Before heading to Rome where we’d be spending another two days, our group stopped for a walking tour of Pompeii.

Taking a stroll through the ruins of the historic city was strange enough, but add in the volcano on the horizon and the remains of real people and the things that have been preserved since the city was destroyed, it really was a surreal morning.

As our Contiki bus pulled into Rome, my heart started to race. Rome has been on my to-visit list for a long time, and after our morning in Pompeii, I was so excited to be immersed in Roman culture.

Our tour manager got all the millennials pumped by playing tunes from the Lizzie McGuire Movie (iykyk). I was so excited when the bus finally stopped and we were allowed to get out and wander.

Our first stop was the Spanish Steps, which were super busy and full of people. Then we pushed through the crowd to the wonderfully gorgeous Trevi Fountain.

We were told the legend suggests make three wishes by throwing three coins into the fountain over our shoulder – the first coin is a wish to return to Rome, the second coin is a wish for love, and the third coin is a wish for marriage.

After a bit more wandering – which included our first Roman gelato and a walk through the Pantheon – we met up with the rest of the group and headed towards the place we’d be having dinner that night. Which apparently was a restaurant right across from the Colosseum.

Walking past the Colosseum suddenly made everything feel so real. It was definitely an awe moment, albeit strange.

You expect things like the Colosseum to be just outside the city, surrounded by beautiful landscape. But every landmark in Rome was just casually in the city. You’re walking down the street and just happen upon the Colosseum next to your dinner spot. It was a little strange, to be honest. Like, great that everything was within walking distance, but totally not how I imagined it.

After dinner, we headed back to our hostel for a night at the bar.

I’d like to give a shoutout to the Yellow Square Hostel and the attached bar for its guests. The hostel itself was super modern had great communal spaces for guests to spend time. It was one of my faves on the trip.

I think it was one of the craziest little bars I’ve been to. A friend and I had a few amaretto sours and just watched the craziness unfold until it got to be too much, so we went for a walk around the block before heading to our rooms.

The next morning, we met our tour manager to head to the Vatican museum. I was stunned by the gorgeous work Michaelangelo did in the Sistine Chapel. Amazing.

Once our Vatican tour was over, my friend and I took a scenic stroll through the city all the way back to the Trevi Fountain and had lunch at a nearby restaurant that was so weird, I’ll never forget. But they gave us free champagne and the lasagna wasn’t bad, so I’ll count it as a win.

With our stomachs full and our feet a bit more rested, it was time to walk to our next meeting point where we’d get a tour of the Roman Forum.

Getting the opportunity to walk through these historic sites and take them in was really incredible. I didn’t particularly have an attachment to the Forum, but the tour continued to the inside of the Colosseum and that was a much bigger deal for me.

Just walking past the Colosseum the previous night got me excited, but going inside and seeing the amphitheatre was indescribable.

It would be a couple of hours before our next scheduled activity, so we ended up walking back towards the Pantheon and sitting and chatting over another Italian cappuccino.

Once it got closer to time to meet our group, we headed towards the meet point (only getting lost for a little bit) and walked towards what would be one the best dinner experiences of the trip. We all put on an apron and got behind a station, as we’d be learning how to make our own pasta dinner!

I honestly wasn’t super confident in my skills, but knew it would be a good time. But we all helped each other out and ended up making the most delicious ravioli, gnocchi, and fettuccini.

Learning how to make fresh pasta in Rome will always be a highlight of this trip.

Having fun at our pasta-making class

After eating our pasta, it was time to hop on the streetcar and head back to the hostel for our I ♡ ROMA party.

Everyone had the task of buying a classic I ♡ ROMA t-shirt during the day (similar to I ♡ NY shirts), so we all got back and changed, then headed to the hostel bar where our Contiki group hung out in the basement playing drinking games and enjoying our last night in Rome.

This party was super bittersweet because we were getting a chance to meet some of the new faces that would be joining our trip the next morning, but we also were saying goodbye to a lot of familiar faces.

I think almost half of our group was leaving in Rome. So I spent the evening with a couple of my closest friends, finding it painful to have to leave them after we’d formed such a good bond.

But the trip stops for no one, and after some emotional goodbyes, it was time to say exciting hellos and continue on.