This day was so, so, so cool. We rented bikes in Rome and then rode out of the city (past the Baths of Caracalla) and down the Appian Way, cut over to bike through another park around some of the remaining aqueducts, and then back to spend the last few hours of the afternoon in the Roman Forum
Juliet showing our liquid provisions--Diet Coke & grapefruit juice!
Rome is truly so beautiful.
Biking along the Appian Way is pretty darn amazing. It's wild to think about the fact that this road has been in use for literally thousands of years, which you are reminded of every so often as you bike past various ruins or statues or towers or tombs.
Lots of places to stop and tour but we opted to just pedal past most of them, thanks to wanting to have lots of time in the Forum later that day.
There are various places where you can stop and buy food and the wisteria outside this one was incredible. (Better than the pastries.)
So beautiful and smelled so heavenly!
I really love how sculptural the trees are.
Pastry break while checking out the nearest ruins
There were tons of statues like this lining the road, some more intact than others.
If you do this, be sure you're on a bike with good suspension and wider tires (not a road bike!) because those cobbles are not messing around.
Paused for a little picnic...
Perched on some fallen piece of statuary that's probably 2500 years old.
This was one of my favorite days of the whole trip.
The ride over to the aqueducts was pretty hair-raising, but we made it!
This one is still in operation and we could hear the water inside gurgling as it went on its way into Rome.
Jules after climbing a huge hill in a giant park that I wish we'd had more time to explore!
Then we returned our bikes and made a very necessary stop for more gelato.
And then it was on to the Forum!
Which is just INCREDIBLE.
I wish I had written this post a year ago so that I remembered what everything was, but these bronze doors (1600 years old) on the Temple of Romulus are pretty memorable.
Some views from the House of the Vestal Virgins--I read a book based in ancient Rome a couple months ago in which this featured prominently and it was really cool to know exactly what everything was referencing (why yes I do know that courtyard and where it opens to!).
We had some perks with our tickets that also let us go inside some of the areas that are not on the regular tour things etc.
Really cool to see these frescoes inside a 6th century Christian church (this is at the foot of Palatine Hill).
And these floors!
I *think* this photo is from the Farnesian Gardens. But the view was incredible--just seeing it all laid out from above was so beautiful.
And the Colesseum on the other side!
Then we crossed under the road to see the area of the forums around Trajan's Column.
We couldn't get super close, but we could see a lot more detail in person than in this photo (and I had run past the previous day and got a view from where the people are standing in the back of the photo).
Then it was time for our final dinner and final gelato.
The next morning we left for the airport before sunrise and waved goodbye to the Colesseum at the end of our street...
And let us all just take a moment to appreciate the ways in which Roman airport food differs from American airport "food."
No contest whatsoever. Give me Rome every time.
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