. We had our doubts given the length of the line. We didn’t want to have to queue more than needed (we already had a ticket).

We decided to take the advice and use the opportunity to get a cool drink and some gelato for the kids.

We went back at the time we were told and—to our surprise—there was hardly a queue and we could go straight through. Amazing.

We worked our way through the Vatican Museum and eventually to the Sistine Chapel—always an amazing sight.

By now, the kids (and the adults) were pretty cooked. We were done. But we couldn’t leave without a quick look at St. Peter’s Basilica.

As we exited the Vatican, I reached for my sunglasses… 😱 they were gone—and I was a little pissed off…

While I would usually put my sunglasses on my hat when not wearing them, we removed our hats when we went into the Vatican, so I looped my glasses through the chest strap of my backpack.

Halfway around the Vatican, one of our hats had fallen out of the top of my pack, so we stopped in a “quiet” corner (just us and a thousand other people) to adjust the pack and put the hats back in securely—I suspect this is where the glasses went missing. The rest of Italy is going to be tough without sunnies—that sun is bright.

We checked the lost and found on the way out. Seems I’m not the only one to lose my sunnies—they had an impressive collection, just not mine.

Might have to look for some cheap servo-specs to get me through.

We stopped to regroup and have some more water and a small bag of lollies to keep us going. We walked up and around to the Basilica and lined up to pass through security (fortunately a short experience at this time of the afternoon) and walked out into the piazza in front of St. Peter’s to observe the basilica.

After taking in the sight for a while, we needed to head home. Time for an Uber. It was too hot and everyone was too tired to walk back to the bus—and given we were picked up in a brand new E-class Mercedes, it felt like the best 17 Euro we had spent.

The trip home was like a lap around Rome. The driver was confident moving through the Roman traffic. I felt confident as there was no way he was getting a scratch on this car. In no time at all, we were home.

Aircon, shoes off, water, more water, and something to eat. Now chill for a bit before dinner.

Eventually it was time to head out for dinner. We headed to a spot we found online that sounded good—apparently we were not the only ones who had heard. The kids were too tired to try and wait out the queue—they needed food and soon. So we moved on.

We eventually found a nice little place not far from our apartment. It had a very homely feel and the staff were friendly. We ordered the oxtail gnocchi, gnocchi with tomato, guanciale, and cheese, spaghetti di mare, and a Napoli pinsa. A bottle of red wine and some fizzy water topped it off.

The meal was delicious and the staff were great—joking with the kids.

We walked home and happened to pass a gelato shop—which magically helped everyone forget how tired and sore they were.

A big day, but we felt we saw and covered a lot. The kids were amazing.

A slower day tomorrow—at least we don’t have to be anywhere at a specific time. That will be good.